14-19 FEB 2012 -- ARGENTINA AMBASSADORS CUP & TANGO SHOW -- "VI COPA EMBAJADA DE LA REPUBLICA ARGENTINA"
No Team Entry Fee. Team handicaps 4-6 goals. The Argentine Ambassador's Cup is one of the most enjoyable polo tournaments held in Thailand. The co-sponsors are VR SPORTS CLUB and THE ARGENTINE EMBASSY. The tournament consists of a combination of beginner and advanced players from all over the world coming to join and have fun. Last year, we set a world record for Thailand with 10 teams participating in the Ambassador's Cup. This year, L'Oreal, Paisano Polo Academy, Tang Polo Club, Thailand Tatler, Black Dog have already confirmed they will sponsor teams in the Ambassador Cup. We are waiting to hear from additional sponsors: Citibank, Land Rover, 7 Eleven, Mama Noodles, Royal Salute, Tag Heuer, Lacoste, Chopard, Mitavite. This year we have heard from the following players who will be competing on different teams for the coveted ARGENTINA AMBASSADORS CUP -- Hughes Van Heesewijk, Clement Toussaint, Clement Delfosse, Julien Reynes, Ronnie Lim, Jon Gabler, Lynly Fong, Shilai Liu, Nan Liu, Dina Asvaintra, Top, Tal, Tsu, Nat, Ploy, Tom, Eric, Santy, Miguel, Nicolas, Lucas, Agustin. We have not heard anything from Polo Escape as to whether they will send any team this year. If anyone has any news from Polo Escape, please let us know -- lucas@argentinapolo.com
UPDATES:
1. INTERNATIONAL MODELS - Flaca Pieroni & Jasmina Lujan will team up for a combined "Relaciones Publicas para La Copa Embajada de La Republica Argentina" and recruit 10 hot international models from Bangkok to attend the Ambassadors Cup. These models will be invited to the Ambassador's Dinner and have an opportunity to boost their social profile as "Official Argentina Ambassadors Cup Polo Models."
2. AMBASSADORS DINNER - Ambassadors Dinner will be held on Saturday 18 February 7pm (following the games). The Argentine Embassy will be inviting 50 VIP guests. Tango dancers and other guests are welcome to the Ambassadors Dinner for 2,000 Baht per couple if they RSVP in advance to -- tpa@siampolonews.com
3. TANGO DEMONSTRATION - A special Tango performance will be organized by the Argentine Embassy.
4. POLO BAND - CEO Ploy (Chief Entertainment Officer) will be back in action as she is the official advisor to Khun Gung about the band that will play and will be better than last year, so that Eric does not have to take over with his iPod.
5. SCHEDULE - Lucas will make a schedule of the teams and times of play and give to Khun Soul before Saturday, 28 January, so that Khun Soul and the dynamic TPA team can make the Ambassador Cup Poster.
6. STUDENT INITIATIVE - Khun Jaz may have an Ambassador Cup appearance prepared for the New Student Initiative.
7. ACTION POLO ARTISTS - Khun Jaz is planning to organize 3 famous Thai Artists who will paint players at the Ambassador Cup LIVE ACTION -- paintings in acrylic and watercolor will be painted from the sideline. These paintings may be auctioned off on Saturday Night at the Ambassadors Dinner.
8. PAISANO UPDATE - Ronnie is assembling a very strong and determined Paisano Polo Academy Team and there may be a guest appearance from a member of the Argentine Embassy on one of the teams.
9. TEAM SHIRTS - TPA is making all the team shirts with sponsor logos (except for Paisano Polo Academy and L'Oreal, who are making their own shirts).
10. SPONSORS - All SPONSORS get a huge banner on the field, their logo in the tournament brochure, logo on the webpage, and team sponsors on the team jerseys.

28-29 JAN 2012 -- "BREEZER CUP" -- KOREA POLO CLUB, BLACK DOG, PLOY & TOP TEAM, MYSTERY TEAM
This is the first ever Breezer Cup ever to be held in the Kingdom of Thailand. Four teams will be on the field -- LIME, LEMON, ORANGE, STRAWBERRY. They will battle it out, and the winning team gets 4 cold Breezers. Actually, every team will get 4 cold Breezers - but different flavors. Khun Jaz is designing the team shirts right now. Rumor has it that Khun Top and Khun Ploy are combining forces to form a team. JB Lee has ordered his Korean team back onto the field following their excellent performance in the Tri-Nations Cup. The Black Dogs have still not won a single game this season, but polo legend Eric Barthe has confirmed that he is coming back to resurrect the team. Tissue is back from Muktahan. Khun Nat reports that Khun Omsin may be getting richer from a recent victory, so he is happy too. Khun Tal is back from Las Vegas. There will be a lot of Bacardi Breezer flowing in the first ever playing of the BREEZER CUP at SPP. Don't miss this one. If you want to join a team, email quickly -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

27-29 JAN 2012 -- SHILAI LIU TAKING 10 GOAL "TANG-VR TEAM" TO PLAY SILVER CUP AT POLO ESCAPE
Shilai Liu has been training his Tang Polo Club team hard at Siam Polo Park this month. He brought the first team from China to play in the All Asia Cup, and now he is raising the handicap and forming a combined TANG POLO CLUB - VR POLO CLUB team to take on the mighty forces at Polo Escape. We are still waiting for Polo Escape Manager Churo to learn how to use his Blackberry, but intelligence reports "ENTER THE DRAGON... There will be three polo patrons from China bringing 10 goal teams to this tournament: Shiai Liu from Beijing, Brian Xu from Shanghai, and Paul Cheung from Hong Kong." There may also be a team from Australia, but this team is certain to encounter a Great Wall in this contest. We will keep you posted and see if the Great Wall can make it to the final. Tim Keyte is going to have his hands full on this one. For more information on this match, you won't have any luck with Blackberry, but try email -- churo@argentinapolo.com -- TEAMS:

Friday 27th January:
15:30 : Axus vs Harbour Centre
16:30 : Adamas vs Tang
Evening 19.30 onwards : Tapas Party@ 2,500.00++ Baht per person
Saturday 28th January:
15:30 : Adamas vs Harbour Centre
16:30 : Axus vs Tang
Evening 19.30 onwards : Asado @ 2,500.00++ Baht per person
Sunday 29th January:
15:30 : Axus vs Adamas
16:30 : Tang vs Harbour Centre
Evening : Tapas at the club bar for players only
Umpire: Tim Keyte

4-5 FEB 2012 -- M&M CUP (LO GOAL)
This one includes a plethora of delicious M&M cookies. The winning team will receive "as many M&M chocolate chip cookies as they can eat." Uncle Danny will be on hand to present the trophy cookies to the winning team. Bring your family, they can help eat too. If you want to join this lo-goal fun tournament -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

10-12 FEB 2012 -- JAMES ASHTON MEMORIAL TROPHY (12 GOAL)
The James Ashton Trophy is held in honor of a gentleman and friend who loved the game. This tournament is held at Polo Escape. For more information -- churo@argentinapolo.com

MAR 2012 -- SPP CHARITY CUP (LO-GOAL)
Entry fee: 3,000 Baht per person (includes dinner, drinks, snacks). Siam Polo Park is calling all our new players to the field to support the CAMILLIAN HOME which is a home for Children living with Disabilities located about 5 minutes from VR Sports Club. Some of the Autistic Children at the home will be invited to watch the final match and meet with the players. The Club will present a donation from the chukkas played to the home, and the children will be invited to stand on the stage with the winning team and to present the trophy to the winning team. It may well be our famous re-circulated trophy in another famous presentation. Some of you may have already won this trophy in previous tournaments, so come and win it again. Lucas and Jaz found this local charity and say that the Head Volunteer is a very nice person who speaks English. If you want to join this fun and worthwhile tournament, email Lucas -- lucas@argentinapolo.com 

