British Army cause big upset on day 1
The British Army, employing superior skills and strategy, defeated SOCO on the first day of the King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament yesterday in Hua Hin.
In the first chukker, SOCO captain Jason Friedman won the ball on a throw-in, then traded a beautiful down the line pass to team-mate Taweesak Keereekaew, who scored the first goal of the tournament.
A misdirected hit by Friedman put the British Army on the scoreboard causing the SOCO veterans to lose confidence. Despite the missed opportunities, SOCO lead 3-2 at the end of the first chukker.
Taweesak positioned himself in an offensive role in the second chukker and ensured a goal for his side in just 17 seconds of play - a tactic that looked set to define the second half of the game.
Yet the British Army, considered the underdogs of the tournament, went on to rattle the SOCO team with mesmerising skill by Major Cameron Humphries and precise teamwork by team captain Colonel Felix Gedney and Major Charles Valdes-Scott. The teams were locked at 4-4 in the final seconds, when Friedman mistakenly scored an own goal, taking the Army to an upset victory.
Elsewhere, SOCO International lost to Amex/British Airways King's Royal Hussars 4-5; Kingpower Thailand thrashed IBM Spice Girls 14-4; PWC All Blacks went down to Mercedes 2-4; Johnny Walker Blue Label outclassed Anantara 8-2; Kasikorn Bank tied PTT Visitors Team 6-6 and Sara Story Design lost to Audemars Piguet 6-13.
The King's Cup meet kicked off on Monday, offering a day with seasoned elephant polo players, colourful parades, Thailand's last elephant spirit men called Khru Ba Yai and pachyderms - all providing a taste of the excitement to come all week.
