43rd Land Rover International Polo Tournament – Day 11
Location: Santa MarÃa Polo Club Sotogrande
Country: Spain
By Victoria Elsbury-Legg
It was the last match of the day, but the first match of the Sotogrande High Goal season for Ellerston (Silver and Gold Cup winners in Sotogrande in 2014) yesterday as brothers Facundo and Gonzalito Pieres joined forces on the pitch with Thomas Brodie and James Packer to form an unstoppable opposition to Michael Bickford’s La Indiana. It was a totally in control Ellerston team on the field, with the Pieres brothers demonstrating exactly why they both have 10 goals to their names, and why one brother won the Cartier Queen’s Cup and the other proved so unstoppable in reaching the final of the Verve Clicquot Gold Cup with Kingpower. Team Ellerston left the pitch at the end of the match 5 goals up, with their first scoreboard reading of their Spanish High Goal season Ellerston 13 – 7 La Indiana.
It was also the first match of the Sotogrande season for Victor Vargas’s Lechuza Caracas, a team which included Francisco Elizalde, Juan Martin Nero and English 4 goaler Matt Perry who has been so much part of Zacara’s high goal success in recent years playing alongside Facundo Pieres. On the pitch Matt and the rest of Lechuza Caracas came up against another Pieres, this time Nicolas along with teammates Facu Sola and Santiago Von Wernich and patron Ben Soleimani. Once again ‘Pieres power’ proved too much for the team on the pitch heading for the opposing goalposts as despite many goals being scored and a ten goaler on their side, Lechuza Caracas left the pitch one match down, losing 11-13 to Ben Soleimani and his RH team.
The opening match of yesterday’s Silver Cup started the day with pairings of brothers as Pelon joined forces with Santiago Stirling (alongside Diego Cavanagh and patron Inigo Zobel) and Ludovic once again teamed up with Sebastien Pailloncy and pros Ignacio Toccalino and Pite Merlos. So, Ayala and HB Polo took to the pitch with tight play in the opening half, but they could not stop the determined play of ten goal Pelon as Ayala put 14 goals on the board to HB Polo’s 8.
Tuesday 5th August 2014
Silver Cup – High Goal
17:30