Polo report Sunday 16th August
The humidity and the clouds glowering did not deter another happy day of fast friendly Polo at Ham. 4 teams of amateurs battled it out to the end with the finest of margins separating them. No one deserved to lose.
The Richmond Park Cup
Student Beehive Simon Chamberlain as Patron seemed to be running away with it in the first Chukker before Abi Anderson's ( her car has an Instagram page) Avengers roused themselves for a fight back goals from Simon Chamberlain William Healy and Michael Ventura seemed to have sealed their fate early - not so. Abi and Lucy struck back in chukkers 1 and 2 Lucy Dowie in cracking form this season and Abi with 2 goals in the Match showing that getting stuck in tends to pay. Nevertheless they did not account for Howard Davis proving, youth is no match for cunning pouncing on the ball and striking what proved to be the killer blow with the fourth goal in the 2nd chukker. Benjie Davis superbly mounted , and playing right at the top of his handicap this season, rallied his troops - but in spite of two goals in the last chukker in a brave comeback they were beaten by the clock - it showing 71/2 minutes in the last chukker, would prove to be the undoing, of both runners up. Final score 41/2- 4 to Student Beehive.
The Doug Brown Plate
Ba Pataudi' Swordpoint /Tigerstream went head to head with Martin Hay's Quadriga - again. You would have expected a Jason Warren Gus prentice mugging at two goals handicap each, but this match was much more than that. Yes they scored most of the goals but the teams played as teams. Young Sam Wood new to Ham showed off his paces and his new horsepower, as did Emilie, with strong riding skills and in spite of her being newish to the game and Ham, always in the right place at the right time.
Tigerstream with three goals from Gus whose new ponies have added a whole new level to his game and one from Ba were very much in command of the game at 4 goals to 1/2 by the third chukker.
A strategy review in chukker 3 with Quadriga commandant Martin Hay, and they came storming back with three field goals that Tigerstream could do nothing about. They thought it was all over - not so. With 45 ( 15 really as it was the last chukker Ba hit the ball to Mark who ran it up to Chris Porter Gus storming in as back up and superbly correct in the play rode Jason off almost on the goal line as he was shaping for a backhander and put the ball through with a superb near side shot . The final bell went 2 seconds after the goal flag went up ! Tigerstream took the Doug Brown plate 6 goals to 51/2 . No spectators but the grooms and umpires, did comment, that it was an unusually exciting game.
By Ba Pataudi