Interview

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Gut Seeburg am Champagnerberg: Interview with Wolfgang Weiss at Gut Seeburg in March 2024

12. April 2024

An interview with Wolfgang Weiss: Almost four decades of polo passion and the founding history of the Gut Seeburg Polo & Country Club.

An interview with Wolfgang Weiss, the founder of the Polo & Country Club Gut-Seeburg, who has been active in the sport of polo for 36 years and founded a polo facility at Gut-Seeburg near Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He has collected polo documents with over 100 years of German polo history from around the world, offering a fascinating opportunity to gain deep insights into this unique sport, his personal experiences, and the heritage of polo in Germany. Ten questions from POLO+10, covering a wide range of topics and addressing his experiences, challenges, achievements, and vision:

You have been involved in polo for 36 years. Can you tell us what originally brought you to polo and what was your greatest motivation to become active in this field?

My enthusiasm for polo began in 1987 in Berlin-Frohnau with the sponsorship of polo events. Even though I had no experience with horses or riding, the thrill and aesthetics of polo fascinated me from the very first second. My enthusiasm for the sport quickly led to my first riding lessons, the purchase of horses, and polo lessons in Germany, Argentina, Florida, and California.

After reunification, you founded two polo clubs in Seeburg near Berlin. What challenges did you face when founding the club, and how did you manage to overcome them? How did the former LPG site become today‘s Polo & Country Club with the affiliated Polo Park Berlin, which is now managed by Thomas Strunck?

The founding of the Polo Club Gut Seeburg was aimed at developing a social and sporting background for the game of polo at Gut Seeburg; the Förderverein des Polosports Berlin-Potsdam served as a commercial association for all events and youth work and as a contact point for sponsors.

Over the years, I have freed myself from the clumsiness and restrictions on freedom of action by having a say in the clubs and turned everything into a company, which I will transform into a foundation in the future.

My active sporting days are over, and in Thomas Strunck, I have found a committed tenant with excellent contacts in the polo scene who will continue to run the polo matches in Seeburg.

What personal achievements in polo are particularly important to you, and why?

For me personally, my greatest achievements are not necessarily sporting successes but the enjoyment of the game itself, the memories of a multitude of experiences, the people who accompanied me during this time, and the interesting contacts that I have been able to make in many places around the world as part of the sport from 1990 to the present day.

The polo exhibition you have put together covers over 100 years of polo history. What inspired you to create this exhibition, and what do you want to achieve with it?

The collection and preservation of historical documents began with my enthusiasm for the sport of polo and its aesthetics and my passion for preserving historical artefacts and antiques. I kept posters and brochures from decades ago without realising that this collection would become unique as documentation, as there are hardly any regional „event prints“ left today as future contemporary documents, a fact that is suitable for continuing the polo exhibition.

POLO+10 and the Hurlingham Polo Magazine are the only regular print sources of information about regional polo coverage.

Is there a particular exhibit or piece in your polo exhibition that you are particularly fond of? If so, could you tell us its story?

My favourite piece is a poster for a polo tournament in Frohnau from 1927, which I discovered on a trip to Argentina in Buenos Aires at the flea market in San Telmo, and the 1906 club flag of the Berlin Polo Club.

How did the political change in Germany in 1989 influence the sport of polo and especially the activities at Gut Seeburg?

Suddenly, major hurdles such as horse transport by GDR transit were no longer necessary, and rooms and areas were available that opened up new possibilities for spacious horse keeping and created space for polo. Fuelled by the presence of the English as pioneers of polo on the Maifeld and in the barracks in West Germany, our willingness to invest led to the establishment of a large number of polo clubs in a short space of time, e.g., in Hanover with Wolfgang Kailing, in Aspern by the Kirsch family, we at Gut Seeburg, and two further clubs in Phöben and Finkenkrug.

Without reunification, this development would not have taken place, and for 20 years we fought for land with the Treuhand, the BVVG, and the JCC (New York). The property would not have become what it is now without these efforts. Now we see the children of my polo partners from 1990 playing together with their own children and partners.

