Tourney: ECMC, Berlin 28.05.09 - 01.06.09

bit of a write-up and some shots here

No winner yet as the final 3 matches are being played today.

Malicious Zombie knocked out by Sitting Ducks (Yorg, Stephane (from Paris) and Bill in 5-4 thriller with everything you would want from a polo match, skill, speed, intensity and disputed goals.

Sitting Ducks then knocked out by Dans Ta Geuele.

Tres Amigos also knocked out by... can't remember.

Moving Target didn't show for the second days play due to beer.

Left in the tournament are Berlin 1, who are a really fun team to watch, Munich 1, who are a reallz boring team to watch and two other teams whose name I can't remember.

I will twitter the results for those that are really interested.

1st to Geneva.
2nd to Munich.
3rd to Berlin.

The semi's and finals were both really good games to watch. Compared to the rest of the tournament, the final between Munich and Geneva was really clean and exciting to watch (apart from the mid game time-out)

Back in Paris now, after a nice weekend.
a few points (I like bulletpoints):

• this was the proof that Bike Polo tourneys should NEVER be affiliated to messenger champs. 40 or so teams registered, only 15 or so bothered to actually be there all the time. Saturday games were a joke. NO GOOD POLO was played on that day. Plus there were tons of crusty dreadlocked people around - yuck. Just kidding. I was happy to se Pikey Wayne even.

• this was the proof that even germans can fuck up at organising something. SUCH A MESS. No scoreboard, weird rules abandonned half way through the games (no riding through goal??), no proper table chart, no one to give countdowns, shoddy courts, the infamous "food break" during the dry spell on saturday, the postponed finals, etc...

• this was the proof that London polo is still more exciting to watch than munich polo

• this was the proof that london polo needs to improve its team play. How the fuck did tres amigos get beaten by a probably less experienced team??

• this was the proof that "old" players can still kick ass! Thanks bill for being a great teammate.

^ shit, i hope Munich is a bit better organised!

I guess the polo was always 2nd to the messenger race though. Still, it sounds like you had a good w'end anyway.

Bring on Munich! (I still need 2 team mates btw!)

Ta for the updates guys...

Think we all predicted that the messenger champs would over shadow any polo, but Yorgo describes the tourney as a bit of a mess with some dirty play - real shame to hear. So yeah, hope Munich is better - sure it will be cool.

But good to read a great game between Malicious Zombies and Sitting Ducks was had. Hope it showed off London's play style at it's finest. Well done and hope you all still had a blast in the beer churches! Oh and how nice of M.Z to let age win before style! ha ha...

Mikey, if you could PM me re. bringing my bag to one of the courts this Wed or Thurs that would be cool, as Im flying out to France on sat with me BMX (curb endo comp) - ta.

Had a brilliant weekend, organisation sucked, and the ref couldn't count scores, so we got knocked out when we shouldn't have been. But despite this, it was great to play with lots of different people. DTGP, Karlsruhe, Munich, Berlin etc.

London's game has to change to compete with the europeans, they play such an amazing passing game, no glory runs towards goal, they drop the ball for each other as soon as they know they don't have a clean run at goal. Great to watch, if a little too polite.

Right, work beckons :(

Glad to have you guys back and in more or less one piece (sorry about the collar bone Mikey). Also glad that despite all the hang ups the experience was educational.

Polo?

Hi Bill and Yorgo, was really great to play with you this tournament. The old guys kicked ass. (I am looking way younger than I actually am).
Little comments to the tournament: Right, the organization was terrible. If you say the tournament starts at 11am, then you start and you don't wait for those who are late until 2pm.
The time out rule for broken mallets was stupid. And stopping a tournament's final phase because someone is blessed is also weird. You let them get a replacement, ok, but not shifting the whole thing to the next day.
And right, the munich style is boring. I prefer speed and action, and if paris and london can get better passing into their fast riding than they will be top in europe.

