SUMMER FINAL

POLO WICKLOW

THE summer season ended in a washout last weekend when heavy overnight rain forced a shift ahead of schedule from Ballyhenry to the arena, the winter ground at Polo Wicklow.

The change also prompted the loss of one member per team, from four players on the wide open spaces of Ballyhenry to three in the more contained and smaller environment of the arena.

Reshuffled to accommodate the fewer numbers per side, the uneven number of five teams led to a final of four chukkas for the Mumms Cup with RITS dominating over the other four teams all weekend as they had for just about the entire season and a round-robin for the subsidiary final.

RITS captain Sean Reynolds suffered the loss of power-hitter Jack Armstrong who put away his ponies until next year when the tournament moved to the arena but still produced a winning side which included James Connolly and April Kent. The team dominated the tournament from start to finish, winning every single match against Polo Wicklow, Waterford, Horseware and North including the final.

This team has won almost every single low goal match throughout the summer season and won by a score in the final of 19 goals to 12 from Polo Wicklow.

After the tournament, Reynolds commented that he preffers playing arena polo to grass. Power-hitter James Connolly, who was responsible for most of the goals scored in the final, had been a real asset all summer long and apparently has made the shift quite well to the arena.

“I play and prefer the arena,” said Sean Reynolds when he spoke to The Irish Field at Polo Wicklow. “Ultimately, it is safer. On grass you get left behind while in the arena, it is more about team play and I had a good team.”

Other than smashing a good few arena balls over walls, safety netting and out of bounds, heavy hitters including James Connolly for RITS, his brother Michael for Horseware and Waterford’s Dan Laverty made what was apparently a seamless shift to sprinting into sharp turns where the goal mouth is a wooden wall and a full gallop is almost unheard of.

Francisco Acosta in for North has only just completed his first summer season on the grassy pitch, so effectively returned to his roots while Polo Wicklow’s Siobhan Herbst cut her polo teeth in the arena where the ball is bigger and heavier and the end of a good run comes at the nearest wall.

Arena players say that it takes more strength to hit the larger, heavier ball but it all comes down to teamwork to secure the win.

“There are only three players as opposed to grass which is four,” said Sean Reynolds. “If you want to learn how to ride, it is the best way to learn. If you want to play polo, it (arena play) is much more contained.”

North’s Robert Patton, daughter Sophie Patton and Francisco Acosta, won the subsidiary round-robin tournament for the Mumms Cup on 16 goals to 10 each from Waterford and Horseware.