Sudden Death Thriller

Australia came, saw and conquered – but it was no pushover. The Cartier International went into extra time and was a magnifi cent spectacle – both on and off the fi eld. By Antje Derks

Sudden death thriller

The rain kept on coming – but so did the crowds. And, then, just as the Hurlingham Polo Association’s Cartier International was about to start, the sun decided it was too good a day to miss.

Good choice. It was one of the most thrilling internationals of recent years. Australia, making its debut at Smith’s Lawn, was under Glen Gilmore’s captaincy and was joined by Jack ‘Ruki’ Baillieu, who plays off an eight goal handicap. Damien Johnston played at number 1 and Mike Todd looked after the backdoor.

For England, Henry Brett retained the captaincy and the rest of the team comprised Luke and Mark Tomlinson and Malcolm Borwick, who was making his international debut. en, there was the socialising. Prince Harry, who played for e Prince of Wales’s Team in its victory against Hurlingham, dropped in on Chinawhite’s party marquee. Sienna Miller played a cameo role following her break-up with Jude Law and all manner

Australia’s Ruki Baillieu was powerful in the Coronation Cup match. Above left: Drum horse and trumpeters led the opening parade

of celebrities squeezed into the Cartier tent for a sumptuous lunch. e Cartier International is becoming a bigger and bigger occasion. is year, a record crowd of 25,000 turned up on Smith’s Lawn and was rewarded with an outstanding game of polo, despite the diffi cult conditions. After so much rain, the ground was cutting up like tissue paper. For the ponies, it was a gruelling day’s work. Australia used a total of 40 ponies, England required the services of 30.

England, sponsored by Audi, Cadenza and Crew Clothing, started with a one goal handicap advantage over Australia, whose sponsors were Barter Card and Gibson Guitar. Brett soon added to England’s lead after being set up by Luke Tomlinson, playing one of his best ever matches for his country. e Australians had no reply and at the end of the fi rst chukka England were 2-0 up. In the second chukka, Luke Tomlinson took full advantage of a collision between teammates Johnston and Baillieu, by breaking away from the pack and scoring. Gilmore, whose penalty taking abilities were awesome, managed to claw two goals back from two undefended penalties. England’s lead was narrowed to 3-2.

Because of the earlier adverse weather conditions, the crowds were asked to tread in after the second and fourth chukkas. e third chukka saw another fi ne penalty hit by Gilmore bringing Australia level with England, but Luke Tomlinson replied with an equally accurate penalty taken from the 40 yard line. At half-time, England were winning 4-3.

England scored again in the fourth. e crowd began to sense that the underdogs were about to pull off a shock result. Brett, playing at number one this season rather than at number three, covered every blade of grass and the new England formation appeared to

Above: Cate Blanchett with Arnaud Bamberger, MD of Cartier, the event’s title sponsor.

Left: Darius Danesh and friend

Below: Hundreds wined and dined in the luncheon and paty marquees.

Left: Young players from Schools and Universities Polo Association parade before Royal Box

Above: Prince Harry played on The Prince of Wales’ team that won the Golden Jubilee Trophy. Below left: Damien Lewis and Helen McRory.

Below: Australia’s Glen Gilmore cuts through the England defence.

be working well. en Gilmore scored two goals in quick succession in the fi fth chukka and it was allsquare. But not for long, as Brett broke away and passed the ball to Luke Tomlinson, who put England back in front 6-5. Just as chukka was called, Glen Gilmore again equalized for Australia. e sixth chukka saw Australia take the lead for the fi rst time with two and a half minutes to go. England were awarded a penalty, which Borwick took – and missed. It looked to be all over, but with seconds remaining Engand won another penalty. ere was a collective intake of breath from the crowd as Luke Tomlinson stepped up to the plate – and levelled. e teams played 30 seconds of extra time but with no goals forthcoming the match was pushed into a nail-biting seventh chukka, where the “Golden Goal” rule was applied. It came in the sixth minute of the seventh chukka in the form of a stunning goal by Baillieu.

It can be a cruel game. Neither team deserved to lose – but that was little consolation for England as the Queen handed the Coronation Cup to Gilmore.

‘We played well together and I was really pleased with our performance,’ said Brett. ‘It didn’t quite go our way but we showed that we are a strong unit. ere was a great atmosphere and the whole day was an important one for polo in this country.’ ■