La Low Goal
September 2020
Cover Image: Nigel Pugh
by low goal for low goal
Contents Features
That time when Polo was in the olympics
The Blame Game
A look at how the HPA handled COVID
Arena Polo
Why you should brave the wind and rain this winter
11 11
National 4 goal
Match report from cheshire
White Waltham
The latest tournament news from the club
Chukka Wellness
How to perform the perfect glute bridge
25 25
15 15 First Chukka Hot take - Women’s Polo
My Life Isabella Twigg's life in horses The weird world of Goat polo News Bites
Maths Department
Polo knock offs rated
Top 6 worst polo jobs
Head to head: Polo vs Polocrosse
33 33
The season has only just begun
Yet within a month of this issues release, the chances are that almost all of polo across the country will have dried up. This is especially true if the grim weather we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks decides to hang around. It really is starting to feel like we are beginning to slip down the slippery slope towards winter. In the mean time , with whatever of the season we have left, we can only keep playing as long as possible and as much as possible until the bitter end.
Enjoy the issue Connor Kay (editor)
Al a
F
All the latest polo reviews, news and opinions in bite size pieces
First
Top 6
Worst Polo Jobs
01
Umpire A thankless task. Universally abused by both teams, the umpire is expected to see every play from every angle and interpret the rulebook in a way that keeps everyone happy. Impossible!
04
Driver Often absorbed into the grooming role, the driver is responsible for transporting the horses from the yard to the polo field. While this may seem like no big deal, having seen how tight some of the country lanes are leading to polo clubs, I do not envy those who have to squeeze polo lorries through.
02
03
Groundsmen
Groom
While the groundsmen work so hard on the fields, they still remain scape goats for every player. Miss the ball? Field's fault. Horse too slow? Blame the field. Miss-hit a pass? Grass is too long. Etc, etc
The heroes that make the polo world go around. They get all the crap jobs like poo picking, tack cleaning, fitting studs, cleaning out the lorry and then expected to take the blunt end of the owners temper when they lose at the weekend.
05
06
Horse trainer
Third Man
In theory being a horse trainer doesn’t sound like a bad job. Lots of riding as well as the satisfaction of seeing the horses improve. I just don’t know how horse trainers manage to not be jealous when, after hours of hard work, someone else gets to play the horses.
Lets be honest, the third man barely counts as a job. Sitting there spectating but with added power. How many times have you found yourself watching a game, screaming at the umpires terrible calls? Now you have the power to do something about it. Perfect.
The hot take
Women’s Polo
In an ideal world both men and women would compete openly and fairly in the same tournaments. Surely this would be the greatest form of equality you could hope to achieve. However, women’s polo, which is set out to only increase equality among men and women, seems to be doing the exact opposite of this, segregating the women from the mixed game, something which is only becoming more obvious as the popularity of the ladies game continues to grow. While I believe that this is true, I do still think that the ladies game is a necessary part of polo, it should just be part of the journey for a ladies polo player rather than the final destination. Being so popular, as well as boasting arguably better coverage and prizes than many of the mixed tournaments, more and more ladies players seem to be content playing the ladies high goal year after year. And honestly who can blame them, they’re being payed the same if not more than they would be for mixed games, benefiting from the perks ladies polo has to offer and have a more stable source of income than many of the male pro players. Unfortunately by staying in the ladies polo, which although it is handicapped to look like the high goal it’s closer to a 6-8 goal standard, they miss out on the learning that they could be doing by playing against higher and higher level players. I believe this is why so many ladies players appear to plato at 1,2 and 3 goals when the top ladies players throughout history such as Clare Tomlinson and Sunny Hale, have proven that plenty of women have what it takes to get into the mixed high goal on merit. Wether subconsciously, as the tournaments are branded as high goal, or simply because it is easier to make a living, many ladies players are failing to progress beyond ladies polo and really make an impact on the gender imbalance, and therefore equality within mixed polo. In my opinion, ladies polo should fill a similar role to the W series in motorsport, where it is situated towards the pinnacle of the sport so it still receives a good amount of attention and investment, but it is not the main attraction itself. Ladies polo should introduce more ladies players to the game, but its aim should be to improve them and then encourage them to enter the mixed game, rather than convince them to hang around. In their defence, many organisations such as the LPF do hold regular training sessions to help their members improve, but this is obviously not enough to see these women outgrow the ladies arm of the game. Instead of fancy prizes and polo holidays, perhaps ladies polo should invest in helping players towards the top of the ladies game break out and make it into the medium and high goal for mixed polo. Only then will polo really have a chance to become more equal.
