Unlucky number 13 for Audi England
By Victoria Elsbury-Legg
Saturday 26th July 2014 – Audi International Polo, Queen’s Ground, Guards Polo Club
Audi England v Equus & Co Argentina
For the last time in the 2014 English polo season many of the top players gathered at Guards, this time however it was their Country they were representing and the powerful 10 goal duo of Facundo Pieres and Adolfo Cambiaso were, for this one occasion in the year, working as a team instead of at either end of the pitch. Prior to the main afternoon game the crowd gathered on yet another sunny English morning to watch the Final of the FIP European 8-Goal Qualifier with Apache beating Chester Racecourse 6-4 to take their place representing England in the FIP European Championships in Chantilly in September.
Luncheon in Hospitality, a picnic or a wander round the retail village was next up for the spectators as some familiar names: Marmite (M Tomlinson), Sheltie (F Pieres), Yacht (J Beim), Mask (O Cudmore), Queen (L Tomlinson) and Correntina (A Cambiaso) began to gather a little further up the pitch and settle in the shade of Ground One pony lines. So post lunch, as the players pulled on their Audi or Equuas & Co white and blue sponsored shirts the multi-coloured hats of the Pony Club bobbed around the Queen’s Ground in what provided to be a very calm parade, led by gauchos.
The highlight of my day then followed as the mini stars of the future played the Potrillos Chukka under the watchful eye of several fathers and an uncle from their opposing players’ tents. Indeed it was a proud Cambiaso, who for once was cheering on both teams, as Adolfito Cambiaso joined forces with Zac Beim, Luke Wyles and Cruz Heguy to play as Hurlingham White and Mia Cambiaso formed part of Hurlingham Blue with Lucitas Monterverde, Ned Hine and Will Harper. At the end of play it was 2-1 to the team in white, with the miniature players (having placed their rosettes in the relevant players tents for safe keeping) then gathering in a little pitch side gang on the grass to learn more top tips as the man with the Argentine sun on his hat rode with his teammates and opposition onto the Queen’s Ground.
The battle then began for possession of The Coronation Cup, with a one goal handicap on the board for a 24 goal English team (Luke Tomlinson (Captain), James Beim, Mark Tomlinson, Ollie Cudmore) against a rather incensed Cambiaso and a 26 goal Argentine squad (Facundo Pieres (Captain), Adolfo Cambiaso, Julio Ruggeri, Francisco Belaustegui). By the end of chukka one Audi England were leading 3-1, but not for long as by the start of chukka three it was Equus & Co Argentina 4 – 3 Audi England.
At the end of the day it was unlucky number 13 for team Audi England (who saw an end to their run of four consecutive International Day wins) as Equus & Co Argentina lifted up the Coronation Cup, presented by HRH Prince of Wales – the winners at 13 -8. Adolfo Cambiaso’s seven year old bay mare Yun Yun bred in America and owned by Dubai walked away in the Gaucho Best Playing Pony rug, and Facundo Pieres (as Captain of the away team) was presented with the Donoso Trophy – a bronze pony head, and the title of Most Valuable Player of the match, having scored nine of Argentina’s thirteen goals.