In spite of the difficult weather conditions for horses and players, today the spectators at Kitzbühel witnessed great polo matches with stunning enthusiasm. The celebrities Hansi Hinterseer and Kai Pflaume attended the venue to support the players with a well-done throw in. As Kai Pflaume’s wife belongs to a polo family, the TV host is familiarised with the sport. He jumped up to the microphone and commented on some chukkas together with the other spokesmen Jan-Erik Franck, Victor Beckers and Tito Gaudenzi.
The first match of the day was won by team Kitzbühel Country Club/Transgourmet that played versus Valartis Bank by 8:5. Unfortunately, the Valartis Trio was a bit out of rhythm today and had to face the strong opponents Henk and Maurice van Druten, and the Argentinian pro Mathias Maíquez. A we’ll deserved victory for KCC/Transgourmet after a fair play match.
The second game between Audi and Bernd Gruber was a very even match. Although the pitch was in difficult conditions, it was a quick match. Comentator Jan-Erik Franck: “This game was probably the most enjoyable one to watch and we saw great polo techniques”. One of the star players from the match, the skilful Adrian Laplacette was key for a 4:2,5 victory by team Bernd Gruber against Estelle Wagner, Patrick Maleitzke and Tatu Gomez Romero.
With a two goal lead due to lower team handicap DWB Holding started into the battle against Tom Tailor. In the second chukka DWB Holding was already able to extend its advantage to 8:2. Until the end of the game Tom Tailor caught up to a 8:5 but could not manage to turn the game.
Caspar West, Umpire of Beaufort Polo Club in England and Head Umpire in Kitzbühel: “The conditions made it unbelievably difficult for many players to play at their usual performance level. Today we could see who is really able to play a longshot properly. In spite of these conditions, it was still safe for the horses. We expect a very cold night and with a bit of luck we will face better circumstances tomorrow.My job is to ensure that players are not frustrated under this conditions and can concentrate only on the polo.”
Organisers Tito Gaudenzi and Frank Bahrenburg of Lifestyle Events GmbH: “We are absolutely happy about today’s venue. We had a full house and saw top polo even though the weather was difficult. The tourist board experts Christian Steinbach and Gerhard Hirschbichler will work on the field intensively tonight and we hope to provide an proper field for a perfect final.”
Sebastian Schneberger, Teamcaptain of DWB Holding and finalist of tomorrow: “We faced a very very hard field today. This was for sure one of the hardest games I ever played. We have a strong team and big aims for tomorrow’s final.”
Impressions of polo in Kitzbühel, further Facebook galleries will follow soon: http://rusp.de/dl/kitzsnow2015/
Sunday:
Final Match
DWB Holding vs. KCC/Transgourmet
Subsidiary Final
Bernd Gruber vs. Tom Tailor
Match for the 5th place
Valartis Bank vs. Audi