How has polo changed and how do you see the future of the sport?

Thanks to digital networking, players and clubs are more closely connected worldwide; contacts can be made more quickly, and appointments can be arranged. International networking creates independence for clubs from associations and manipulation within them.

Polo equals money and time, and nothing has changed in the last 120 years; the documents from the polo exhibition prove this.

How do you promote young talent and what importance do you attach to youth work?

Youth and junior work is the cornerstone of polo and is my absolute priority. From the very beginning, we developed a polo youth programme in conjunction with sponsorship and partnerships to reduce costs, to give children the opportunity to learn and practise the sport.

We still pursue this goal today by training children and young people in riding as basic work for the sport of polo. A golf school with a short course and driving range, flats, and guest rooms round off the country club concept. The work with children and young people, such as in Berlin at our Gut-Seeburg art school, therapeutic riding, and our pony farm, are important further mosaic stones in the further development of the club.

What are your future plans and visions for both polo activities and the polo exhibition? Are there any special projects or initiatives that you would like to tackle?

We will continue to develop and strengthen the sport of polo in Seeburg with the help of investments and a new 10-year contract with Thomas Strunck, thereby supporting Thomas with his openness to all polo players in Berlin and the polo environment at Ladies and Youth Cups in order to consolidate his previous work at Gut Seeburg.

I will continue to promote and support the sport of polo and guarantee this for the future through a foundation.

I will expand the polo exhibition by continually extending the documentation and continue to make the rooms available for company seminars, meetings, guided tours, and press events.

I would be happy to receive information on suitable objects for purchase.

These questions should not only emphasise the passion and achievements of the initiator and passionate polo player but also offer deeper insights into the culture and development of the sport of polo. Mr Weiss, thank you very much for this interview and all the best for the future development of your impressive polo exhibition.

By POLO+10
Photography Frank Altmann / unitedimages.com

An interview with Wolfgang Weiss: Almost four decades of polo passion and the founding history of the Gut Seeburg Polo & Country Club. An interview with Wolfgang Weiss, the founder…

Instagram, Polo News

Interview LIU Shilai, November 2022

14. November 2022

(Dr. Cinderella von Dungern on behalf of POLO+10-Magazin)

POLO+10: Why and when you started to play polo?

LIU Shilai: This is the old story. In China, the ambassador of Jordan in China, called Mr. Anmar. He was equivalent to seeing me riding my horse in an equestrian club, and then invited me to play polo. At that time, we were in a Beijing equestrian club, and then began to play Arena Polo. At that moment, there was no polo horse in China. We put some ordinary semi -blood horses, that is half of the Mongolian horse‘s half -blooded horse to polo ponies through several months training. That is how and where the story began.

Around 2003, that is 20 years ago, I went to Australia to play polo. After that I went to Argentina to learn polo. Soon after, I won the 4-goal championship of US Polo Open. The polo playing process continued with tournaments in Windsor and Guards in UK as well as the 16-goal Gstaad Gold Cup.

POLO+10: How did polo develop over the time you are playing?

LIU Shilai: I returned to China in 2009 and founded the “Tang Polo Club” in Beijing. Before that, it was about 2008, there was a polo club founded near Shanghai, the “Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club”. It was created by a local listed company investor called Qinfu Li and operated by GM Steve.

However, there was no polo field in Beijing at that moment. Therefore, I returned to Beijing to establish the first club – Tang Polo Club. The second club in Beijing was the “Reignwood Club”. A bit later, another polo club in Tianjin emerged – the “Metropolitan Polo Club”. Last year, I built another club facilities in Anping (Hebei province) because the rules how to use land which “Tang Polo Club” initially used in Beijing, were changed by government. So currently in total, we have four clubs in China.

