Azzaro to lead USteam in China’s Super Nations Cup
Certainly the 2013 Westchester Cup is in the books, but the12-11 overtime win doesn’t sit well for American 8-goaler Mike Azzaro. It was Azzaro, you might recall, who missedout on participating in the 2009 Westchester Cup due to a broken collarbonejust days before the international competition, so the 2013 re-match was animportant event for him.
“If we only had the horses,” he lamented over a cup of coffeerecently in Wellington, Florida. “I knowwe could have beaten them.”
Azzaro was in Wellington to compete in the PrisaInvitational at the Grand Champions Polo Club, a last warm-up before the UnitedStates team (Azzaro, Nic Roldan-8-goals, Tommy Collingwood-4-goals and UlyssesEscapite-4-goals) meets England in the opening game of the 2013 Fortune HeightsSuper Nations Cup at the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club in China.
Both Azzaro and Roldan saddled up against the English teamthis past summer in the 12-11 heartbreaker, and they will have an opportunityto get reacquainted with the Tomlinson brothers again next week.
Luke Tomlinson (7) and Mark Tomlinson (7) will be headliningthe English entry that will include Henry Fisher (4) and Nacho Gonzalez (6),and Azzaro and Roldan will be more than happy to meet them on level ground.
“We’re all going to be pretty evenly mounted in China,” saidAzzaro, last year’s Super Nations Cup MVP. “We won’t be at the disadvantage we were in England,” he grinned. “I’m really looking forward to it.
Last year Azzaro was joined by Kris Kampsen (6), Jeff Hall(7) and Mason Wroe (4), and lost in the finals of the tournament to Argentina,8-7. This year they’re looking to win itall.
Joining the American and English teams in the competitionwill be an Argentine entry that will field Martin Pepa (5), Marianito Obregon(7), Michel Dorignac (7) and Martin Donovan (5), with reserve Juan MartinObregon (5); and an international contingent that will play as Hong Kong. That team will feature New ZealandersJohn-Paul Clarkin (8) and Dirk Gould (5), Brazilian Joao Ganon (7) and JohnFisher (4) from the United Kingdom.