By Liz Leamy
This past Sunday, Round Hill, the stealth high-goal team lead by John Lipman of Greenwich, its number-one player, clinched an all-important 11-9 victory against the powerhouse One & Only Resorts contingent whose patron is Al Kesvrazien, to qualify for the East Coast Silver Cup semi finals with this tournament having commenced at the Greenwich Polo Club in early June and concluding Sunday, June 20th.
This high-octane match, which drew more than 4,000 spectators, was all about drama, athleticism and energy as Round Hill, whose roster, in addition to Lipman, featured Joaquin Panelo, the powerful six goaler along with Santiago Llavallol Aguerre and Marcos Garcia del Rio, both of who are esteemed five goalers, put the pedal to the metal to take the win against One & Only Resorts by two points.
For the players, it was a showdown to remember.
“It’s been a great tournament and I always love playing here. The polo here is super competitive, the club does an amazing job with the fields and organization of all the events and the crowd is always great,” said Joaquin Panelo, who was named Most Valuable Player of the match. “We were a little nervous at the beginning, but by the third and fourth chukkers we started to figure it out.”
Panelo, one of the marquee players at the Greenwich Polo Club, also spoke about the importance of staying focused and calm while out on the field.
“You have to keep moving and think about the next play,” said Panelo. “It also fires you up to be out there playing in front of the crowd and it all makes for such a great atmosphere.”
His teammates agreed.
“It’s was great to play here today, like it always is,” said Marcos Garcia del Rio, whose father also played in tournaments at the Greenwich Polo Club over the years, along with his brother, Tomas, who is also a renowned high-goaler of the sport. “The crowd was amazing, the fields were amazing and this club is amazing.”
Along with the world-class polo, it was a five-star afternoon in every other regard in terms of the enthusiasm and energy of the attendees who were all seeming to enjoy themselves as they sat watching the match from the grandstand or under tents, cabanas and tables and chairs along the sidelines.
At the same time, many also could be seen checking out the merchandise at some the many vendor tables and tents there and also enjoying the delicious culinary fare of the food trucks there as well as buying merchandise at the ever-popular Greenwich Polo Club store situated underneath the grandstand that sells clubinspired apparel, accessories and other items.
“The matches are great and this club is great,” said Mark Steinberg, co-owner with his brother, Michael Steinberg, of the Trail Network merchandise company based in Port Chester, partners of the Greenwich Polo Club and proprietors of the Greenwich Polo Store. “These are tremendous athletes out there and the club is bigger than ever. People love coming here. It’s beautiful and there’s so much happening. You leave here inspired and uplifted and we want to offer people the opportunity to take those memories with them through what we have here.”
Ralph Pietrafesa, President of Longford’s Ice Cream based in Stamford, whose blue Mobile Scoop Shop has been a staple up at the Greenwich Polo Club for eight years running and is another big spectator hotspot at matches each week also spoke about its amazing atmosphere.
“The Greenwich Polo Club is incredible and it’s an event you really don’t get to experience anywhere else,” said Pietrafesa. “It’s always busy here and you can see everyone having such a great time. It also seems to have grown tremendously in the last three to four years and we’re excited to be part of it all.”
Along with all of the incredible sports, retail and culinary activity taking place during this match, Connecticut Cottages & Gardens (CTC&G)/Cottages and Gardens Publications, a media company based in Norwalk with magazines centered around architecture and interior design, gardens, art and antiques, real estate and lifestyle pursuits, among other things, hosted a memorable private event in tandem with Design Within Reach, which has a retail studio based on Canal Street in Stamford at its massive white tent area near the scoreboard area.
This event, which drew more than 300-plus guests, represented one of the most exciting aspects of the day as those there could be seen enjoying watching the match while relaxing on couches and chairs or walking around the area chatting, taking photos, enjoying the gourmet food and refreshments there or taking in the beauty and excitement of the whole environment.
“This was a party we hosted with Design Within Reach for some of our best advertisers and their customers. It is like a thank you to them,” said Jennifer Barbaro, Director of Marketing, Events and Public Relations for Cottages and Gardens Publications, whose organization has been a sponsor of the Greenwich Polo Club for 15 years running and will be a presence at the club through the end of the season. “We have a lot of design enthusiasts here today and it’s always a great experience to be here at the Greenwich Polo Club.”
For more information on the Greenwich Polo Club, please contact them at: www.greenwichpoloclub.com