Regarding the number of players, in the beginning, it was also only 4 polo players in total. After a few years play with the Ambassador Anmar, we went to Argentina to study polo and how to improve our skills. Two of those initial players do not play anymore, only Nan Liu and I have been insisting until now. That was the earliest 2003 situation. To this day, there should be dozens of people who play polo in China. In the early ages in 2008, only I went to play the tournament in Nine Dragons Hills Polo Club Shanghai. Few years later in Tang Polo, we could have five teams with a total of 20 players in our own club, with all Chinese players. This has developed in the past 20 years. Now, the total number of Chinese polo players should be more than thirty or forty probably, but it is just an estimation. In the Polo Association, there should be about 50 players with Handicap.

POLO+10: What is the situation now, especially due to Covid restrictions?

LIU Shilai: The Covid pandemic still has an impact on us, because the pro of Argentina can‘t come. So, for Shanghai‘s horses, there is no good training. But there is no problem for Tang Polo, because we have cultivated our own professionals, with a 2-goal and 1-goal pro. And we also have own veterinarians, horseshoeing masters, all of them trained in China by ourselves through many years. Therefore, Tang Polo Club is not affected by the pandemic, it also serves as training base for the China national polo team. But Covid is still affecting Shanghai and Tianjin a lot. Anyway, as the economy grows, the polo sport will be better and better in China in the future.

(Dr. Cinderella von Dungern on behalf of POLO+10-Magazin) POLO+10: Why and when you started to play polo? LIU Shilai: This is the old story. In China, the ambassador of Jordan…

Clubs, Europe, Lifestyle, Personalities & Clubs, Polo News, Real Estate

The new Polo Mecca in Portugal, Interview with Stefan Maria Gast

28. November 2019

by Stefanie Stüting

Barely an hour’s drive south of Lisbon, a new polo destination will make its mark on the sporting map next year. Here we speak to Stefan Maria Gast about this new European epicentre of sport and find out how he is making a great polo vision come true in Alentejo, Portugal.

What does your dream of a new European polo centre look like and what exactly are you planning in Portugal?
I was fascinated by the huge demand from all over the world for a polo destination with the ideal climate that would enable it to be fully active and functioning all year round as well as being easily accessible to all within the safety that Europe offers. So I started looking for the perfect location that ticked all these boxes and found it here in Alentejo, Portugal. In the autumn of 2020 we will open a new, exclusive Polo Club right here which will become the home and hub of the international polo community.

Historically, Portugal has not played a role in global polo.
Not yet. However, there are many reasons why this hasn´t been a decisive factor in the Polo Club we´re planning. For example, over the last four years Portugal has become much more cosmopolitan, having experienced record levels of immigration. More than 20,000 Brazilians alone, most of them of high net worth, have chosen to live in Portugal. Due to the size of the country and the climate, polo is a sport enjoyed actively all year round in Brazil and repeatedly, whilst in conversations with polo experts there they expressed concerns over security in South America both from a safety and financial perspective. They were often inquiring about a location in Europe that offers the right infrastructure and year-round playing opportunities that are currently available in Argentina and Brazil. We are now reacting to this demand.

Yet two attempts to set up a Polo Club in Portugal have already failed in the past.
Yes, that´s true. Two attempts failed about 12 and 8 years ago for good reason. In both instances developers sought to build, what was primarily an ambitious real estate project with a polo club as a “nice to have” add-on, similar to a golf resort. They were destined to fail because the developers in question didn´t have a true understanding and passion for polo at all. Our approach focuses primarily on polo. We will add apartments and villas but they are not the focal point of the project from the outset.

The club is also to become a winter location and training base for the European and international polo elite.
Yes, we will have a polo club in the Alentejo that is active all year round and provide an ideal location for keeping the horses in the winter. In addition to hosting polo clinics and tournaments at medium and high goal level, beginners and polo players who are new to polo will find the perfect introduction to the sport here.

Polo is in most cases also always a ‘family affair’…
Totally. That´s why our Polo Club will benefit from its unique location, endless beaches and its proximity to Lisbon. This is an area that is currently regarded as an absolute insider tip by investors as it´s a destination that ticks all the boxes for everyone. Including those with children.

