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SJX
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Cartier International Polo at Guards Polo Club

Interestingly, this event was covered by the BBC here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8170114.stm. Here's the official press release and images.

- SJX

Press release:

CARTIER INTERNATIONAL POLO

Guards Polo Club, Windsor Great Park

Sunday 26^th July 2009

Argentina retained their winning form in the Coronation Cup – this year defeating England 12-5 and so adding to their victories on this day in 2000 and 1995. However the final result did not do justice to what was a great game which provided plenty of thrills – and fortunately no spills – for the 20,000 plus spectators at Guards Polo Club. England, again supported by Audi, always knew that they had a tough game, but were ready for the challenge and as England Captain Luke Tomlinson said after the match, “at least there was not as much pressure on us as last year”.

Argentina, sponsored by EFG, were hot favourites the moment it was announced that the Hurlingham Polo Association had invited the South Americans to play in the Coronation Cup as part of Cartier’s 25th anniversary celebrations. And once the team was announced, the odds dropped even further as Argentina fielded both Adolfo Cambiaso and Facundo Pieres. These 10-goalers are superstars in the world of polo across the globe and it was surely an understatement when Cambiaso said after this year’s game: “We tried to play as a team today and I knew that the team was good.”

However these two pros had to take a back seat during the presentations and watch their team-mate, Martin Valent receive the Cartier Pegasus Trophy for the Most Valuable Player from HRH Prince Charles. Adolfo was rewarded though with the Xtra Recordings Best Playing Pony Award for his own mare Mi Gatita, an eight-year-old Australian-bred mare. HRH Prince Charles also presented the Ferguson Cup to the HPA’s Most Promising Young Player of 2009 to Charlie Hanbury, who has had a fantastic season playing for the high-goal Apes Hill team. Hanbury was already in the presentation arena as he had been a member of the Prince of Wales Team, sponsored by Audi in the morning’s Golden Jubilee Trophy match. Honours in that game went to the Financial Times-sponsored Hurlingham team, which was captained by Guards Polo Club Board member Chris Hyde.

In addition to plenty of action on the field at Guards Polo Club, the Cartier International Day also marked the leading luxury brand’s 25th anniversary of supporting this great sporting occasion and many stars from the worlds of stage and screen, including Anna Friel, David Threlfell, Gerri Halliwell, Damien Lewis, Piers Morgan, Rupert Penry Jones and Helen McCrory flocked to the Cartier Marquee to enjoy a sumptuous lunch prepared by Anton Mosimann.

Cartier first sponsored the International Day in 1984, when a Rest of the World team took the honours. Since then, Cartier International Day has grown to become the world’s largest spectator polo day and leading players from across the globe have worn their national shirts with pride over the past 25 years. In recognition of the talent that has helped make International Day the event we know today, Cartier, in association with the HPA, created the Cartier 25th Anniversary Polo Award 2009, which was presented to former England captain Julian Hipwood.

CARTIER INTERNATIONAL DAY TEAMS

CORONATION CUP

England                                                               Argentina          

James Beim (7)                                                 Gustavo Usandizaga (3)

Mark Tomlinson (6)                                           Facundo Pieres (10)

Malcolm Borwick (6)                                       Adolfo Cambiaso (10, captain)

Luke Tomlinson (7, captain)                                    Martin Valent (3)

GOLDEN JUBILEE TROPHY

Prince of Wales’                                                           Hurlingham                

Charlie Hanbury (3)                                         Max Routledge (3)

James Harper (6)                                             Satnam Dhillon (6)

Henry Brett (6)                                                   Tom Morley (6)

Nacho Gonzalez (6, captain)                                 Chris Hyde (6, captain)