Maths Department
We may have already answered the question of the force required to get a polo ball into orbit, and spoiler alert its quite a lot. Perhaps more achievable then would be getting the mallet head to break the sound barrier. But How fast would the ball then go? And what force would be required?
Speed of Ball
Force required
First we should find the momentum of the stick head. This is simply found by multiplying our speed, the speed of sound at ground level (343m/s), by the mass of the stick head, (approximately 230g) to give a momentum of 78.89kgm/s.
We should calculate the force required to accelerate the stick head from rest to the speed of sound to determine the likelihood of this speed ever being achieved. If we assume the swing is started from the bottom and a 52” mallet is use, we can calculate that the distance over which the mallet head is accelerated is 8.3m. We can then plug values for our SUVAT equations and find that we need an acceleration of 7087.3m s −2 . Using F=MA we can then calculate that the force this acceleration would require is 1630N. While this is much more achievable than the 20 million newtons required to get the ball into orbit (12270x more), it is still above and beyond what the human body is capable of. The current record for lifting one armed is around 400N of force, although this was with the arm bent rather than fully extended as in a polo swing.
If we then assume an elastic collision between the ball and mallet head, we can find the speed of the ball by dividing our momentum by the mass of the polo ball (130g). This gives us a speed of 606.846m/s which equates to roughly 1357 mph.
We can then equate this speed to a mach number by dividing the speed, 606m/s, by the speed of sound at ground level, 343m/s to give a value of approximately mach 1.7. While this value is lower than the given values of other supersonic objects such as concord (mach 2.02) our ball would actually travel at a similar speed to concord, but since the speed of sound decreases at altitude , it has a lower mach number.
P.S, These values will be a long way off since the assumptions have to be made to make the problem simpler. for example the polo cane is modelled as a light and inextensible string, and air resistance is counted as negligible. Basically, if you’re looking to catch concord with a polo ball, don't teach these values as gospel.
Errr
The weird world of‌
Goat polo
I’ll be the first to admit that this series has gotten a little predictable. So far all of the derived sports have essentially been polo, but played with more relaxed rules and on a handful of more exotic animals. Camel polo is polo on camels. Yak polo is polo on yaks. It only stands to reason then that goat polo, would essentially be polo but played on a goat. But that is where you would be so very wrong. Unlike the other forms of polo, the goat in question does not fill the role of the horse in regular polo, but instead the ball. Essentially the aim of the game is to transport said goat, which thankfully is pre deceased and headless, to the opponents goal/hole/flag. Opponents can wrestle the goat of each other, and while deliberately knocking another player of their horse is frowned on, almost anything goes to get control of the goat.
The remaining rules are few and far between, and are changed depending on the many variations of the game. One of the most common forms of the game however, which originated in Afghanistan (where it is still the national sport), sees two teams of players, typically made up of between 3 and 5 players fighting it out to get the goat into the opponents wring. This will often see the goat ripped limb from limb, as well as many falls, often not the ring, as players desperately leap from their horses to score a point. Despite being such a gruesome spectacle, goat polo, (also known as Buzkashi) commands a large following, with high level games being broadcast on TV, and successful players and horses becoming celebrities throughout central Asia.