KHUN NAT -- MASTER OF THE WOODEN HORSE
Khun Nat Pratumlee is the highest handicapped Thai polo player in the world. He has played in Argentina, England and Thailand. His father has helped build two polo clubs in Thailand. He spent two years studying with Reggie Ludwig in USA. He is a member of the Thai National Polo Team. Without question, Khun Nat is Master of the wooden horse. He is famous for putting his students in the half-seat position and having them hit ten balls in succession without sitting down. If his students are having trouble squeezing their knees, then he puts a ten Baht piece between their knees and the saddle. Every ten Baht that drops, they lose it. His students learn quickly the importance of squeezing with the knees. Recently, VR Sports Club Manager, Khun Gung, put himself to the test and took a wooden horse lesson with Khun Nat. He did have one trick, because the ten Baht piece was sticking to his bare leg, but he did confirm that after two hits, he was exhausted. If you want to learn to hit the ball far, come and meet Khun Nat -- Master of the Wooden Horse -- email Lucas -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

23-25 MAR 2012 -- HORNITO CUP
This is a Lucas Lujan Special. 6 teams. 2-4 goal level. Polo and Party. Entry fee 4,000 Baht per person. Includes one night at PULLMAN WINE PUB and one night ARGENTINA ASADO DINNER at the polo club. Each team will have a polo professional. This idea is to have the same level of fun as the Ambassador Cup, but at a lower level, for newer players to enjoy and learn about polo. If you want to join -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

COMING SOON... POLO FIRST AID CLINIC
TPA, Khun Jaz, and Khun Gung are combining forces to bring the first ever Polo First Aid Clinic to Siam Polo Park. Emergency Room Nurse Yuparat is in the process of being invited to conduct a First Aid Clinic in English and Thai to all gauchos, members, players, and staff at SPP in the interest of healthy sports and safety. Polo is a challenging sport, so it doesn't hurt to brush up on your first aid. She will instruct us on the proper use of a Backboard, CPR, cuts, bruises and show us the proper use of the first aid kit. Any questions, ask Nurse Yu. Khun Jaz will keep us posted on the proposed date for this clinic. If you have any questions, email Jaz -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