The icing on the cake – amongst this dreamlike paradaiscal scenery you are also planning a boarding school.
Yes, we are going to set up and build an international boarding school which will offer a high school degree for university entrance. Naturally the students will be taught internationally in all school subjects and at the same time they will have a connection to the Polo Club. They will grow up alongside polo and be very likely to really get into the sport. This is where the next generation of Portuguese polo players will emerge and in eight to ten years´ time we will have a new elite of players. That’s all part of building a Polo Mecca.

The Alentejo is currently experiencing a meteoric rise. And at the same time it is almost untouched.
This area has an infinite amount of land and vast expanses of nature that are totally unique in Europe. In addition to the main Polo Club, there is also plenty of space for private polo activities. The enchanting region of Alentejo has the largest area of undeveloped land in Europe as a result of its history. We are therefore making good use of a unique window of historic opportunity. And then of course, there´s the weather as the region offers optimal climatic conditions all year round, some of which are even much better than in the well-known polo hotspots in Argentina.

Have there been any critics of the project?
We welcome criticism. We´re not afraid of it. In fact, the more, the better. After all, constructive criticism opens ones eyes to potential opportunities as well as possible mistakes and enables one to assess them realistically. Fortunately we have also learned from the mistakes made from the first attempts to found a Polo Club in Portugal. At the same time, criticism is always a question of competition and differentiation. It is about nothing less than having the foresight to see and seize an historic opportunity. And naturally, great visionaries always incite many questions. In our case, in ten years’ time the critics won´t be saying: “If only you´d had the courage to follow your dream“.

The Polo Clubs in Mallorca and in Sotogrande follow a similar approach, namely to be a year-round polo destination in Europe.
Yes of course, Mallorca and also Sotogrande on the Costa del Sol have become important polo destinations in Europe. But at the beginning of 2019 a law was passed in Mallorca, regarding the regulation of water consumption which will jeopardise any further polo activities on the island in the future as it will be difficult to irrigate the polo pitches regularly. I hope that at some point the law will be rescinded so that polo activities in the Balearic Islands will resume. This is my sincere wish for the polo world in general and also to those who have already done a lot for this sport in Mallorca. However, the new water restrictions place an enormous question mark over Mallorca as a potentially serious polo destination right now. In Sotogrande, the beautiful Polo Club has a long and successful history, but I also feel it has passed its peak and I doubt we will see further visionary action with regards to polo in that area going forward.

When and where exactly will the Polo Club in the Alentejo open its doors?
The exact location will be officially announced in January 2020. However, I can reveal that the club will be located in the area between Alcacer do Sal and Comporta and that we are planning to open it in the Autumn of 2020. We already have received registrations and important requests for polo horses from Central Europe which will be stabled here in Winter 2020 and whose owners will play throughout the whole winter on the fantastic polo pitches here in the beautiful Alentejo. With its chic lounges and gourmet restaurant, the clubhouse will be an elegant, relaxing social hub for the polo fraternity at large.

And are there also plans for accommodation?
That’s correct. In addition to an exclusive hotel complex, we also offer villas and small chalets in the polo area. It will be a total work of art, which will blend in seamlessly with its local natural surroundings, wildlife and people. The first step, will be the construction of the entire Polo infrastructure. With great attention to detail, we will concentrate on creating a small paradise for the most important players in the sport – the horses. This is why we are planning the first SPA for polo horses, amongst other things.

Do you think you are in the right place for such a real estate project?
Yes, with absolute certainty, because there will never be a better time. We are in a region that is on its way to becoming the new ‘Hamptons’. You only have to look up who is planning and has already started projects in and around Comporta over the next few years. It all began with the collapse of the Espirito Santo family empire and its subsequent expropriation by the Portuguese state, which only released the family estates for sale onto the market three years ago. Vanguard Properties, which this year was able to acquire the ‘Herdade da Comporta’ estate and will invest 730 million euros in developing their property portfolio, was the first off the starting block by entering the big real estate game. Right after that comes the Discovery Land Company, which last summer bought the land from Costa Terra and invested 510 million euros in resort and villa investments. There are currently a lot of new real estate and tourism projects along the 43 km long Atlantic coast that will be built in the next 15 years. The ‘Ferrado Comporta’ project in Troy with an exclusive resort known as ‘Rosp Corunna’ with three hotels, villas, apartments and a golf course are just two of many other projects planned in the area.

