13-16 SEP -- ELEPHANT POLO KING'S CUP VICTORY FOR KING POWER
In this 11th year of Elephant Polo, the classic battle was fought once again in a final between King Power and Audemars-Piguet. AP has been the holder of the King's Cup for the past 3 years, but on this Sunday, it was different. The King Power team had a clear run through the tournament, scoring 74 goals over 4 days. James Manclark and the Mercedes team gave a good semi-final match, but the combined stroke of Khun Nat at center with Khun Tsu on defense won the team through in the end. The Kalaan brothers and Sangjay played a very honorable final, and Khun Vichai Raksriaksorn came to watch his King Power team finally win through to the King's Cup. Ed Story and his Reung Chang team also demonstrated impressive play. The most improved team was Citibank with our friends the Wallersteins from Germany on the field and playing magnificent open field polo. In all, there were 12 teams in Hua Hin this year, with two matches being played consecutively to move the tournament along faster and before the rains. 3.3 million baht was raised for elephant conservation in Thailand from the event. For more photos and information -- www.anantaraelephantpolo.com

THE SEEDINGS 2012

17-23 SEP -- CHINA OPEN 2012 COMING TO BEIJING
There will be all levels of polo held this fall in Beijing. Shilai Liu and his teammate Nan will be returning from an enjoyable season in UK, and stepping straight into two straight weeks of polo. The China Open encompasses low, medium, and high goal polo for all to participate and watch. Tang Polo is committed to raising the level of polo in China, and to this end, then encourage Chinese players to compete and gain experience playing with international players. This Open will feature from 17-23 Sep the China Open High Goal. So far, we have teams confirmed from Thailand and from India. There will also be a low goal tournament from 8-9 Sep previous to the High Goal. For more information, contact Peter Wood -- peter.wood@tangpolo.com
Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th August see a “Young UK” team visiting the Club. The team is comprised of 11 – 16 year olds and it will be a good opportunity to show the younger generation and media in China that polo is a sport for all. This tied in with the promotion of women’s polo means that the club has been leading the promotion of polo in China in all areas.
The 16 goal Royal Salute Gold Cup China Open Polo Tournament takes place on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd, with international teams coming out for the second annual edition of this very important tournament, in the renaissance of polo in China. The tournament is fully sanctioned as the National Open Polo Tournament of China and Royal Salute have entered into a multiyear deal with Tang Polo Club to be the title sponsors of the event.
Prior to the 16 goal tournament, the club is also offering as part of the China Open season a 4 goal tournament on 1st and 2nd September and an 8 goal tournament on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th. These tournaments, while they have some foreign teams and players coming, will more importantly help with the continued development of locally grown players, which is a key focus for the Club.
A new event to the Tang season is the Cartier International China Polo Challenge from Wednesday 10th to Sunday 14th October in conjunction with Guards Polo Club. Cartier have asked Guards to take their very successful Challenge Tournament from Dubai to China and Tang have entered into a multiyear agreement with Guards to be the host club for this event.
Before the season ends there will still be one more major tournament with the BMW China Amateur Open again being hosted by Tang on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st October. This is a tournament only for Chinese players and the number of teams continue to grow year on year.

22 SEP -- NUSANTARA END OF SEASON CUP
The last tournament of the season in Indonesia, and we have heard from Rajiv, that he will be back on the field -- after recovering from his previous fall. We will let you know the winners of this intrepid polo extravaganza in the vast archipelago.

09 SEP -- SHY RONNIE WINS SINGAPORE OPEN
The Paisano Polo Academy team stormed the ground at the Singapore Open according to Khun Ploy who was on assignment to check on all the gauchos at the Open. Ronnie has been going from strength to strength since launching the Paisano Academy in Singapore. Chief gaucho Che Pieroni has never worked so hard in his life. At the Argentine Ambassador Cup in Indonesia, he reported that in 5 days, he gave 37 lessons. They now have 15 horses at the Paisano Polo Academy. There are no members at the Academy. They have baby chukkas 2 times per week on Mon and Wed. There is now a "Gaucho Cafe" -- which must be the first Gaucho Cafe in all of Asia. Flaca is working hard to keep Che organized and Khun Toon from Polo Escape is shoeing horses fervently but missing Thailand. Congratulations to Shy Ronnie and the Gauchos and Khun Ploy for an excellent report.

30 AUG -- NUSANTARA DEFEATS BLACK DOG FOR SULTAN OF JOHOR'S VISIT TO INDONESIA
It was a brilliant afternoon at Nusantara Polo Club with almost 1,000 spectators and VIPs on hand to pay respect to The Sultan of Johor who was hosted by Khun Bowo to witness the spectacular battle between Nusantara and Black Dog. Black Dog started out in the lead with Roman Rampello from Korea Polo Club commanding his team from the #3 spot. The crowd roared with excitement when Mischa took a mighty strike at the ball and sent in firmly between the posts. Agus also joined the Black Dog team, but it was Hari who stepped into the #1 spot for Nusantara who changed the tide, and put Nusantara back on form and into the lead. Nusantara camptured a 7-6 lead in the fourth and final chukka, and Black Dog missed a 30 yeard penalty and a 60 yard for Nusantara to breathe a sigh of relief and capture the Sultan's trophy and enjoy the day. The afternoon's polo was followed by a brilliant dressage display of 6 Lucitano horses in front of the clubhouse. Thank you all for a magnificent day.

21 SEP -- IN MEMORIAM -- HUGH DAWNAY -- SANDHURST
The honour of your presence is requested at the memorial service for Hugh Dawnay, on Friday 21st September from 1.00pm at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 4PQ. The service will take place in the Royal Memorial Chapel at 2.00pm, followed by a reception in the Indian Army Memorial Room. Please note: Sandhurst is a military establishment and thus an alphabetical nominal roll of the guests must be produced and sent to the Sandhurst no later than 7th September 2012. Therefore, please send confirmation of your attendance to louisadawnay@hotmail.co.uk no later than 1st September 2012. (courtesy of Churo)

05 AUG -- PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCE HARRY IN UK
There was a splendid afternoon of polo in English this August with Tang Polo Club's Shilai Liu taking to the field for the first time with Prince William on his team. Khun Top was leading the King Power team with Prince Harry. The two teams showed tremendous sporting play and warm sportsmanship in a friendly atmosphere. Everyone was very curious which team would win through in the end, and in a summer with plentiful amounts of rain, the crowd was pleased that the sky remained clear. At the final chukka, there was a dead tie between these two sturdy teams with the score of 3-3 highlighting the board. All the spectators were very pleased with the result and welcomed Shilai to the the Princely Circuit in UK.

04 AUG -- ARGENTINA WINS AT NUSANTARA AMBASSADOR CUP
It was a thrilling match for the 1,000 spectators that turned up to cheer the Indonesia National Team. After 2 chukkas, the Indonesian team was winning 4-2. His Excellency, The Argentine Ambassador, was on the edge of his seat. The Argentinian team had recruited secret weapon Mischa and brought in the very well-known Singaporean gaucho Che Pieroni, but it was Agus, the Indonesian wonder who turned the tide for Argentina. Nico Curto was playing a sturdy back with passes up to Che Pieroni, but then the gauchos connected forward to Agus, two rapid goals were converted and changed the tide of the match. Argentina came out on top with a 7-4 victory and a very enjoyable match was celebrated with club Patron Prabowo dancing the Pocho-Pocho. Actually, everyone was dancing the Pocho-Pocho. If you have ever learned to dance the Pocho-Pocho, one this is for sure, it becomes a part of your soul, and you will never forget the steps. Spectators were very pleased with the performance of Novel, Billy, Glen, Acep on the 5 goal Indonesian team. The Argentine team of Mischa (-2), Tom (1), Nico (4), Nicolas (3) and Agus came to claim the Ambassador's Cup from the Ambassador, Daya, Prabowo, and other distinguished VIPs. The Argentina Ambassador's Cup has become an honored tradition at Nusantara Polo Club in Indonesia -- LEARN THE POCHO-POCHO

JUL -- BEGINNER CLINIC AT SPP UNDERWAY
Mau Cuat and Nicole have been working hard at the SPP Pony Clinich teaching young Thai students how to ride and care for horses. The first course was attended by Toon, Jeena, Earn, and Om. Here they are pictured with Baby Chivas. They have all had four lessons and are now trotting on their own. Nong Earn received a lesson from Mau Cuat on how to use Ultrasound to diagnosis horses with injuries. The young students are thrilled to be working and learning so much about horses.

17-19 AUG -- PRESIDENT'S CUP AT HORSESHOE POINT
It is not polo, but they do have horses. Horseshoe Point is a lovely afternoon out, and certainly there will be some fine riders at this event. zherwin@horseshoepoint.com

22-23 SEP -- ROYAL SALUTE RETURNS TO KOREA POLO CLUB
JB Lee is very excited with the improvement of his Korean Team and reports that Royal Salute has agreed to sponsor a second Royal Salute Tournament at the Korea Polo Club in Jeju. The difference this year is that all his young and new players will be on the field. We saw many of the new Korean players at SPP last year for the "Zero to Hero" polo course that was very successful. Now is the chance to see all these gentlemen (and ladies?) out on the field. We will keep you posted about this exciting tournament.

SEP-OCT -- TPA IN ACTION
We have heard rumblings from the TPA that the Thai National Team is ready to travel. The question is where? The Thailand Sports Authority is supportive of all sports in Thailand, and so they encourage the Thai National Team to travel and compete with fellow teams in the Asean area or beyond. Invitations have been extended to the Thai Team from Korea in September and from Egypt in October. There may possibly be an invitation from the Powerful Juggernaut Indonesian team, so all eyes are on the TPA to see where they will send the intrepid expeditionary Thai National Team. Let's go TPA.

23 JUL -- TANG POLO CLUB UNDERWATER
Beijing has been hit by the most torrential rains in 6 decades, and this has kept all the staff at Tang Polo Club very busy. Several gauchos from Thailand have ventured north to help Shilai with his ever-growing club. Khun Agustin is now the Polo Manager and more recently Khun Daniel Yanez has been recruited to be the Polo Veterinarian. Daniel is trying very hard to learn some Chinese and he will be pioneering the Chinese Chapter of La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos. We wish everyone luck with the China Open that will be coming this Fall.

26 MAY -- DAYA "LA MAQUINA" WINS NUSANTARA CUP
There was a lot of action on the field in Indonesia as the Nusantara Cup was played with Daya and Liesbeth on the field. Prabowo was not able to play in this cup, but he is usually an enthusiastic participant. Liesbeth Capetti and Daya Zakir were playing with Novel and Nico Curto up against the Garuda Team with a full compliment of Indonesian athletes: Glen Buyung, Agus Gombong, Billy Barsel and Acep Krishnandar. All these players are now up to 1 goal. Daya led his team to a 1/2 goal victory of 4.5 to 4, and has thus been named "La Maquina en La Cancha." On April 15th, the Nusantara team played the Opening Season Cup with El Galactico -- Rajiv Luis -- on the field and on fire. Nico Curto played with him followed by 2 new Indonesian players. They played against the Indonesian National team, which was lead by 2 goal Novel Momongan. El Galactico's team lost by a single goal, but everyone was happy as it was the first tournament of the season and everything went well. Also received from Nico Curto is a photo taken from Indonesia's trip to India with Polo legend Carlos Gracida. The General of the Calcutta Regiment was on hand to present the prizes.

19-20 MAY -- KING POWER EXPEDITIONARY POLO TEAM GOES TO CHINA
The King Power Expeditionary Polo Team was in action once again. This time, it was the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The team was a guest of Shilai Liu, owner of Tang Polo Club, and it was a red carpet treatment all the way. This was the first time that a Thai Polo Team ever played in China, and the weather was perfect. TPA Chairman, Khun Vichai Raksriaksorn, was the honored guest of Chairman Shilai and Nan Liu, and no expense was spared in making the expeditionary polo team welcome. This was a real test for Top and Tal, because every night, Shilai used Sun Tzu's "Bing Fa" (Art of War) tactics to try to distract and weaken the Thai players, but every day, back on the field, they played stronger. There were 4 teams playing in the tournament -- TANG POLO CLUB, KING POWER, MUSTANG BEIJING TEAM, and SINGAPORE PAISANO TEAM. The energy was electric. Agustin Andrada was working overtime as a new Tang Polo Manager to speak Chinese and prepare all the horses for the tournament. There are two fields at the club, and the main field in front of the tents is magnificent. In addition, the expeditionary polo team was introduced to Tang Polo Club manager Peter Wood from England and Chairman's Assistant Edward Chen from China. The club has a magnificent hotel right on the field with a delicious gourmet restaurant and indoor riding arena and two life-size period Tang Horses from the Tang Dynasty in Xi'an. SPP polo manager, Lucas Lujan, was one of the first to sample the Chinese delicacy "Chee-Jaw" which is required by any gaucho who plays in China. Shilai was very happy to present Lucas with a plate of "Chee-Jaw" full of cooked chicken feet. Lucas was thrilled and played very well because of this. Well, it all came down to the final on Sunday, and it was an epic 5 chukka battle between KING POWER and TANG POLO CLUB. Beautiful polo to watch. Agustin and Shilai were impenetrable for the Tang Team, driving the ball consistently down field and through the goal posts. The Bing Fa tactics had finally taken their toll on Top and Lucas, as these guys missed about 5 goals by a foot or less. The final bell went to TANG POLO CLUB with a one or two goal victory. Khun Vichai was given the honore to get the ball rolling for the match, and there was a full compliment of lady players from China, Thailand and Kazakhstan to entertain all the crowd with magnificent play. Khun Robin received the best playing female player award, and she assured us that there are 3.8 billion people in China, so the 3 Chinese ladies on the team were at the tip of the sword. Khun Top received the best playing male player, and special recognition was given to Khun Tal who played a magnificent tournament all the way with some amazing tail shots and under the neck shots that went right through the posts. Thank you very much to our wonderful host Shilai Liu and his trusted friend Nan Liu for your magnificent hospitality. Lucas cannot wait to return to try some more "Chee-Jaw" and to finally see the Great Wall. Sheshe Nee Gummers.