ALL ASIA CUP 2012

9-14 JAN 2012 -- WELCOME TO THE 2012 ALL ASIA CUP -- MONGOLIA, INDIA, CHINA, THAILAND  In 2007, the SEA Games played in Thailand included horse polo. This was the first time that we saw polo included in an official Inter-Asian sporting event. It was a great success with Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore attending. Polo has been played for over a hundred years in Malaysia and Singapore, however, the sport has only recently developed in China, Korea, Mongolia, and Indonesia. This past SEA Games held in Indonesia in December 2011 was unfortunately not able to include polo in the official venue. This is because, as the sport is still growing in Asia, there are not a sufficient quantity of trained horses in some countries. Khun Vichai Raksriaksorn, the President of the Thailand Polo Association, who was the impetus behind polo's inclusion in the SEA games in 2007 has shown his commitment to the development of polo in Asia by inviting countries in Asia to take part in the 2012 ALL ASIA GAMES. The importance of this tournament is that it is being held at the 2-4 goal level. This allows the opportunity for the countries that are new to polo to participate with their national players who have not yet achieved high handicap ratings. We have been watching with great interest the rapid growth of polo in China. They have gone from only one polo club with a handful of horses to now having over 5 polo clubs holding different levels of international tournaments. It is an honor for us to have China sending their first national team to compete in the ALL ASIA CUP. We are also honored to have the first Mongolian National Polo team joining our tournament. These young players are very skilled horsemen, but they do not yet have an international handicap. The Mongolian players will be handicapped by the TPA during the ALL ASIA CUP, and they will leave Thailand with their first international handicap. The Mongolian team has been training very hard in India and in Australia with our polo friends there, so that their comprehension of the rules will be up to the level required for tournament play. The oldest polo club in the world still in existence is in Calcutta, India. This is the country where the sport was refined from its Asiatic roots by British Calvary Officers who saw the tremendous value of polo in the development of horsemanship, leadership and teamwork for the training of young officers. It was this evolution of the sport of polo that then was taken back to England and across the world. As Sir Winston Churchill once said, "there is no greater passport than a polo handicap." We consider it a great privilege to be able to play with a team from India in the ALL ASIA CUP. The following countries in Asia now are developing polo in their countries: Mongolia, China, Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, India, Pakistan, UAE. We are also very excited to hear that the first two polo players from Japan are starting to play in Korea with more soon to follow. We welcome you to this exciting event to watch for the first time all of Asia competing together in one of the most elegant and challenging of sports. We hope that in the future the All Asia Cup can serve as a venue to show that the countries in Asia are united and committed to the development of polo. Furthermore, it is our vision through these efforts and the growth of polo in Asia, that one day, the world may be in a position to once again include this passionate sport in the Olympics as it last was played in 1936 in Berlin. Good luck to all teams, and welcome all our friends and visitors. If you have any questions about the ALL ASIA CUP 2012, please email TPA -- tpa@siampolonews.com ALL ASIA CUP UPDATE Tim Keyte is coming with Oliver to officiate the tournament under HPA rules. Tim will also be serving in the capacity as "Horse Master" to oversee and supervise the fair allocation of horses to the teams playing in the All Asia Cup. We have recently learned that the Mongolian Polo Team is headed to train with Steve Wyatt in Australia. Chris Giercke, Ambassador for the Mongolian Polo Federation, has confirmed the Mongolian team is coming with their first generation of young polo players since they started playing polo ten years ago. Two of their players will be playing for 3 months at the Haryana Polo Club in India, and one of their players is playing for the Harrow Polo Team in UK. The young team has had some international experience in Argentina, France, Australia, Singapore, and they are looking forward to this tournament. // Shilai Liu has confirmed that a national polo team from China will make its first international appearance in a foreign tournament. Shilai will bring all his experience from the China Open at Tang Polo Club in December to bear on the All Asia Cup. // Shyam Metha is bringing an Indian National Team to the All Asia Cup. Khun Ploy has been appointed CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer) for the First Polo Concert ever held in Asia immediately following the Finals of the All Asia Cup. At the All Asia Cup meeting held on 13 Sep 2011 in the TPA office, the following decisions were confirmed. The Tournament Fee will be us$12,000 (this includes horses, asado, parties, drinks, prizes, team shirts, umpires). The Pullman Hotel Package will be us$3,300 (available for 4 players 6 nights with team van included). Some countries have asked if they can bring their own horses. Yes, you can, but they will be put into the pool of all the horses and divided into the 6 groups (with A, B, C category) to be selected by each team from a hat. If you do bring a horse to place into the pool, it must be at VR before 01 Jan 2012. The price for the Tournament Fee of us$12,000 will be reduced us$600 per horse that is placed into this pool (us$9,600 for 16 horses). The cost of stabling of each horse placed into the pool is 550 Baht per day (included bedding and hay). The team must consist of all national players. In the event that a team cannot field 4 national players, they may use a player from another Asian country, and they may compete, but they will then not be eligible to win the All Asia Cup Trophy. The tournament is held at the 2-4 goal level. The All Asia Cup Final will be held under the lights at VR polo field starting at 6pm on 14 Jan 2012. There will be a very exciting Polo Concert at the VR polo field after the final. The theme for the All Asia Tournament will be "A Journey of Marco Polo" with a pavilion for each country that sends a team to the All Asia Cup, and in each pavilion will be crafts and displays from that country. The Ambassador from each competing country will be invited to the final. Miss Thailand World and other celebrities will host the activities and introduction to the final and the Polo Concert. One thing is clear, this will be one of the most exciting Asian Polo and Social event of the year. Any questions -- tpa@siampolonews.com 09 JAN 2011 -- TIM KEYTE UMPIRE CLINIC We can all be better umpires, and so Khun Soul from the ever-active TPA has announced that TPA is sponsoring a free TIM KEYTE UMPIRE CLINIC at SPP during the ALL ASIA CUP. All players and friends of SPP are welcome to come for free to attend the TIM KEYTE umpire clinic and to ask questions and learn from this very experienced HPA umpire who will dazzle us with his officiating during the All Asia Cup. Tim will also be the Horse Master during this tournament ensuring that all horses are fairly managed and equal for all the teams playing in this tournament. The Umpire clinic was an amazing success (with very few mosquitos). All teams sat at full concentration as they watched Tim show the new 2011 HPA dvd on rules of polo. Even the gauchos were silent and attentive, as they realized that some of them have been fouling regularly. Inke was translating for the Mongolian team and Shilai Liu, China's top polo player, was sitting in the front row seat with his teammate Nan. 10 JAN 2011 -- DAY 1 There was a lot of excitement today. The China vs Mongolia match turned into a very colorful exhibition match as we watched these two teams find their feet. China was communicating and positioning themselves very well and showed a great appreciation of Egyptology. The Mongolians were doing very well on their first day of action. They substituted in some of their spare players and were learning about the importance of communication and swinging slowly. The hot match was on field two with Thailand and India going full force. Top hadn't been on a horse for 3 months, and he didn't play a single horse that he normally plays, but the team was hot with very nice picardias between Nat and Top. Tal and Tsu playing very well. Abby on the Indian team was a solid force at back Shyam was a blinding force up at #1 receiving a lot of passes. Mitesh and Sujay playing at full speed. Thailand won by 1.5 or 2.5 goals, and if these two teams meet again in the final, it could go either way. Very exciting match under the lights. 11 JAN 2011 -- DAY 2 The Mongols received a lesson in polo from the Indian team. A very classic game of polo played by the Indians leaving the Mongolians a bit bewildered. Shyam was a lethal weapon at number one, stalking Ich Tenger on the hit-ins. The Mongolians did, however, make life very difficult for Abby at back, shutting down many of his classic long hits. The Mongols then received a lesson with "foot mallets" on the advantages of using "el transito" tactics, and also how to position onself on the right side of the field, so as to be on the opponents off-side after a hit. Thailand vs China was a great game to watch with China employing full use of their colonies in Egypt and USA with Ali and Dino on the field. Great game of passing and long hits by Nat and Shilai. Shilai and the China team playing a clean game and having several penalty shot attempts on goal. Nan played beautifully and really backed up his team. The evening retired into the able hands of Khun Ploy who escorted all teams to Bed supper club. Eric was already there. Three Mongols and the Mongolian coach Inke were there. The full China team was there, and all of India was there. At 4am, the expeditionary members were still going strong. Everyone was wondering how much the Mongols had bribed Khun Ploy to keep Shilai and the Chinese team out so late. 12 JAN 2011 -- DAY 3 It was a lovely day for polo. The Mongol coach chose youth before beauty, and put her youngest 4 players on the field. The China team had Shilai at number 3 and Nan at 2, with Dino on attack and Deligen at back. The Mongols executed their new train procedure on the hit-in with absolute precision. They could bring the ball in off the back line, then solid long passes gave them the first goal. Mongolia continued to score. Coach Ali on the China team, was telling his team to communicate and to take a man and to hit backhand, but the China team was having trouble coordinating all these moves. Shilai hit a tremendous penalty in the third chukka, and brought China within 2 goals, but then Mongolia pulled out all the stops and galloped to a 4 goal victory. The China team were all looking at Ploy with suspicion, as they realized that the previous evening's expedition had taken its toll. The Great Wall had cracked. However, the China team gathered themselves up and realized that there was a lot to learn from this experience, and the real battle would be on Saturday, where they will most likely be meeting their old friends the Mongols again. If they can rattle their cage in the first chukka, they could certainly turn the tide and ride to victory. Saturday will be an incredible game! Don't miss this. 13 JAN 2011 -- DAY 4 Today the Mongolians learned more about polo as they took on the Thailand team. Mongolia playing with great flair and beautiful shots were falling victim to Thailand's control of the ball and strong positioning on defense. It was most interesting to watch the Mongolians use their newly learned tactics of bringing the ball in from the back line, as they would then fire a neck shot far down field. Great game, and the team is improving rapidly. India stumbled in the first chukka against China, and the Chinese team took the lead. Very confident and strong play from all the Chinese players. This was a dynamic match with the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great wall up against the Taj Mahal. Shilai injuring all parts of his body was not to be deterred in this match. Shyam played brilliantly and all the Indians were passing and moving the ball well. China left the field very proud of their performance and feeling extremely confident about tomorrows rematch against the Mongolians. Two very exciting matches on Saturday! It is expected that close to 50,000 people will be following this match on Channel 3. 14 JAN 2011 -- DAY 5 -- THE FINAL This one was real. A fantastic day of polo, and a very fitting conclusion to one of the most historic polo tournaments we have seen in Thailand. There is a proverb, "nothing is so sad in this world, as to see a soldier who has been honored before he has been humbled." The Chinese team had been previously humbled by the young Mongolian team. They took this defeat to change their strategy and rethink their tactics. Better communication, more aggressive play by their #1, and a new "Great Wall defense" by their number 3. Their tactics worked. China surged to an early lead, and they held it for the whole game. The young Mongols played with heart and their very successful Siberian Railroad tactics, and in the final seconds of the final chukka, they were able to equalize and tie China. Both teams learned a lot in this tournament. It was a very fitting subsidiary final. Everyone then moved to Field #1 under the lights for a final under the lights. India and Thailand played a beautiful and honorable match. We were honored by the presence of the Indian Ambassador, the Argentinean Ambassador, and advisor to the President of Mongolia. The spirit of the entire tournament was summed up by the #3 player on the Indian team, Khun Abby, when Khunt Top dropped his stick in the heat of battle, play continued, but the Indian player stopped and picked up Top's stick and handed it back to Top. Both teams battled on with tremendous long passes and amazing shots on goal. The Indians launched a final assault on goal with seconds remaining and at the final bell, Thailand had won the First All Asia Cup by 1/2 goal -- 6.5-6. A tremendous tournament which was summed up by a distinguished member of the polo community in Asia who said: "Well done to you for a successful tournament! You have definitely started a cup to be played for regularly with the key attributes: fairness, transparency, and when in doubt, for the good of polo." The All Asia Cup was presented to the Thai Team by His Excellency The Indian Ambassador to Thailand. A Mongolian charge against Thailand on Day 4 of the All Asia Cup ALL ASIA CUP TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE Please check daily for revisions and updates! ========= 09 Jan 2012 -- 3pm -- Teams Draw Horses at SPP clubhouse 09 Jan 2012 -- 4pm -- Teams try selected horses 09 Jan 2012 -- 5pm -- Mongolia Team handicapped by TPA and Tim Keyte 09 Jan 2012 -- 6pm -- Tim Keyte Umpire Clinic & "Chip-kap-Dip" welcome Hornito Asado (SPP clubhouse) ========= Points allocation: Win:3 // Tie: 1 // Lose: 0. ========= 10 Jan 2012 -- 2:00pm -- All Asia Cup Press Briefing with all teams (Pullman Hotel) 10 Jan 2012 -- 4:30pm -- Exhibition match China vs Mongolia (SPP field) 10 Jan 2012 -- 5:30pm -- Thailand vs India (SPP field) THAILAND WON 10 Jan 2912 -- 6pm -- Full Argentine Asado in VR clubhouse ========= 11 Jan 2012 -- 3:30pm -- Mongolia vs India (SPP field) INDIA WON 11 Jan 2012 -- 4:30pm -- Thailand vs China (SPP field) THAILAND WON 11 Jan 2012 -- 7:30pm -- Pullman Wine Pub with Top and Tal 11 Jan 2012 -- 11pm -- Go to "Bed" with Khun Ploy (not for the faint hearted) ========= 12 Jan 2012 -- 4:30pm -- Mongolia vs China (SPP field) MONGOLIA WON 12 Jan 2012 -- Day off for some horses and some hung-over gauchos ========= 13 Jan 2012 -- 3:30pm -- Thailand vs Mongolia (SPP field) THAILAND WON 13 Jan 2012 -- 4:30pm -- India vs China (SPP field) INDIA WON 13 Jan 2012 -- 6pm -- TPA pool party next to tennis court ========= 14 Jan 2012 -- 3:30pm -- Subsidiary Final (SPP field) MONGOLIA AND CHINA TIE 14 Jan 2012 -- 5:30pm -- ALL ASIA CUP FINAL -- Under the Lights (VR field) THAILAND WINS ALL ASIA CUP 14 Jan 2012 -- 7pm -- Vie-Trio POLO CONCERT and Dinner in front of VR clubhouse 14 Jan 2012 -- Photo of all teams with All Asia Cup 14 Jan 2012 -- Presentation of official TPA handicap cards to Mongolia Team Thank you for coming -- See you again for All Asia Cup 2014. RESULTS -- ALL ASIA CUP 2012 First Place - THAILAND Second Place - INDIA Third Place - MONGOLIA Fourth Place - CHINA   The Nation Newspaper                                                                         Bangkok Post Newspaper   Thai Fight Acrobatic Show                                                                   Thai Arabian Dancers   THE TEAMS MONGOLIA TEAM Ich Tenger Giercke (0) "Uunee" Bilguun Buyanjargal (0) "Byamba" Byambasuren Adiya (0) "Namuunaa" Myagmarjav Adiya (0) "Uugaa" Uuganbayar Bold (1) Ghengis Khan commanded the largest empire this world have ever seen. Spanning continents, the secret of his success was the use of the horse in warfare. Today, Mongolia has about 3 million people, but over 5 million horses. The Mongolian horse is about 12" shorter, that an Argentine polo horse, so our Mongolian team has been learning with Col Raj Kalaan in India, and on China polo pioneer Steve Wyatt's farm in Thailand. Chris Giercke is the owner and founder of the Ghengis Khan polo club in Karrokorum, and he has been overseeing the splendid development of polo in Mongolia. He has two polo playing sons who are currently playing at Harrow School in England. Mongolia is one of the new members in the Asian polo playing family entering the world polo stage. In 2002 Mongolia joined FIP and started to learn to play abroad. Many polo friends from all over the world have come to Mongolia during the summer (July and August) and helped to train the Mongols - friends from France, England, Argentina, America, India, Singapore & Australia have made a great contribution. In the last years, the Mongolian Polo Federation (MPF), with the help of the Genghis Khan Polo & Riding Club (GKPC), has decided to train a new young generation of Mongolian polo players. Most of them are under 20 years of age, with a view to making Mongolia more competitive in international competitions. The team playing the All Asia Cup in Thailand has recently come from intensive training in Australia. The All Asia Cup will provide an opportunity for the TPA (Thai Polo Association) to award the Mongol players with their first official handicap. The Mongols have a proud history of having played polo in the middle ages, and the present renaissance is a hopeful sign that the extraordinary riding skills of the Mongols will have a chance to be seen around the world in modern polo. INDIA TEAM Shyam Mehta (1) Sujay Shetty (-1) Mitesh Mehta (1) Abhimanyu Pathak (3) The first polo club in the world was established in Calcutta in 1862. British Calvary officers thought the sport of polo very fitting for developing young officers riding skills and teamwork, the the sport was very much in favor, and thus spread to England and then across the globe. Today, India is a great polo nation and recently qualified for the World Cup playoffs in Argentina. Shyam Mehta is regular player in