The winning Cartier team.
St. Moritz snow polo report from Ebe Sievwright
In an extraordinary game that lasted five chukkers and two minutes of a second overtime, Cartier (Jonathan Munro Ford, Max Charlton, Chris Hyde and Hissam Ali Hydor) outlasted Ralph Lauren (Michael Bickford, Jamie Morrison, Nacho Figueras and Ruki Baillieu) in a defensive battle, 2-1,to retain the championship cup in a match that saw no scoring until the third chukker!
In the 3rd, Michael Bickford made a heroic interception and lofted a little pass over the Cartier heads to give Figueras a perfect opportunity to score the only field goal of the game bar Hissam Ali Hyder’s spectacular finish in extra time that won the game.
All eight players gave the performances of their lives but somehow Cartier remain untainted as champions.
St. Moritz Polo World Cup on snow 2014 has seen immense competition between all four of the teams. The final could easily have been played by either one of the runners up. Some games ran smoother than others but all were fierce and exciting. The crowds at St. Moritz once again witnessed the unparalleled sportsmanship and spectacle that makes this tournament the most special and unique event on the polo calendar.
Hissam Ali Hyder scored the winning goal and was named MVP while Lode, a pony played by Nacho Figueras, received Best Playing Pony Honors.
BMW 5, DEUTSCHE BANK 4
On the final day of the St. Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow, the runners up match took place between Deutsche Bank (Karan Thapar, Ryan Pemble, Oliver Hipwood and Glen Gilmore) and BMW (Richard Davis, Johnny Good, Tarquin Southwell and John-Paul Clarkin). Both teams had played each other the day before in a stunning afternoon game.
Sunday’s match was more of a scuffle than the ballet we’d seen before with plenty of whistle and a scoreline determined by penalties. Conditions were a little more demanding and long runs were more often than not thwarted by an unkind bounce.
Team BMW was very much in the driving seat, (the Ultimate Driving Seat) for the first chukka. Three field goals by each of their stunt drivers made for a convincing start. Johnny Good made some scorching runs and dominated the field at the front, with Tarquin Southwell and John-Paul Clarkin delivering effective passes when not making runs of their own.
The fluency was short lived and the impressive lead was shorn down to 2 goals by halftime, turning into a narrow edge by the third.
The fourth chukka arrived and Deutsche Bank’s comeback was almost complete with an equalizer from Ryan Pemble. From the 2nd chukka onwards no one had been able to get past Deutsche Bank captain Glen Gilmore and the Pemble/Hipwood combos made for a solid offense. Sadly for them a scramble in the goalmouth in the fourth minute of the final chukker gave BMW the deciding penalty and the Deutsche Bank Trophy was snatched from their own vaults.