19 MAY -- FIRST JEJU GOVERNOR'S CUP IN KOREA
JB Lee, the Founder of the Korea Polo Club, has reported that they had a very successful opening season in Jeju with two teams playing and 250 guests from all parts of Korea. The setup was Korea Team vs International Team. On the Korea Team, we had Roman Rampello, a 3 goal player from Argentina, and the Korea team defeated the International Team in a stunning display of equestrian stickmanship 12-9. Congratulations to all our Korean friends and we look forward to seeing a Korean Team in the next ALL ASIA CUP in 2014.

26 MAY -- MEGA HORSE TRAILER ARRIVES AT VR POLO CLUB
Chief SPP Vet Mau Cuat has announced that the new King Power Mega Trailer has finally arrived at VR Sports Club. Nicole has complained that this trailer is too big, but everyone else feels that is long overdue. The King Power Mega Trailer can carry 16 polo horses and saddles and tack to any polo field in Thailand. This is an extreme leap forward for polo in Thailand, because VR Sports Club has recently expanded to yearly Beach Polo in Hua Hin, there are horse farms in Pattaya and Khao Yai, and the Polo Escape field in Pattaya. It is also rumored that King Power may be building a new polo field on a farm in Hua Hin. Exciting developments for polo in Thailand and we will take you on a tour of the new Mega Trailer when we can.

KING POWER MEGA TRAILER HAS ARRIVED (16 horses)

28 MAY -- MAJOR HUGH DAWNAY LEAVES THE FIELD
Very sad news was passed on to us by Churo Pelligrini today, as we heard that polo legend and international polo instructor and author of "Polo Vision," Hugh Dawney has passed away. Hugh used to teach polo clinics with military precision from his days with the Hussars, and he did so with much humor and charisma. Many of his students will recall him yelling from the back of a horse, "there are no problems in life, only adjustments..." so if you are out of position on the field, there is always a short cut. Hugh also used to teach the 3 "DON'TS" of polo for Riding, Hitting and Tactics... If you want to ride well, DON'T look at your pony (let him look at you); if you want to hit well, DON'T hit too hard, and if you want to be in position, DON'T chase the ball. Those were the early days of polo when Hugh would come and grace the polo fields of Africa. Hamba Gathle Hugh, you will be missed. 

JUN -- MIGUEL DIAZ EN LA OTRA CANCHA
Miguel Diaz a 4 goal gaucho at Siam Polo Park and a permanent gaucho on the Fit Flop Polo Team with Jon and Lynly in Singapore has appeared in a headline story in the June issue of Polo Times in UK. The story reads that Miguel led the Pilara team to an upset victory and scored all the goals for his team, despite being the lowest handicapped team in the tournament, and led his intrepid team to victory at Singapore Polo Club. The article failed to mention that Miguel Diaz was a former President of Los Gauchos Timidos, and therefore, fully qualified for such a magnificent performance. Miguel does need some practice with his camera, because the photo he sent us is not that straight, but don't worry about that, as long as you keep hitting the ball straight -- "See you Sunday" -- congratulations to Miguel en la otra cancha en Singapore.

25 JUL & 05 AUG -- SUMMER HORSE CAMP
Very exciting news for young people -- Learn to Ride and Care for Horses. Siam Polo Park will be conducting two Horse Camps this off season 25-31 July 2012 and 5-11 August 2012 at Siam Polo Park. Cost is 15,000 Baht, and the horse camp is specifically for students in Thailand to learn about riding and care of horses. Two excellent instructors will be on hand to teach our young riders -- Dr. Cuat 0898382277 and Khun Nicole 0816477501 -- spphorsecamp@gmail.com -- Please send Name, Age, School name and year, Parents name, Contact phone. Deposit of 3,000 Baht to join the camp. (Pictured here is Khun Emma from New Zealand taking a polo lesson with Agustin Andrada at Siam Polo Park).

11 MAY -- TPA MEETING NEWS
TPA assembled to set the SPP and VR schedule for next season and to approve the handicaps for 2012-2013 season. The tentative dates for SPP and tournaments are as follows (pending confirmation). We are waiting for events and dates from other clubs.
**Jul/Aug/Sep 2012 Sport Authority Thai Polo Trip to Korea, Malaysia or Philippines (2 mos prior notice)(4 players and 3 coordinators)(400g)
3-4 Nov Open Season
17-18 Nov Spp Cup (2-4 goal)
24-25 Nov Indoor Cup
1-2 Dec Lexus High-Tea Tri-Nations Cup (low goal)
15-16 Dec WWF Charity Cup (2-4 goal)
22-23 Dec Christmas Cup
12-13 Jan **King's Cup (open)
5-10 Feb **Ambassadors Cup (4-6 goal) -- Brazil, Uk, China, India, Australia, Korea, Mongolia (possibly)
2-3 Mar King Power Gold Cup (4-6 goal)
22-24 Mar Hua Hin Beach Polo (open)
5-7 Apr Final International Club Series (4-6 goal)
27-28 Apr Minus Zero Cup
4-5 May End of Season
TPA will be confirming the TPA Handicaps for 2012-13 season and the TPA Handicap Committee shortly.

JUN-SEP -- ENGLAND TEAM AND ENGLISH SUMMER PLANS
Pictured here are the intrepid members of the ENGLAND POLO TEAM that came to play the International Club Series Final in Thailand just after the Songkran Holiday. Sam Instone, who is the Treasurer at Ham Polo Club, and his fellow team members (Martin, Shane, and Viktor) were deeply honored to be soaked in ice water after their defeat by the Singapore team. Khun Tal Raksriaksorn, the President of La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos, honored all the members of the English Team further by awarding them Distinguished Honorary Status in the Association of Humble Gauchos. The English players were deeply moved by this honor, and they said that they really did enjoy the horses in Thailand, so they will be back next year. The Thailand Polo summer season in England has a lot of activities planned -- There is a 10 goal King Power Club planned for Ham in September -- Thai Polo friend Shilai Liu from Tang Polo Club will be playing with Prince William in August -- There may be a Dubai Cup at Ham -- The King Power Team is also planning to field a 15 goal team at one of the tournaments in England this summer.

26-27 MAY 2012 -- CONSUL GENERAL CUP AT NINE DRAGONS CHINA
Nikki Wu has confirmed that there will be a 0 goal Consul General Cup back on the field at Nine Dragons. Khun Robin says that she may go back and play there, because there are 3.8 billion people in China, and she wants to promote women's polo there.

06 MAY 2012 -- TEAM LUJAN WINS "CABALLERO CUP"
It was a full on competition for the first ever playing of the Caballero Cup at VR Sports Club under the lights. Chief Caballero Cachi Lujan was flown in all the way from Argentina to compete in this exclusive Bachelor Cup playing on the polo field. There were two teams -- Team Lujan and Team Raksriaksorn. The Team Raksriaksorn surged ahead by three goals in the first chukka, and they were on fire. However, either they had not made enough expeditions, or they were intimidated by the Bachelor's final day, and the Lujan Team drove through to a 4-3 victory at the 5 chukka bell.

27-29 APR 2012 -- SIAM POLO PARK WINS MINUS ZERO CUP
The Minus Zero Cup is coming together amidst sporadic communications. The latest news has it that there will be 3 teams with polo legend Rajiv coming from the Archipelago of Indonesia with Daya from the Jagorawi Golfing Empire. Eric Barthe will be commanding a division of Panzer tanks from Germany. We have an exciting array of new visitors from India and parts unknown with Rina Shah and Liesbeth Cappetti gracing the fields of Siam Polo Park. Apparently the plan is to come on Friday and practice with your team, and then to Fight to Win! for the following two days. So... come and show what you have learned over the past season. Great fun tournament with a team handicap well below zero! If you want to join, contact the communication committee -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

20-21 APR 2012 -- BEIJING SPLASHES OUT AT INTERNATIONAL CLUB SERIES
A very exciting continuation of Peter McCormick's International Club Series at Siam Polo Park. We had 4 teams on the field. Shilai Liu and Nan brought down the Tang Polo Club to represent Beijing for the first time in the International Club Series. Our good friends Stijn, Ali, and Captain Gan assempled a formidable Singapore team. A very determined team of Shane Younger, Sam Instone, Martin Roman, and Viktor was dispatched from Ham Polo Club in UK to represent London, and stalwart contenders Tal and Top Raksriaksorn combined with the secret weapon Khun Vichai to assemble a Bangkok Polo Team for this years competition. The first day saw Beijing soundly defeat the London team. A tremendous "Beijing Pass" from Shilai Liu stunned all spectators. Nan was on very fine form and trying out his new kevlar helmet. The London team did not go down easily with Viktor, Sam and Shane putting solid defense to bear on the Great Wall. Thailand took to the field under the lights against Singapore. Agustin Andrada was playing with alacrity and providing crisp passes downfield to his teammates, however the Tal-Top defense combination with Pepperoni passes up to the secret weapon were too much for the Singapore boys to handle. The Sunday subsidiary final between Singapore and London was a classic. Beautiful open field polo with long passes and runs down field. A great game to watch with Singapore claiming a well-earned victory. The Final between the two great Asian cities of Bangkok and Beijing was a nail biter. A quick goal by Nan in fhe opening seconds was called back due to a foul. Bangkok got two quick goals. Khun Vichai was playing remarkably like a Santy Lujan, and soon Beijing was training by 3-1. Shilai drilled a splendid penalty from the 40 right between the posts, but then, like a lightening bolt, Khun Top came across the goal and knocked the ball clear. Beijing was rattled. Beijing missed a nice under-the neck from a throw-in by inches. The pressure was mounting. The one ominous factor to bear in this contest was the sudden announcement to all teams that this year's International Club Series would be played under SONGKRAN RULES. Many of our London and Beijing players were not sure what this meant, but due to the intense heat in Thailand and recent celebration of the Thai New Year, two huge buckets of ice water were placed on the side of the field. "Songkran Rules" means that the loosing teams sit on the ground and are soundly Christened by the members of the other teams with copious amounts of ice water on their heads. And so it came to pass, at the final bell, that Beijing and London had come up short this year. Congratulations Thailand to a nice victory and Welcome Shilai, Viktor, Nan, Shane, Sam, Martin and Chief Communicator Lucas Lujan to the Songkran Club.  

13-14 APR 2012 -- POLO ON THE BEACH
Horses and Gauchos have been dispatched to the Eastern resort town of Hua Hin to mount the first ever SPP polo team on the beach. The tide is low at 10am, so the ball will be thrown in somewhere around that time. Actually, there are several balls, and we will be testing to see which one suffers the least under such punishment. However, the real purpose of this exercise to assemble the first ever Thailand Equestrian Water Polo Team. It is rumored that no where else in the world has water polo ever been played on horseback. SPP and VR continue to pioneer new and interesting equestrian activities and we will update you on this development in short order.

17 APR 2012 -- BUAKAW DOMINATES AT THAI FIGHT BALI HAI
A combined Expeditionary Tang-VR Polo Team was dispatched to watch the Thai Fight Extravaganza at Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya. The teams were fresh from the beaches in Hua Hin, and came to watch the new and growing global Muay Thai competition. The heat was intense, and as the sun dipped below the mountains, the battles began. Every fight was more climactic than the preceeding one. Finally, we all got what we were waiting for. A young, but sturdy, Buakaw stepped onto the canvas. He was reported missing in many international newspapers, but he was certainly back now. He was composed and determined and knocked out his opponent in the second round. The fans went wild. King Power is a sponsor of Thai Fight, and Buakaw came over to thank Khun Vicahai and the Expeditionary Polo Team for attending. Shilai had brought an assembly of Chinese boxing judges to come and witness the event. It was a great event followed by an expedition led by a very famous Thai polo player. 