News Bites Les Lions/ Great oaks win the Cartier Queens Cup
HPA issue helmet update allowing current helmets to be worn until 2024
HPA announces players who were not able to play in 2020 can keep their 2019 handicap for 2021
I would spend all day grooming, jumping, and hacking out
Isabella Twigg My Life in Horses Horses Nigretta - Aged eight, my mother thought it would be a good idea to loan a pony for the summer. We approached the local Polo Club where I was having riding lessons and was assigned to Nigretta. She was a 14.2hh polo pony, a dark bay with a wonderful temperament. I would spend all day grooming, jumping, and hacking out around the property, gaining my confidence. The following summer Nigretta and I attended a summer camp where, in groups, we had the chance to try an array of activities, polo being one of them. Instantly hooked, I asked to have a polo lesson and that was the start of my passion for the sport. Nigretta helped me learn the basics of the game and a summer later we did some pony club polo together. Melanese - Aged twelve, my parents bought me my first horse, Melanese. She is a 15.3hh, Polo pony who was rescued off a meat boat from Argentina by a Gaucho who saw potential in her. Although quite strong, I was initially sold on her ability as a great all-rounder. Her previous owner introduced her to jumping, flatwork, hacking, etc, and used her to teach others to ride. Upon getting to know everyone at the Polo yard where Melo is kept, it came to light that she had also been a fantastic Polo pony some six years before, belonging to another owner. I joined up as a member of the Polo club and started on bringing her back into Polo. It took her a season to settle down but she responded well and became a great calm and collected pony. I gained my confidence in polo with Melo and started playing tournaments, I gained a better understanding of the play, and owe most of my polo successes to her. Spam - Two seasons in, it became apparent that I was ready for another horse to enable me to fully take part in tournaments. We traveled around the country trying out various horses, which was quite a valuable lesson in itself, only to realise that the very horse we needed was right under our noses at the yard where Melo is kept. Spam is a 15.2hh, ex-racehorse, who retrained as a polo pony. Post his racing career, he has only ever known Polo. With such experience, he is wonderfully calm and sensible when playing, such a nice platform to hit off, and is super reliable on the pitch. I would have to say that he has definitely helped me improve my shot and overall skill of the game.
Izzy’s Horses
Nigretta
Melanese
Spam
Rated
With both A level and GCSE results being released this month, were inspired to follow a similar route and use our own complex algorithm (pulled letters out a scrabble bag) to definitively rate the derivative games of polo.
Goat Polo
D
Polo’s weird, quirky and a bit dark cousin. Goat polo certainly gets points for creativity by venturing of the traditional path of hitting a ball with a stick, but these are completely nullified by what it loses in being, plainly put, grim. Seeing a goat ripped to shreds just isn’t our cup of tea.
Water Polo
F
While it may be surprisingly popular, as far as we can see water polo has absolutely nothing to do with polo, which in our eyes makes it a rip off. In fact the sport is much closer to a mix between netball and football than polo at all. False advertising, and that gets you an F.
Segway Polo
B
The latest addition to the polo family. While at first glance it seems like a bit of a joke, Segway polo has a much bigger impact than you might think, boasting international competitions and a large amount of growth. And you can see why, it looks great fun.
F D A*
C
Polocrosse
C
While a mixture crossover between polo and lacrosse seems like a good idea on paper, I can confirm that it is too hard. The ball doesn’t want to get in the net when you want to pick it up, and won’t leave when you try and throw it. And all thats before you even try to catch or bounce the ball.
Arena Polo
B
While a great game for the winter months , and the variant most closely related to grass polo, the poor weather does bring its score down considerably. Unfortunately this is enough to bring its grade down to a solid B.
Polo
A
Fine, this system is almost certainly a little rigged, but we’re a polo magazine so honestly what did you expect? Its the original and the blueprint for what (almost) all of the other polo derived sports look like. Its fast, furious, and after hundreds of years of playing has as small but not insignificant following. Thats not to say polo doesn’t have its problems, but for being the first, and the one that I actually play it gets an A.
That time when
Polo was in the olympics
W
While many people long to see polo as an Olympic sport, aside from the occasional rumour, it has remained a pipe dream. As a result, it is hard to believe that once upon a time polo was a staple Olympic event. During the early to mid 20th century polo was represented a total of 5 times between 1900 and 1936.
1900 Polo made its debut in the second Olympics of the modern era after they were revived in 1896 in Athens. The second running of the event occurred the traditional 4 years later in 1900 in Paris. While this was Polo’s first foray onto the Olympic stage, it certainly didn’t fail to leave an impression, although for many of the wrong reasons. Capturing the traditional polo player levels of organisation, which are still present to this day, the event would kindly be called a “shambles” with players of the winning team not being aware of their win for years after the match, and debate over the true gold medalists continuing up to present day. The first issue was that while polo was accepted as an Olympic sport for the Paris games, none of the high goal tournaments held in Paris were officially declared 'the’ Olympic event until long after the event had happened. As a result there was a great deal of confusion in deciding which of the 7 high goal tournaments would be used in the Olympic classification. Eventually, the Olympic committee decided on using the ‘Grand Prix International d’Exposition’, the first tournament of the season, although no members of the International Olympic committee were actually present at the game, leading multiple different sources to site differing scores and team line ups for the games.