You have already built the legendary Campo Bahia World Cup quarter for the German national team (the later 2014 World Champion) in Brazil in 2014. The challenges there were much more complex and difficult than they are now in Portugal.
Yes, that is indeed true. We realised Campo Bahia in Brazil in just eight months, despite the fact that we had to work through very detailed coordination processes with DFB and FIFA . Campo Bahia was a sensational success and gave the German national team – the future football world champion – the spirit for victory. I am always particularly interested in realising goals and projects that have a deeper, sustainable and meaningful value. Es wurde „das beste WM Quartier aller Zeiten (It became “the best WM quarter ever”)“ Wolfgang Niersbach. This is particularly the case with the new Polo Club in Portugal.

Who are the investors behind your project?
The entire project is being financed by private capital, investment funds and banks and will be completed in February next year. We are currently still open to private investors who share our vision and understand the incredible potential that is emerging in this region.

More Info:
hello@poloplus10.com

by Stefanie Stüting Barely an hour’s drive south of Lisbon, a new polo destination will make its mark on the sporting map next year. Here we speak to Stefan Maria…

Personalities & Clubs, Polo News

Marcus Schalldach, President of the Brazilian Polo Association South

28. October 2019

Marcus Schalldach, Brazilian by birth with German roots, has been President of the Brazilian Polo Association South since spring 2019. We met him for an interview in Ascona, where he (also) almost won.

Marcus Schalldach, Brazilian by birth with German roots, has been President of the Brazilian Polo Association South since spring 2019. The great polo country is divided into four associations and is home to a total of 500 active players. Helvetia Polo Club is the epicentre and host of most and most important tournaments. This is also where Schalldach came to polo when he moved into his new home on the grounds of the Helvetia Polo Club with his family around 13 years ago. “Until then, I have had no contact whatsoever with polo. It was not until Helvetia that I became aware of the horses and the fascination of polo – and started playing polo.” Since then, the businessman with a handicap of +1 is not only a very active but also a very successful player. At the Ascona Polo Cup 2019, which he had already won in 2015, he was satisfied with second place this year only under the strongest resistance and was also awarded the title “Most Valuable Player” of the tournament.

Schalldach has also started in Croatia and Mongolia, but he mostly plays in his home country Brazil. His greatest success dates back to 2008, when he won an 18-goal tournament in Brazil with a handicap of -1. Two years ago, Schalldach and his son were also at the top of the podium at the 8-Goal Brazilian Polo Championship 8-Goal. As the new president of the Brazilian Polo Association South, the creative entrepreneur has set himself a special project. “Of course, it’s always about getting new players and fans, expanding the catchment area of our sport. Here in the south, we have a very large scene of gauchos and Crioulos breeders who are primarily active in livestock breeding. To inspire this clientele for polo would be my idea. After all, all resources such as riders, horses and playgrounds are already sufficiently available. During the great championship of the Cavallo Crioulos breeders at the end of August next year it could already be time. With a big arena polo event Schalldach wants to draw the attention and enthusiasm of the gauchos and breeders to polo.

At home on the Estancia Felicidade, which has been finished 4 years ago, he and his team have a polo arena and two polo pitches at their disposal. Here he will play in the second half of the season from the end of September, when the Helvetia Polo Club will be quiet. The best conditions for successful arena polo projects in the future.

Marcus Schalldach, Brazilian by birth with German roots, has been President of the Brazilian Polo Association South since spring 2019. We met him for an interview in Ascona, where he…

Lifestyle, Polo News, South America, Travel & Food

Polo in Brazil – The Helvetia Polo Country Club

28. October 2019

The Helvetia Polo Country Club is the epicentre of polo in Brazil.