20 APR 2012 -- PIERONI ASADO & WEDDING HISTORIA
One of the most perennial Thai gauchos of all time, Nicolas Pieroni, was wed to his long-time betrothed Flaca on Friday 19 April 2012 at a ceremony attended by his taxi driver Khun Thanin. The sudden wedding was held after a full expedition attended by all gauchos the previous night lasting until 6am. The gauchos visited 6 different canchas and were led by a combination of Santy Lujan and Facundo Pieroni. There were no gauchos left standing at the bell at 7am until the gentlemen who came to deliver the documents to Flaca at 10am said that the wedding had to occur at that time, or it would not occur. Nicolas was suddenly awaken and brought to attention before the official-in-charge and the taxi-driver-witness Khun Thanin. There was a momentary pause in the ceremony, as Nicolas had to go and remove some of the contents from the previous night expedition from his stomach, but then the ceremony proceeded calmly. There was a festive celebratory luncheon held in Lat Krabang with Khun Thanin and the deal was done. Now Nicolas and Flaca are set to go and begin their new command of the Paisano Polo Academy in Singapore. Nicolas's parents arrived the following day to attend the asado and will spend two weeks in Thailand followed by two weeks in Singapore. A real gaucho wedding will be held in Argentina on 01 Dec 2012. Nicolas has served faithfully at SPP and VR for 8 years, and he led the BANGKOK team to victory in the International Club Series recently held at VR. We all wish them luck from La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos -- nicolas@argentinapolo.com

Introducing the World's First Equestrian Water Polo Team -- Hua Hin, Thailand

2012 HANDICAPS & SCHEDULE
The chief gaucho at Polo Escape, Churo Pelligrinni, has submitted his list of REVISED HANDICAPS for players that have played at Polo Escape this year. He also has prepared a SCHEDULE for next season. We will post these as soon as we get the schedules and handicaps from other polo clubs. 

31-01 APR 2012 -- WWFII CHARITY CUP "more polo for wildlife"
Yes, the WWF Charity Cup continues. The event was so successful two weeks ago, that we are having a WWFII. All the Endangered Animals were back on the field with two teams in the final -- Asiatic Black Bears against the Siamese Crocodiles. This time, the Bears were on form and destroyed the Crocodiles 9-2 (or something like that). Panda Pat was on hand in a mini version of her Panda Suit. Khun Tal presented a check for 100,000 Thai Baht to the representatives from WWF who came to watch the final.

23-24 MAR 2012 -- HORNITO CUP
This is a Lucas Lujan Special.. 2-4 goal level. Polo and Party. Entry fee 4,000 Baht per person. This may include a night at PULLMAN WINE PUB or an ARGENTINA ASADO DINNER as per Lucas' discretion. Each team will have a polo professional. This idea is to have the same level of fun as the Ambassador Cup, but at a lower level, for newer players to enjoy and learn about polo. Already, we have confirmed Singapore Legend Ang Ban Tong returning, and Ronnie Lim the owner of Paisano Polo Academy. If you want to join -- tpa@siampolonews.com

25 MAR 2012 -- "DZO BA!" CUP
Anyone who has been on an expedition in China knows the importance of this expression. This is the rallying cry of all Mongolian Gauchos on the pioneering Nine Dragons Hill Expeditionary Polo Team. Now with many Mongolian gauchos at SPP honing their skills with the VR staff, it is only fitting that we have a Dzo Ba! Cup. It is without question, the first-ever Dzo Ba! Cup ever played anywhere in the world, and you can be sure that the excitement will be riveting. We have heard a rumor that Khun Vichai will make an appearance at this prestigious event and lead a team onto the field.

21 MAR 2012 -- CANCHI LEADS BLACK DOG
Canchi Andrada has come all the way from Argentina in aid of the beleaguered Black Dog team. It is true that the Black Dog team has not won a single game all season. Even in all their various disguises (Chopard and Asiatic Black Bear), the season has been extremely harsh on this team. It was decided that the final solution -- Canchi Andrada -- had to be employed. Canchi arrived for his appointment fresh from a Paisano victory at Polo Escape with Agustin serving on the Axus team. Confidence was high as Canchi joined the two Lujan brothers. The first throw in saw Canchi streaking down field, and delivering a determined under the neck shot straight through the goal posts to put the team into the lead. It was a back and forth game for 4 chukkas, and at the final bell, the game was tied. We are now trying to delay Canchi's flight back to Argentina to continue this game. Thank you Canchi for helping the Black Dog team to obtain its finest performance thus far this season.

MAR 2012 -- WOODWARD CAM ARRIVES ON THE FIELD
Woodward continues his Hi-Tech pioneering ways. Last time, he brought the first GPS onto the polo field to record the maximum speed of a gaucho during a game of polo. This time, it was a high definition video camera strapped to his helmet. Woodward is definitely not one to complain when it comes to controversial calls by argentine umpires, but this time it is all on film. It is cutting edge stuff, and we are only one step away from live on the field playbacks of controversial umpire calls now that the Woodward Cam is on the field. We will shortly be presenting here a YouTube Premier of the Woodward Cam creation from Siam Polo Park. Advice for Woodward on how to film polo -- http://www.livingpolo.com/news/334300-nacho-figueras-in-an-edition-of-60-minutes/

17-18 MAR 2012 -- WWF CHARITY CUP "POLO FOR WILDLIFE" (2-4 GOAL)
Siam Polo Park is teaming up with WWF to raise funds and awareness for endangered wildlife in Thailand. Thailand is a tropical paradise with many pristine wildlife reserves, but some wildlife species in Thailand are endangered. This tournament is for our friends in neighboring countries that share a passion for polo. Each team will be named after an endangered species in Thailand. A portion of the funds raised for charity at the Ambassador Cup will be donated to WWF Thailand for their conservation work. We have already heard from our polo friends Stijn, Lars, Rickard, Ali Gerry and James Bean. Rickard is a polo legend across Asia -- especially on the elephant polo field. Stijn has been on a long walkabout, so he will have some stories to share with us about polo in New Zealand. Lars commands one of the largest polo schools in Cebu, Philippines and will be sure to thrill us with his honed skills. Ali Reda is well known on the polo fields of Thailand and is a force not to be taken lightly. Eric Barthe has now confirmed that he will ride onto the field. Quite recently, a list of "International Men of Mystery" has been assembled containing the following gentlemen players who may choose to select an endangered animal and join the WWF CHARITY CUP -- JB Lee, Shyam Mehta, DJ Mear, Rajiv, Nivia Zakir, Gerry Gan, Ang Ban Tong & Son, Steve Wyatt, David Ko, Dino Asvaintra, Ronnie "Paisano" Lim, David Wildpig, Stuart "Rhino" Wrigley. 7 people have confirmed on the first day of announcing the Wildlife Cup 2012. This is a fun lo-goal tournament, if you would like to join a team please email Lucas & TPA team -- tpa@siampolonews.com

Photos by: Narong Sirikanjanapong (TPA) -- Asiatic Black Bears up against the Wild Asian Elephants on Day 1

 
Asian Polo Friends come together for Conservation -- Indochinese Tigers battle with the Siamese Crocodiles on Day 1

   
First (Siamese Crocodiles) -- Second (Wild Asian Elephants) -- Third (Indochinese Tigers)

SIAMESE CROCODILES Team Color: Green Lars Lofgren (Captain) 0 Paitoon 0 Boon -1 Lucas Lujan 4 INFO

WILD ASIA ELEPHANTS Team Color: Gray Gerry Gan (Captain) 0 Yes-No 0 Tsu 1 Santy Lujan 2 INFO

INDOCHINESE TIGERS Team Color: Orange Ali Reda (Captain) 0 Jamie Wooward 1 Rikkard 0 Nico Pieroni 3 INFO

ASIATIC BLACK BEARS Team Color: Black Stijn Welkers (Captain) 0 Tom 1 Eric 1 Nat Pratumlee 2 INFO

Results: Day 1 was extremely close with the Wild Asian Elephants defeating the Asiatic Black Bears 4.5 to 4. Stijn scoring a beautiful deflection goal from Nat. Eric Barthe converting an amazing double pass backhand into goal. The bears did not go down easily. Second match saw fierce rivalry as Siamese Crocodiles edged the Indochinese Tigers also by 4.5 to 4 with amazing goals by Ali Reda and Rikkard finding exceptional form on the field. Lars said that he had not played polo this hard before in his life, but he loved it. Entry Fee: 4,000 Baht - includes team shirts, hornito asado dinner on Saturday, drinks on field, chip-kap-dip, WWF donation. Confirmed players: Ali, Rickard, Lars, Jamie (if wife approves), Stijn, Gerry, and Thai polo legend Eric Barthe. Pullman Hotel: 3,400 Baht/night Deluxe Room available from Gung -- gung@siampolonews.com Chukka Cost: Can be confirmed by email from lucas@argentinapolo.com Message from WWF: On behalf of WWF Thailand I would like to thank you and your group for your kind offer to help support our work on endangered species. -- ROBERT STEINMETZ, Head of Conservation Biology, WWF Thailand -- www.wwf.or.th

16-18 MAR 2012 -- AXUS WINS PATRON'S CUP AT POLO ESCAPE
Agustin and Canchi Andrada have been dispatched to serve on Brian Xu's AXUS team, and are performing in splendid form. There are 4 teams on the field -- ADAMAS, AXUS, HARILELA, KUPPA. Day 1 saw brilliant goals from all Patrons. Churo sending a magnificent pass up to recently wed Aron Harilela for a goal. Paul Cheung lofting a spectacular penalty shot from 30 yards through the posts. Brian Xu driving a beautiful ball from almost 70 yards on the run through the posts. Canchi, with guitar in hand, has been entertaining all long into the evening. The Final two teams are ADAMAS and AXUS -- an age old rivalry between North and South to be fought yet again.

2-4 MAR 2012 -- 3 TEAMS IN KING POWER GOLD CUP (8 GOAL)
The GOLD CUP is back, and this time with three teams. One of the most incredible come-backs we have ever seen happened on Saturday with Polo Perfecto scoring 2 goals in the first minute to come back against Tang Polo Club. The Tang team was stunned, they stumbled back into the lead and then with 5 seconds remaining on the clock, El Presidente Miguel Diaz, scored a tying goal from 60 yards to draw the game between Tang and Polo Perfecto. Lynly Fong scored a remarkable goal on a pass from El Presidente at an impossible angle, and even she was left speechless by such a goal, and to be sure, there may not be any emails to the committee for a few days after scoring such a goal. But then the King Power team rode onto the field and played a very solid game against Tang Polo Team. The final match of the day was a nail-biter, as King Power took up the reins against El Presidente. It had been discovered where the source of such power from Miguel Diaz had come from, as he glided across the field with Tommy Usher in perfect post-expedition harmony, but El Presidente did not realize that he was up against 3 fellow members and 2 former presidents of La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos, and King Power slammed the door hard on Polo Perfecto with a 3 goal victory. This means that a Sunday final between Tang Polo and King Power will come to pass. Gummer Shilai Liu is on very fine form and Khun Nat with Santy and Agustin Andrada will pull out all the stops. Canchi Andrada has arrived at the club with his guitar and is very pleased with the progress of polo in Thailand since his last visit 8 years ago. Welcome back Canchi.

17 MAR 2012 -- KOREA POLO CLUB OPEN SEASON
KPC member David Ko has reported that Korea Polo Club will open their season on 17 March. Polo in Korea is improving rapidly, and now Japan has taken interest in Polo. We will keep you posted.

26 FEB 2012 -- OOLONG TEA CUP
In what was certainly the first ever Oolong Tea Cup ever held in Thailand, if not the world, the combined Tang-VR team defeated the King Power team 10-5 under the lights at the VR field. Nan was on the King Power team, but he was not able to stop the combined force of Khun Vichai and Shilai Liu together. The teams celebrated with a cup of Oolong Tea after the game and viewed their fine trophy. There are basically 3 types of teas in China -- Green Tea, Oolong Tea, and Pure Tea. Green Tea is good for only a few months after being harvested, whereas the Oolong Tea can be kept for 3-5 years. Pure Tea can last much longer -- from 10-15 years. The process by which the tea is washed and then poured is very important, and you must not use water that is too hot, or you will burn the tea leaves. We will bring you more exciting details about Oolong Tea in due course.  

21-25 FEB 2012 -- VR EXPEDITIONARY POLO TEAM GOES TO DUBAI
In the final days of February, an intrepid VR Expeditionary Polo Team was assembled to make the journey to the fabled sands of Arabia. The mission was to visit Ali at Desert Palms Polo Club and to watch the Cartier Cup final. There were 4 teams in the Cartier Cup and the final was played by Cartier and Desert Sands with Cartier demonstrating a command performance. Expeditionary Team members Khun Top and Shilai Liu were invited to play a friendly chukka with Her Royal Highness Mehta the newly polo-enlighted daughter of Sheikh Mohammed the Ruler of Dubai. Top was very careful not to ride her off, but there was a tremendous drive from Shilai in the final chukka which drilled Khun Top in the elbow. It was a minor setback, as the expeditionary team commanded all their efforts in finding the finest restaurants and wines that Dubai had to offer. There was a very entertaining visit to The Bank where Shilai enlightened all of the team members on some of the finer aspects of protocol, and then there was a visit to the Iranian Art Gallery, and then the dizzying assault on the 123 club in the lofty Amarin Tower until 2am. The Expeditionary Team was thoroughly exhausted but had completed the mission.