"someone is blessed.."?? --- I want to say injured, not blessed. But blessé is french and i am back in france. I can't modify my posts here once they are posted, right?

I like 'blessed' :)

So did everybody play with goalies?

Stephan is known as the Berlin Wall for a reason! Fantastic goal keeper.

Most teams played with a keeper, except the top Munich team who said keepers were boring !!

Most teams played with a keeper, except the top Munich team who said keepers were boring !!

just for the protocol: that's only the statement from our top team

Overall the weekend was amazing. The organization of the tourney was frustrating, with the most frustrating part being inconsistent, low-quality reffing and score-keeping.

The big lesson, I think, is that we need to wratchet up our game. We should seriously consider having a real practice night each week, where teams playing in tournies this summer can come play competitive games.

Props to Sitting Ducks, who took MZ in an awesome game.

Seems like we should have started that league after all ..........

Team nights should get going pronto then so we're ready for the Euro's.

tom said i should say hello tp you on the forum!
Here i am!
Alex from Karlsruhe. The one with the business cards. ;)

we also had some great time...
it was fun meeting all you guys again. To see the development of all the teams...
It's getting bigger and better.

• Our (Metz, Schindel & Söhne) most fun game was against the paris guys from Dans Ta Guelle where we won 3 to 2.

• I'm not sure what to think about the munich team who reached the second place.
  I don't want to bitch around, but on every game i saw with them there where 2-3 situations who are just cruel and not neccesary. They play realy good polo, so i don't understand why they do it.
  anyway. maybe it's just me.

• this whole messenger courier vs. polo players thing is the most childish behaviour ever!
  AND it's a good thing to split it in the future.

• why to have rules if u don't get punished! A tap out is not a punishment.

• the pizza in popolore is just awesome and in the future i'll compare every pizza to this one.

• i won a polo guard and i just love it!

• best team for me was berlin! Great teamplay, nice shots, true gents and great guys!

Big props to the tres amigos, moving targets + sitting ducks.
Hope to meet all of you in munich again!

great weekend.

best from karlsruhe,
Alex.

Nice one Alex!

Winter tourney in the Karlsruhe Nuclear Bunker :)

Hey Alex, you forgot about Malicious Zombies! (or maybe you didn't)

Great to meet you and to play with different players with different styles throughout the weekend. Hope to see you in London for the Euros!

all best,

Iain

damn, i did!
Malicious Zombies, i must apologize and give you the most probs of all london teams!
great shirts, btw! ;)

"Winter tourney in the Karlsruhe Nuclear Bunker"
yep, hope we can arrange that!

Team nights should get going pronto then so we're ready for the Euro's.

+1

It was great to see the whole Karlsruhe crew. I had a lot of fun hanging out with y'all. See you in London.

Not my pics, but there is a nice set here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davesan/sets/72157618983045471/show/

Really good weekend with its ups and its downs
was good to be in Berlin, lovely food and cheap beer.
the weather was good... and bad, but enough to get some tan
the organization was messy, but having in mind that they were under the messenger big umbrella, and that the main guy has only been involve in polo for less than a year, I reckon was ok.
Nice to meet to so many new people, and nice to expend the weekend with friends, having a laugh and playing polo, thanks guys
As for polo, London, has to change something because is clear that we don't past the cut.

[quote=vidal;728881]

The big lesson, I think, is that we need to wratchet up our game. We should seriously consider having a real practice night each week, where teams playing in tournies this summer can come play competitive games.

If this is the case, then I vote playing more team games for sure. Would def help improve our games and get tourney fitness. We can either do a few team nights or just organize PM games.

Jeez! So London's not good enough?
I'm not so sure about that.

I know I wasn't there so it's a bit tough to say but I think London are up there.
You gotta remember the teams we had out in Berlin haven't played together for long if at all and that has a lot to do with it.
It's hard to link up passes without a 'special' understanding which comes with experience.

Yes..team game nights will improve this.

London standard is very good. Once we have some 'experienced' teams I think we'll fly.
We definitely have the players.