High goal drama From Berkshire to West Sussex, the 2005 high goal season was the biggest in many a year, culminating in a memorable British Open Championship. Herbert Spencer reports on the traditional ‘big four’ tournaments
Black Bears’ Eduardo Noville Astrada outpaces Dubai’s Augustin Nero before record crowd of 18,000. Below: Sidelined Adolfo Cambiaso discusses tactics with Dubai team owner Ali Albwardy, right.
ith more than a dozen patrons from six continents putting together 24 pro-am teams to enter one or more of the major tournaments in just two months, 2005 was one of the busiest and most cosmopolitan of high-goal seasons anywhere in the world. The 22-goal cap on pro-am team handicaps clearly belied the toughness of the competitions. ‘England’s 22-goal is like 24 or even 26-goal polo in the States,’ said Javier Novilla Estrada, of Black Bears, winners in high goal this season. One of his opponents, 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso, concurred. Not everyone, however, was happy with the high-goal action this season, compared with that of some past years. David Woodd, chief executive of the Hurlingham Polo Association, recognised the difference. ‘In future,’ he said, ‘we will be looking at enforcing more strictly the one-tap rule to encourage a faster and more open game.’ This rule allows a player with possession to tap the ball only
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