Thailand. A lawyer by profession, he has been playing for over 20 years in India, France, Singapore, England and Thailand. He was part of the Indian team that played in the Heritage Cup in England in August 2011 and placed 3rd. Shyam was the powerhorse behind organizing the Indian Polo Team to join the All Asia Cup. Sujay Shetty was born in 1966. He is currently a -1. He loves to travel, watch movies, and, above all, loves polo. Mitesh Mehta is a passionate polo player who runs his own polo team in Mumbai. Handicapped at +1 he has been playing polo for over 10 years and has had opportunities to play in countries like Singapore and Pakistan. He pursued his passion for riding and polo at Amateur rider’s Club Mumbai, India and strongly believes in Sir Winston Churchill's saying that "Polo is your passport to the world." On the Professional front, he is a proud owner of his own business of refurbishing homes and offices which was started in early 2003. He has been actively involved in high end projects for big hotel groups like the Taj Group and the Oberoi Group. Further, to add to his portfolio, he caters to a wide spectrum of clients ranging from corporate houses to ministers and government bodies in India. For a passionate polo player, like himself, he is eagerly looking forward to coming to Thailand to play his favorite game there !! Abhimanyu Pathak playes off 3 goals. He was born in 1983, and has been playing for the last 6 years. He has played in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, and he has represented India in a few international matches and played on the Indian Polo World Cup team in 2007. CHINA TEAM Shilai Liu (1) Nan Liu (0) Deligen Baoyin (-1) Dino Ma Asvaintra (0) It is said that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty played polo with his consorts in Xi'an almost 1,300 years ago. In the past ten years, China has rediscovered polo and the sport is growing rapidly with several clubs in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing. Shilai Liu is the best polo player in China. Shilai won the 4-Goal champion in US Polo Association Tournament and played in many tournaments in India, Australia, UK Argentina and America. From 2011, he began to play high goal tournaments held by Argentina Polo Association. Shilai founded Tang Polo Club in 2010 and then started China Open since 2011. He is the vanguard of China polo and brings China polo to the whole world. His vision is make China Open welcomed and recognized by polo fans all around the world. Liu Shilai, the most powerful person in China Polo Society. Nan Liu is a representative of Chinese polo fans. The best partner of Liu Shilai in China. Nan played tournaments in many polo clubs in Argentina, Australia, America and India. Diligen Baoyin is a member of the Tang Polo Club staff, and his Mongolian heritage confirms his prowess on a horse. Dino Ma Asvaintra is a Thai-Chinese. Dino has lived and worked in China since 2001. His family has had a long association with and love of horses and both his grandfather and father owned and raced horses. Although, he has had exposure to horses from an early age, he only began playing polo in China in 2008 and is currently one of the China-bred "0" goal handicap players. Polo has become a passion for him and he truly loves the intensity, strategy, and camaraderie of the sport. He has played in most of the major tournaments in China including the China Open, Royal Salute Gold Cup, Tang Polo Cup and Consul General’s Cup and regularly plays in Thailand as well as in the US, Argentina and Australia. THAILAND TEAM Top Aiyawatt Raksriaksorn (0) Tal Apichet Raksriaksorn (0) Nattapong Pratumlee (2) Tsu Thanasin Chuawangkham (1) Boon (reserve) (0) The Thailand Team finished Third in the SEA Games 2007, and Khun Vichai Raksriaksorn is the person responsible for having polo included in the 2007 Thailand SEA Games. The tournament was such a success, that the All Asia Cup was created to keep this momentum, and show that Asia is united in its commitment to the development of polo in Asia. It is hoped that if polo can continue to develop in Asia, then one day, it will be possible to have polo included as an Olympic sport once again, since the last time it was played at the 1936 Olympiad in Berlin, Germany. Top Raksriaksorn has represented Thailand and is a very talented player. He was on the Thailand International team for the 2007 SEA games. He has also played with Prince Charles and Prince William in various Charity tournaments in England. Top has played in Argentina, UK, Dubai in many international tournamnets. Tal Raksriaksorn played on the 2007 Thailand SEA Games team that received a Bronze medal. He is a very keen polo player and has played with his brother in UK, Dubai, Argentina and Thailand. Tal is a very strong team player. Nat Pratumlee is Thailand's highest handicapped player. He has played in UK, Argentina and in USA where he studied under Reggie Ludwig for two years. Khun Nat is a very sturdy back on the Thai National team. Tsu Chuawangkham is from Muktahan, and has played for Thailand in the SEA games and in several international tournaments. During the summer, the Thai team travels to England to practice at the King Power polo club near Ascot. THE HORSES The horses have been organized into 5 categories: (A-Excellent) (B-Very good) (C-Easy for Beginners) (D-Strong for Pros) (E-Difficult Spares). (Category A horses begin with 1. Category B horses begin with 2. Category C horses begin with 3. Category D horses begin with 4.) Each GROUP of 16 horses will have an equal distribution of A,B,C,D horses. Each horse will have a number on its rump and a photo taken of the horse with a description of the horse characteristics. The Groups of horses will not change after being finalized on 08 Jan 2012. A team will be randomly chosen from a hat at 3pm on 09 Jan. Then the representative of that team with select their Group of horses from another hat (Group 1,2,3,4). They will receive a list of names of horses with the brief description of the horses in their Group. They may then chose to ride a selection of these horses from 4-6pm on 09 Jan 2012 at the SPP field. If any of the horses in a particular group become lame during the tournament, they will be replaced with a E category horse. The incentive is to take care of your horses. The Umpires will be very strict in their definition of fouls to protect the horses and the players. This tournament is organized to promote clean safe polo with equal opportunity for all teams. If their are any questions at any time during the tournament, they can be directed to the Horsemaster and Chief Umpire Tim Keyte. The tournament will be officiated under HPA rules. Good luck. CHINA Horses - Group 1 Chief Gaucho - Miguel 111-Hormiga 112-Federica 113-Cheta 114-Golondrina 211-Ignacia 212-Mancha 213-Narangero 214-Gringo 311-Nona 312-Bienvenida 313-Maritita 314-Tusquita 411-Menduzca 412-Enganera 413-Candelaria 414-Potoka 511-Quintana 512-Criolla 513-India INDIA Horses - Group 2 Chief Gaucho - Agustin 115-Otito 116-Maricona 117-Pollia 118-Tostada 215-Celena 216-Gateada 217-Gaby 218-148 315-Chabo 316-Manteca 317-Bernarda 318-Chupina 415-Conica 416-Chachetada 417-Lunita 418-Jazz 514-Maria 515-Gladiador 516-Chupete THAILAND Horses - Group 3 Chief Gaucho - Lucas 119-Panchita 120-Gato 121-Liebre 123-Gringa 219-Arabe 220-Silvada 221-Quika 222-Chicha 318-Chiquita 320-Susana 321-Manchita 322-Cuarta 419-Costilla 420-Lulu 421-Tota 422-Merca 517-Aceituna 518-Marcelo 519-Nochera MONGOLIA Horses - Group 4 Chief Gaucho - Nicolas 124-Linda 125-Saisy 126-Zanahoria 127-Profesora 223-Nube Gris 224-Cicatriz 225-Betty 226-Rana 323-Cabana 324-Venada 325-Pintita 326-Elena 423-Julito 424-Rosaura 425-Chanchita 426-Milonga 520-Entrerriana 521-Bebe 522-Langosta Horses being prepared for All Asia Cup Each horse will be numbered. After the draw, each team will receive a list with their horse's Numbers, Names, and Description similar to this sample below. Category A 114-Golondrina A quiet horse, she listens very well to all commands. She is one of the best horses in the club. Category B 226-Rana Not a very fast horse, but she is easy to control and play. Category C 312-Bienvenida A very calm horse. She has a smooth gait, but is more of a beginner's horse. Category D 412-Enganera A horse best suited for professionals. She goes very fast, but can sometimes get nervous. ASIAN POLO HISTORY Compiled by Mitesh Mehta. Polo is perhaps the most ancient of games, when history was a legend, we find polo flourishing. Twelve hundred years ago the Persians were playing it, and the Chinese maintain that their ancestors played it thousands of years ago. The modern game of polo, though formalized and popularized by the British is derived from Manipur (now a state in India). Polo can be called an indigenous game of this country, as it has been played in India for centuries, and has produced some of the finest players namely Major Kishan Singh, Kr. Bijay Singh, Rao Raja Hanut Singh and H.H. Maharaja of Jaipur, whose names have become a household word to all sport-lovers. In 1862 the first polo club, Calcutta Polo Club, was established which is the oldest polo club in the world still in existence. The game's governing body in the United Kingdom is the Hurlingham Polo Association, which drew up the first set of formal British rules in 1874, many of which are still in existence. Polo today in India is governed by The Indian Polo Association which was formed in the year 1892. Indian Armed Forces and many Civil Teams are now patronizing the flourishing sport and which was proved with India finishing 6th in the standing of the recently concluded 9th FIP World Cup Finals 2011 in Argentina. Modern Polo players of India today have already set their foot on foreign soil and soon will be part of the elite list of players in times to come. VIE-TRIO POLO CONCERT -- SATURDAY AFTER THE FINAL 21 JAN 2012 -- LA SARITA WINS BMW-B.GRIMM OPEN It was exciting all the way to the end, and a real nail-biter, as the 7 goal player Lucas Labat on Dato Link's Thai Polo team missed a 30 yard penalty in the final seconds, and the Zone D Coordinator's La Sarita team claimed the trophy for the Thai Open 2012. There were a thousand spectators, and the food was amazing, but this year, there was no air-conditioned tent. Everyone was thrilled by the high level polo display. Polo Escape mounted two teams, and Brian Xu made his debut appearance at the Thai Open. 27 DEC 2011 -- WOODWARD CHALLENGE DEFEATS BLACK DOG Jamie Woodward and his sister posted a challenge to all teams for a match to any team up to the challenge. Peter Davies accepted the challenge and called to order the Black Dog team. The Mawley Farmhouse team started 2 goals up by handicap, but Black Dog struck hard in the first two chukkas and had taken the lead 4-2. However, Milly began to find her Zambian form and being fed from Jamie, started to inflict great damage to the Black Dog team. Jack Hodges was also a worthy threat, but the real secret weapon was Martin Scott, who had not been on a polo field for 44 years, and his vast experience on a hunting horse came to bear. He carried the ball down field and delivered a decisive goal for the Mawley team. Khun Ploy and Khun Pete were not thwarted by all this aggressive behavior and continued to strike back, but at the final bell, the Woodward team had claimed a 2 goal victory over the Black Dog team that has not won a game all season -- thus maintaining their completely defeated record for the season. Following the game, we celebrated the retirement of Khun Dang, who has faithfully served Siam Polo Park for almost 6-7 years. Khun Dang has been a friendly and supportive member of our polo community and we wish him well. INTELLIGENCE REPORTS FROM WOODWARD CONFIRM: The Woodward Challenge team has not played for a number of years. Team name; Mawley Farmhouse (MFH) - named after the parents home near Cirencester In Gloucestershire, England. The team players: 1. Jack Hodges handicap 0 (Jamie's Brother in law) - a tour de force from Northamptonshire, about 12 years old in pony Club for Kirtlington Park, and rather romantically, this is where he met Milly! Jack has a Victor Ludorum UK tournament under his belt winning the 2004 Dollar Cup at Guards Polo Club (8 Goal). He like the rest of the team has not played competitive Polo for a very long time, although he talks a great game! 2. Milly Hodges Handicap +1- Milly started playing polo in the pony club aged 11, through her teens she played at Cirencester and at the age of 17 won a HPA scholarship to New Zealand. Through her university years she carried on playing at Cirencester and Kirtlington (where she met her now husband, although he wasn't interested in her then!) and then moved to Zimbabwe where she played for 5 years with the well renowned Meikle family, winning the Junior Open amongst other tournaments. On returning to England she played at Edgeworth and Beaufort off 2 goals winning tournaments from 0 to 12 goals, as well as many ladies tournaments. She has represented England Ladies on a number of occasions and has played all over the world including Argentina, Barbados, Jamaica, New Zealand and Australia to name but a few. Milly hung up her polo boots in 2007 after numerous accidents (including breaking her neck!) to have a family and last played on the same team as her brother some 18 years ago. 3. Jamie Woodward +1 The last time Jamie played polo with his Sister it was hardly an advert for Brotherly/Sisterly love, They were playing in the End of Season low goal tournament at Guards in 1993 and Jamie was not happy with his Sisters efforts. Needless to say she rather thought the same of his efforts and told him so. The net result was was a few words being exchanged and the umpire who thinking they might be married was heard to say "Glad I am not under that roof tonight!!" He then was even more dumbfounded when he heard they were brother and Sister! They have played Chukkas together in Zimbabwe and Beaufort polo club since. However never in the same team. 4. Martin Scott handicap -1 Jamie's Stepfather and Milly's Father. 66 Years young, at hi peak Martin was a +2 Goal player whilst serving in the British Army of the Rhine in Germany. He was in the Royal Dragoons team that won the Capt and Subalterns in 1966 at Bad Lippspringe and played in the final of Inter Regimental that year. He played Hamburg and Berlin in 1966 and was in the squad top play for the British Army in 1967 against "Ze Germans" but was unable to play as the Scots Grey's cut his thumb off by mistake in a Practical joke that went wrong!! Martin however is most well known for being one of the foremost Foxhunters and Foxhound hound breeders of his generation (Black Dog and Basil take note!) He has been master and huntsman of Numerous famous Hunts in England for most of his life and currently whilst not hunting hounds himself he now rides with the Duke of Beaufort hunt. Needless to say I am sure the Black Dog polo team and Mascot will be "inspected and tested" by this "Hound Expert!" DEC 2011 -- INDONESIA INVITED TO KALKOTA ANNIVERSARY TOURNAMENT Filed by International gaucho Nico Curto: Nusantara Polo, representing Indonesia, recently played at KALKOTA POLO CLUB in India for the 150th anniversary celebration. This is the oldest polo club in the world and only 5 teams were invited to participate in this honorable tournament. The teams were composed by ITALY, USA, KALKOTA, DELHI, and INDONESIA. All teams played off a handicap of 9-10 goals. The winning team was Kalkota, played by George Mirick on 5 goals, Colonel Tarun on 3 goals, Mayor Vichal on 2 goals, and Ashtouan on an scratch handicap. In this occasion, Indonesia counted on their old friend Ravi Rathore on 3 goals, but still couldn't get to win the trophy. INDONESIA team was by Novel Momongan on 1 goal, Billy Lumingtan on 1 goal, Ravi, and Nico Curto on 4 goals. The biggest news of this event was that the USA team brought directly from Miami the greatest polo legend Carlos Gracida on 7goals, but his team didn't have the magic touch and lost every single match. On 25 DEC, there was organized an event match apart from this tournament picking up the best players of each team. It was very exciting for Indonesia to share this special occasion. 27-29 DEC 2011 -- ADAMAS REINDEERS WIN NEW YEAR CUP Commander-in-Chief Churo Pellegrini at Polo Escape organized a low goal tournament and Paul Cheung was on form with a commanding performance by his Adamas Reindeers. As this is a low goal tournament Polo Escape is not charging any professional fees and also horses for professionals are subsidized by the club. The cost of the tournament is: Entry fee: THB 10,000 per player that includes a stand by ambulance, tapas and “asado dinner” refreshments on the field and the hospitality of Polo Escape. Horse rental fee: THB 40,500 for 12 chukkas. Total cost: THB 50,500. Please note that accommodation is not included in this price. Please let me know if you would like to join the competition before 15th of December -- churo@argentinapolo.com 17-18 DEC 2011 -- CHINA WINS TRI-NATIONS CUP Following the intensive week of training for the Korean team, we saw one of the most exciting Tri-Nations Cups ever held at SPP. The battle between China and Korea was intense. Korea was showing incredible team play and passing. Their improvement was unbelievable. The best match of the tournament was Korea defeating the Thailand team on Sunday. Thailand then beat China. This left it wide open for a major final match between Korea and China. Jack Ji and Jeff Su had showed their "Dzo Ba!" tactics and were playing very clean polo with very few fouls. Jeff Su was also striking the ball like a real gaucho, scoring penalties and hitting long passes. It then was a nail-biting final chukka when China defeated Korea by about 2 goals. Every team had won one and lost one on the final day, so it came down to goal difference. CHINA won the Tri-Nationas Cup and KOREA finished in Second place. Jeff Su received the prize for the "Best Playing Gaucho." It was a very successful tournament with everyone playing good polo and having had excellent instruction from their polo teachers and their team coaches. Congratulations to China 2011 Tri-Nations Cup Champions. 14-18 DEC 2011 -- KOREA POLO CLUB COMING TO TRAIN IN THAILAND JB Lee has confirmed that he is bringing his Korean Polo Club to come and train in Thailand during the third week of December. JB now has 20 members in his club -- www.koreapoloclub.com -- and these guys have been training very hard. They will be coming to Thailand when their season is closed to begin intensive training with the gauchos at SPP followed by a "Zero to Hero" Korea Cup Tournament at SPP. 9-11 DEC 2011 -- ADAMAS WINS CELEBRATION CUP AT POLO ESCAPE The Celebration Cup was fought in classic style between Axus, Adamas, Kuppa and Harbour Center. This is a tournament where anything can happen, as we saw last year with a thrilling last second victory from the Black Dog Team after an entire season of not winning a single game. We are sure to see more exciting action this year at Polo Escape. Team Entry Fee is 40,000 Baht. If you want to join -- churo@argentinapolo.com 10 DEC 2011 -- CHOCOLATE CUP AT SPP Leading ladies Jaz Lujan and Emily Diaz will be hosting a Chocolate Fondue on Saturday evening after polo at the SPP field. These two ladies are connoisseurs of this fine dark delicacy and shall be procuring marshmallows and chocolate for this newest of cups on the SPP calendar. If you want to join -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

