THE winter arena season opened last weekend at Polo Wicklow when the only year-round facility in the country welcomed nearby neighbours and for many, Neighbours Day served as an introduction to polo.

The circumstances could not have been better for watching polo for the first time and while the two-a-side teams presented the perfect opportunity to introduce just how a match is played, what evolved between Facebook and Evercam was anything but neighbourly.

Facebook’s Francisco Acosta and Naomi Zwier, a new acquisition from the Dublin Polo Academy last summer, took the early lead by two goals to one. By the time the fourth chukka rolled around, however, their early lead of five goals to one had been halved, on a scoreline of eight six.

“This was the start of our arena season and we were delighted to welcome everyone,” said Wendy Herbst. “It started last year with Neighbours Day and we have continued.

“It is now embedded, and the idea was to let our neighbours know what is going on.”

What was going on in the arena was that Zwier seemed to have made the transition from the summer season nearly seamlessly.

For her first competition in an arena match, she showed no signs of trouble while marking the more seasoned Branigan and Herbst, leaving plenty of room for Acosta to handle most of the scoring.

Goals scored by Branigan and Herbst were split evenly, the pair nearly throwing the game in their direction throughout most of the fourth chukka.

Marco Herbst had been away from polo for a number of years, marking his return last summer at the International Polo Tournament in Newport, Rhode Island, USA in a match won by Ireland.

“It being two-a-side was a good way to introduce polo to people who may not have seen it,” said Micky Herbst. “It was easier for our neighbours to watch and easier to explain.”

With Naomi Zwier handling the arena like a seasoned player, combined with the skill of Francisco Acosta and the steady hand of Tom Branigan teamed up with Marco Herbst’s nearly life-long experience with polo, the winter season is already shaping up to throw a few surprises along the way.

(See Pony Tales on A72).