Founded in 1975 by Giorgio Moroni, the Club inaugurated its new headquarters in 2014 in the city of Indaiatuba, near the Viracopos International Airport and less than 100 km from the capital São Paulo. Moroni’s idea in the 1970s had been to create a facility with both polo fields and condominiums. Two polo fields and a clubhouse formed the infrastructure of the Helvetia Polo Club in the late 1970s.

In search of support and assistance, Giorgio Moroni invited friends and acquaintances who already had experience in mana-
ging pole clubs to help him. Didi and Mauro Souza Aranha, Sylvio de Andrade Coutinho, José Luiz Herreros and Ronald Scott, José
Carlos Kalil, Luizinho Matarazzo, Antônio Moroni and PG Meirelles began to contribute to the development of the club. Today, the Helvetia Polo Country Club is Brazil’s most important polo club with ten of its own fields and around 20 private courts, making it a reference region for the sport of polo and home to the country’s most traditional polo tournaments with more than 200 players and 3,000 horses each year.

In addition to the major tournaments and regular club activities, the Helvetia Polo Country Club offers its members a polo school where children and adult beginners have the opportunity to learn how to play polo.

www.helvetiapolo.com.br

POLO+10 Interview with Antonio Giorgio Moroni,
grandson of club founder Giorgio Moroni:

Photo: Robson Senne

Can you please give us an overview about the history and development of the Helvetia Polo Country Club?
The club was founded in 1975 by my grandfather Giorgio Moroni with the purpose of gathering polo fields together with a condominium of houses. The club started with only two fields and few partners. Today it has 10 own fields and more than 200 members. Currently the club is the main center of the sport in the country, hosting more than 20 tournaments per year, among them the Brazilian Polo Championship and the Triple Crown of Brazil. Besides all the polo fields and structure, the club has a tennis and beach tennis court, a soccer field, a polo academy, a restaurant, one bar and a playground.

Which are the major tournaments at the Helvetia Polo Club?
The main Helvetia Polo tournaments in the first part of the season are the Brazilian Triple Crown, which consists of the Giorgio Moroni Cup (4, 12 and 20 goals), the Helvetia Open (4, 12 and 20 goals) and the State of São Paulo Open (4, 12 and 24 goals). In the second part oft he season the Brazilian Polo Championship are played – also in three modes: 4, 8 and 16 goals.

How many horses and active players has the HPCC?
The club already welcomed until August 2019 around 200 players taking part in the tournaments. They already played more than 1,500 horses in the club this year. In whole Brazil there are arond 500 players.

How much is a polo lesson and how many different polo classes are you offering?
The polo lessons take place here in the club and cost around USD 100 per class. Usually two to three lessons per week are offered. In the beginning, the coach works on the relationship between horse and rider. After that he begins with the stick & ball training on our wooden horse. Then the players get on the horse and into the saddle. The club coach is called Gilberto “Pateta” Rodrigues. He is an experienced teacher and a former 5-goal-player.

How many chukkers are played at the club per year?
Matches are usually held in 6 chukkers (2 goals tournaments are played in 4 chukkers and 4 goals tournaments in 5). In 2018 Helvetia hosted a total of 24 tournaments and 308 games. And also a lot of practices matches.

How many polo fields and stables do you have at Helvetia Polo Country Club?
Helvetia has 10 fields, 2 in its main social clubhouse and another 8 in a place called Helvetia Village. In addition, Indaiatuba, the city where the club is located, has more than 25 private fields. The club has 104 stables that can be rented by the players per day, month or season. The monthly price is approximately USD 65 (just for the space, the player must have his own groom). Most of the players have their own stables, some with attached fields – and some of them also rent some stables.