03 DEC 2011 -- SWISS BANK WINS NEPAL ELEPHANT POLO AT TIGER TOPS
EFG Switzerland successfully defended their title at the 30th edition of the World Elephant Polo Championships in Nepal. Lucy Monro and Imogen Lillywhite report from Meghauly. Captained by the sport's co-founder James Manclark, the EFG quartet beat the home team Tiger Tops Tuskers 9:7 in a thriller on the jungle fringe. Sibling rivalry was at the fore with Choegyal brothers Rinchen and Sangjay playing for the Tuskers and EFG respectively. For EFG Manclark was ably supported by newcomer to the team Nigel 'princess' Lea as well as Sangjay and EFG polo stalwart Robert Mehm with patron Keith Gapp managing the squad from the ground. The Tuskers were the first to open their account with Rinchen Choegyal scoring within the first two minutes of play. Nigel Lea was quick to reply for EFG with a huge end-to-end hit that found its mark. In the second chukka EFG found winning form to storm ahead with Sangjay Choegyal scoring two goals within three minutes to equalise at six all. Brother Rinchen ratcheted up the tension with a goal from the half-way mark and with just four minutes left to play Sangjay wound the tension up further when he levelled proceedings once again. As the seconds ticked down Manclark made a brave shot for the Tuskers' posts only for the ball to stop just short of the line. Jack Baucher was quick to clear the offending ball from the danger zone for the Tuskers but Sangjay moved EFG ahead again scoring from the hit-in to take the score to 8:7. A prolonged tussle in the 'D' between Tuskers' captain Tim Edwards and Nigel Lea saw Tim hit the ball free but Sangjay pounced once again to land the decider. Manclark, who celebrates his 72nd birthday the day after the final, yelled in triumph and round-housed his stick as the final bell sealed victory. The Tiger Tops Tigresses, representing Denmark, rode out the most successful ladies team ever by winning four out of five of their matches to land the bronze medal, beaten only in the semi-final by the title-holders. Earlier in the day there was agony for the Pukka Chukkas in the closing seconds of the WEPA Olympic Quaiche final when Chinggis Khaan Mongolia pipped them to the post with a 5:4 victory with just 15 seconds remaining on the clock. At half-time the Pukkas, who were playing their first ever final after four years at WEPA, had enjoyed a four-goal lead but the incredible warrior power of Mongol Dobchin Tseveldorj proved overwhelming after the elephant change. The EFG MVP Award, a glorious silver frame by Asprey's, was awarded to Sam Prentice for her superb play throughout the week for the Tigresses, becoming the first lady ever to receive this auspicious accolade. The WEPA Oscar for best off-field performance witnessed a large number of nominees including Col' Raj Kalaan, Simon Race, Michael Eaton and both the Choegyal Bros - but was ultimately presented to the crowd-pleasing Melanie Wheeler by WEPA Legend 'The Silver Fox'. In terms of office bearers, Keith Gapp was elected and warmly welcomed on to the WEPA Committee. Final Order: * WEPA World Cup 1st: EFG (Switzerland) 2nd: Tiger Tops Tuskers (Nepal) 3rd: Tiger Tops Tigresses (Denmark) 4th: National Parks (Nepal)