14-18 FEB 2012 -- TANG POLO DEFEATS ROYAL SALUTE IN THE FINAL OF THE AMBASSADOR CUP
This year, The Ambassadors from all of the polo-playing countries in Asia will be invited to the Ambassador Cup Final on 18 Feb 2012 -- China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Korea, India, Pakistan, UAE, Philippines, Mongolia - as a celebration of the progress that the sport of polo has made in Asia over the past decade. Saturday 18 Feb 2012 SCHEDULE. The first match is at 4pm (SPP Field). The VIP guests will arrive at the main clubhouse at 5pm. The Final match starts at 5:30pm and it is hoped that His Excellency the Chinese Ambassador will throw in the ball. The Gala Dinner will begin at 7pm on the Clubhouse Lawn. No Team Entry Fee. Team handicaps 4-6 goals. The Ambassador's Cup is one of the most enjoyable polo tournaments held in Thailand. The tournament consists of a combination of beginner and advanced players from all over the world coming to join and have fun. Last year, we set a world record for Thailand with 10 teams participating in the Ambassador's Cup. This year, Royal Salute (blue), Mitavite (yellow), L'Oreal (black), Paisano Polo Academy (white), Tang Polo Club (red), and Chopard (lime) have confirmed they will sponsor teams in the Ambassador Cup 2012. We had many people who wanted to play, but the following players have confirmed they will be competing for the coveted AMBASSADORS CUP -- Hughes Van Heesewijk, Clement Toussaint, Clement Delfosse, Julien Reynes, Ronnie Lim, Jon Gabler, Lynly Fong, Shilai Liu, Nan Liu, Dino Asvaintra, Top, Tal, Tsu, Nat, Ploy, Tom, Eric, Santy, Miguel, Nicolas, Lucas, Agustin and Stijn.
UPDATES on Living Polo
1. GALA DINNER - The Gala Dinner will be held after the final on Saturday 18 February 7pm. If you would like to attend the dinner, please RSVP in advance to -- tpa@siampolonews.com
2. POLO IN LIVING COLORS - Khun Jaz has organized 3 famous Thai Artists to paint players at the Ambassador Cup LIVE IN ACTION -- Bancha Sriwongraj, Bancha Tassamalee, Thanit Duangsuwan, Boon Song Klausner will be on the field and will capture some of the polo action on canvas. Their paintings will be on display in the VR clubhouse and Saturday evening at the Gala Dinner. 
3. POLO BAND - CEO Ploy (Chief Entertainment Officer) will be back in action as she is the official advisor to Khun Gung about the band that will play and will be better than last year, so that Eric does not have to take over with his iPod.
4. INTERNATIONAL MODELS - Flaca Pieroni & Jasmina Lujan have located 10 international female models to grace this years event.
5. SCHEDULE - See below
6. TEAM SHIRTS - TPA is making all the team shirts with sponsor logos as seen below.
7. SPONSORS - All SPONSORS get a huge banner on the field, their logo in the tournament brochure, logo on the webpage, and team sponsors on the team jerseys.
 

SCHEDULE:
14 FEB 2012
4:00pm - L'OREAL vs PAISANO - SPP field -- L'OREAL with a very nice victory and precision play.
5:30pm - CHOPARD vs TANG - VR field -- TANG dominates the match. Chopard played well.

15 FEB 2012
4:30pm - MITAVITE vs CHOPARD - SPP field -- MITAVITE victory with Mig at the helm.
5:45pm - L'OREAL vs ROYAL SALUTE - VR field -- ROYAL SALUTE wins. Exciting game end to end.

16 FEB 2012
4:00pm - PAISANO vs ROYAL SALUTE - SPP field -- ROYAL SALUTE ties in last 20 seconds.
5:30pm - MITAVITE vs TANG - VR field -- TANG sweeps Mitavite off their feet.

17 FEB 2012
4:00pm - WOODEN SPOON MATCH (for last place) -- PAISANO dominates! Ronnie Lim gets 5 goals.
18 FEB 2012
4:00pm - SUB FINAL - SPP field -- L'OREAL vs MITAVITE -- MITAVITE WINS.
5:00pm - Arrival of VIP guests at Main Clubhouse
5:30pm - FINAL - VR field -- TANG vs ROYAL SALUTE -- TANG WINS AMBASSADOR CUP
7:00pm - GALA DINNER on Main Clubhouse Lawn

19 FEB 2012 -- L'OREAL WINS MEN EXPERT TROPHY - FRANCE / ASIA
L'Oreal plays brilliantly and defeats China and Thailand for a complete and thorough victory in the Men Expert Trophy. This was the first L'Oreal Polo Exhibition Match in Thailand. The French team, fresh from the Ambassador Cup will put the L'Oreal Turbo Boost Kit into action on the field against teams from China and Thailand. 

4-5 FEB 2012 -- M&M CUP (LO GOAL)
James Bean, Oliver Thirwall and Jamie Woodward are on the field. This years prize includes a plethora of delicious M&M cookies. The winning team will receive 10 cookies per player. Uncle Danny is famous for these. We will have a small asado. Bring your family, they can help eat too. If you want to join this lo-goal fun tournament -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

28-29 JAN 2012 -- LIME WINS "BREEZER CUP"
This is the first ever Breezer Cup ever to be held in the Kingdom of Thailand. Three teams were on the field -- LIME, LEMON, ORANGE. They battled it out and the winning team received 4 cold Breezers. Actually, every team received 4 cold Breezers - but different flavors. Most Improved Player was David Ko from Korea. Most Gentleman Player was Leroy Li from China. Khun Top and Khun Ploy were a force to be reckoned with on the field, and JB Lee had ordered his Korean team back onto the field following their excellent performance in the Tri-Nations Cup. Tissue was back from Muktahan. Khun Nat reported that Khun Omsin may be getting richer from a recent victory, so he is happy too. Khun Tal returned from Las Vegas in one piece. There was a lot of Bacardi Breezer flowing. This was a very big weekend for Khun Lucas and VR, because the club fielded a 10 goal Tang-VR team at Polo Escape, Three different teams for the Breezer Cup, and a 4 chukka King Power vs VR night match on the VR field. The horses and all the gauchos were working hard. Job well done. 

27-29 JAN 2012 -- "TANG-VR DREAM TEAM" WINS 10 GOAL SILVER CUP AT POLO ESCAPE
Shilai Liu has been training his Tang Polo Club team hard at Siam Polo Park this month. He brought the first team from China to play in the All Asia Cup, and now he is raising the handicap and forming a combined TANG POLO CLUB - VR POLO CLUB team to take on the mighty forces at Polo Escape. We did not hear much news from Polo Escape Manager Churo, but intelligence reports confirmed "ENTER THE DRAGON... There was a mighty re-enactment of the famous Chinese epic ROMANCE OF THREE KINGDOMS as the three polo patrons from China brought 10 goal teams to this tournament: Shiai Liu from Beijing, Brian Xu from Shanghai, and Paul Cheung from Hong Kong." The fourth team was from Philippines, and it certainly came up against the Great Wall in this contest. Tim Keyte was back on the field and did a magnificent job. The results are posted below in white, but let it be said that Brian Xu brought a magnificent and graceful team to the field. Without question, Brian is improving rapidly and remains one of the most polite and gentlemanly polo players in Asia. Paul Cheung had a tremendous esprit de corps, as he prepared his young Australian professionals for the battle ahead and recruited Malaysian legend Sheik Reissman now at 4 goals to the field. The Harbour Center had two sturdy Philippine players and an American partner with John from USA (a previous USA World Cup Champion) looking on. The Tang-VR team has a very close call on day one, and narrowly defeated the Adamas team by one goal. Shilai got a brilliant goal on a pass from Miguel which sent the VR fans into a frenzy. Axus looked extremely strong. The Tang-VR squad regrouped on day two for their most impressive victory over Axus, and the Harbour Center team came back on form for their match over Adamas. The final day was a day of beautiful polo and TANG-VR claimed a solid victory in the tournament. Thank you all for a very interesting glimpse of what may lie ahead for Polo in China.

Friday 27th January:
15:30 : Axus vs Harbour Centre - AXUS dominated Harbour Centre (approx 11-5)
16:30 : Adamas vs Tang - TANG very narrowly defeated Adamas (approx 6-5)
Evening 19.30 onwards : Tapas Party@ 2,500.00++ Baht per person
Saturday 28th January:
15:30 : Adamas vs Harbour Centre - HARBOUR CENTER defeats Adamas
16:30 : Axus vs Tang - TANG defeats Axus by 2 goals in exciting game.
Evening 19.30 onwards : Asado @ 2,500.00++ Baht per person
Sunday 29th January:
15:30 : Axus vs Adamas - AXUS defeats Adamas
16:30 : Tang vs Harbour Centre - TANG defeats Harbour Center
Evening : Tapas at the club bar for players only
Umpire: Tim Keyte

10-12 FEB 2012 -- ADAMAS WINS JAMES ASHTON MEMORIAL TROPHY (12 GOAL)
The James Ashton Trophy is held in honor of a gentleman and friend who loved the game. This tournament is held at Polo Escape. For more information -- churo@argentinapolo.com

23-26 FEB 2012 -- POLO ESCAPE WINS LADIES INTERNATIONAL
Last year, it was a water polo tournament, but this year, you can be sure that they have planted a lot of lemon grass upside down to hold back the rains. Guaranteed to be a high voltage encounter of "chicks with sticks." Khun Ploy is taking a team. Stand by for more updates -- churo@argentinapolo.com

KHUN NAT -- MASTER OF THE WOODEN HORSE
Khun Nat Pratumlee is the highest handicapped Thai polo player in the world. He has played in Argentina, England and Thailand. His father has helped build two polo clubs in Thailand. He spent two years studying with Reggie Ludwig in USA. He is a member of the Thai National Polo Team. Without question, Khun Nat is Master of the wooden horse. He is famous for putting his students in the half-seat position and having them hit ten balls in succession without sitting down. If his students are having trouble squeezing their knees, then he puts a ten Baht piece between their knees and the saddle. Every ten Baht that drops, they lose it. His students learn quickly the importance of squeezing with the knees. Recently, VR Sports Club Manager, Khun Gung, put himself to the test and took a wooden horse lesson with Khun Nat. He did have one trick, because the ten Baht piece was sticking to his bare leg, but he did confirm that after two hits, he was exhausted. If you want to learn to hit the ball far, come and meet Khun Nat -- Master of the Wooden Horse -- email Lucas -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

