Wellington, Fla. – Sept. 13, 2018 – The inaugural GPL United Kingdom Tournament was held Sept. 7-8 at the beautiful Zacara Polo Grounds, in Berkshire, England. The four GPL teams flew from far and wide to see who would carve their names in history as the first GPL United Kingdom Tournament winners. A truly international polo tournament, players from eight different countries participated in the event.
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| Team Phelps Media: Mariano Darritchon, Chip McKenney, Gus Larrosa and Tony Natale |
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Bell Rock Capital
Rafik Boughadou (Algeria)
Said Ait-Ouaraz (France) Alexandre Cortes (Spain) Jonny Good (England) |
Malvern Bank
Jead Pearsall (United States)
Stacie Simpkins (United States)
Julian Leake (England)
Michael Ayala (Argentina)
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Phelps Media
Gus Larrosa (Argentina)
Chip McKenney (United States)
Tony Natale (United States)
Mariano Darritchon (Argentina)
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RSM
Michael Sahakian (Georgia)
Daniel Bain (Canada)
Gordon Ross (Canada)
Adolfo Casabal (Argentina)
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Teams met on the field on Friday, Sept. 7, to compete for a spot in the finals on the following day. In the end, RSM was victorious over Malvern Bank and Phelps Media Group conquered Bell Rock Capital.
On Saturday, Sept. 8, Malvern Bank and Bell Rock Capital battled for bragging rights in the first subsidiary final of the GPL United Kingdom Tournament. Ultimately, Malvern Bank came out on top 4-3. Facing off for the title of the GPL United Kingdom Tournament, Phelps Media Group took on RSM. After four grueling chukkers, Phelps Media triumphed over their opponents 5-3. GPL veteran player, Gordon Ross of Canada, received the MVP award, a custom polo helmet courtesy of Instinct Polo.
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| Gus Larrosa of Phelps Media and Gordon Ross of RSM. |
Staying true to form, players and spectators cheered from the sidelines and congratulated one another for their efforts after the game. During the awards ceremony, each team was presented with prizes from GPL’s official apparel supplier, Black Hound Sports, an England-based apparel company that provides the most stylish and modern jerseys to hit the polo market. Following the awards ceremony, players, friends and family celebrated the success of the inaugural tournament with a traditional Argentine asado.
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RSM’s Danial Bain and Phelps Media’s Chip McKenney congratulate each other on a great game.
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Of course, the success of the tournament wouldn’t be possible without GPL’s amazing sponsors, Bell Rock Capital, Malvern Bank, Phelps Media Group, RSM, Black Hound Sports and Instinct Polo, whose commitment to equality and diversity is second to none. GPL would like to extend a special thank you to Mariano Darritchon of La Mariposa Polo Farm for supplying extraordinary polo ponies and organizing the daily events and tournament.
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| Teams Malvern Bank, Bell Rock Capital Phelps Media Group and RSM |
Feel like you missed out on all the fun? Horse & Country TV will be airing a 30-minute special covering the event on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 8:00 p.m. Since its founding, hundreds of thousands of equestrian enthusiasts from across the globe have been tuning in to Horse & Country TV to watch one-of-a-kind programs pertaining to the equestrian and country lifestyle. Now the network has launched in the U.S., bringing its award-winning recipe of top-level sports, training and behind-the-scenes shows to an American audience. Click here to see the GPL United Kingdom Tournament trailer!
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Horse & Country TV bowled the first ball in for the finals of the GPL United Kingdom Tournament.
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The 10th anniversary edition of Annual Land Rover Palm Beach Tournament will return to the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida, on April 4-7, 2019! For more information visit gaypolo.com.
