Sun 13th Oct 2024Day 3 of The 1st Arena Singureni Manor Polo Cup CARPATHIAN/ Maltese Falcons clinch first ever polo title in Romania
The atmosphere and excitement at the polo arena today was palpable, with a sell-out crowd packed into the grandstands and VIP areas as the most glamorous event in Romania reached its climax. A total of 10 Ambassadors have been in attendance over the weekend reflecting the international mix of the teams and the spectators alike; all keen to witness a brand new event in Romania.
Reto Gaudenzi, World Polo Founder and President commented on the tournament’s success, “It is unbelievable. I have been doing this for many years all over the world, this is my 100th polo event and it has worked out beyond my wildest dreams. It is perfect. We will now build upon it with the infrastructure and we will continue for at least another three years. Polo is in Romania to stay – how fantastic is that?”
The action kicked off with The Subsidiary Final between Team St. Moritz Top of the World, Switzerland vs Team Azerbaijan Land of Fire. The culmination of three days of intense play in the arena saw flat out polo from the outset. Team Azerbaijan really did come out with fire in their bellies and despite many early opportunities, Team St. Moritz were unable to find the form they needed under pressure. So, with their nerve holding and flamboyant play, it was a resounding victory for Team Azerbaijan Land of Fire with a convincing 8-4 final score to clinch the Subsidiary Final title.
Then it was on to the hotly-awaited big ticket match of the day – the Final between AQUA Carpatica/Grand Champions and Team CARPATHIAN/ Maltese Falcons. In what has been a historic week, today’s Final marked a pivotal moment, not just for polo in Romania, but for the global community as it welcomes a new nation to the sport.
Passionate polo was the order of the day as all players battled to take this historic victory in the inaugural Final.
Super-fast action and skilful play from the international line-up delighted the VIP guests thronging to catch the polo action. It was fast and furious stuff, as the teams vied for dominance and the scores remained stubbornly close. Just when extra time seemed inevitable, a penalty was scored by Alejandro Novillo Astrada with just seconds on the clock to clinch the deal for Melissa Ganzi’s CARPATHIAN/ Maltese Falcons by the closest of margins at 7 goals to 8, to the delight of the new to polo spectators.
Nic Roldan was named Most Valuable Player, Melissa Ganzi received the Best Playing Patron prize and Traviesa, played by Nic Roldan and owned by Pierre Henri Ngoumou, was awarded the Polo Times Best Playing Pony.
A full report will be included in the next issue of Polo Times, click here to purchase a subscription today!
The 1st Arena Singureni Manor Polo Cup Teams:
Team St. Moritz - Top of the world, Switzerland (11): HE Massimo Baggi/Daniel Savary (1), Pierre Henri Ngoumou (7) & Nick Rogerson (3)
Team CARPATHIAN/ Maltese Falcons (12): Melissa Ganzi (0), Nacho Figueras (5) & Alejandro Novillo Astrada (7)
Team AQUA Carpatica/Grand Champions Polo Club Wellington, USA (12): Daren Tamplin (0), Grant Ganzi (3) & Nic Roldan (9)
Team Azerbaijan Land of fire, Azerbaijan (11): Elchin Jamalli (3), Tarlan Gurbanaliyev (1) & Juan Cruz Losada (7)
Photograph: Team CARPATHIAN/ Maltese Falcons, winners of The 1st Arena Singureni Manor Polo Cup. By Polo Times
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