Reds claim HSBC polo crown

MANILA, Philippines - The Reds team of Mexican pro Isidro Olivas, Globalport’s Mikee Romero, Adrian Garcia, Santi Juban and Sonny Borromeo broke out to a 2-0 lead in the first chukker then held off the Greys to win, 7-6, in a down-to-the-wire finish for the HSBC Summer Polo Classic trophy in the High Goal match at the Alabang Country Club recently.

It looked like a cakewalk in the offing for the Reds as Romero and Garcia scored early in the six-chukker duel but the Greys’ Anthony Garcia, Jun Juban, Jim Donovan, Jun Eusebio and Antonio Veloso stormed back in a furious rally that left players improvising with broken mallets.

Olivas and Adrian Garcia closed out the scoring for the Reds in the fourth chukker while Anthony Garcia delivered the Greys’ sixth point. The Garcia brothers and Olivas were the outstanding players of the match. Anthony Garcia, 35, joined Romero on the Globalport squad that took the USPA (United States Polo Association) Silver and Inter-Circuit Cups in St. Louis, Missouri, last September. Anthony’s brother Adrian, 20, was on the Reds team with Romero in the HSBC thriller.

Romero, 42, is considered one of the country’s top polo patrons with Inigo Zobel and Bobby Aguirre. The former La Salle cager has 50 horses in his Calatagan stable and another eight in the US where he has brought honor to the flag by making Globalport the first Filipino-led team in 10 years to win twin USPA championships in a season in.

Romero said of all the sports he has played, it is polo that is most challenging. He has competed in collegiate basketball and three World Cups in shooting, earned a third dan black belt in taekwondo and did arnis, track, watersports, flag football and volleyball. But polo is what pumps up his adrenaline. “It’s the world’s second most dangerous sport next to race car driving,” noted Romero. There is intense action on the turf when riders swing their mallets to pound a ball, made of hard plastic, into the space marked by two goal posts eight feet apart and horses gallop at breakneck speed like in a Triple Crown race.

HSBC Summer Polo Classic co-organizer Michelle Barrera said the Low Goal match that preceded the High Goal contest was just as action-packed. “The newcomers showed why they deserved to play with their accompanying pros,” said Barrera. “From the first throw-in, the speed was on and there was no backing down by either team. Except for a couple of newcomer mishaps in the first and second chukkers, the riders showed their professionalism, skill and fighting spirit as they battled it out neck and neck for seven minutes of every chukker until the fourth where the Greys pushed hard to finally beat the Reds.”

The Greys team of Jun Eusebio and son Jam, Miguel Camara and actor Diether Ocampo won, 9-4, over the Reds of Ed Lopez, Fred Borromeo, Daryl Matti and Milka Romero in the Low Goal match. Jun Eusebio and Camara staked the Greys to a 2-0 edge in the first chukker then Lopez and Borromeo struck to knot the count. The Greys got back the lead, 5-4, in the third canto from goals by the Eusebios and Camara set up by Ocampo. The Reds made it close with goals from Matti and Borromeo assisted by Romero. Jam Eusebio and Camara sealed it in the fourth with assists from Jun Eusebio and Ocampo.

A highlight of the High Goal match was when Anthony Garcia played on despite a broken mallet. “The play is not stopped for a broken mallet,” said Barrera who staged the HSBC event with Jun Juban and Alabang’s Kit Pinga. “It is each player’s responsibility to get a replacement mallet during the match from the groom as spares are always ready on the sidelines.” Jun Juban, 54, is a film producer with a slew of credits including “The Bourne Legacy” and “Platoon.” His son Santi, 24, is a La Salle political science major who was the assistant location manager for the movie “The Bourne Legacy.” Another father-and-son tandem on different teams was High Quality Farms chief executive officer Federico, Jr., 60, and Aguila Auto Glass vice president for marketing Sonny, 36. Romero’s daughter Milka, 19, is an Ateneo management economics major and a soccer player.   

The Eusebios and Lopez were the standouts in the Low Goal match. Lopez, 15, represents the Los Tamaraos club with Bobby Aguirre his mentor. His parents are Alberto and Lorna Lopez. Aside from playing polo, Lopez is a midfielder with the International Football Club.

The difference between a Low Goal and High Goal match lies in the level of play in terms of speed and skills. High Goal matches are played by more seasoned riders with their combined goal rating usually 20 or over. Ratings are based on a player’s handicap with 10 the highest. In the Philippines, Anthony Garcia is the highest goal player at five.

“The HSBC Summer Polo Classic was the perfect end to a fantastic season of polo and only a teaser of what is to come,” said Barrera. “The polo season usually starts in August and goes on until late March or early April. This was the first HSBC-sponsored polo tournament. We are looking forward to HSBC’s continued support and hoping for an even bigger event next season. The plan is to make it a two or three day tournament, inviting multiple international teams to play in an elimination-style format. We would like to thank HSBC for its invaluable support. Special thanks to Starbucks who partnered with HSBC for the day, the Alabang Country Club for catering and accommodation and Spark Magazine and The Philippine Star for the media coverage.”

HSBC senior vice president for retail and commercial bank marketing Patrick Carlos handed out trophies to the winning teams in the awarding rites after the Low Goal and High Goal matches. Cocktails for players, their families and guests followed in the climax of the event at the HSBC Tent.