Marqués de Riscal’s team has been proclaimed the winner of the High Handicap Gold Cup (handicap 18 – 20), after defeating Ayala Polo Team by 14 to 10 in the grand final with which the 50th International Polo Tournament by La Reserva Club de Sotogrande. This trophy, the last to be contested after the Volvo Bronze Cup and the Terralpa Silver Cup, is part of the Grand Slam and is one of the four most important in the polo universe. The final was attended by the vice president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Marín, who participated in the trophy delivery after the match, played at the Santa María Polo Club. The stands and boxes had a large audience and an exceptional atmosphere. It has been more than a month of intense competition with 19 teams participating at the highest level, which have once again put San Roque (Cádiz) in the center of the sports media attention worldwide.

The final lived up to the expectations created. The group of Spanish patron Marqués de Riscal, formed by Alejandro Aznar, Santiago Cernadas, Guillermo Caset and Cruz Heguy, was ahead on the scoreboard in all the chukkers or times in which the match is divided. The Ayala Polo Team, led by Íñigo Zóbel, were closing the gap during the match, especially in the second and fourth chukka. Finally, those of Marqués de Riscal prevailed by 14 goals to 10.

Photo credit: Neil Egerton