The 53rd. International Polo Tournament Andalucía, hosted by Ayala Polo Club, in Sotogrande, Spain, is already stepping into the last week of league games, prior to the semifinals. The Turkish Airlines Gold Cup saw high goal and medium goal games held on Friday August 23.
- HIGH GOAL
Calatagan and MB played the first of the two high goal contests. Both teams needed to secure a win, after losing in their respective debut games. They played a very tight and hard fought lost, that it was decided on extra chukka, when Martin Romualdez ran quickly to the goalposts to produce the winning goal for his team.
Los Pinos grounds greeted the second hight goal match, the clash of the unbeaten, La Dolfina Dos Lunas and Kazak, both aiming to get one step closer to the semifinals. But to everybody’s surprise, the French lineup overwhelmed their contenders, earning an impressive 8-0 by the end of the second chukka. And although the Argentinian-Spaniard squad managed to bounce back in two following chukkas, the damage has already been done. Kazak was the dominating force, and took a heavy 15-7 victory home.
- MEDIUM GOAL
The medium goal Gold Cup had a single match, Jolly Roger vs. John Smith, played on Los Pinos ground one. Gabriel Aguirre’s team led all the way, determined to earn the win that would put them through the semifinals, by holding Niclas Johansson & Co. back, who were unable to bounce back to claim their second victory. At the end of the day, John Smith won 9-6 and joined Brunei as the second foursome who qualified to semis.
The finals of the Gold Cup are due on Friday August 30 (medium goal) and Saturday August 31 (high goal and low goal).
Cover photo by Matías Callejo.
Gold Cup, High Goal – Teams & Fixture