Jaeger LeCoultre Gold Cup Final 2017 – King Power Foxes do it again

It was a very wet and grey day in the U.K. which is not unusual, though after the recent heatwave we had hoped for a sunny day, so we were slightly disappointed. Luckily I had 3 of my best friends with me in England and we were ready and pumped to watch the Jaeger LeCoultre Gold Cup Final at the Cowdray Park Polo Club, so we agreed to bring our own sunshine.

We packed up the car with snacks, drinks and a bottle of gin from our neighbours in Penn Street, the Griffiths Brothers Gin Distillery. And we were off to Midhurst.

We rented a lovely apartment on Airbnb, only 10 minutes from the polo club. We checked in quickly, dumped our suitcases and on to the finals.

Tiller and Amalie didn’t seem to be bothered by the cold weather, true vikings! Philippa and I are a little more sun-seekers and tried desperately to seek shelter from the cold. Brrrr

Others didn’t seem to mind the weather either, as the sidelines of Ground 1 were full of enthusiastic polo spectators.

As both teams rode out onto the field, it was clear that these were two of the favourites. With a lot of cheering for King Power Foxes, who won the Gold Cup the past two years and a loud roar for the all English El Remanso team as they rode past the grandstand.

El Remanso took the lead in the first chukker, exploding with energy and determination. The second chukker saw the boys in blue fight back, but with a lot of defense and missed opportunities the second chukker ended in a tie of 3 a piece. The third chukker saw some Pieres power and they got ahead 6-3.

Battlefield – photo credit Philippa Davin www.philippadavin.com

At half time we had an unexpected entertainment act, which I don’t think has ever happened in polo before, but a young man decided to run across the entire polo field, butt naked!! Later on I heard the full story and apparently he did not lose a bet, but actually his friends dared him and said they would give him money and he said “Ok, give that to charity and I will run.” So nudity for a good cause 😉

Running naked for charity- photo credit Philippa Davin www.philippadavin.com

The second half of the match belonged to the King Power Foxes, with young James (Jimbo) Fewster scoring 3 field goals, which ultimately also scored him the MVP title. Team mate Facundo Pieres scored 5 of the 13 points on the blue side of the scoreboard. James Harper managed to convert 3 penalties into goals, but it just wasn’t enough to catch up to the mighty blues who could for the third consecutive year raise the coveted Jæger er LeCoultre Gold Cup.

Jimbo’s shout of glee after scoring a goal. Photo credit Philippa Davin www.philippadavin.com

Facu Pieres doing a neck shot – photo credit Philippa Davin www.philippadavin.com

The El Remanso boys kept in high spirits as the trophy ceremony was about to begin, drinking the family owned beer Fürst Wallerstein and still smiling and joking around. After all being a finalist of the Jaeger LeCoultre is a massive honor and something to be very proud of, regardless of the result of the match.

As the rain poured again the crowd found shelter in the Jaeger LeCoultre tent and at the Mucky Pheasant, where the party continued until sunset and then the town of Midhurst was once more invaded by polo party people til the wee hours.