By Alex Webbe
Kris Kampsen lit up the scoreboard on Friday afternoon during the opening day of the men’s tournament at the AMG Miami Beach Polo World Cup on the sands of South Beach, as the defending 2010 championship team, Hublot, handed John Walsh and his AMG-Mercedes team a humbling 10-5 defeat.
Kampsen scored nine goals on the day as Hublot got on track after a competitive first chukker that had the team on top 1-0. Hublot scored two more unanswered goals in the second half as the host of ‘America’s Most Wanted’ and company had few answers for the high-powered Hublot play.
“That’s tough work,” said Walsh, following his match, “It’s physical and fast moving – a real challenge.”
Hublot increased their lead 5-1 after the third chukker, with 9-goaler, Tommy Biddle, finally landing AMG-Mercedes with a penalty goal. Kampsen added four more goals to the Hublot total in the fourth and final period, with teammate Thomas Winter scoring his first goal of the afternoon. AMG-Mercedes put up four goals of their own, with Biddle accounting for all five of the goals in the team’s 10-5 loss.
In earlier games, the Raleigh team defeated Yellow Cab 8-5 in a neck-and-neck brawl followed by a 10-8 win by the Grey Goose team from behind against LAN/Comcast, who missed a 2-point penalty shot that would have gained them a tie on the final whistle.
Onlookers in the AMG-Mercedes VIP tent included producer, Russell Simmons, who took an avid interest in the matches being played with friends.
Action continues on Saturday afternoon, starting at 1:00pm with Hublot against LAN/Comcast. At 2:00pm, AMG-Mercedes faces the Raleigh team, followed by a 3:00pm showdown between Grey Goose and Yellow Cab.