From September 11-13, 2009, the best German polo players gathered in Timmendorfer Strand to fight for the title of the PoloOpen09.
Christopher Kirsch (Handicap +4), Captain of the German National polo team and one of the top German players, was competing alongside some of the best Argentinian pros who are playing in Germany. Santos Anca (+6), Garstons, Maiques (+6) and Hugo Ituraspe (+5) guaranteed first-class polo sport.
On Friday evening visitors witnessed the match between the two favourites: the defending champion “Team Timmendorfer Strand” against versus “Team Jaeger-LeCoultre & Juwelier Lindner”. In a very tight and thrilling match, the 2008 champion won with 8:7 goals. This final score put both teams through to the semi-finals.
On Saturday, the“Team Timmendorfer Strand” won against “Team Dresdner Pensionskasse”, while the “Team Jaeger-LeCoultre & Juwelier Lindner” won a close match against “Team Tom Taylor” with a last-second goal in overtime.
The final on Sunday was very hard-fought and exciting. “Team Timmendorfer Strand” was ahead by 3 goals early in the match against “Team Jaeger-LeCoultre & Juwelier Lindner”. After two chukkas, the team was leading 5:2. At this point of the match the score seemed to be decided. In addition, Federico Heinmann from the “Team Jaeger-LeCoultre & Juwelier Lindner” was handicapped after he suffered from a blow to his right hand.
However, in the 3rd and 4th chukkas, Garstons Maiques gave the match a whole new turn. With his dynamic moves and his goals, the lead of the defending champion was melting and a few minutes before the final bell, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s team took the lead with a final score of 7:6
“Team Jaeger-LeCoultre & Juwelier Lindner” thereby won the title and trophy of the PoloOpen for the first time.
During the three days, audiences were thrilled not only to extremely high-level matches but also to an original segway-polo demonstration as well as an eye-catching exhibition of the Jaeger-LeCoultre collection.
In addition, more than 150 guests were invited on Friday to an “Argentinian asado”evening hosted by Jaeger-LeCoultre and Juwelier Lindner and which lasted late into the night.
The crowd of more than 2.000 spectators at the PoloOpen09 included the lucky winners of the LeClub random draw.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ties with polo go back over 78 years. The Reverso watch appeared in 1931, at the request of British polo players resident in India, who were looking for a watch that would stand up to the blows sustained in the exercise of their sport. The firm created this watch, featuring a revolving case designed to protect the glass from breaking. Today, the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre is undoubtedly becoming one of the main actors in the polo world through the sponsorship of international tournaments and some of the best polo players worldwide.
