Perfect Polo

Perfect Polo

Was the Polo at Mr K F B Packer’s Ellerston Station on Saturday 27th April 1991 the greatest array of combined team talent ever assembled in Australia for any single sporting event? Aficionados of Polo would indubitably say ‘Yes’. Ellerston’s No 1 Polo Ground was a fitting venue for a camarilla of such rare and rich ability. They were indeed enhanced halcyon days for the Polo cognoscenti.

Arguably the greatest team ever assembled was featured on the front page of the programme and as a prelude to this report. Was this the KP version of ‘World Series Polo’?

CORONEL SUAREZ (‘The Machine): The greatest Polo Team of all time?

Alfredo Harriott                                Juan Carlos Harriott         Horacio Heguy   Alberto Pedro Heguy

(Back)                   (No. 3 Captain)                  (No. 2)                  (No. 1)

This combination won an aggregate total of 70 Argentine Open Titles between them.

In the Polo world this is regarded as the absolute pinnacle.

 

The first game ‘The 80 Goal Challenge’ was between two perfectly matched teams of 40 goals each

LA ESPADANA

Carlos Gracida                   Mexican               10 Goals               30 Years Old       Number 1

Alfonso Pieres                   Argentinian        10 Goals               37 Years Old       Number 2

Gonzalo Pieres (C)           Argentinian        10 Goals               36 Years Old       Number 3

Ernesto Trotz                     Argentinian        10 Goals               34 Years Old       Number 4

40 Goals

REST OF THE WORLD

Memo Gracida (C)           Mexican               10 Goals               34 Years Old       Number 1

Gonzalo Heguy                 Argentinian        10 Goals               25 Years Old       Number 2

Horacio Heguy                   Argentinian        10 Goals               25 Years Old       Number 3

Eduardo Heguy                 Argentinian        10 Goals               23 Years Old       Number 4

40 Goals

Both teams featured the same combination of 3 Argentinians and 1 Mexican player. The two Mexican brothers faced one another on opposite sides. The three illustrious younger Heguy brothers were featured in ‘The Rest of the World’ side. There was much good natured banter and some speculation concerning certainty of the absolute genotype of the youngest Heguy brother Eduardo. I think even KP himself weighed in? Apparently there was some debate on the identity of a possible alternative sire who may have been a ‘local’ polo aficianado?

I have to confess I do not remember the result; but it was close.

The second game was almost an anti-climax but would rank high as maybe the second most illustrious combination ever fielded in Australia? The Invitational Match pitted Argentina versus the Barbarians

ARGENTINA

  • Peta Merlos 9
  • Bautista Heguy 8
  • Thomas Llorente 8
  • Marcus Heguy (C) 10

35 Goals

This team featured two further members of the incomparable Heguy cadre.

 

BARBARIANS

  • Cody Forsyth (NZ) 8
  • Adam Snow (USA)                   8
  • Howard Hipwood (Eng.C) 9
  • Stuart McKenzie (NZ) 8

33 Goals

Two Kiwis, a Yank and a Pom; but a superb combination of rare talent