The strong wind Libeccio from southwest was the unexpected guest in the first two days of the Viareggio Polo Beach Cup. Libeccio blew so strong on Thursday night that the sea flooded the field. Originally the tournament was planned to be hold from Thursday to Sunday, with seven teams meeting in two matches on each day.
The staff found a lake instead of a sand field on Friday morning. The level of the water was so high that it was impossible to restore the field at its best. The Friday and Saturday matches were moved to the day next and the staff, in coordination with the captains of the teams, decided to change the rules and to cancel the finals. So each team had to play only two matches with a final ranking and in case of same score the winner was decreed by the difference of goals.
The chukkers were with great competition and in many cases very uncertain until the final seconds. Three teams had four points after their matches and the difference of goals was in favour of Viareggio Versilia Congressi and Hotel Esplanade (+7,5) while Aston Martin was three points behind (+4,5). So in the end the Viareggio Polo Beach Cup had two winners. The players received at the presentation wonderful crystal horse’s head, handmade in Czeck Republic by Crystal Caviar.
The Viareggio Polo Beach Cup was not only sport and glamour, but it was solidarity as well. The famous singer Andrea Bocelli was a special guest at the Friday gala dinner organized by Fipa Group at Villa Borbone. He introduced the “Andrea Bocelli Foundation” that helps children in need, especially in Haiti. In this fantastic night, the “ABF” was sponsored by “Lui – Champagne & Diamond” that donated to the foundation a bottle of champagne with a diamond in.
The organizer of the tournament, Patrizia Lencioni, was very grateful to the sponsors especially to the Team sponsors Fipa Group, Aston Martin, Viareggio Versilia Congressi, Hotel Esplanade, Grand Hotel Principe di Piemonte, SINA Fine Italian Hotels and Gancia.
The teams:
Grand Hotel Principe di Piemonte (+3)
Therence Cusmano (+2)
Stefano Pisa di Monterosa (+1)
Fabio Acampora (0)
Hotel Esplanade (+1)
Goffredo Cutinelli (+3)
Irene Gianni (-1)
Giordano Magini (-1)
Aston Martin Italy (+3)
Maria Ranieri Passalacqua (0)
Boris Bignoli (0)
Marcos Pedro Bignoli (+3)
Guiseppe Partini (0)
Sina Hotel (+3)
Uwe Zimmermann (+1)
Piero Dillier (0)
Philipp Zimmermann (0)
Paolo Santambrogio (+2)
Gancia (+5)
Alberto Galantino (+2)
Giacomo Galantino (+2)
Matias Bertola (+1)
Fipa Group (+4)
Stefania Annunziata (0)
Federico Coria (+2)
Pulli Grillini (+2)
Viareggio Versilia Congressi (+4)
Luca d’Orazio (+1)
Fabrizio Bulgarini (+2)
Filippo Breccia (+1)
