Highest Level Invitational Polo Tournament Ever Played in China, Began Today at Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club
Tianjin, China, 09 June 2013 – The “Maserati Metropolitan Polo Classic 2013” began today at Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Cub, and will continue until the final match on 12 June 2013.
Four invited teams are playing, sponsored by Maserati, FICOFI, FIPA GROUP and Fortune Heights. These teams consist of world-class players from Argentina, Chile, England, Italy, New Zealand and Spain and include celebrated names such as Tomas Pieres and Sebastian Harriott. Each team plays with a 24-goal handicap, making this the highest level invitational tournament ever played in China.
Attended by a select group of international sponsors, club members and invited guests, today’s match was between Team FICOFI and Team Fortune Heights. With an unusual rain shower just before the game, there was some concern among the spectators that the match would be delayed. This concern was soon dispelled, with the teams galloping onto the field, unperturbed and eager to initiate play. Tommy Wilson, a 7-goal player for Team Fortune Heights, used to playing at top clubs in the UK, was laughing at the thought of playing in the rain, and pointed out “In the UK, this would just be a typical day for polo… I’ve played in much worse weather.”
This inaugural match of the tournament, proceeded to demonstrate the level of skill, speed and hard-fought, relentless competition, that is only seen with high-goal polo at this level. After conflicting results in the first two chukkas, victory seemed to hang in the balance through the match, with goal after goal being scored, and with the spectators never quite knowing whether the leader would retain their position into the next chukka.
The first goal of the match was scored only 35 seconds in, with Fortune Heights’ resident player, John Fisher taking possession of the ball from the throw-in and charging it up field into the FICOFI goal. Fortune Heights maintained constant
pressure on FICOFI throughout the chukka, with Fisher also taking a second goal in the final minute.
Fortune Heights having dominated the first chukka, it was FICOFI which then dominated the second, demonstrating excellence in ball control and in team-work. Argentine 7-goal player Diego Araya scored two goals, with his teammate, also a 7-goal Argentine player, Tomas Pieres, also scoring. Fortune Heights’ Tommy Wilson also picked up one more goal.
With FICOFI appearing to have gained momentum in the second chukka, the third chukka saw the pendulum swing back again in favour of Fortune Heights. Tommy Wilson scored another two goals, demonstrating the power and precision of this seasoned New Zealander, who grew up playing polo on his family’s ranch. The chukka ended with Fortune Heights two goals in the lead. This lead was maintained until final victory at the end of the sixth chukka, with a final score of 8-11 in favour of Fortune Heights.
Although victory went to Fortune Heights, it was FICOFI which delivered the most thrilling, and unexpected goal of the match. In the fourth chukka, Tomas Pieres made an almost impossible swing, one that had appeared utterly futile, until the ball actually entered the goal. Riding near the backline, with the goal post and a Fortune Heights defender both behind him, his angle to the goal provided an opening of only a few inches through which he need to position the ball. Yet at a full gallop, he jumped from his saddle and swung backwards, knocking the ball underneath the pony’s neck, over the defender and right on target.
Interviewed after the match, Fortune Heights’ top scorers Tommy Wilson and John Fisher both remarked on the impressive quality of play both teams had demonstrated, noting that at 19 total goals scored, the match had been a tense and exciting challenge for all the players. Tommy Wilson remarked, “It is polo at this level that makes people want to travel thousands of miles to participate…although very new, the Goldin Group has created a club here that is truly first class among the world’s top clubs, and which is on a level that is appropriate for hosting the elite among the world polo community.”
Daily polo matches are contested as follows:
Semi-final 1
Sunday, 9 Jun 2013
Result:Team FICOFI vs Team Fortune Heights
The tournament schedule will continue as follows:–
| Date | Time | Team | Team | |
| 10 June 2013 (MON) | 4 pm | Team FIPA GROUP | Vs | Team Maserati |
| 11 June 2013 (TUE) | 4 pm | Loser of 9 June Match | Vs | Loser of 10 June Match |
| 12 June 2013 (WED) | 4 pm | Winner of 9 June Match | Vs | Winner of 10 June Match |
ORGANISER
Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club –http://www.metropolitanpoloclub.com
TITLE SPONSOR
Maserati – http://www.maserati.com
TEAM SPONSORS
FICOFI – http://www.ficofi.com
FIPA GROUP – http://www.fipagroup.com
Fortune Heights – http://www.fortuneheights-tj.com
OFFICIAL JERSEY SUPPLIER
La Martina – http://www.lamartina.com
OFFICIAL GLOBAL MEDIA PARTNER
Equestrio – http://www.equestrio.com/china
TOURNAMENT WEBSITE – http://www.metropolitanpoloclassic.com
About Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club
Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club currently features two standard-sized polo fields, stables for over 200 horses, all-weather training facilities, a riding school and a luxurious Club House and 167-room resort-style hotel. The state-of-the-art equestrian facilities are used and maintained by professionals from all over the world.
Apart from being the host venue of the FIP Snow Polo World Cup, major international fixtures on the Club’s annual calendar include various spring and autumn tournaments and matches for different levels of play from youth to professional.
Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club was opened in November 2010 as the sporting and social flagship of “Goldin Metropolitan”, a mega-development by Hong Kong-listed developer Goldin Properties Holdings Limited, which will comprise three zones: a Central Business District, home to the 117-storey Goldin Finance Tower; the 898,000 square metres (222-acre) Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club and a low-density luxury residential belt to be launched in the near future.
About Maserati
Maserati was founded in Bologna by Alfieri Maserati on 1 December 1914. It is a prestigious brand in the sector of sports and luxury saloon cars. It can be found in more than 60 countries. Maserati celebrated the start of 2013 with the presentation of the new Quattroporte at the Detroit Motor Show, and this will be followed later in the year by the Ghibli, the new top of the range saloon which marks Maserati’s entrance into the E sector of the market. The company has a great sporting tradition that still continues today with the MC12, winner of 14 titles since its debut in the FIA GT Championship in 2004, and also the new GranTurismo MC Trofeo, star of the new single brand trophy, since 2010.