ALL ASIA CUP 2012

9-14 JAN 2012 -- WELCOME TO THE 2012 ALL ASIA CUP -- MONGOLIA, INDIA, CHINA, THAILAND  In 2007, the SEA Games played in Thailand included horse polo. This was the first time that we saw polo included in an official Inter-Asian sporting event. It was a great success with Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore attending. Polo has been played for over a hundred years in Malaysia and Singapore, however, the sport has only recently developed in China, Korea, Mongolia, and Indonesia. This past SEA Games held in Indonesia in December 2011 was unfortunately not able to include polo in the official venue. This is because, as the sport is still growing in Asia, there are not a sufficient quantity of trained horses in some countries. Khun Vichai Raksriaksorn, the President of the Thailand Polo Association, who was the impetus behind polo's inclusion in the SEA games in 2007 has shown his commitment to the development of polo in Asia by inviting countries in Asia to take part in the 2012 ALL ASIA GAMES. The importance of this tournament is that it is being held at the 2-4 goal level. This allows the opportunity for the countries that are new to polo to participate with their national players who have not yet achieved high handicap ratings. We have been watching with great interest the rapid growth of polo in China. They have gone from only one polo club with a handful of horses to now having over 5 polo clubs holding different levels of international tournaments. It is an honor for us to have China sending their first national team to compete in the ALL ASIA CUP. We are also honored to have the first Mongolian National Polo team joining our tournament. These young players are very skilled horsemen, but they do not yet have an international handicap. The Mongolian players will be handicapped by the TPA during the ALL ASIA CUP, and they will leave Thailand with their first international handicap. The Mongolian team has been training very hard in India and in Australia with our polo friends there, so that their comprehension of the rules will be up to the level required for tournament play. The oldest polo club in the world still in existence is in Calcutta, India. This is the country where the sport was refined from its Asiatic roots by British Calvary Officers who saw the tremendous value of polo in the development of horsemanship, leadership and teamwork for the training of young officers. It was this evolution of the sport of polo that then was taken back to England and across the world. As Sir Winston Churchill once said, "there is no greater passport than a polo handicap." We consider it a great privilege to be able to play with a team from India in the ALL ASIA CUP. The following countries in Asia now are developing polo in their countries: Mongolia, China, Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, India, Pakistan, UAE. We are also very excited to hear that the first two polo players from Japan are starting to play in Korea with more soon to follow. We welcome you to this exciting event to watch for the first time all of Asia competing together in one of the most elegant and challenging of sports. We hope that in the future the All Asia Cup can serve as a venue to show that the countries in Asia are united and committed to the development of polo. Furthermore, it is our vision through these efforts and the growth of polo in Asia, that one day, the world may be in a position to once again include this passionate sport in the Olympics as it last was played in 1936 in Berlin. Good luck to all teams, and welcome all our friends and visitors. If you have any questions about the ALL ASIA CUP 2012, please email TPA -- tpa@siampolonews.com ALL ASIA CUP UPDATE Tim Keyte is coming with Oliver to officiate the tournament under HPA rules. Tim will also be serving in the capacity as "Horse Master" to oversee and supervise the fair allocation of horses to the teams playing in the All Asia Cup. We have recently learned that the Mongolian Polo Team is headed to train with Steve Wyatt in Australia. Chris Giercke, Ambassador for the Mongolian Polo Federation, has confirmed the Mongolian team is coming with their first generation of young polo players since they started playing polo ten years ago. Two of their players will be playing for 3 months at the Haryana Polo Club in India, and one of their players is playing for the Harrow Polo Team in UK. The young team has had some international experience in Argentina, France, Australia, Singapore, and they are looking forward to this tournament. // Shilai Liu has confirmed that a national polo team from China will make its first international appearance in a foreign tournament. Shilai will bring all his experience from the China Open at Tang Polo Club in December to bear on the All Asia Cup. // Shyam Metha is bringing an Indian National Team to the All Asia Cup. Khun Ploy has been appointed CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer) for the First Polo Concert ever held in Asia immediately following the Finals of the All Asia Cup. At the All Asia Cup meeting held on 13 Sep 2011 in the TPA office, the following decisions were confirmed. The Tournament Fee will be us$12,000 (this includes horses, asado, parties, drinks, prizes, team shirts, umpires). The Pullman Hotel Package will be us$3,300 (available for 4 players 6 nights with team van included). Some countries have asked if they can bring their own horses. Yes, you can, but they will be put into the pool of all the horses and divided into the 6 groups (with A, B, C category) to be selected by each team from a hat. If you do bring a horse to place into the pool, it must be at VR before 01 Jan 2012. The price for the Tournament Fee of us$12,000 will be reduced us$600 per horse that is placed into this pool (us$9,600 for 16 horses). The cost of stabling of each horse placed into the pool is 550 Baht per day (included bedding and hay). The team must consist of all national players. In the event that a team cannot field 4 national players, they may use a player from another Asian country, and they may compete, but they will then not be eligible to win the All Asia Cup Trophy. The tournament is held at the 2-4 goal level. The All Asia Cup Final will be held under the lights at VR polo field starting at 6pm on 14 Jan 2012. There will be a very exciting Polo Concert at the VR polo field after the final. The theme for the All Asia Tournament will be "A Journey of Marco Polo" with a pavilion for each country that sends a team to the All Asia Cup, and in each pavilion will be crafts and displays from that country. The Ambassador from each competing country will be invited to the final. Miss Thailand World and other celebrities will host the activities and introduction to the final and the Polo Concert. One thing is clear, this will be one of the most exciting Asian Polo and Social event of the year. Any questions -- tpa@siampolonews.com 09 JAN 2011 -- TIM KEYTE UMPIRE CLINIC We can all be better umpires, and so Khun Soul from the ever-active TPA has announced that TPA is sponsoring a free TIM KEYTE UMPIRE CLINIC at SPP during the ALL ASIA CUP. All players and friends of SPP are welcome to come for free to attend the TIM KEYTE umpire clinic and to ask questions and learn from this very experienced HPA umpire who will dazzle us with his officiating during the All Asia Cup. Tim will also be the Horse Master during this tournament ensuring that all horses are fairly managed and equal for all the teams playing in this tournament. The Umpire clinic was an amazing success (with very few mosquitos). All teams sat at full concentration as they watched Tim show the new 2011 HPA dvd on rules of polo. Even the gauchos were silent and attentive, as they realized that some of them have been fouling regularly. Inke was translating for the Mongolian team and Shilai Liu, China's top polo player, was sitting in the front row seat with his teammate Nan. 10 JAN 2011 -- DAY 1 There was a lot of excitement today. The China vs Mongolia match turned into a very colorful exhibition match as we watched these two teams find their feet. China was communicating and positioning themselves very well and showed a great appreciation of Egyptology. The Mongolians were doing very well on their first day of action. They substituted in some of their spare players and were learning about the importance of communication and swinging slowly. The hot match was on field two with Thailand and India going full force. Top hadn't been on a horse for 3 months, and he didn't play a single horse that he normally plays, but the team was hot with very nice picardias between Nat and Top. Tal and Tsu playing very well. Abby on the Indian team was a solid force at back Shyam was a blinding force up at #1 receiving a lot of passes. Mitesh and Sujay playing at full speed. Thailand won by 1.5 or 2.5 goals, and if these two teams meet again in the final, it could go either way. Very exciting match under the lights. 11 JAN 2011 -- DAY 2 The Mongols received a lesson in polo from the Indian team. A very classic game of polo played by the Indians leaving the Mongolians a bit bewildered. Shyam was a lethal weapon at number one, stalking Ich Tenger on the hit-ins. The Mongolians did, however, make life very difficult for Abby at back, shutting down many of his classic long hits. The Mongols then received a lesson with "foot mallets" on the advantages of using "el transito" tactics, and also how to position onself on the right side of the field, so as to be on the opponents off-side after a hit. Thailand vs China was a great game to watch with China employing full use of their colonies in Egypt and USA with Ali and Dino on the field. Great game of passing and long hits by Nat and Shilai. Shilai and the China team playing a clean game and having several penalty shot attempts on goal. Nan played beautifully and really backed up his team. The evening retired into the able hands of Khun Ploy who escorted all teams to Bed supper club. Eric was already there. Three Mongols and the Mongolian coach Inke were there. The full China team was there, and all of India was there. At 4am, the expeditionary members were still going strong. Everyone was wondering how much the Mongols had bribed Khun Ploy to keep Shilai and the Chinese team out so late. 12 JAN 2011 -- DAY 3 It was a lovely day for polo. The Mongol coach chose youth before beauty, and put her youngest 4 players on the field. The China team had Shilai at number 3 and Nan at 2, with Dino on attack and Deligen at back. The Mongols executed their new train procedure on the hit-in with absolute precision. They could bring the ball in off the back line, then solid long passes gave them the first goal. Mongolia continued to score. Coach Ali on the China team, was telling his team to communicate and to take a man and to hit backhand, but the China team was having trouble coordinating all these moves. Shilai hit a tremendous penalty in the third chukka, and brought China within 2 goals, but then Mongolia pulled out all the stops and galloped to a 4 goal victory. The China team were all looking at Ploy with suspicion, as they realized that the previous evening's expedition had taken its toll. The Great Wall had cracked. However, the China team gathered themselves up and realized that there was a lot to learn from this experience, and the real battle would be on Saturday, where they will most likely be meeting their old friends the Mongols again. If they can rattle their cage in the first chukka, they could certainly turn the tide and ride to victory. Saturday will be an incredible game! Don't miss this. 13 JAN 2011 -- DAY 4 Today the Mongolians learned more about polo as they took on the Thailand team. Mongolia playing with great flair and beautiful shots were falling victim to Thailand's control of the ball and strong positioning on defense. It was most interesting to watch the Mongolians use their newly learned tactics of bringing the ball in from the back line, as they would then fire a neck shot far down field. Great game, and the team is improving rapidly. India stumbled in the first chukka against China, and the Chinese team took the lead. Very confident and strong play from all the Chinese players. This was a dynamic match with the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great wall up against the Taj Mahal. Shilai injuring all parts of his body was not to be deterred in this match. Shyam played brilliantly and all the Indians were passing and moving the ball well. China left the field very proud of their performance and feeling extremely confident about tomorrows rematch against the Mongolians. Two very exciting matches on Saturday! It is expected that close to 50,000 people will be following this match on Channel 3. 14 JAN 2011 -- DAY 5 -- THE FINAL This one was real. A fantastic day of polo, and a very fitting conclusion to one of the most historic polo tournaments we have seen in Thailand. There is a proverb, "nothing is so sad in this world, as to see a soldier who has been honored before he has been humbled." The Chinese team had been previously humbled by the young Mongolian team. They took this defeat to change their strategy and rethink their tactics. Better communication, more aggressive play by their #1, and a new "Great Wall defense" by their number 3. Their tactics worked. China surged to an early lead, and they held it for the whole game. The young Mongols played with heart and their very successful Siberian Railroad tactics, and in the final seconds of the final chukka, they were able to equalize and tie China. Both teams learned a lot in this tournament. It was a very fitting subsidiary final. Everyone then moved to Field #1 under the lights for a final under the lights. India and Thailand played a beautiful and honorable match. We were honored by the presence of the Indian Ambassador, the Argentinean Ambassador, and advisor to the President of Mongolia. The spirit of the entire tournament was summed up by the #3 player on the Indian team, Khun Abby, when Khunt Top dropped his stick in the heat of battle, play continued, but the Indian player stopped and picked up Top's stick and handed it back to Top. Both teams battled on with tremendous long passes and amazing shots on goal. The Indians launched a final assault on goal with seconds remaining and at the final bell, Thailand had won the First All Asia Cup by 1/2 goal -- 6.5-6. A tremendous tournament which was summed up by a distinguished member of the polo community in Asia who said: "Well done to you for a successful tournament! You have definitely started a cup to be played for regularly with the key attributes: fairness, transparency, and when in doubt, for the good of polo." The All Asia Cup was presented to the Thai Team by His Excellency The Indian Ambassador to Thailand. A Mongolian charge against Thailand on Day 4 of the All Asia Cup ALL ASIA CUP TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE Please check daily for revisions and updates! ========= 09 Jan 2012 -- 3pm -- Teams Draw Horses at SPP clubhouse 09 Jan 2012 -- 4pm -- Teams try selected horses 09 Jan 2012 -- 5pm -- Mongolia Team handicapped by TPA and Tim Keyte 09 Jan 2012 -- 6pm -- Tim Keyte Umpire Clinic & "Chip-kap-Dip" welcome Hornito Asado (SPP clubhouse) ========= Points allocation: Win:3 // Tie: 1 // Lose: 0. ========= 10 Jan 2012 -- 2:00pm -- All Asia Cup Press Briefing with all teams (Pullman Hotel) 10 Jan 2012 -- 4:30pm -- Exhibition match China vs Mongolia (SPP field) 10 Jan 2012 -- 5:30pm -- Thailand vs India (SPP field) THAILAND WON 10 Jan 2912 -- 6pm -- Full Argentine Asado in VR clubhouse ========= 11 Jan 2012 -- 3:30pm -- Mongolia vs India (SPP field) INDIA WON 11 Jan 2012 -- 4:30pm -- Thailand vs China (SPP field) THAILAND WON 11 Jan 2012 -- 7:30pm -- Pullman Wine Pub with Top and Tal 11 Jan 2012 -- 11pm -- Go to "Bed" with Khun Ploy (not for the faint hearted) ========= 12 Jan 2012 -- 4:30pm -- Mongolia vs China (SPP field) MONGOLIA WON 12 Jan 2012 -- Day off for some horses and some hung-over gauchos ========= 13 Jan 2012 -- 3:30pm -- Thailand vs Mongolia (SPP field) THAILAND WON 13 Jan 2012 -- 4:30pm -- India vs China (SPP field) INDIA WON 13 Jan 2012 -- 6pm -- TPA pool party next to tennis court ========= 14 Jan 2012 -- 3:30pm -- Subsidiary Final (SPP field) MONGOLIA AND CHINA TIE 14 Jan 2012 -- 5:30pm -- ALL ASIA CUP FINAL -- Under the Lights (VR field) THAILAND WINS ALL ASIA CUP 14 Jan 2012 -- 7pm -- Vie-Trio POLO CONCERT and Dinner in front of VR clubhouse 14 Jan 2012 -- Photo of all teams with All Asia Cup 14 Jan 2012 -- Presentation of official TPA handicap cards to Mongolia Team Thank you for coming -- See you again for All Asia Cup 2014. RESULTS -- ALL ASIA CUP 2012 First Place - THAILAND Second Place - INDIA Third Place - MONGOLIA Fourth Place - CHINA   The Nation Newspaper                                                                         Bangkok Post Newspaper   Thai Fight Acrobatic Show                                                                   Thai Arabian Dancers   THE TEAMS MONGOLIA TEAM Ich Tenger Giercke (0) "Uunee" Bilguun Buyanjargal (0) "Byamba" Byambasuren Adiya (0) "Namuunaa" Myagmarjav Adiya (0) "Uugaa" Uuganbayar Bold (1) Ghengis Khan commanded the largest empire this world have ever seen. Spanning continents, the secret of his success was the use of the horse in warfare. Today, Mongolia has about 3 million people, but over 5 million horses. The Mongolian horse is about 12" shorter, that an Argentine polo horse, so our Mongolian team has been learning with Col Raj Kalaan in India, and on China polo pioneer Steve Wyatt's farm in Thailand. Chris Giercke is the owner and founder of the Ghengis Khan polo club in Karrokorum, and he has been overseeing the splendid development of polo in Mongolia. He has two polo playing sons who are currently playing at Harrow School in England. Mongolia is one of the new members in the Asian polo playing family entering the world polo stage. In 2002 Mongolia joined FIP and started to learn to play abroad. Many polo friends from all over the world have come to Mongolia during the summer (July and August) and helped to train the Mongols - friends from France, England, Argentina, America, India, Singapore & Australia have made a great contribution. In the last years, the Mongolian Polo Federation (MPF), with the help of the Genghis Khan Polo & Riding Club (GKPC), has decided to train a new young generation of Mongolian polo players. Most of them are under 20 years of age, with a view to making Mongolia more competitive in international competitions. The team playing the All Asia Cup in Thailand has recently come from intensive training in Australia. The All Asia Cup will provide an opportunity for the TPA (Thai Polo Association) to award the Mongol players with their first official handicap. The Mongols have a proud history of having played polo in the middle ages, and the present renaissance is a hopeful sign that the extraordinary riding skills of the Mongols will have a chance to be seen around the world in modern polo. INDIA TEAM Shyam Mehta (1) Sujay Shetty (-1) Mitesh Mehta (1) Abhimanyu Pathak (3) The first polo club in the world was established in Calcutta in 1862. British Calvary officers thought the sport of polo very fitting for developing young officers riding skills and teamwork, the the sport was very much in favor, and thus spread to England and then across the globe. Today, India is a great polo nation and recently qualified for the World Cup playoffs in Argentina. Shyam