The weather here in Argentina has been unpredictable as of late and the heavy rains have again kept the Polo Tour away from the Tortugas club, the games being rescheduled to be played at the “Cathedral of Polo” (Palermo) once again. After discovering the games were on and the locale had been moved while experiencing some online server frustration trying to email the Western Canada Polo Tour schedule from my “office” (Starbucks) in Pilar, I hopped into my galloping Volkswagon Gol and bolted for Buenos Aires. I frowned as the dimly lit day began to drizzle, parked across the street from the stadium and engaged in a frantic game of Frogger making my way across the 9 or 10 lanes of traffic, smiling as my feet touched sidewalk…bonus points for sure.
Upon entering a side gate I was at field 2 and the game between Sainte Mesme and Tom Tailor was already on, all 2’s on the board…2-2 in the 2nd chukka. The Tom Tailor squad had already equalized the two goals Sainte Mesme had received on handicap. Even as I leaned against a railing to take in the action Tom Tailor was scoring again, taking the lead. 
I looked to my iPhone to type and…a whistle, I look up and Sainte Mesme had lined up a penalty, they converted and the chukka was over, game was tied and I was scuttling across the field to take a seat in the grandstands. I hadn’t even reached the seats when Robert Strom was streaking by me on his way to goal to take Sainte Mesme into the lead at 4-3. Finally I parked myself at the foot of the field-side flagpole for a close look at the game. As I look up from settling in I see Tom Tailors’ patron, Uwe Schroeder, getting up from the turf and remounting…what in the?..I seemed to be a step behind everything today…how had I made my way across all those lanes of traffic like this? Anyways, Schroeder seemed just fine and play continued but not for long, at the moment this was a game often interrupted by fouls. Sainte Mesme wasn’t really running with the ball, often Gonzalo Von Wernick was carrying and controlling the play, crossing up the Tom Tailor defense. Von Wernick worked his way downfield utilizing this tactic, scored and finished the chukka 5-3 for Sainte Mesme. Sainte Mesme seems to open up their play when they find Robert Strom out front, he likes to run, and does so to begin the 4th scoring to make it 6-3. Eduardo Anca responds for Tom Tailor and young Robert Strom is out front, running for Sainte Mesme, drawing a foul which is converted to recover the 3 point lead, 7-4 Sainte Mesme. Tom Tailor keeps scrapping and Anca answers again to make it 7-5 but Sainte Mesme replies immediately and then again to finish the chukka 9-5. 
The drizzle begins again and the crowd scurries to the covered portion of the grandstands, myself included. The Tom Tailor team wants to run and they begin the 5th pressuring but the Sainte Mesme defence holds and their offence pressures back, 10-5. Tom Tailor, undeterred by the score or the weather keep running and looking for an opening in the Sainte Mesme defence, they find one and pound one off the post, the crowd groans but the ball crawls across the goal-line and the crowd claps their approval of Tom Tailor’s efforts. Not finished yet Tom Tailor finds another opening and strikes again to make the score 10-7. The 5th chukka coming to a close, Tom Tailor redoubles it’s effort but the bouncing ball thwarts their attempts to score and the chukka ends still at 10-7 for Sainte Mesme. The rain has moved on and the sun seems to be trying to poke out from between the clouds which hang heavy with water in the air today. Tom Tailor picks up where they left off in the 5th, Juan Etchevertz steals the ball at midfield, breaks to goal and strokes it through to close to 10-8. Immediately from the throw-in Santiago Irastorza controls for Tom Tailor and pops it to Etchevertz who finishes again, 10-9 and we have a game, the crowd coming alive, I suddenly seem to be surrounded by Tom Tailor supporters. Sainte Mesme must be wondering what happened but they gather themselves and mount a charge of their own, Nordheimer finishing from the field to make it 11-9. Anca answers back straight from the throw-in for 11-10 and keep the pressure on Sainte Mesme. The defence holds for Sainte Mesme as they hold off charge after charge and finally break the other way, draw a foul and convert to finish the game 12-10.
This result set the final for the tournament, the teams to compete for the main trophy, Copa Nespresso, would be Ferne Park and Amadeus.
The second game of the day, Techno Polo vs Hammerle, was over at field 1 so I started over, took a stroll across the field, kicked some polo balls around, snapped some photos, delighted in a complementary Stella from the bar and loomed over the umpire’s awaiting horse. I sat and waited for the opening throw-in but apparently there was some delay and as my Stella had gone dry I wandered off in search of another and became engaged in conversation with one of the field-side photographers, Pablo Ramirez, and the patron of Amadeus, Robert Kofler, who was quite pleased having just discovered he was in the final. Two very nice guys, the conversation was quite engaging and before I knew it, the game was on…oops…I hurried off to take a seat. Perhaps the delay was caused by the changing of names on the scoreboard. Frank Dubarry, the patron of Techno Polo was not playing and was being replaced by J.M. Tyberg. I took my seat and focused in on the game as Techno Polo was scoring, the score already 2-0, that was quick. Before the end of the first chukka Hammerle started to work their way back into the game with a goal to make it 2-1. 
Tomas Pieres starts the second chukka fast as he gains control of the ball, carries down the boards and rips a shoot from 50 yards out, 3-1. The weather having improved, it was a nice day to watch polo and the two teams were putting on a pleasant display, nice open polo moving up and down the field. Hammerle seemed to get into a groove, first finishing from a penalty from centre, then Matias Bennoit from the field to tie and then Carlos Farinati with a tail shot to take the lead and end the chukka 4-3 for Hammerle. The third chukka began with Hammerle converting a penalty and then Farinati finishing from the field for the 6-3 lead. Hammerle looked to be well in control of this game. Then the tide began to turn in favour of Techno Polo, the Tomas’ turned it on, first Gandara and then Pieres and the chukka ended with Techno Polo within one, 6-5. Chukka 4 saw Techno Polo maintain the momentum and take control of the lead as again Gandara struck and Pieres followed with one of his own for a 7-6 score. Hammerle answered with a converted penalty to tie it up at 7 and the chukka was over. Chukka 5 was all Techno Polo as Gandara scored from the field, then Logioco finished a ball Pieres put off a post and Gandara finished with another to end the 5th 10-7 in favour of Techno Polo. As much as Techno Polo owned the 5th, Hammerle owned the 6th with three goals of their own to tie the game. As this game wasn’t to decide anything for the finals, the teams agreed to not stretch their horses any further and settled with the tie.
There will be three games on Saturday to finish this stage of the Argentina Polo Tour…Ferne Park and Amadeus will play the Final Copa Nespresso…Tom Tailor and Sainte Mesme will play the Final Copa La Merced…Techno Polo and Hammerle will play the Final Copa Borghetti.
Chau for now!
Dylan Foster