01 DEC 2011 -- MEET THE UNSUNG HEROS OF POLO
Take a look behind the scenes and meet the grooms, staff, doctors who make polo possible at SPP and VRSC. SIAM POLO PARK GROOMS & STAFF 2012

1-5 DEC 2011 -- EQUIPO YANEZ ADVANCED TO THE SEMI-FINALS OF BODEGAS CUP IN MENDOZA
We were not sure what would happen over there in Mendoza -- especially after the Equipo Yanez finished in last place the previous week in San Juan. However, Cabeza Grande informed us that this was not the real Equipo Yanez, and he was just getting the horses ready. And so it seems, as this equipo has exploded into action this first match with a 6-1 victory, and on day two 7.5-6, and on day three 5.5-4. Not since Don Pepe brought polo to Villa Dolores have we seen an entire Yanez team on the cancha, but history is being repeated in Mendoza, Argentina right now at the famous Bodegas Cup. Pioneering Thai gauchos Sergio, Gustavo, and Daniel Yanez are fielding a team with Sergio's son, Miguel Yanez, for a complete team of Yanezes with the full support of las chicas Yanez tambien. Don Pepe's spirit is alive and well in Mendoza. The international company Argentina Polo has seen the tremendous marketing potential of supporting this very handsome team of gauchos, and thus has promised a 1/5 sponsorship of Equipo Yanez at the Bodegas. The Equipo Yanez valiantly made it to the semi-finals then lost by 3 goals on Sunday. Have no fear, they will be back. Congratulations to the gentlemen from Comechingones.