Mehta is regular player in Thailand. A lawyer by profession, he has been playing for over 20 years in India, France, Singapore, England and Thailand. He was part of the Indian team that played in the Heritage Cup in England in August 2011 and placed 3rd. Shyam was the powerhorse behind organizing the Indian Polo Team to join the All Asia Cup. Sujay Shetty was born in 1966. He is currently a -1. He loves to travel, watch movies, and, above all, loves polo. Mitesh Mehta is a passionate polo player who runs his own polo team in Mumbai. Handicapped at +1 he has been playing polo for over 10 years and has had opportunities to play in countries like Singapore and Pakistan. He pursued his passion for riding and polo at Amateur rider’s Club Mumbai, India and strongly believes in Sir Winston Churchill's saying that "Polo is your passport to the world." On the Professional front, he is a proud owner of his own business of refurbishing homes and offices which was started in early 2003. He has been actively involved in high end projects for big hotel groups like the Taj Group and the Oberoi Group. Further, to add to his portfolio, he caters to a wide spectrum of clients ranging from corporate houses to ministers and government bodies in India. For a passionate polo player, like himself, he is eagerly looking forward to coming to Thailand to play his favorite game there !! Abhimanyu Pathak playes off 3 goals. He was born in 1983, and has been playing for the last 6 years. He has played in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, and he has represented India in a few international matches and played on the Indian Polo World Cup team in 2007. CHINA TEAM Shilai Liu (1) Nan Liu (0) Deligen Baoyin (-1) Dino Ma Asvaintra (0) It is said that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty played polo with his consorts in Xi'an almost 1,300 years ago. In the past ten years, China has rediscovered polo and the sport is growing rapidly with several clubs in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing. Shilai Liu is the best polo player in China. Shilai won the 4-Goal champion in US Polo Association Tournament and played in many tournaments in India, Australia, UK Argentina and America. From 2011, he began to play high goal tournaments held by Argentina Polo Association. Shilai founded Tang Polo Club in 2010 and then started China Open since 2011. He is the vanguard of China polo and brings China polo to the whole world. His vision is make China Open welcomed and recognized by polo fans all around the world. Liu Shilai, the most powerful person in China Polo Society. Nan Liu is a representative of Chinese polo fans. The best partner of Liu Shilai in China. Nan played tournaments in many polo clubs in Argentina, Australia, America and India. Diligen Baoyin is a member of the Tang Polo Club staff, and his Mongolian heritage confirms his prowess on a horse. Dino Ma Asvaintra is a Thai-Chinese. Dino has lived and worked in China since 2001. His family has had a long association with and love of horses and both his grandfather and father owned and raced horses. Although, he has had exposure to horses from an early age, he only began playing polo in China in 2008 and is currently one of the China-bred "0" goal handicap players. Polo has become a passion for him and he truly loves the intensity, strategy, and camaraderie of the sport. He has played in most of the major tournaments in China including the China Open, Royal Salute Gold Cup, Tang Polo Cup and Consul General’s Cup and regularly plays in Thailand as well as in the US, Argentina and Australia. THAILAND TEAM Top Aiyawatt Raksriaksorn (0) Tal Apichet Raksriaksorn (0) Nattapong Pratumlee (2) Tsu Thanasin Chuawangkham (1) Boon (reserve) (0) The Thailand Team finished Third in the SEA Games 2007, and Khun Vichai Raksriaksorn is the person responsible for having polo included in the 2007 Thailand SEA Games. The tournament was such a success, that the All Asia Cup was created to keep this momentum, and show that Asia is united in its commitment to the development of polo in Asia. It is hoped that if polo can continue to develop in Asia, then one day, it will be possible to have polo included as an Olympic sport once again, since the last time it was played at the 1936 Olympiad in Berlin, Germany. Top Raksriaksorn has represented Thailand and is a very talented player. He was on the Thailand International team for the 2007 SEA games. He has also played with Prince Charles and Prince William in various Charity tournaments in England. Top has played in Argentina, UK, Dubai in many international tournamnets. Tal Raksriaksorn played on the 2007 Thailand SEA Games team that received a Bronze medal. He is a very keen polo player and has played with his brother in UK, Dubai, Argentina and Thailand. Tal is a very strong team player. Nat Pratumlee is Thailand's highest handicapped player. He has played in UK, Argentina and in USA where he studied under Reggie Ludwig for two years. Khun Nat is a very sturdy back on the Thai National team. Tsu Chuawangkham is from Muktahan, and has played for Thailand in the SEA games and in several international tournaments. During the summer, the Thai team travels to England to practice at the King Power polo club near Ascot. THE HORSES The horses have been organized into 5 categories: (A-Excellent) (B-Very good) (C-Easy for Beginners) (D-Strong for Pros) (E-Difficult Spares). (Category A horses begin with 1. Category B horses begin with 2. Category C horses begin with 3. Category D horses begin with 4.) Each GROUP of 16 horses will have an equal distribution of A,B,C,D horses. Each horse will have a number on its rump and a photo taken of the horse with a description of the horse characteristics. The Groups of horses will not change after being finalized on 08 Jan 2012. A team will be randomly chosen from a hat at 3pm on 09 Jan. Then the representative of that team with select their Group of horses from another hat (Group 1,2,3,4). They will receive a list of names of horses with the brief description of the horses in their Group. They may then chose to ride a selection of these horses from 4-6pm on 09 Jan 2012 at the SPP field. If any of the horses in a particular group become lame during the tournament, they will be replaced with a E category horse. The incentive is to take care of your horses. The Umpires will be very strict in their definition of fouls to protect the horses and the players. This tournament is organized to promote clean safe polo with equal opportunity for all teams. If their are any questions at any time during the tournament, they can be directed to the Horsemaster and Chief Umpire Tim Keyte. The tournament will be officiated under HPA rules. Good luck. CHINA Horses - Group 1 Chief Gaucho - Miguel 111-Hormiga 112-Federica 113-Cheta 114-Golondrina 211-Ignacia 212-Mancha 213-Narangero 214-Gringo 311-Nona 312-Bienvenida 313-Maritita 314-Tusquita 411-Menduzca 412-Enganera 413-Candelaria 414-Potoka 511-Quintana 512-Criolla 513-India INDIA Horses - Group 2 Chief Gaucho - Agustin 115-Otito 116-Maricona 117-Pollia 118-Tostada 215-Celena 216-Gateada 217-Gaby 218-148 315-Chabo 316-Manteca 317-Bernarda 318-Chupina 415-Conica 416-Chachetada 417-Lunita 418-Jazz 514-Maria 515-Gladiador 516-Chupete THAILAND Horses - Group 3 Chief Gaucho - Lucas 119-Panchita 120-Gato 121-Liebre 123-Gringa 219-Arabe 220-Silvada 221-Quika 222-Chicha 318-Chiquita 320-Susana 321-Manchita 322-Cuarta 419-Costilla 420-Lulu 421-Tota 422-Merca 517-Aceituna 518-Marcelo 519-Nochera MONGOLIA Horses - Group 4 Chief Gaucho - Nicolas 124-Linda 125-Saisy 126-Zanahoria 127-Profesora 223-Nube Gris 224-Cicatriz 225-Betty 226-Rana 323-Cabana 324-Venada 325-Pintita 326-Elena 423-Julito 424-Rosaura 425-Chanchita 426-Milonga 520-Entrerriana 521-Bebe 522-Langosta Horses being prepared for All Asia Cup Each horse will be numbered. After the draw, each team will receive a list with their horse's Numbers, Names, and Description similar to this sample below. Category A 114-Golondrina A quiet horse, she listens very well to all commands. She is one of the best horses in the club. Category B 226-Rana Not a very fast horse, but she is easy to control and play. Category C 312-Bienvenida A very calm horse. She has a smooth gait, but is more of a beginner's horse. Category D 412-Enganera A horse best suited for professionals. She goes very fast, but can sometimes get nervous. ASIAN POLO HISTORY Compiled by Mitesh Mehta. Polo is perhaps the most ancient of games, when history was a legend, we find polo flourishing. Twelve hundred years ago the Persians were playing it, and the Chinese maintain that their ancestors played it thousands of years ago. The modern game of polo, though formalized and popularized by the British is derived from Manipur (now a state in India). Polo can be called an indigenous game of this country, as it has been played in India for centuries, and has produced some of the finest players namely Major Kishan Singh, Kr. Bijay Singh, Rao Raja Hanut Singh and H.H. Maharaja of Jaipur, whose names have become a household word to all sport-lovers. In 1862 the first polo club, Calcutta Polo Club, was established which is the oldest polo club in the world still in existence. The game's governing body in the United Kingdom is the Hurlingham Polo Association, which drew up the first set of formal British rules in 1874, many of which are still in existence. Polo today in India is governed by The Indian Polo Association which was formed in the year 1892. Indian Armed Forces and many Civil Teams are now patronizing the flourishing sport and which was proved with India finishing 6th in the standing of the recently concluded 9th FIP World Cup Finals 2011 in Argentina. Modern Polo players of India today have already set their foot on foreign soil and soon will be part of the elite list of players in times to come. 21 JAN 2012 -- LA SARITA WINS BMW-B.GRIMM OPEN It was exciting all the way to the end, and a real nail-biter, as the 7 goal player Lucas Labat on Dato Link's Thai Polo team missed a 30 yard penalty in the final seconds, and the Zone D Coordinator's La Sarita team claimed the trophy for the Thai Open 2012. There were a thousand spectators, and the food was amazing, but this year, there was no air-conditioned tent. Everyone was thrilled by the high level polo display. Polo Escape mounted two teams, and Brian Xu made his debut appearance at the Thai Open. 27 DEC 2011 -- WOODWARD CHALLENGE DEFEATS BLACK DOG Jamie Woodward and his sister posted a challenge to all teams for a match to any team up to the challenge. Peter Davies accepted the challenge and called to order the Black Dog team. The Mawley Farmhouse team started 2 goals up by handicap, but Black Dog struck hard in the first two chukkas and had taken the lead 4-2. However, Milly began to find her Zambian form and being fed from Jamie, started to inflict great damage to the Black Dog team. Jack Hodges was also a worthy threat, but the real secret weapon was Martin Scott, who had not been on a polo field for 44 years, and his vast experience on a hunting horse came to bear. He carried the ball down field and delivered a decisive goal for the Mawley team. Khun Ploy and Khun Pete were not thwarted by all this aggressive behavior and continued to strike back, but at the final bell, the Woodward team had claimed a 2 goal victory over the Black Dog team that has not won a game all season -- thus maintaining their completely defeated record for the season. Following the game, we celebrated the retirement of Khun Dang, who has faithfully served Siam Polo Park for almost 6-7 years. Khun Dang has been a friendly and supportive member of our polo community and we wish him well. INTELLIGENCE REPORTS FROM WOODWARD CONFIRM: The Woodward Challenge team has not played for a number of years. Team name; Mawley Farmhouse (MFH) - named after the parents home near Cirencester In Gloucestershire, England. The team players: 1. Jack Hodges handicap 0 (Jamie's Brother in law) - a tour de force from Northamptonshire, about 12 years old in pony Club for Kirtlington Park, and rather romantically, this is where he met Milly! Jack has a Victor Ludorum UK tournament under his belt winning the 2004 Dollar Cup at Guards Polo Club (8 Goal). He like the rest of the team has not played competitive Polo for a very long time, although he talks a great game! 2. Milly Hodges Handicap +1- Milly started playing polo in the pony club aged 11, through her teens she played at Cirencester and at the age of 17 won a HPA scholarship to New Zealand. Through her university years she carried on playing at Cirencester and Kirtlington (where she met her now husband, although he wasn't interested in her then!) and then moved to Zimbabwe where she played for 5 years with the well renowned Meikle family, winning the Junior Open amongst other tournaments. On returning to England she played at Edgeworth and Beaufort off 2 goals winning tournaments from 0 to 12 goals, as well as many ladies tournaments. She has represented England Ladies on a number of occasions and has played all over the world including Argentina, Barbados, Jamaica, New Zealand and Australia to name but a few. Milly hung up her polo boots in 2007 after numerous accidents (including breaking her neck!) to have a family and last played on the same team as her brother some 18 years ago. 3. Jamie Woodward +1 The last time Jamie played polo with his Sister it was hardly an advert for Brotherly/Sisterly love, They were playing in the End of Season low goal tournament at Guards in 1993 and Jamie was not happy with his Sisters efforts. Needless to say she rather thought the same of his efforts and told him so. The net result was was a few words being exchanged and the umpire who thinking they might be married was heard to say "Glad I am not under that roof tonight!!" He then was even more dumbfounded when he heard they were brother and Sister! They have played Chukkas together in Zimbabwe and Beaufort polo club since. However never in the same team. 4. Martin Scott handicap -1 Jamie's Stepfather and Milly's Father. 66 Years young, at hi peak Martin was a +2 Goal player whilst serving in the British Army of the Rhine in Germany. He was in the Royal Dragoons team that won the Capt and Subalterns in 1966 at Bad Lippspringe and played in the final of Inter Regimental that year. He played Hamburg and Berlin in 1966 and was in the squad top play for the British Army in 1967 against "Ze Germans" but was unable to play as the Scots Grey's cut his thumb off by mistake in a Practical joke that went wrong!! Martin however is most well known for being one of the foremost Foxhunters and Foxhound hound breeders of his generation (Black Dog and Basil take note!) He has been master and huntsman of Numerous famous Hunts in England for most of his life and currently whilst not hunting hounds himself he now rides with the Duke of Beaufort hunt. Needless to say I am sure the Black Dog polo team and Mascot will be "inspected and tested" by this "Hound Expert!" DEC 2011 -- INDONESIA INVITED TO KALKOTA ANNIVERSARY TOURNAMENT Filed by International gaucho Nico Curto: Nusantara Polo, representing Indonesia, recently played at KALKOTA POLO CLUB in India for the 150th anniversary celebration. This is the oldest polo club in the world and only 5 teams were invited to participate in this honorable tournament. The teams were composed by ITALY, USA, KALKOTA, DELHI, and INDONESIA. All teams played off a handicap of 9-10 goals. The winning team was Kalkota, played by George Mirick on 5 goals, Colonel Tarun on 3 goals, Mayor Vichal on 2 goals, and Ashtouan on an scratch handicap. In this occasion, Indonesia counted on their old friend Ravi Rathore on 3 goals, but still couldn't get to win the trophy. INDONESIA team was by Novel Momongan on 1 goal, Billy Lumingtan on 1 goal, Ravi, and Nico Curto on 4 goals. The biggest news of this event was that the USA team brought directly from Miami the greatest polo legend Carlos Gracida on 7goals, but his team didn't have the magic touch and lost every single match. On 25 DEC, there was organized an event match apart from this tournament picking up the best players of each team. It was very exciting for Indonesia to share this special occasion. 27-29 DEC 2011 -- ADAMAS REINDEERS WIN NEW YEAR CUP Commander-in-Chief Churo Pellegrini at Polo Escape organized a low goal tournament and Paul Cheung was on form with a commanding performance by his Adamas Reindeers. As this is a low goal tournament Polo Escape is not charging any professional fees and also horses for professionals are subsidized by the club. The cost of the tournament is: Entry fee: THB 10,000 per player that includes a stand by ambulance, tapas and “asado dinner” refreshments on the field and the hospitality of Polo Escape. Horse rental fee: THB 40,500 for 12 chukkas. Total cost: THB 50,500. Please note that accommodation is not included in this price. Please let me know if you would like to join the competition before 15th of December -- churo@argentinapolo.com 17-18 DEC 2011 -- CHINA WINS TRI-NATIONS CUP Following the intensive week of training for the Korean team, we saw one of the most exciting Tri-Nations Cups ever held at SPP. The battle between China and Korea was intense. Korea was showing incredible team play and passing. Their improvement was unbelievable. The best match of the tournament was Korea defeating the Thailand team on Sunday. Thailand then beat China. This left it wide open for a major final match between Korea and China. Jack Ji and Jeff Su had showed their "Dzo Ba!" tactics and were playing very clean polo with very few fouls. Jeff Su was also striking the ball like a real gaucho, scoring penalties and hitting long passes. It then was a nail-biting final chukka when China defeated Korea by about 2 goals. Every team had won one and lost one on the final day, so it came down to goal difference. CHINA won the Tri-Nationas Cup and KOREA finished in Second place. Jeff Su received the prize for the "Best Playing Gaucho." It was a very successful tournament with everyone playing good polo and having had excellent instruction from their polo teachers and their team coaches. Congratulations to China 2011 Tri-Nations Cup Champions. 14-18 DEC 2011 -- KOREA POLO CLUB COMING TO TRAIN IN THAILAND JB Lee has confirmed that he is bringing his Korean Polo Club to come and train in Thailand during the third week of December. JB now has 20 members in his club -- www.koreapoloclub.com -- and these guys have been training very hard. They will be coming to Thailand when their season is closed to begin intensive training with the gauchos at SPP followed by a "Zero to Hero" Korea Cup Tournament at SPP. 9-11 DEC 2011 -- ADAMAS WINS CELEBRATION CUP AT POLO ESCAPE The Celebration Cup was fought in classic style between Axus, Adamas, Kuppa and Harbour Center. This is a tournament where anything can happen, as we saw last year with a thrilling last second victory from the Black Dog Team after an entire season of not winning a single game. We are sure to see more exciting action this year at Polo Escape. Team Entry Fee is 40,000 Baht. If you want to join -- churo@argentinapolo.com 10 DEC 2011 -- CHOCOLATE CUP AT SPP Leading ladies Jaz Lujan and Emily Diaz will be hosting a Chocolate Fondue on Saturday evening after polo at the SPP field. These two ladies are connoisseurs of this fine dark delicacy and shall be procuring marshmallows and chocolate for this newest of cups on the SPP calendar. If you want to join -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