What are your aims for the club in the near future?
It is important to maintain and try to be continuously improving the quality of our fields and tournaments in order to always be the reference and the center of polo in Brazil. And of course to attract the best players of Brazil and from all over the World. We also want to gain more players for our sport and improve our polo classes. We are also investing in the club and social infrastructure to be attractive for the polo player’s families and polo fans.

Is there a major difference between polo in Brazil and in other countries?
One of the main differences of polo in Brazil is, that unlike to some of other polo places, especially regarding Europe, we play polo throughout the year. The Helvetia Polo season runs from March to October and we still have competitions in the south of the country between November and February. Also comparing to Europe, the polo here is easier to access and cheaper to play. Another important point is that we have a lot of good amateur and professional Brazilian players playing here. This year, as an example, we held a tournament of 20 handicap goals, the Giorgio Moroni Cup, with a total of 10 teams and only two foreign players. This shows the strength and quality of our players.

The Helvetia Polo Country Club is the epicentre of polo in Brazil. Founded in 1975 by Giorgio Moroni, the Club inaugurated its new headquarters in 2014 in the city of…

Europe, Polo News

The heat is on for the Zürich Championship Medium Goal!

8. July 2019

Nestled among the picture postcard hills, in the north of Switzerland, the final of the Zürich Championship Medium Goal took place at Polo Park Zürich. For the 14th year running, the tournament founded and sponsored by Equilibrium patron Daniel Aegerter for both professionals and amateur players alike, rallied a cheery crowd of polo enthusiasts to watch spectacular play.

The match for fifth and sixth place began promptly at 10am, like a reliable Swiss watch. Luck was in for Equilibrium, who have previously won the Championship title over a handful of times, as they won their match 7 – 3 against Wascosa landing them fifth place.

BIO-R took on Banque Havilland for third and fourth spots, and in a very close match, BIO-R secured their place against Banque Havilland 5 goals to 4.

After two surprisingly competitive matches, and with Los Lobos seeking to defend their 2018 title, the final was set to be a nail biting one!

The first chukka set off at an exploding pace, and despite many players testing their ponies jumping skill over the boards, play was forward, fast and action packed. Great defense came from Los Lobos, who were undoubtedly seeking another win. However, when 2 goaler Roberto Rochelle had his chance, he played a faultless nearside forehand off the sideboards, and with a gentle tap in the direction of home, he clinched the first goal for team Grāff Capital.

Confident from their first chukka, Grāff Capital landed themselves very close to goal within opening seconds of the second chukka, only to be defended by Sébastien Le Page, Los Lobos. Play picked up speed, and the first 60 yard penalty was given to Los Lobos, converting it to their first goal, bringing the score even against Grāff Capital.

After yet another brief pony exchange, with both teams ensuring to not overheat their ponies, the third chukka was well underway. During the third minute, a further penalty awarded to Los Lobos resulted in another goal, bringing the score to 2 – 1. Facundo Kelly gained full ownership of the ball, and at speeds of over 30mph, and team Grāff Capital too far behind, he granted himself the opportunity to score the third goal for Los Lobos, closing the chukka on 3 – 1.

In the opening of the last chukka, Roberto demonstrated yet again how to score, and with the help of father and son duo Markus and Thommy Grāff defending off Los Lobos, Roberto notched a further two goals for Grāff Capital, making the game even. The coveted Zurich Championship was all to play for! Los Lobos had yet another opportunity with a 60 yard penalty, and Pierandrea Müller secured a much needed fourth goal. In a last minute attempt, Thommy Grāff, ridden off fiercely by Martin Podesta, travelled full speed down the pitch in hope of success, but time was up for Grāff Capital, as Los Lobos defended their title, winning the game 4 – 3.

After an exceptionally hot day for the 14th edition of this tournament, the players celebrated in the usual fashion, with a champagne shower, and guests enjoyed an afternoon Asado, in the much-needed shade of the clubhouse.

by: Rebecca Ponzio

Ranking:
1^st Los Lobos
2^ndGrāff Capital
3^rd BIO-R
4^th Banque Havilland
5^th Equilibrium
6^th Wascosa Polo