FMB SILVER CUP®
Tournament History
The Farmers & Merchants Bank (FMB) Silver Cup® has been called many names throughout its illustrious 121-year history. Originally established as the Junior Championship, it was first played in 1900. The Junior Championship attracted such historic teams as Rockaway, Cooperstown, Meadow Brook, Old Aiken and Laddie Sanford’s Hurricanes, to name a few. The 1935 Junior Championship boasted the largest field in the tournament’s history with 11 teams vying for the coveted trophy at Burnt Mills Polo Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Aiken Knights, consisting of Dunbar W. Bostwick, Winston F. C. Guest, James F. Curtis Jr. and George H. Bostwick, triumphed over Texas 13-3.
In 1938, the Junior Polo Championship was renamed the National Twenty Goal® Championship. During this period the trophy was carried home by teams such as Bostwick Field, Milwaukee, Aurora, San Antonio and Oak Brook. The tournament took its present name, the Silver Cup®, in 1974.
Many winners of the cup hail from the Polo Hall of Fame—from J. Watson Webb and Tommy Hitchcock, to Robert Skene and Cecil Smith. In fact, no fewer than 50 Polo Hall of Famers have won the Silver Cup®. Out of the 50 Hall of Famers, W. Ray Harrington Jr. and Charles Smith have earned the most Silver Cup® titles with eight wins each.
In the 2020 Silver Cup® Final, Lucchese (John Muse, Nico Escobar, Facundo Obregon, Jeff Hall) met Antelope (Grant Palmer, Matt Coppola, Gringo Colombres, Santiago Trotz). On their heels throughout the first half, Lucchese turned the scoreboard around in the third, gradually extending the lead to secure the coveted trophy 15-11 for the first time in six years.
For the 2021 tournament, the FMB Silver Cup® returns to the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club (Carpinteria, California) and features six teams vying for the trophy, including Lucchese's hopes for a repeat victory. Amongst the competition are Active Team USPA members and brothers, Lucas Escobar and Nico Escobar (Santa Clara), as well as Graduating Team USPA member Jesse Bray (Klentner Ranch) and Team USPA Alumni Tomas Alberdi (BenSoleimani.com) and Jacob Klentner (Klentner Ranch).
U.S. Polo Assn., official global apparel brand of the United States Polo Association, announced it will serve as the apparel sponsor for the 2021 FMB Silver Cup®. As the 2021 FMB Silver Cup®’s official apparel sponsor, U.S. Polo Assn. will be featured in multiple ways including stadium branding and apparel throughout the tournament.
Photo: 2020 Silver Cup® Champions Lucchese - John Muse, Facundo Obregon, Jeff Hall, Nico Escobar. ©David Lominska
