Sotogrande has again produced a thrilling finish to the European summer. On Saturday 31 August, at the Los Pinos grounds, Calatagan beat ATL Marine & Energy 15-14 in the high handicap final of the Copa de Oro, sponsored by Turkish Airlines.
The final
Calatagan were captained by Martín Romualdez, with Antonio Heguy, Santiago Laborde and Facundo Pieres. ATL Marine & Energy were Gonzalo Entrecanales, Pablo Llorente, Lorenzo Chavanne and Bartolomé Castagnola. The match was neck and neck from the start. The lead changed hands more than once, the sides were level at 12-12 late in the match, and Calatagan found the extra goal at the end to win by one.
Facundo Pieres was named best player, and Bartolomé Castagnola’s mount DS Pandora was voted best horse, which is a fine consolation for the losing side. Antonio Heguy won the Fair Play prize.
Finals at other levels
- Medium handicap: Amanara beat Electric Polo 14-9 on Friday 30 August.
- Low handicap: 1896 Polo beat Calatagan 11-10 on Saturday 31 August.
- Copa Lacoste: Grupo Mendizábal beat C.H. Kazuki 7-5 the same morning.
Earlier in the tournament
The Silver Cup high handicap final was played on 17 August, when Dubai beat MB Polo 11-9. In late July, Calatagan had also won the Bronze Cup against ATL Marine & Energy, 10-7, so the same two sides met twice in the course of the month, with a different result each time.
Why we like Sotogrande
The Andalusian tournament is one of the few places where professionals, patrons and club players all take part in the same event. It also offers the chance to play in good weather in the weeks after the English and French summer fixtures, and the standard is high. This year’s final was a good example of why: both teams were evenly matched, and the match was settled by a single goal.
The Argentine season begins in a few weeks, with the Triple Crown tournaments to follow.
Sources: Andalucia.com
