A POLO trophy once lost to the ages and discovered in a British antique shop nine years ago was in pride of place in its sixth year back home in Wexford at Bunclody Polo Club.

The c.1904 Wexford Challenge Cup contested in July 1911 between the 20th Hussars and Wexford Polo Club at the Showgrounds in Enniscorthy disappeared with the winning cavalry regiment until 2011 when it was acquired by a local memorabilia collector and sold in turn to Bunclody Polo Club’s Robert Hogg.

“It was thought to be stolen,” said Robert Hogg of the trophy’s disappearance after the 1911 tournament. “I was alerted by a local collector that the cup had been found. I bought it for €50 and then it disappeared for two years in an attic where it was stored for safekeeping.”

The invitational tournament has been played at Bunclody ever since and the cup presented to the winning team except for the couple of years when it was briefly missing once again.

“We thought it was stolen again,” added Robert Hogg. “It is a privilege to play for it and it is the most sought-after cup in Bunclody Polo Club.

Defending the trophy after their win last year were the Barracudas’ Nick Murphy, Paddy Casey, Lord James Beresford and William Clarke.

Goals contributed by all four on the team, but particularly Clarke and Murphy with offensive plays by Casey and Beresford contributed seven goals in all to five from Bunclody.

While Bunclody’s Robert Hogg, Kieran ‘Bottle’ Doyle and Aidan Farrell contributed much to goal scoring, John Flavin was usually found hemmed in or cut off by opponents and so limited in delivering the long-range goals for which he has been renowned.

The Wexford Challenge Cup, intended as a perpetual trophy and originally presented to Wexford Polo Club in 1904 was discovered by local memorabilia collector Nicholas Bowe and purchased at an online auction, but had been unaware of its origins until leading international polo historian Horacio Laffaye revealed its important Wexford origins.