Capturing the traditional polo player levels of organisation, the event would kindly be called a “shambles�
Furthermore, despite it being an Olympic event, players would represent multiple teams, change sides or drop out of the tournament at random, making the teams very mixed and international. Only 2 of the 5 teams were considered to be national teams to start with, and after the mixing during the tournament it is doubtful that any of the teams truly made it through the tournament with players of a single nationality. After a knock out tournament Foxhunters (officially British, but also made up of at least 2 Americans took the crown defeating Rugby ( 3 British players and a Frenchman) 3-1 in the final.
polo appeared 1900, the first time the olympics.
1908 After the chaotic 1900 games polo returned to the Olympic s in 1908. The games were originally scheduled to take place in Rome but after a volcanic eruption in Italy, the games were relocated back to London, the site of the 1904 games, on short notice. Despite the rush, the 1908 games were much better organised and held at the Hurlingham Club. Unfortunately no traveling teams entered, with just 3 polo clubs entering teams from around England and Ireland. The Irish team secured their spot in the final by simply being the only non English team entered and were joined by the Roehampton team who defeated the home Hurlingham side. In the final Roehampton emerged victorious against the all Ireland team 8-1 while the Irish team and Hurlingham side were declared joint runners up. This was the only time a purely interclub tournament managed to find itself with Olympic distinction.
The victorious Argentine team at 1936 games in Berlin
1920 After another brief hiatus polo returned to the Olympics after WW1 in 1920. Despite being unwilling Belgium played host to the games as it was the only available host which had not been a willing part of the German war effort. Only 4 teams partook in the tournament, although for the first time there were purely national sides, with Belgium, Spain, America and Great Britain all sending teams to play. The Spanish and British teams made the final, with the Americans securing the bronze medal. Despite only being mounted on regimental ponies while the Spanish made
1908 Olympi poster
d in
t the
pics r
The winning Roehampton team in the 1908 games full use of their best polo ponies, the British side managed to secure the win by 13 goals to 11, ensuring the British were still
the only side to have won an Olympic recognised tournament. This was all about the change however in 1924.
1924 Despite winning just 4 years earlier, by the time the Olympics reached Paris in 1924, the British couldn’t even make the final, with the hotly tipped Americans and surprise of Argentina taking those spots, ahead of not only the British but also the French and Spanish. After trailing the Americans for almost the entire game, the Argentines secured the winning goal in the dying seconds of the last chukka to give Argentina the surprise gold medal. Upon
returning to Argentina, which was competing in its first Olympics, the teams were greeted as national hero’s and their exploits helped inspire many of the middle class to take up polo and made the game into a mainstream sport for the Argentineans. Furthermore, these players pioneered the passing style of play which grew to influence the Argentine style of play.
1936 The final appearance of polo in the Olympics was in 1936 in Berlin. Gripped by Nazi control both India and America refused to send their teams to compete. Despite many looking forward to a close final between the British and Americans after an exciting Westchester Cup, with the absence of the Americans and most of the best British players unable to travel, the tournament became an easy victory for the defending champions. Both Britain and Argentina defeated Mexico for a place in the final, with the Argentines easily taking
the win 11-0. Mexico secured bronze, beating Hungary who themselves defeated Germany. Despite not partaking in the Olympics the Americans did play the winning Argentines on home soil, where the same team which had secured gold in Berlin conclusively beat the Americans to prove that they were in fact the dominant nationality in global polo, something which is true right up until today.
The blame game
With this season been generously described as sub optimal, the HPA has found itself under fire for how it handled the coronavirus situation. But is this criticism fair?
Lets be honest, most people have had a pretty crap season. After enduring the winter months, many players will have been looking forward to nothing more than the beginning of the season. Unfortunately someone in China ate a bat, one thing led to another and by the time March and April rolled around we weren’t out on the polo fields, but locked down within our own homes. Definitely sub optimal.
The year rolled on, and although the high goal was able to belatedly run both the Queens cup and Gold cup, the majority of players were still not able to play until early August, mere weeks away from the traditional end of the season. This, understandably, annoyed many players who had been ready to play from the very start. And when people get angry they look for someone to blame. And blame they did, mostly directed squarely at the HPA.
