The polo year has started where it did last January, on the frozen lake at St. Moritz, and the story of the weekend was a home-grown win. In the final of the 36th Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, played on Sunday 26 January, St. Moritz beat Azerbaijan Land of Fire.
The winners
The St. Moritz side was led by patron Valery Mishchenko and included Robert Strom, Max Charlton, a ten-goal professional, and Nacho Gonzalez, who has now won the event four times. It was Strom who scored the goal that sealed the match. For Azerbaijan Land of Fire, captain Elchin Jamalli was on the scoresheet.
Snow polo is low-scoring, and half-goal handicaps are part of the arithmetic, which is why the final’s score can look odd on paper. What matters is that the trophy, sponsored by Chopard, went to Mishchenko, and that each of the four winners received a Mille Miglia Chopard watch.
The awards
- Most Valuable Player: Max Charlton.
- Best Playing Patron: Fabio Meier.
- Polo Times Best Playing Pony: Casanova, ridden by Nacho Gonzalez.
In the match for third place, the La Martina Trophy, Maserati beat Badrutt’s Palace 7½-5.
An event that keeps growing
Organiser Reto Gaudenzi and his team of around 250 people deserve credit for another well-run weekend. The event was again reported as drawing record crowds to the Engadin valley, which suggests that the appetite for snow polo is stronger than ever.
The winning side carried the nickname the Red Devils, and it suited them, since it was a confident, physical performance.
We always say that St. Moritz is the place where the polo year begins, and this year was no different. The professionals who played in the snow will now be back on grass, in Florida, Dubai and Argentina, and the next major date for us is the Gauntlet of Polo in Wellington.
Sources: Luxurious Magazine
