Wed 14th Nov 2018Snow Polo World Cups Who will come out on top at Kitzbühel and St. Moritz 2019?
As the colder weather closes in, thoughts inevitably turn to the snow polo season and the alpine arena of Kitzbühel. The recent team announcements have generated a buzz of excitement ahead of the 17th annual event, scheduled to run from 17 – 20 January 2019. Bendura Bank will be looking to defend their hard-won title, returning with last year’s winning line-up of Melissa Ganzi, event organiser Tito Gaudenzi and 2018 top scorer and MVP Alejandro Novillo Astrada. The task of defending their title will not be easy, however. Returning to the field will be Adrian Laplacette Jr, Thomas Winter, and Valentin Novillo Astrada, with plenty of scores to settle after well-matched games and narrow defeats last year. New faces will also be there to threaten Bendura Bank’s bid for a second win, with French seven-goaler Pierre Henri Ngoumou heading up the Bernd Gruber team. You can find the complete team list below.
With a host of prestigious sponsors on board for 2019, the signature glamour of snow polo will be at Kitzbühel in full force. The action will play out in the immaculate arena with VIP events also being held at the ‘Casino Kitzbühel’ and Kitzbühel Country Club, with free entry to the side-lines meaning anyone can go and rub shoulders with stars from the polo world and beyond.
Meanwhile in St. Moritz, the action is set to run from 25 – 27 January, with Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, Cartier, Maserati and Azerbaijan Land of Fire all competing for the coveted Cartier Trophy. 10-goal legend Juan Martín Nero will be returning to the ‘Home of Snow Polo’ as part of the Cartier team, alongside Tito Gaudenzi as well as Grant and Mark Ganzi.
Tickets for both events are available now and are selling fast, so be sure not to miss out. Click here for tickets to Kitzbühel and here for St. Moritz. Polo Times and our sister publication The Polo Magazine will be on hand as Official Media Partners, so make sure you keep an eye on our social media feeds for more exciting news!
The 17th Bendura Bank Snow Polo World Cup Kitzbühel Teams:
Bendura Bank (12):
Melissa Ganzi (1/USA)
Alejandro Novillo Astrada (8/ARG)
Tito Gaudenzi (3/CH)
Engel & Völkers (12):
Kutlay Yaprak (1/TUR)
Augustin Kronhaus (4/ARG)
Adrian Laplacette Jr. (7/ARG)
Kitzbühel Country Club (12):
Sebastian Schneberger (2/GER)
Aki van Andel (3/NL)
Valentin Novillo Astrada (7/ARG)
Bernd Gruber (12):
Alexandre Sztarkman (2/FR)
Grant Ganzi (3/USA)
Pierre Henri Ngoumou (7/FR)
Corum (10):
Eckhardt Juls (0/GER)
Patrick Maleitzke (4/GER)
Juan Ruiz-Guiñazu (6/ARG)
Maserati (10):
Marc Aberle (1/GER)
Thomas Winter (5/GER)
Caspar Crasemann (4/GER)
Photograph: The snow polo season is just around the corner, book your tickets now to avoid disappoinment. Courtesy of Snow Polo World Cup Kitzbühel
Mon 12th Nov 2018Rocking P Secure Win U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship
On Sunday 11 November, the Final of the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship was played at Houston Polo Club. Both finalist line-ups featured British women, with Lottie Lamacraft and Hazel Jackson-Gaona teaming up for Rocking P, whilst Izzy Parsons lined up for tournament underdogs Midland Polo Club.
Going into the Final, Rocking P were definitely the favourites, with an undefeated record through the qualifying rounds – including a 6-1 defeat over Midland Polo Club in the first round of matches in the tournament.
The Final certainly didn’t disappoint, with goals galore, albeit mainly in favour of Rocking P who managed to secure a convincing 10-2 victory over Midland Polo Club.
After the match, Rocking P’s Hazel Jackson-Gaona was named Most Valuable Player and Marcos’ Villanueva’s Maxima, played by Hazel in the third chukka, was named Pro Best Playing Pony. The Amateur Best Playing Pony was played by Courtney Price.
A full report will be included in the next issue of Polo Times. Not a subscriber? Click here to subscribe today. U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship Final Teams:
Midland Polo Club (20): Molly Smith (3), Tiamo Hudspeth (5), Dayelle Fargey (6) & Izzy Parsons (6)
Rocking P (23): Courtney Price (3), Lottie Lamacraft (5), Hazel Jackson-Gaona (9) & Tiva Gross (6)
Photograph: U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship winners, Rocking P. By Kaylee Wroe Photography
Fri 9th Nov 2018U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship Brits vs Brits in Sunday’s Final
Despite the wet weather Houston Polo Club has been experiencing, nothing could dampen the spirits of the ladies teams taking part in the 2018 U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship, which began on Tuesday 6 November. Due to the heavy rain expected, the open matches were rescheduled in favour of two consecutive days of play.
Rocking P and Midland Polo Club kicked off the back-to-back competition on Tuesday 6 November, due to poor weather Midland Polo Club had only managed one practice before the tournament and this was evident in the final score of 6-1 in favour of Rocking P. Meanwhile, BTA armed with British 10 goaler Nina Clarkin, secured a 7-4 win over San Saba.
The action continued the following day, Wednesday 7 November, with Rocking P facing San Saba. Unfortunately, San Saba’s Lia Salvo suffered a fall when her horse tripped, which meant she was unable to continue playing, and with just half of the first chukka behind them, San Saba decided to forfeit the match. The same day, BTA faced Midland Polo Club, and with San Saba out of the tournament and Rocking P holding a 2-0 record, the winners of the match would earn a spot in the Final against Rocking P. Midland Polo Club had an uphill struggle ahead of them as they were a 20 goal team facing the 26 goal BTA. BTA’s Lucy Coddington kicked off the scoring, and after two chukkas Lucy’s goal remained the only one on the scoreboard. However, the combination of a yellow card sidelining BTA’s Nina Clarkin and two penalties in favour of Midland Polo Club, allowed the, to get back in the game. A goal for each team followed, with the third chukka ending 3-2. BTA added another goal to the scoreboard in the fourth chukka, but Midland Polo Club’s Izzy Parsons refused to be defeated and notched up back-to-back goals to clinch her team the win and the spot in the Final on Sunday 11 November. Will Midland be able to secure victory or will it be a repeat of their previous 6-1 loss to Rocking P?
U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship Teams:
Midland Polo Club (20): Molly Smith (3), Tiamo Hudspeth (5), Dayelle Fargey (6) & Izzy Parsons (6)
Rocking P (23): Courtney Price (3), Lottie Lamacraft (5), Hazel Jackson-Gaona (9) & Tiva Gross (6)
BTA (26): Chrys Beal (3), KC Krueger (7), Nina Clarkin (10) & Lucy Coddington (6)
San Saba (26): Dawn Jones (6), Mia Bray (4), Sarah Wiseman (8) & Lia Salvo (8)
Photograph: Rocking P and Midland Polo Club will face each other in Sunday’s Final. By ©Kaylee Wroe Photography
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