TIANJIN, China, October 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- To the cheers of China's growing legions of polo fans, home side Hong Kong China triumphed over England in the grand final of the Fortune Heights Super Nations Cup 2014, beating their rivals 11 - 8 at the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club.
Polo fans could be forgiven for a sense of deja-vu in what was almost a carbon copy of the Fortune Heights Super Nations Cup 2013 final 12 months ago, when Hong Kong defeated England by 11 goals to 7. England managed one more goal today in what was for the most part an evenly poised contest, but the visitors couldn't quite match the pace and invention of the local side.
Hong Kong China triumphed by sticking to their tactics, according to Most Valuable Player John-Paul Clarkin at the post-match press conference. "We had a game plan and although it was level at half time we didn't change it, because we felt we were unlucky not to be ahead. We came through strong in the second half and deserved the win."
Playing in red with a white chest stripe, Hong Kong China comprised Argentineans Lucas Lalor and Santiago Cernadas at one and two, with Fortune Heights Super Nations Cup veterans John-Paul Clarkin (New Zealand) and John Fisher (UK), at three and four.
The all-white shirts of England were filled by Jack Richardson, George Meyrick, Max Charlton and Tom Morley; Richardson and Charlton were part of the England side that beat Hong Kong China to win the FIP Snow Polo World Cup here in January.
Bathed in brilliant sunshine, the game exploded into life, Hong Kong China's John Fisher plucking the ball from under a rampaging Jack Richardson and playing a neat backhand pass to John-Paul Clarkin, who rolled it between the posts for the first score of the day. It was a breathless start and Hong Kong looked the more composed side, Lucas Lalor adding a second goal soon after.
England's Tom Morley eventually got his team on the score sheet with a 40-yard penalty, and then turned provider, galloping downfield to set up George Meyrick, who dashed inside and managed to retain control of the ball and thwack it home to level the scores seconds before the bell.
Hong Kong China regained the initiative in the second chukka, John-Paul Clarkin scoring with a neat chip from the spot. At the halfway bell, John Fisher latched on to the end of a John-Paul Clarkin pass to drive it home, Hong Kong nosing ahead of England by four goals to two. With England struggling to match the speed and penetration of Hong Kong China in the opening stages, the talismanic Max Charlton took it upon himself to lead the charge, galloping down field and drawing his marker before crossing inside to George Meyrick who hammered it home, cutting England's deficit to a single goal.
In a flurry of hooves Jack Richardson galloped the length of the pitch early in the third chukka, his pony a blur as he struck it sweetly to level the scores. Hong Kong China's John Fisher then turned poacher again, stealing the ball from his opponent and playing a neat backhand to put Lucas Lalor through on goal and make it 5 - 4 to the home side. Tom Morley replied with a free-hit from 40 yards; the scores all square at the halfway stage.
Goals came thick and fast after the restart, but mostly for Hong Kong China, who added three in the first three minutes; England caught napping. George Meyrick pulled one back with a smart cut shot a moment later, but Hong Kong China's John-Paul Clarkin answered in kind with a powerful charge at goal, before Santiago Cernadas put the home side into double figures just before the bell with a hooked goal that sailed high and true.
Hong Kong China battened down the hatches in the fifth chukka, denying England any chance to chip away at their four goal deficit. Then, seconds before the bell, John Fisher, Director of Stable Operations at the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club, scored his third of the game to leave England with a mountain to climb, trailing by five goals going into the final chukka.
England were given a glimmer of hope two minutes into the final period with a penalty goal, and after heaping on the pressure Jack Richardson added another with a minute left on the clock. But it wouldn't be enough, Hong Kong China holding on to win 11 - 8 and ensure that the Fortune Heights Super Nations Cup will remain in their trophy cabinet for another year at least.
At the closing ceremony, Dr. Richard Caleel, President of the Federation of International Polo, thanked all the players, officials, ponies and staff for making the third Fortune Heights Super Nations Cup a success and helping spur the growth of the sport of polo in China. Most Valuable Player was awarded to Hong Kong China's John-Paul Clarkin for the second year in a row, the eight-goal star scoring ten times over two games in the tournament. Clarkin was characteristically humble about his achievement: "It could have been any one of these guys, to be honest. It was the team performance that won the day."