3-4 DEC 2011 -- KING POWER DEFEATS VR IN FINAL AT SPP CUP
James Bean, Darren from Costa Rica, Ploy, Captain Gan, Khun Tal were on the field this weekend for the first tournament of the season. The SPP CUP was 2-4 goals and there were 4 teams. Black Dog finished is the very last place (as usual), but it was a one goal game for last place against Che and the SPP team with Mr. Bean showing splendid form. The final was a nail-biter, with Miguel firmly controlling the game and keeping the VR team well out in front until the last chukka. Khun Tal was eternally optimistic cheering on his team, then it was a one goal game with seconds to play. The two umpires, Tom and Che, were not on form and missed a call before the final bell. The King Power team had scored to tie the game in the final seconds. The game continued on into the dark, when Khun Tal put the hatchet to rest and claimed victory for King Power. Khun Nat awarded the MVP (most valuable player) award to "Tissue" (Khun Tsu about to be a monk), and Nicolas "Che" Pieroni  awarded the player who "executed the best play on the field" to Captain Gan for his brilliant pass up the boards to Miguel for an early goal. The Tournament Entry fee was 3,000 Baht for members. Any questions -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

26 NOV 2011 -- NEW PRESIDENT FOR LOS GAUCHOS TIMIDOS
This is a breaking story, but La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos, today, suddenly elected a new President for the Association. The gaucho Miguel arrived on the field today, and it had been previously agreed that ever since this gaucho lost 20 kilos in Singapore and showed his propensity for great love on and off the field, that this was the man for the job. At the opening of the season at SPP, present were all 3 previous Presidents of the Association and also the very handsome futuro Presidente, so these distinguished gauchos gathered to honor Miguel and charge him with his new mission of leading the Asociacion for this polo season. Miguel was very humbled by this great honor and promised to do his best to uphold the ideals of the gauchos and to put the sticker on the back of his helmet. 

26-27 NOV 2011 -- FLOOD CUP AT SPP BANGKOK
The Flood Cup has been an outstanding success. Both polo fields saw action this past weekend as 7 gauchos were on the field, and SPP loyal members Khun Dino and Captain Gan came to open the season. Edward got 4 goals on his first day of action and Khun Ploy brought her three very lovely friends to start their polo lessons. Khun Kem was last riding this summer, Khun Pim hasn't been on a horse for 7 years, and Khun Duan hasn't been on a horse for 10 years, however, all the ladies were very fortunate that Khun Top (Adjan Mau) was on the field and able to ride over and give some tips during the course of his game. Khun Vichai has a new passion -- Thai Fight -- and has invited everyone to watch this exciting polo related activity on Sunday. Khun Eric Barthe was back on the field and looking extremely agile as he pirouetted up onto his horse. Stand by for more news on the exciting Flood Cup conclusion. If you would like to join some Chukkas, email SPP manager Lucas Lujan -- lucas@argentinapolo.com

20 NOV 2011 -- ADAMAS DEFEATS AXUS IN KUPPA KUP PENALTY SHOOTOUT
On Wednesday, we saw the Kuppa Team at the original SPP polo field in Pattaya and former Black Dog member, William Roberts, announced that he was now finally ready to join La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos after being divorced by his wife. William asked everyone "why are divorces so expensive?.... because they are worth it," he said. The weekend started with a bang, as the King Power team slammed Adamas 9-5 on Day 1. The second day, was a different story. King Power was not on form, and Brian Xu, who is the largest manufacturer of left-handed pencils in the world, led his team in a thrilling and decisive victory over King Power. This took us to another nail-biting final between arch enemies Axus and Adamas. Adamas was drawing on many years of vast and varied experience with two patrons, Paul Cheung and Aaron Harilela, on the team. William was electrified after having been presented a humble gaucho sticker by Khun Joyce in fluent Mandarin. Aaron was entirely on the Next Level, because he has announced to all of us that he is now betrothed, and will complete the mission quite soon in Northern India. Thus, the tremendous force of circumstance that came to bear upon a very exciting final in the Kuppa Kup. Adamas and Axus battled, and at the final bell, there was no victor... a penalty shootout ensued, and Adamas showed their true breadth and metal for a decisive trip to the winners podium -- www.polo-photo.com

11 NOV 2011 -- AXUS WINS POLO ESCAPE CHALLENGE
What an amazing display of polo we saw at Polo Escape this past weekend as the Thailand Polo Season stormed open. A thrilling final between Paul Cheung's ADAMAS and Brian Xu's AXUS with fantastic play from the Pakistani Hamza Mawazi on the Adamas team and stalwart back Patrick on Axus. Paul Cheung had everyone riveted to their seats on his solo charge down the left side of the field and William, as ever present, sent some lovely lofted shots towards goal. Brian Xu showed such poise on the field, that there is little question that he is ready for his 14 goal debut in the Thai Polo Open in January with 8 other teams. Also present on the field were new visitors from China Tommy Martinez, a member of La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos in Nine Dragons, and other card carrying Dragons Todd Fortner with his Black Horse Beluga team and rapid riser, Clark Shi. Khun Ploy was gracing the sidelines and gauchos from SPP were in attendance to watch the action. The Kuppa Team and Beluga played for 4th and 3rd, and the Final started at 4pm. There will be more polo action next week at Polo Escape and all eyes are on Brian Xu's team as he continues his meteoric rise in the world of polo. Congratulations Brian.

NOV 2011 -- LUCAS LUJAN ACTING POLO MANAGER AT SPP
SPP has announced a new polo manager at SPP while Daniel is in Argentina. Lucas has recently sent the following email to members and friends of SPP. "Hello Everyone, This is Lucas. I am the Polo Manager at SPP and VR until Daniel returns in January. I know most of you from last season, but for those that I don’t know, I want to introduce myself and welcome you to our club. We have had a lot of flooding in Thailand, as you probably know, but this is not a problem because we are using the Pattaya SPP field at the moment, and we will open the season on November 26th and 27th. Please come join us. I invite you to email me directly if you want some polo lessons or want to come and play on the weekends. We want to concentrate on helping our friends improve their polo this year, so we look forward to seeing you soon. Any questions, please call or email me. Best regards, Lucas Lujan, Acting Polo Manager, Siam Polo Park" -- Tel: +668 588 2995 -- Lucas@argentinapolo.com

DEC 2011 -- PAISANO POLO GOING GLOBAL
We all know the history of Paisano Polo Club in Rio Cuarto, Argentina, but the hot news of the moment is that the Paisano Polo franchise is going global and expanding across the globe. The most recent development is the Paisano Polo Academy now opening in Singapore -- The founder of the Paisano Empire, Canchi Andrada, will be arriving on a brief inspection tour of Thailand and SPP will plan a sudden BARBOSA CUP to celebrate Canchi's impending promotion to the status of Grandfather. Congratulations Lucia en Argentina! For more information on the Paisano Polo Academy -- nicolas@paisanopoloacademy.com -- Paisano Polo Academy, 100 Turf Club Road, Horsecity, Singapore 287992.

1-2 OCT 2011 -- KOREAN ROYAL SALUTE
JB Lee's team ROYAL SALUTE won the first ever Royal Salute Tournament in Korea. Royal Salute was the main sponsor. The tournament was extremely close. Royal Salute was out in front by two goals at the end of play on Saturday. The BMW team had missed 4 goal attempts, but on the second day BMW drew equal for much of the play until the final chukka, when the BMW team just ran out of horsepower and Royal Salute walked away with a 4 goal lead. Alex de lisle did an amazing job of playing and umpiring for his team in close collaboration with Gillermo, but fun was had by all, and JB looked magnificent on the winners podium. The weather was fantastic and a great Saturday night dinner with the Royal Salute girls from Seoul was a very special treat. BMW vs ROYAL SALUTE (PRK). The players in team BMW are: Thomas Martinez (4), Tom Claytor (1), Stijn Welkers (0, Dutch), Dino Asvaintra (0, American Thai), and in the PRK team are: Alex de Lisle (3 Uk in Singapore), Alex Vecinal (2, Philippino), Noel Vecinal (0, Philippino), J.B.Lee (0, Korea). The match 5 goals.