One of the main criticisms directed at the HPA responds to the severity of the regulations imposed on players, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. Clubs were originally restricted to just 5 people on a pitch who were subject to social distancing measures. Soon chukkas were also permitted, although these featured new rules to maintain a safe distance between players and were limited to 3 players on each team. Although in principle these rule changes seem reasonable, many players were keen to point out that the sheer size of a polo field should outweigh any minuscule increase in the chances of contracting coronavirus from having a couple more players on a field. The point was made that if the same area of land was available in densely populated areas hundreds of people would have been allowed on the same area, begging the question why polo was limited to so few. Although I can certainly see this point, everyone knows that when playing, players are not evenly spread out on the field, instead they are (within reason) following the ball, riding in a cluster alongside other players. This meant that while the increase in the risk of transmission was only small by adding on the fourth players to both teams, it was no longer negligible like it would be if players were spread further apart. More pressingly for polo however, is that it needed to maintain a position which convinced both any members of the public and the government that it was taking the pandemic seriously, allowing it to open up polo more quickly when the national restrictions were finally relaxed.
Having air tight rules at the outset allowed polo to convince the government that they were capable of safely allowing more and more polo to go ahead without the danger of infections. This, while initially frustrating, is one of the key reasons why we have been able to get any kind of polo underway at all this season.
Unfortunately in many people’s eyes the HPA’s eagerness to keep the government and the public happy held back the process of returning the sport to tournament polo, claiming that without HPA affiliation many clubs would have been able to play months before. Although technically this is true, it would also have been illegal under the governments coronavirus guidelines, as at the time people were still not allowed to meet in groups of greater than 6 people and were meant to keep a 2 meter distance at all times. Nobody surely could have expected the HPA’s advice to openly contradict what was coming from the government without consulting them beforehand.
Despite these setbacks progress was fairly quick when compared to other sports. Seizing the ‘elite player’ opportunity, the HPA were able to get the high goal and all tournaments at an 8 goal level and above running well before many other sports, bar football were allowed to kick off. This is especially impressive when you consider that technically patrons, who are present at all levels of polo, wouldn’t fall under the governments initial definition of an ‘elite sportsperson’. Unfortunately, while this pleased many players who were released from chukkas to play in the 8 goal and above, the remaining players felt harshly treated. Many felt that while some of the players justified their elite status, some players, and patrons in particular, were just buying their way in when they were no better than some people who were left out. This is certainly a fair criticism, but honestly this is the way it has always been. The pro/patron model that polo has been based on for so many years is by its very nature unfair, and all the coronavirus situation has done is amplify this situation. This is very unfair, but without the entire landscape of polo changing, this is not something that can be changed in the short term. While it will certainly anger a large proportion of people, it is surely better to allow a portion of the players to play tournament polo if that is all that possible. Im sure that if it had been possible for the HPA to secure more levels they would have done.
Eventually the rest of polo was opened up in early August, which it must be noted is still well before many other sports, including similar sports such as polocrosse. While many claimed that the progress to get to this point had been slow, the HPA had been constantly updating and changing their regulations to ensure they were constantly at the forefront of what was currently deemed acceptable by the governments regulations. Unfortunately this led to a very messy system with regular updates and changes to the procedures that both clubs and players were expected too follow. These got to the point where they were nigh on impossible to follow. Even clubs and players who religiously followed the updates got lost in the constant contradictions and changes from one moment to the next. While the system did certainly get overcomplicated a large proportion of the blame can be handed to the government, as the HPA’s regulations only changed in line with the governments advice.
Overall, while the HPA has certainly not handled the situation perfectly, they have done a fairly good job given the circumstances. There have been mis steps, such as when the HPA nearly jumped the gun in allowing the high goal to start, but in reality they seem to have done a much better job than most people would have expected many months ago. They have managed to get fully up and running before many other sports with much larger governing bodies. This is a feat which is only made more impressive when you consider that for a large portion of lockdown the HPA were running on just 2 members of staff as others had had to be furloughed to cut costs.
So in conclusions, the HPA have not done a perfect job, but they have done pretty well within their restrictions as well. You quickly learn that you simply cannot keep everyone happy, but the sheer flack that the HPA is reviving from all angles is surely not deserved.
The HPA have done well to get any polo this season
Why Bother with arena polo?
T Definitely not based on a real situation
The temperature is south of freezing point. Untacking is nigh on impossible as not only can you not feel your fingers due to the biting cold, but you can’t see them either since the sun just didn’t fancy making an appearance today. Unable to see the end of the tape you fumble for your phone to use its torch. No use however, the rain has rendered the touchscreen unresponsive to the stumps you used to know as fingers. Its at this exact point you find yourself wondering,
“why the **** am I here?”
