TICK TOCK TICK TOCK – THE VEUVE CLICQUOT CLOCKED TICKED …..
At 3 pm the final of the British Open Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup took place at Cowdray Park, this year being the 50th anniversary of the Gold Cup. When the Coronation Cup moved from Cowdray to Windsor in the early 1950s, the late John Cowdray, England’s great post war polo revivalist, decided that Cowdray should host the British Open Championship and was first held in 1956.
This year a record 20 teams entered the tournament and today’s final saw the return of an Ellerston White side to the final. After an absence of six years, the Ellerston polo team, founded by the late Kerry Packer, has returned to English polo under the patronage of his son, James Packer. Based close to Cowdray Park at Stedham, the Ellerston team were regarded as very much the home side and received huge support from the 20,000 spectators.
Their opponents today were Black Bears, who have won the Gold Cup twice, in 1992 and 2002 and have been finalists on three more occasions and were very much the favourites to win again today.
The teams were, for Ellerston White, 1.Jacinto Crotto (3), 2. Facundo Pieres (9), 3.Gonzalito Pieres (9) and Bk. James Packer (2). For Black Bears 1. Guy Schwarzenbach (0), 2.Eduardo Novillo Astrada (9), 3.Javier Novillo Astrada (9) and Bk. Lucas James (5).
Within minutes of the start of the match Ellerston scored to put them in the lead but only for a short while as Black Bears scored seconds later. The pace was fast and furious and very hot for England, the goals kept coming and the lead kept changing but eventually the match was won by Black Bears 9-8.
The Gold Cup was presented to the Black Bears by Viscountess Cowdray and the Managing Director of Veuve Clicquot UK, David Meyers. James Packer was presented with the ‘Harper Spurs’ as Captain of the runners-up. The best playing pony was Claren, played by Gonzalito Pieres in the second chukka. The most valuable player of the match was Eduardo Astrada and the best player was Javier Astrada.
Text by Joann Hearn and photos by Nigel Kaye