“Polo is new” to the MD of Audemars Piguet, Oliviero Bottinelli. In suave humour he remarked, “The green of Audemars Piguet blends in well with the green at the polo club”.

To the pair of long-time friends, Bottinelli and Marco Bardelli, MD of Banque de Depots et de Gestion (BDG), sponsoring polo seems to be the most natural thing in the world. Their friendship was honed years ago since they were uber eligible bachelors, then they got married, had their own little ones, and saw no reason why they shouldn’t sponsor an international polo match together.

To these behemoths of the Swiss branding, Bardelli said, “this is an evolution of our relationship.”

Plush was primed for “world class standard polo at this part of the world” as Iqbal Jumabhoy, President of the Singapore Polo Club, enthused and Plush was given an exhilarating visual feast at the Gold Cup match.

Singapore’s very own captain, Satinder Garcha, heard resounding cheers of “Satinder! Satinder!”. Owing to his charisma and charm, and of course, skills and passion for polo, Satinder was the hot favourite on the field.

But it was young Martin Ravina, a 28-year-old Argentinian who stole the thunder. Playing for the Singapore team, Martine gave the match a dazzling display of brawn and muscle. He drove the polo ball so far ahead that both competing players and his own team members found it hard to catch up.

The men on their beasts drove the game so hard that at one point, the polo ball hit the sideboard and rightly flew across, landed with a ‘thud’ presumably on the shiny line of valet parked cars.

How solid is a regular polo ball? It weighs 125 grams and is the size of a big man’s fist.

Hardly a care in the world, even if the solid ball had landed on any of their haute couture cars, the professional players displayed what being in the ‘zone’ was and galloped in chase once a new ball was thrown into field.

Such was the spectacle of the Gold Cup played at the “international standard” guaranteed by Jumabhoy. Plush was entirely pleased with the high energy of display as well as the pleasing sights of ladies in their Sunday best, and men in their handsome crisp linen shirts and Panama loafers.

Definitely a day to chill out on (almost) free-flowing GH. Mumm champagne, and cheer over Singapore’s 4-3 win over Australia.