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Marc Noyer Maingard preparing for the 2011 Pro Alvear Cup

French polo player part of the Automat lineup at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club

Marc Noyer Maingard

Six teams are set to take part in the Pro-Alvear Cup, the charity event in aid of the Fundación Pro-Alvear which will take place on Saturday, June 18th at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, in England.

Among the lineups' formations there are surnames such as Pieres, Heguy, Laprida, Al Habtoor and other well-known ones in international polo circles. There are a good number of other players that will be forming part of the teams, based on the great idea which Juan Pepa and his people have had, with the aim of helping the needing ones in the state of La Pampa, in Argentina.

Among these other players is Marc Noyer Maingard, a 28 year-old player and team patron who in this event "shall only be a player, so that we can have some fun." His nationality is French, and frequently forms part of teams in Paris, but he was born in Argentina, and later spent time in Switzerland, Spain, Brazil and England, which is where he lives nowadays.

Noyer Maingard, a 3-goaler, will play for the Automat team, together with Cristian "Magoo" Laprida (9), Michael Borrico (1), and Emmanuel De Noailles (0). "One feels great taking part in this kind of events, here there are donations and by means of the organization and the event many new things can be created, like computer rooms, and playgrounds for the children, and all that is very nice."

He will be taking part in the Pro-Alvear Polo Cup for the third time, and is here thanks to his friendship with Juan Pepa, the chairman of the foundation. "He is a great friend, I've known him since a long time ago, as I travel to Argentina frequently and my relationship with that country is a strong one, I have known Juan for about ten years, and he included me in this event in London two years ago, what he does is great, it comes from his heart, he does it for La Pampa, he worries a lot about the youngsters. It's very good because it combines a group of extended friends of England with people who have nothing, and by means of this event all of us help all those people in Argentina."

With all the experience he has due to his previous participations in the Pro-Alvear tournament, Noyer Maingard says that "everybody comes to this party to watch polo and good players in action, they go to have fun and to have a good time, but they all know very well that there is something behind all this, there is a benefic aim, and everyone knows this."

In what refers to the sporting aspect of this mini-championship, the polo player said he expects "to win, the matches are going to be two-chukker ones and more than anything they are for the spectators to enjoy watching players such as the Pieres’s in action, it's a huge show. But even so, the matches are hard-fought and we hope the people will enjoy them."

"It's always nice to see the great players at close quarters, like the Pieres, Nachi Heguy or any of them, but that doesn't mean they are not common people: it's a pleasure to see them but this doesn't represent a motivation," said Noyer Maingard.

By David Cataneo, LivingPolo.com