03 DEC 2011 -- SWISS BANK WINS NEPAL ELEPHANT POLO AT TIGER TOPS
EFG Switzerland successfully defended their title at the 30th edition of the World Elephant Polo Championships in Nepal. Lucy Monro and Imogen Lillywhite report from Meghauly. Captained by the sport's co-founder James Manclark, the EFG quartet beat the home team Tiger Tops Tuskers 9:7 in a thriller on the jungle fringe. Sibling rivalry was at the fore with Choegyal brothers Rinchen and Sangjay playing for the Tuskers and EFG respectively. For EFG Manclark was ably supported by newcomer to the team Nigel 'princess' Lea as well as Sangjay and EFG polo stalwart Robert Mehm with patron Keith Gapp managing the squad from the ground. The Tuskers were the first to open their account with Rinchen Choegyal scoring within the first two minutes of play. Nigel Lea was quick to reply for EFG with a huge end-to-end hit that found its mark. In the second chukka EFG found winning form to storm ahead with Sangjay Choegyal scoring two goals within three minutes to equalise at six all. Brother Rinchen ratcheted up the tension with a goal from the half-way mark and with just four minutes left to play Sangjay wound the tension up further when he levelled proceedings once again. As the seconds ticked down Manclark made a brave shot for the Tuskers' posts only for the ball to stop just short of the line. Jack Baucher was quick to clear the offending ball from the danger zone for the Tuskers but Sangjay moved EFG ahead again scoring from the hit-in to take the score to 8:7. A prolonged tussle in the 'D' between Tuskers' captain Tim Edwards and Nigel Lea saw Tim hit the ball free but Sangjay pounced once again to land the decider. Manclark, who celebrates his 72nd birthday the day after the final, yelled in triumph and round-housed his stick as the final bell sealed victory. The Tiger Tops Tigresses, representing Denmark, rode out the most successful ladies team ever by winning four out of five of their matches to land the bronze medal, beaten only in the semi-final by the title-holders. Earlier in the day there was agony for the Pukka Chukkas in the closing seconds of the WEPA Olympic Quaiche final when Chinggis Khaan Mongolia pipped them to the post with a 5:4 victory with just 15 seconds remaining on the clock. At half-time the Pukkas, who were playing their first ever final after four years at WEPA, had enjoyed a four-goal lead but the incredible warrior power of Mongol Dobchin Tseveldorj proved overwhelming after the elephant change. The EFG MVP Award, a glorious silver frame by Asprey's, was awarded to Sam Prentice for her superb play throughout the week for the Tigresses, becoming the first lady ever to receive this auspicious accolade. The WEPA Oscar for best off-field performance witnessed a large number of nominees including Col' Raj Kalaan, Simon Race, Michael Eaton and both the Choegyal Bros - but was ultimately presented to the crowd-pleasing Melanie Wheeler by WEPA Legend 'The Silver Fox'. In terms of office bearers, Keith Gapp was elected and warmly welcomed on to the WEPA Committee. Final Order: * WEPA World Cup 1st: EFG (Switzerland) 2nd: Tiger Tops Tuskers (Nepal) 3rd: Tiger Tops Tigresses (Denmark) 4th: National Parks (Nepal)

01 DEC 2011 -- MEET THE UNSUNG HEROS OF POLO
Take a look behind the scenes and meet the grooms, staff, doctors who make polo possible at SPP and VRSC. SIAM POLO PARK GROOMS & STAFF 2012

1-5 DEC 2011 -- EQUIPO YANEZ ADVANCED TO THE SEMI-FINALS OF BODEGAS CUP IN MENDOZA
We were not sure what would happen over there in Mendoza -- especially after the Equipo Yanez finished in last place the previous week in San Juan. However, Cabeza Grande informed us that this was not the real Equipo Yanez, and he was just getting the horses ready. And so it seems, as this equipo has exploded into action this first match with a 6-1 victory, and on day two 7.5-6, and on day three 5.5-4. Not since Don Pepe brought polo to Villa Dolores have we seen an entire Yanez team on the cancha, but history is being repeated in Mendoza, Argentina right now at the famous Bodegas Cup. Pioneering Thai gauchos Sergio, Gustavo, and Daniel Yanez are fielding a team with Sergio's son, Miguel Yanez, for a complete team of Yanezes with the full support of las chicas Yanez tambien. Don Pepe's spirit is alive and well in Mendoza. The international company Argentina Polo has seen the tremendous marketing potential of supporting this very handsome team of gauchos, and thus has promised a 1/5 sponsorship of Equipo Yanez at the Bodegas. The Equipo Yanez valiantly made it to the semi-finals then lost by 3 goals on Sunday. Have no fear, they will be back. Congratulations to the gentlemen from Comechingones.

3-4 DEC 2011 -- KING POWER DEFEATS VR IN FINAL AT SPP CUP
James Bean, Darren from Costa Rica, Ploy, Captain Gan, Khun Tal were on the field this weekend for the first tournament of the season. The SPP CUP was 2-4 goals and there were 4 teams. Black Dog finished is the very last place (as usual), but it was a one goal game for last place against Che and the SPP team with Mr. Bean showing splendid form. The final was a nail-biter, with Miguel firmly controlling the game and keeping the VR team well out in front until the last chukka. Khun Tal was eternally optimistic cheering on his team, then it was a one goal game with seconds to play. The two umpires, Tom and Che, were not on form and missed a call before the final bell. The King Power team had scored to tie the game in the final seconds. The game continued on into the dark, when Khun Tal put the hatchet to rest and claimed victory for King Power. Khun Nat awarded the MVP (most valuable player) award to "Tissue" (Khun Tsu about to be a monk), and Nicolas "Che" Pieroni  awarded the player who "executed the best play on the field" to Captain Gan for his brilliant pass up the boards to Miguel for an early goal. The Tournament Entry fee was 3,000 Baht for members. Any questions -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

26 NOV 2011 -- NEW PRESIDENT FOR LOS GAUCHOS TIMIDOS
This is a breaking story, but La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos, today, suddenly elected a new President for the Association. The gaucho Miguel arrived on the field today, and it had been previously agreed that ever since this gaucho lost 20 kilos in Singapore and showed his propensity for great love on and off the field, that this was the man for the job. At the opening of the season at SPP, present were all 3 previous Presidents of the Association and also the very handsome futuro Presidente, so these distinguished gauchos gathered to honor Miguel and charge him with his new mission of leading the Asociacion for this polo season. Miguel was very humbled by this great honor and promised to do his best to uphold the ideals of the gauchos and to put the sticker on the back of his helmet. 