As is the polo tradition, the ponies had their moment in the limelight, "Best Pony" awarded to 'Lawyer', ridden by Hong Kong China.
Polo fans in China can now look ahead to the FIP Snow Polo World Cup 2015, taking place at the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club in January next year.
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Daily polo matches are contested as follows:
Wednesday, 1 October 2014 | |
Result: Hong Kong, China VS USA | 13 - 6 |
Thursday, 2 October 2014 | |
Result: Argentina VS England | 8 - 10 |
Saturday, 4 October 2014 | |
Result: Argentina VS USA | 9 - 10 |
Sunday, 5 October 2014 | |
Result: England VS Hong Kong China | 8 - 11 |
Information on Fortune Heights Super Nations Cup 2014
Official website: www.supernationscup.com
You may wish to catch the matches:
http://www.hurlinghampolo.com/polo_videos.php
https://www.youtube.com/user/thepoloclubchannel
Team List
HONG KONG, CHINA
Handicap | ||
Player 1 | Lucas Lalor | 6 |
Player 2 | Santiago Cernadas | 6 |
Player 3 | John-Paul Clarkin | 8 |
Player 4 | John Fisher | 4 |
24 | ||
Reserves | Bautista Sorzana | 6 |
USA
Handicap | ||
Player 1 | Carlos Gracida Jr. | 3 |
Player 2 | Andres Weisz | 5 |
Player 3 | Nicholas Roldan | 8 |
Player 4 | Mike Azzaro | 8 |
24 | ||
Reserves | Joel Baker | 2 |
Jason Crowder | 6 |
ARGENTINA
Handicap | ||
Player 1 | Pablo Llorente | 6 |
Player 2 | Pablo Dorignac | 6 |
Player 3 | Tomas Ruiz Guinazu | 6 |
Player 4 | Martin Tassara | 6 |
24 | ||
Reserves | Agustin Maiquez | 6 |
ENGLAND
Handicap | ||
Player 1 | Jack Richardson | 5 |
Player 2 | George Meyrick | 6 |
Player 3 | Max Charlton | 6 |
Player 4 | Tom Morley | 6 |
22 | ||
Reserves | Jonny Good | 5 |
Partners of Fortune Heights Super Nations Cup 2014:
TITLE SPONSOR
Fortune Heights http://www.fortuneheights-tj.com
HOSTS
Federation of International Polo http://www.fippolo.com
Chinese Equestrian Association http://equestrian.sport.org.cn/
CO-ORGANISERS
Tianjin Polo Association
Hong Kong Polo Development and Promotion Federation
Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club http://www.metropolitanpoloclub.com
OFFICIAL GLOBAL MEDIA PARTNER
Equestrio China http://www.equestrio.com/china
OFFICIAL LIVE BROADCASTER
nowTV http://www.nowtv.now.com
OFFICIAL JERSEY PROVIDER
La Martina http://www.lamartina.com
OFFICIAL WEBSITE http://www.supernationscup.com
About Fortune Heights
Fortune Heights is the only luxury residences with polo club membership in China. Located in Goldin Metropolitan with a gross floor area of approximately 700,000 square meters, the development includes high-rise residential buildings, low-density luxury villas and townhouses.
About Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club
Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club currently features three standard-size polo fields, stabling for over 200 horses, all-weather training facilities, a riding school and a luxurious Club House and 167-room resort-style hotel. The state-of-the-art equestrian facilities are used and maintained by professionals from all over the world.
Apart from being the host venue of the Fortune Heights Super Nations Cup 2014, major international fixtures on the Club's annual calendar include various spring and autumn tournaments and matches for different levels of play from youth to professional.
About Federation of International Polo (FIP)
The Federation of International Polo (FIP), founded in 1982, is the international body governing the sport of polo recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and includes 59 National Federations as full members. Polo has been played in the Olympics and is growing in popularity all over the world. Polo is a sport of horse and player. Men and women compete together in this contact sport as players are handicapped and games have a handicap range. While polo has primarily been played outdoors on a large green field, variations of the sport such as snow, beach and indoor polo are emerging and gaining popularity. FIP aims to develop rules for the safe conduct of the sport for both horse and player. Competition, sportsmanship and compliance with international rules of fair play are at the core of our sporting ethos.
