Following seven days of intense sporting drama, the house team raised the Country Club King’s Polo Cup. The seven competing teams engaged in a colossal battle for the coveted cup, in the form of a ceiba sculpture, which is considered to be the sacred tree of life. Players from Argentina, Peru, Chile and Mexico took part in the competition as well as mixing in the different squads. The Mayan culture shone at all times because the teams took the names of animals from that ancestral civilization.

 

Semi-finals

The semi-finals were the preamble to the final joust of the King’s Cup, which were fought by the local team “El Rey” against the “Me By Melia” squad. The “El Rey” team was the favorite to win since throughout the competition they had won all their matches up to this game. With the score standing at 8-3, in just half an hour, “El Rey” showed its players’ skills to win their way through to the maximum showdown of the polo tournament.

 

 

For its part, the Aeroméxico team, consisting of the Solórzano family, had no problems at all against its opponents to reach the grand final. It was the most-feared team throughout the tournament thanks to having the best elements, mares and experienced players.

 

The long-awaited moment

The long-awaited moment had arrived. The players were impatient to ride their preferred mares. The more than 500 guests knelt down at the edge of the field to cheer on their favorite team. The “El Rey” team included Alejandro and Miguel Gómez de Parada, Manolo Calvo and Eduardo Barrena.

 

 

 

 

It was a hard-fought and intense match; no player wanted to make an error to give the opposing team the lead. Each foray was fought as if it were the final battle. At the end of the third period the score stood at a 3-3 draw. At the beginning of the fourth period, Alejandro Gómez de Parada took a shot that put the “El Rey” team in the lead. However, Jesús “el Matador” Solórzano did not let up and in a solitary run, he responded with a goal that leveled the match.

However, nobody could get ahead until Manolo Calvo, with just 40 seconds to go in the match, gave the final push and scored the goal of the match that earned the cup for the “El Rey” team with a final score of 5-4. During the prize-giving, the teams recognized that the intention is to hold the King’s Cup every year, as well as other tournaments throughout the year.      

 

 

Text: Julio A. Gómez ± Photo: Nacho Andrate.