26-27 NOV 2011 -- FLOOD CUP AT SPP BANGKOK
The Flood Cup has been an outstanding success. Both polo fields saw action this past weekend as 7 gauchos were on the field, and SPP loyal members Khun Dino and Captain Gan came to open the season. Edward got 4 goals on his first day of action and Khun Ploy brought her three very lovely friends to start their polo lessons. Khun Kem was last riding this summer, Khun Pim hasn't been on a horse for 7 years, and Khun Duan hasn't been on a horse for 10 years, however, all the ladies were very fortunate that Khun Top (Adjan Mau) was on the field and able to ride over and give some tips during the course of his game. Khun Vichai has a new passion -- Thai Fight -- and has invited everyone to watch this exciting polo related activity on Sunday. Khun Eric Barthe was back on the field and looking extremely agile as he pirouetted up onto his horse. Stand by for more news on the exciting Flood Cup conclusion. If you would like to join some Chukkas, email SPP manager Lucas Lujan -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

20 NOV 2011 -- ADAMAS DEFEATS AXUS IN KUPPA KUP PENALTY SHOOTOUT
On Wednesday, we saw the Kuppa Team at the original SPP polo field in Pattaya and former Black Dog member, William Roberts, announced that he was now finally ready to join La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos after being divorced by his wife. William asked everyone "why are divorces so expensive?.... because they are worth it," he said. The weekend started with a bang, as the King Power team slammed Adamas 9-5 on Day 1. The second day, was a different story. King Power was not on form, and Brian Xu, who is the largest manufacturer of left-handed pencils in the world, led his team in a thrilling and decisive victory over King Power. This took us to another nail-biting final between arch enemies Axus and Adamas. Adamas was drawing on many years of vast and varied experience with two patrons, Paul Cheung and Aaron Harilela, on the team. William was electrified after having been presented a humble gaucho sticker by Khun Joyce in fluent Mandarin. Aaron was entirely on the Next Level, because he has announced to all of us that he is now betrothed, and will complete the mission quite soon in Northern India. Thus, the tremendous force of circumstance that came to bear upon a very exciting final in the Kuppa Kup. Adamas and Axus battled, and at the final bell, there was no victor... a penalty shootout ensued, and Adamas showed their true breadth and metal for a decisive trip to the winners podium -- www.polo-photo.com

11 NOV 2011 -- AXUS WINS POLO ESCAPE CHALLENGE
What an amazing display of polo we saw at Polo Escape this past weekend as the Thailand Polo Season stormed open. A thrilling final between Paul Cheung's ADAMAS and Brian Xu's AXUS with fantastic play from the Pakistani Hamza Mawazi on the Adamas team and stalwart back Patrick on Axus. Paul Cheung had everyone riveted to their seats on his solo charge down the left side of the field and William, as ever present, sent some lovely lofted shots towards goal. Brian Xu showed such poise on the field, that there is little question that he is ready for his 14 goal debut in the Thai Polo Open in January with 8 other teams. Also present on the field were new visitors from China Tommy Martinez, a member of La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos in Nine Dragons, and other card carrying Dragons Todd Fortner with his Black Horse Beluga team and rapid riser, Clark Shi. Khun Ploy was gracing the sidelines and gauchos from SPP were in attendance to watch the action. The Kuppa Team and Beluga played for 4th and 3rd, and the Final started at 4pm. There will be more polo action next week at Polo Escape and all eyes are on Brian Xu's team as he continues his meteoric rise in the world of polo. Congratulations Brian.

NOV 2011 -- LUCAS LUJAN ACTING POLO MANAGER AT SPP
SPP has announced a new polo manager at SPP while Daniel is in Argentina. Lucas has recently sent the following email to members and friends of SPP. "Hello Everyone, This is Lucas. I am the Polo Manager at SPP and VR until Daniel returns in January. I know most of you from last season, but for those that I don’t know, I want to introduce myself and welcome you to our club. We have had a lot of flooding in Thailand, as you probably know, but this is not a problem because we are using the Pattaya SPP field at the moment, and we will open the season on November 26th and 27th. Please come join us. I invite you to email me directly if you want some polo lessons or want to come and play on the weekends. We want to concentrate on helping our friends improve their polo this year, so we look forward to seeing you soon. Any questions, please call or email me. Best regards, Lucas Lujan, Acting Polo Manager, Siam Polo Park" -- Tel: +668 588 2995 -- Lucas@argentinapolo.com

DEC 2011 -- PAISANO POLO GOING GLOBAL
We all know the history of Paisano Polo Club in Rio Cuarto, Argentina, but the hot news of the moment is that the Paisano Polo franchise is going global and expanding across the globe. The most recent development is the Paisano Polo Academy now opening in Singapore -- The founder of the Paisano Empire, Canchi Andrada, will be arriving on a brief inspection tour of Thailand and SPP will plan a sudden BARBOSA CUP to celebrate Canchi's impending promotion to the status of Grandfather. Congratulations Lucia en Argentina! For more information on the Paisano Polo Academy -- nicolas@paisanopoloacademy.com -- Paisano Polo Academy, 100 Turf Club Road, Horsecity, Singapore 287992.

1-2 OCT 2011 -- KOREAN ROYAL SALUTE
JB Lee's team ROYAL SALUTE won the first ever Royal Salute Tournament in Korea. Royal Salute was the main sponsor. The tournament was extremely close. Royal Salute was out in front by two goals at the end of play on Saturday. The BMW team had missed 4 goal attempts, but on the second day BMW drew equal for much of the play until the final chukka, when the BMW team just ran out of horsepower and Royal Salute walked away with a 4 goal lead. Alex de lisle did an amazing job of playing and umpiring for his team in close collaboration with Gillermo, but fun was had by all, and JB looked magnificent on the winners podium. The weather was fantastic and a great Saturday night dinner with the Royal Salute girls from Seoul was a very special treat. BMW vs ROYAL SALUTE (PRK). The players in team BMW are: Thomas Martinez (4), Tom Claytor (1), Stijn Welkers (0, Dutch), Dino Asvaintra (0, American Thai), and in the PRK team are: Alex de Lisle (3 Uk in Singapore), Alex Vecinal (2, Philippino), Noel Vecinal (0, Philippino), J.B.Lee (0, Korea). The match 5 goals.

5-9 OCT 2011 -- SHANGHAI TANG WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL
The Orange Fizz team took the Shanghai Tang Women's International at Singapore Polo Club in early October. There was great excitement to have so many talented ladies on the field. The Argentines were represented by Mumy Bellande and Lia Salvo. Sunny Hale was in firm command of the Orange Fizz team, and Lesley Fong Yee together with Sherri-Lyn from Jamaica and Zimbabwe brought a lot of experience to the field. The rain was a factor, cutting play short on Thursday as the lightning approached the field. The Friday reserve day was used to finish the seating for the Semi-Finals. Then Sunday saw very exciting games between Las Bonitas and White Magic with Orange Fizz in the final against Absolut Green.

LAS BONITAS in Blue with Lia Salvo

19-23 OCT 2011 -- TANG ROYAL SALUTE CHINA CUP
Shilai Liu has announced that Royal Salute will be the main sponsor for the China Open 2011 to be held at Tang Polo Club this October. Shilai has invited Khun Top and Khun Vichai from Thailand to compete in the 4 goal opening tournament. Shilai is bringing a China team to the All Asia Cup in Thailand in Jan 2012, so this will be a warm up to see what we can expect from China.

26 DEC-01 JAN 2012 -- ROYAL SALUTE MAHARAJA OF JODHPUR GOLDEN JUBILEE CUP
Peter Prentice has informed us that Royal Salute shall ride again. The Maharaja has expressed particular keenness that Khun Robin come back and grace all with her presence on the field. There are several palaces and this is an epic event on an Indian scale. It is a 10 goal tournament and this year, they are expecting 8 teams to participate. His Highness will once again welcome celebrities from across the globe, including his old friend Torquhil Ian Campbell, The 13th Duke of Argyll, Clan Chief of the Campbells, Master of the Royal Household of Scotland, and Admiral of the West & Isles.

6-13 JAN 2012 -- ROYAL SALUTE NATIONS CUP AT DESERT PALMS, DUBAI
There will be a Royal Salute event in the Emirates this year. With the support of Royal Salute and EFG bank, another supremely stylish event is being organized by Pete McCormack in the luxurious glory of Desert Palms, attracting some of the top polo players in the world, including Adolfo Cambiaso. Bhutan Lacrosse

5-11 SEP 2011 -- RAIN WINS IN ELEPHANT POLO FINAL
King Power and Audemars Piguet were both undefeated going into the final on Sunday 11 September 2011. King Power had scored 52 goals in the tournament and AP had scored 49. It was a game that everyone was looking forward to, with these two titans battling it out last year in the Golden Triangle final. However, at precisely 3pm, the heavens opened and the rain arrived. By the time of the arrival of the King's Representative, the field was under water. Both teams wanted to play -- whatever the condition -- they were hungry, but out of respect for safety of the elephants, it was decided to have a penalty shootout. King Power won the toss. Khun Nat took the first hit, and after leading the team in goals for the tournament, he topped it. Tom and Tal made their hits, but Audemars Piguet got all three hits and took the King's Cup in a rain soaked penalty shootout. Many spectators were left wondering why the dates for the tournament were chosen during the rainy season. After a long hard week of play between 12 teams, it was a disappointing ending. However, there was close to us$100,000 raised for the Elephant Conservation Center and the mahoots and team members enjoyed themselves. Khun Hugh was on hand for capturing the elephant action, and so was chief Polo Escape commentator Peter Schlagter who has announced that this year, finally, he will be playing polo! More information -- www.anantaraelephantpolo.com

16 JUL 2011 -- THAI POLO IN UK
Just when you thought all the Thai polo action had come to a halt, Daniel Yanez has announced that there will be a sudden tournament held in UK with three Thai Teams in fierce competition -- King Power, Thai National Team, and Black Dog. Peter Davies has announced that he is calling the Black Dog team to the field. Eric Barthe has confirmed that he will assume the position of Minister of Defense. It is rumored that Jamie Woodward will return to the Kingdom of his birth to Captain the team. Even head of special operations for the team is planning an appearance. Thus, we shall have a full Black Dog team on the field in UK for the challenge that has been presented by Khun Vichai on his new polo farm in UK. Stand by for more photos and news from Pete. If you wish to attend this historic British event -- daniel@argentinapolo.com

King Power Polo Field in Gadbridge, England (photo taken from Tiger Moth)

25 JUN 2011 -- FIP PRESIDENT VISITS TPA
The new president of F.I.P., Eduardo Hoergo, and Executive Committee Member, Peter Yunghanns, came to Thailand to visit all the polo clubs. They were on their way from the World Cup Playoffs in Malaysia to China, and TPA (Thailand Polo Association) representative, Ambassador Thawatjai, was on hand to receive them. They were very excited to hear about the plans for an All Asia Cup to be held in Thailand in January 2012, and they asked if the name could be changed to include FIP as the FIP ALL ASIA CUP. They were very pleased with the success of the polo organized in Malaysia -- especially with the horses being equal for all teams playing -- and they were excited at the opportunity of seeing a tournament that would include China. The TPA then changed the name of the tournament to
"FIP ALL ASIA CUP." Subsequently, in September 2011, the FIP Zone D coordinator then asked that the name FIP be removed from the All Asia Cup. HPA then very kindly offered to officiate the All Asia Cup under HPA rules. 

29 OCT 2011 -- SHANGHAI POLO OPEN CANCELLED
The Shanghai Polo Open has been cancelled. It was to have been held in the Jiangwan City Stadium in Shanghai.

10 JUN 2011 -- CHURO PELLEGRINI NEW GM AT POLO ESCAPE
One of the most humble gauchos in La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos, Churo Pellegrini, will be returning to Thailand next season as the General Manager of Polo Escape. Churo has confirmed that he will always be just "Churo the Vet," but all of his friends in China, Thailand and Salta are thrilled with this news. Khun Suzy reports that previous GM, Marco, has been invited back as a polo professional available for hire by any patrons who wish to hire him to play on their team.

30 POLO HORSES FOR SALE IMMEDIATELY
Khun Suzy has reported that Polo Escape is very interested to sell 30 excellent quality horses immediately. These horses are perfect for 4-5 goal polo players. Their cost was between 10,000-14,000 US$ each (before import to Thailand). Landed here, cost approximately 22,500 US$ each. Suzy is preparing a list with horses names and prices, but if someone is keen to make a deal and buy all 30 horses right now, then she says the price is negotiable. Any interested buyers should contact CHURO THE VET -- churo@argentinapolo.com -- who is about to be a father down in Australia. It is a big year for one of the most famous gauchos in all of Asia. Congratulations Churo, Camille and Polo Escape.

20 MAR 2011 -- TAL RAKSRIAKSORN INDUCTED INTO LA ASOCIACION
One of the greatest honors that can be bestowed upon a gaucho is to be inducted into La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos. Anyone who knows Khun Tal knows that this is a very humble gaucho, indeed, and this past Sunday was his day, as the Presidente Actual of the Asociation, Lucas Lujan, and El Futuro Presidente of the Asociation, Agustin Andrada, presented Khun Tal with a sticker for his helmet. Khun Tal was beaming with pride at this great honor and could barely control himself as the sticker was placed on his helmet. Tal loves Thai horses, and he said that he was looking forward to upholding the standards and humility of the Association. The 4 Presidents of the Association will be hosting a President's Cup sometime later this season in honor of Tal and his esteemed inductance in the Association.

COMING SOON -- LUCAS & JAZ WEDDING
The news of the day is that the President of La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos -- Lukas Lujan -- has proposed marriage to La Primera Dama -- Jaz -- in a parking lot on the New Year 2011. This proposal followed Lu's stunning performance in the Celebration Cup leading Gerry Gan's Black Dog team to sudden victory at Polo Escape. Jaz is thrilled with this news and has a very large ring on her finger to prove it. The wedding has been postponed until after the flooding in Thailand crisis is over...