Right now you could be playing in Spain, America or even Argentina. “I bet its sunny over there” you think. You picture yourself gliding over the pristine grounds at IPC or Palermo, tapping the ball on the end of your mallet, not a care in the world. Then you are suddenly awoken from your little daydream as your, now impatient, horse body checks you while attempting to turn its arse into the oncoming rain.
Why bother with arena Polo?
Why bother with arena Polo? As you come to your senses, you are suddenly slapped by the realisation that you are not a multi millionaire (unless you are, in which case feel free to go abroad and please take me with you), and therefore can simply not afford to live out this fantasy lifestyle. That only leaves one option if you’re going to get your polo fix for the next 6 months, and while it might not seem like a great idea on a freezing January night, arena polo is actually a pretty good option. Sure, in terms of glamour, arena polo simply cannot hold a match to grass polo (mostly because if it did have a match it would quickly be extinguished by the howling wind and rain). But for the mere mortals among us, the ones who actually have jobs, or commitments at home and can’t simply chase the sun around the globe looking for tournaments to enter, arena polo can actually provide a reasonable compromise during the winter months, and this season may just be your best chance to give it a shot. While people love to share horror stories about arena polo (guilty) the reality is often much more acceptable. While there is no doubt that on occasion (read - pretty much all winter) it is a tad chilly (approaching absolute zero), once your fixed up with a skin and a good set of polo gloves you’ll barely notice the temperature when your warmed up out in the arena. With this season really only just getting going, weeks away from what would normally be the end of the season, many people will be keen to extend their season as much as possible, just so they can get their money’s worth from bringing their horses back into work. While many clubs and players will be keen to continue on grass for as long as possible, by mid September to early October the British weather will have dashed any more hopes of playing outdoors. While the arena game is fundamentally different from grass polo in many ways, the key skills and equipment is the same, and it
arena polo is actually a pretty good option can, with time, even improve how you play outdoors. With all the players squashed onto a much smaller field the arena game encourages quick thinking and decisiveness, as the ball constantly bounces off the walls and horses, while the opposition are never far away. The larger, heavier arena balls also make sure players cannot get into bad habits when tapping the ball. Outdoors many players find they can drag the ball with their sticks, where as in the arena the ball must obviously be hit at, as otherwise it will grip the stick, causing the player to miss. All of these improve the skills of players, allowing them to be better next time they venture back on grass. Furthermore, all this is essentially free. Sure you will have to join an arena club, but arena memberships are commonly much cheaper than outdoor polo anyway. As for HPA membership, arena membership is now included within your annual HPA membership. You simply have to register on the HPA’s website and you are set to play. With more players than ever before incentivised to get into arena polo, why not take the leap yourself and try and salvage some polo from 2020? With free memberships and horses which are likely still good for a few more months, what do you have to lose?
Arena Rules While many of the rules are carried over from grass polo, a few key alterations have to be made to allow it to be played in a much closer quarters. Chief among these rule changes is the absence if turning fouls. Since players cannot reach the same speeds as outdoors it is not deemed dangerous for the player with there ball to turn wherever they want. As a result turning, especially to the right, has become a staple of the arena game. Other than that, key variations from the grass game come in the form of having 2 fewer players on the field, as each team is now made up of three players as opposed to four, as well as the continuous play rule, where the conceding team takes the ball and restarts play any time after the goal is scored, and from wherever the ball comes to rest.
Why bother with arena Polo?
