THE summer season has been one of remarkable change at polo grounds across Ireland as the decidedly few teams that have traditionally dominated have been swept away in favour of just one.

The Rhone Hill team from Moy, Co Tyrone, first appeared late last summer and since the season-opener at the AIPC in Dublin this June, Patrick Heffron has led his son Charles (11) and daughter Jemima (13) along with professional four-goal player Gonzalo Lopez Vargas through an unbeaten season, dominating every tournament they have entered.

Earlier this summer (June 21st-22nd June) on home ground at Rhone Hill, one of the Northern Ireland Polo Clubs (NIPC), Patrick Heffron revived the 0 to 2 Goal Spring Cup while instituting the -6 to -2 Goal Inaugural Cup.

The tournaments brought together teams that had formerly played at the grounds in Moy for the first time in around 10 years while opening the way to novice players, many acquired from Tyrella Polo Club in Co Down.

It also provided the first opportunity for Jemima and Charles Heffron to be part of the host team in what has thus far, been a spectacular season for Rhone Hill.

“It is the first time we played with the children and the first (tournament) we have done in a number of years,” said Patrick Heffron just after winning the high goal final at Rhone Hill. “It was great that there were teams together and so many players. It is good for Northern Ireland and it is good for polo.”

Rhone Hill dominated the qualifiers on the first day of the tournament, giving up just three goals while forcing automatic subsidiary final relegation on Wexford’s River Slaney with a winning scoreline of 6½ goals.

The second qualifier saw Tyrone with 4½ beating the County Laois-based Knapton by 2 goals, however Knapton went on to win the subsidiary final with six goals to just one from River Slaney.

Rhone Hill entered the Spring Cup final with a ½-goal handicap, and quickly earned two goals while giving away just one to Tyrone in the first chukka. Adding to the home team scoreline in the second chukka were Patrick Heffron and Gonzalo Vargas on an assisted goal, while Charles Heffron scored a goal in the third.

Tyrone’s Facundo Matilla scored in the third, one of two goals he would score in the final and the last, a field goal along with Eamonn Laverty and David Stone.

A severe 10-yard penalty against Tyrone earlier in the fourth chukka, however and a last-second goal gave the winning scoreline to Rhone Hill on 6½ goals to four.

“Do I feel in any way guilty about winning the cup at Rhone Hill?” asked Patrick Heffron when put under pressure by Tyrone supporters. “The answer is, not at all,” he quipped. The Inaugural low goal cup went to the Belfast-based Sixt Rent-a-Car in a round-robin of cumulative scoring on 13 goals to 12 from Tyrella and 4 from NIPC.