As silly as that might sound, it appears that the powers that be in England are beginning to rethink the concept of featuring English-born Argentinean Eduardo Novillo Astrada on its 2009 Westchester Cup team. The competition between the United States and Great Britain is over 122 years old, and is on the schedule for February 21, 2009 at the International Polo Club in Wellington, Florida. Now I’m not sure if that pressure is coming from Sir Charles (C. O. Williams of Barbados), who put up $1million to sponsor the all-British Apes Hill Polo Team in an effort to feature the top English players in the game or if the clamor came from the vassels of the Hurlingham Polo Association at the thought of having an Argentine (he actually was born in England) as the team’s focal point and his brother Javier Novillo Astrada as the team’s coach. I mean, it’s almost like telling the world that you really don’t have the talent so you’re going to bend the rules, or at least the intent of the rules in order to create a more competitive team. I’m not sure Sir Charles would approve.
At the very least, the Westchester Cup match is pressing forward. Now we’re going to have to take a close look at the composition of the US team and see if it has developed a conscience. Can anyone say Memo Gracida?
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th0000001205pm08, 52008vUTC12bUTCFri, 05 Dec 2008 20:13:17 +0000 11, 2007 at 08:46p12
[...] Polo Club Palm Beach, in Wellington, Florida. For more on the Cup’s latest meeting, click here, here or here. And by all means, if you attend, raise a glass to Griswold Lorillard before the game. He [...]