5-9 OCT 2011 -- SHANGHAI TANG WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL
The Orange Fizz team took the Shanghai Tang Women's International at Singapore Polo Club in early October. There was great excitement to have so many talented ladies on the field. The Argentines were represented by Mumy Bellande and Lia Salvo. Sunny Hale was in firm command of the Orange Fizz team, and Lesley Fong Yee together with Sherri-Lyn from Jamaica and Zimbabwe brought a lot of experience to the field. The rain was a factor, cutting play short on Thursday as the lightning approached the field. The Friday reserve day was used to finish the seating for the Semi-Finals. Then Sunday saw very exciting games between Las Bonitas and White Magic with Orange Fizz in the final against Absolut Green.

LAS BONITAS in Blue with Lia Salvo

19-23 OCT 2011 -- TANG ROYAL SALUTE CHINA CUP
Shilai Liu has announced that Royal Salute will be the main sponsor for the China Open 2011 to be held at Tang Polo Club this October. Shilai has invited Khun Top and Khun Vichai from Thailand to compete in the 4 goal opening tournament. Shilai is bringing a China team to the All Asia Cup in Thailand in Jan 2012, so this will be a warm up to see what we can expect from China.

26 DEC-01 JAN 2012 -- ROYAL SALUTE MAHARAJA OF JODHPUR GOLDEN JUBILEE CUP
Peter Prentice has informed us that Royal Salute shall ride again. The Maharaja has expressed particular keenness that Khun Robin come back and grace all with her presence on the field. There are several palaces and this is an epic event on an Indian scale. It is a 10 goal tournament and this year, they are expecting 8 teams to participate. His Highness will once again welcome celebrities from across the globe, including his old friend Torquhil Ian Campbell, The 13th Duke of Argyll, Clan Chief of the Campbells, Master of the Royal Household of Scotland, and Admiral of the West & Isles.

6-13 JAN 2012 -- ROYAL SALUTE NATIONS CUP AT DESERT PALMS, DUBAI
There will be a Royal Salute event in the Emirates this year. With the support of Royal Salute and EFG bank, another supremely stylish event is being organized by Pete McCormack in the luxurious glory of Desert Palms, attracting some of the top polo players in the world, including Adolfo Cambiaso.

5-11 SEP 2011 -- RAIN WINS IN ELEPHANT POLO FINAL
King Power and Audemars Piguet were both undefeated going into the final on Sunday 11 September 2011. King Power had scored 52 goals in the tournament and AP had scored 49. It was a game that everyone was looking forward to, with these two titans battling it out last year in the Golden Triangle final. However, at precisely 3pm, the heavens opened and the rain arrived. By the time of the arrival of the King's Representative, the field was under water. Both teams wanted to play -- whatever the condition -- they were hungry, but out of respect for safety of the elephants, it was decided to have a penalty shootout. King Power won the toss. Khun Nat took the first hit, and after leading the team in goals for the tournament, he topped it. Tom and Tal made their hits, but Audemars Piguet got all three hits and took the King's Cup in a rain soaked penalty shootout. Many spectators were left wondering why the dates for the tournament were chosen during the rainy season. After a long hard week of play between 12 teams, it was a disappointing ending. However, there was close to us$100,000 raised for the Elephant Conservation Center and the mahoots and team members enjoyed themselves. Khun Hugh was on hand for capturing the elephant action, and so was chief Polo Escape commentator Peter Schlagter who has announced that this year, finally, he will be playing polo! More information -- www.anantaraelephantpolo.com

16 JUL 2011 -- THAI POLO IN UK
Just when you thought all the Thai polo action had come to a halt, Daniel Yanez has announced that there will be a sudden tournament held in UK with three Thai Teams in fierce competition -- King Power, Thai National Team, and Black Dog. Peter Davies has announced that he is calling the Black Dog team to the field. Eric Barthe has confirmed that he will assume the position of Minister of Defense. It is rumored that Jamie Woodward will return to the Kingdom of his birth to Captain the team. Even head of special operations for the team is planning an appearance. Thus, we shall have a full Black Dog team on the field in UK for the challenge that has been presented by Khun Vichai on his new polo farm in UK. Stand by for more photos and news from Pete. If you wish to attend this historic British event -- daniel@argentinapolo.com

King Power Polo Field in Gadbridge, England (photo taken from Tiger Moth)

25 JUN 2011 -- FIP PRESIDENT VISITS TPA
The new president of F.I.P., Eduardo Hoergo, and Executive Committee Member, Peter Yunghanns, came to Thailand to visit all the polo clubs. They were on their way from the World Cup Playoffs in Malaysia to China, and TPA (Thailand Polo Association) representative, Ambassador Thawatjai, was on hand to receive them. They were very excited to hear about the plans for an All Asia Cup to be held in Thailand in January 2012, and they asked if the name could be changed to include FIP as the FIP ALL ASIA CUP. They were very pleased with the success of the polo organized in Malaysia -- especially with the horses being equal for all teams playing -- and they were excited at the opportunity of seeing a tournament that would include China. The TPA then changed the name of the tournament to
"FIP ALL ASIA CUP." Subsequently, in September 2011, the FIP Zone D coordinator then asked that the name FIP be removed from the All Asia Cup. HPA then very kindly offered to officiate the All Asia Cup under HPA rules. 

29 OCT 2011 -- SHANGHAI POLO OPEN CANCELLED
The Shanghai Polo Open has been cancelled. It was to have been held in the Jiangwan City Stadium in Shanghai.

10 JUN 2011 -- CHURO PELLEGRINI NEW GM AT POLO ESCAPE
One of the most humble gauchos in La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos, Churo Pellegrini, will be returning to Thailand next season as the General Manager of Polo Escape. Churo has confirmed that he will always be just "Churo the Vet," but all of his friends in China, Thailand and Salta are thrilled with this news. Khun Suzy reports that previous GM, Marco, has been invited back as a polo professional available for hire by any patrons who wish to hire him to play on their team.

30 POLO HORSES FOR SALE IMMEDIATELY
Khun Suzy has reported that Polo Escape is very interested to sell 30 excellent quality horses immediately. These horses are perfect for 4-5 goal polo players. Their cost was between 10,000-14,000 US$ each (before import to Thailand). Landed here, cost approximately 22,500 US$ each. Suzy is preparing a list with horses names and prices, but if someone is keen to make a deal and buy all 30 horses right now, then she says the price is negotiable. Any interested buyers should contact CHURO THE VET -- churo@argentinapolo.com -- who is about to be a father down in Australia. It is a big year for one of the most famous gauchos in all of Asia. Congratulations Churo, Camille and Polo Escape.

20 MAR 2011 -- TAL RAKSRIAKSORN INDUCTED INTO LA ASOCIACION
One of the greatest honors that can be bestowed upon a gaucho is to be inducted into La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos. Anyone who knows Khun Tal knows that this is a very humble gaucho, indeed, and this past Sunday was his day, as the Presidente Actual of the Asociation, Lucas Lujan, and El Futuro Presidente of the Asociation, Agustin Andrada, presented Khun Tal with a sticker for his helmet. Khun Tal was beaming with pride at this great honor and could barely control himself as the sticker was placed on his helmet. Tal loves Thai horses, and he said that he was looking forward to upholding the standards and humility of the Association. The 4 Presidents of the Association will be hosting a President's Cup sometime later this season in honor of Tal and his esteemed inductance in the Association.

COMING SOON -- LUCAS & JAZ WEDDING
The news of the day is that the President of La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos -- Lukas Lujan -- has proposed marriage to La Primera Dama -- Jaz -- in a parking lot on the New Year 2011. This proposal followed Lu's stunning performance in the Celebration Cup leading Gerry Gan's Black Dog team to sudden victory at Polo Escape. Jaz is thrilled with this news and has a very large ring on her finger to prove it. The wedding has been postponed until after the flooding in Thailand crisis is over...