National
4 Goal Cheshire Polo club
All photos by Nigel Pugh
F
Four teams entered the national 4 goal at Cheshire Polo Club, part of the 4 goal Victor Ludorum series. Saturday saw two semi finals take place on ground three with the winners advancing to the final on Sunday. The first game of the day was between White Hall and Trident. After a timid first chukka where neither team managed to score, Trident soon found their stride and began dominating the game and scoreboard. By the time the final bell rang the score stood at 5-1 in Trident’s favour, booking themselves a spot in Sunday’s final. The second semi final was between the well established A.W Jenkinson side and G.Bastile properties. Being only three goals G.Bastile started with a half goal advantage, and made the most of the early chukkas to open up a slim advantage over Jenkinson. Jenkinson retaliated in the second half however, and managed to overcome G.Bastile properties’ lead and secure the win. Play continued on a wet and miserable Sunday, with the final being the first game of the day. Despite the rain overnight the game began in the dry. The first
The first chukka was fast and hard fought by both teams
chukka was fast and hard fought by both teams and ended with both teams managing to secure just a single goal. Play continued into the second chukka, however after barley a minute of play the heavens opened, drenching the players. The speed of the game disappeared with the sun as the game became increasingly choppy and foul ridden. Jenkinson managed to secure a 1 goal lead into half time, a margin they would retain for the majority of the game, quickly retaliating with a goal every time Trident levelled the score. The final chukka began 3-2 in Jenkinsons favour, however Trident soon levelled the score to put themselves within touch of the win. Once again however Christian Chaves responded by converting a 60 yard penalty to put his team back in the lead. He would get another 60 and a chance to seal the game minutes later, but a near miss left the game open for Trident to come back. It wasn't to be however, as Jenkinson managed to keep them at bay and run out the clock to win by a single goal. In the subsidiary final, G.Bastile Properties took the win 5,1/2 - 1, while Lenny Cunningham received a 'bravest player' award for continuing to play after being hit by not one, but two balls, one in the hand and the other on the chin.
A.W. Jenkinson - Katie Jenkinson (0), Harrison Patrick (-1), Henry Smith (2), Christian Chaves (3) Trident - Don Gibbs (-1), Matin Brooks (0), Will Paddern (2), Jonny Coddington (3) G.Bastile Properties - Guido Bastile (-1), Lord Milo Manton (0), Jamie Thomas (1), Ben Malasomma (3) White Hall - Connor Kay (1), Richard Clark (1), Lucy Coddington (1), Lenny Cunningham (1)
White Waltham Polo Club
Help for Heroes: Howard, Sarah, Dominic, Tariq Telemark: Tele, Bilal, Georgina, Alex
O
n Saturday 22nd August the final between Telemark and Help for Heroes played for the Help for Heroes Challenge Cup which is played every year at White Waltham Polo Club, (usually the same weekend as trooping the colour). All the prizes where bought by White Waltham Polo Club from the Help the Heroes shop, including the H4H team shirts. The score was even all the way through until the last 60 seconds when two goals where scored in succession by Telemark.
On Sunday 23rd August the FINAL between Maple Leafs and Cedar Polo Teams played for the Canada Bear Trophy usually played on Canada Day (July 1st). A really close match with invincible marking from both teams bringing the final score of 5 1/2 to 6, the trophy was presented to the captain of Cedar Polo Team, Bilal Shaykh. Alex Hayman-Joyce has previously played with the army and James Nicholson played his way through the pony club and junior HPA as a child and both now enjoy playing competitive polo at White Waltham Polo Club.
MAPLE LEAF: Sarah, Howard, Dominic , Alex CEDAR: Bilal, Tele, Tariq, James
YOU may be DOING IT all WRONG! Glute Bridges India, founder of Chukka Wellness has been a Personal Trainer for 7 years and regularly encounters people in the gym performing exercises incorrectly. This can inhibit not only progression in training but also increase the risk of injury later on in life. Over the past couple of months, Chukka Wellness has been providing coaching points on common exercises that are usually found in the standard training program and that can easily be performed incorrectly. So far, we have focused on the Lunge, Push up and Plank technique! This month we will be discussing the Glute Bridge as it is essential to have a strong posterior chain for polo in order to reduce the risk of back pain and gain more control in the saddle.
How to Perform the Perfect Glute Bridge The main muscle groups used in the Glute Bridge are the glutes (obviously), core and hamstrings. These muscles are all engaged during ride offs and hooks when you need to lean away from the horse or stand up out of the saddle.
Common Mistakes • • • • •
Over-extension of the lower back Core is not engaged The movement is not performed in a controlled manner Feet are placed too far away from the hips Knees ‘wobble’ during the movement
If you struggle to get fit for polo or have the desire to become a more effective and stronger player; Chukka Wellness have just launched their VIRTUAL EQUINE HUB which is an online resource designed to help riders become fitter and stronger athletes. The mobile-friendly hub is full of polo-specific home workouts, stretching & mobility routines as well as nutritional aids. Each member also receives a monthly guide to help them stay on track with their fitness journey! ** There is currently a 30% Off introductory offer ** Visit www.chukkawellness.co.uk for more information
*If you struggle with lower back pain, don’t take the hips too high – just enough to feel the glutes contract.
Now let’s run through the correct coaching points 1. Start on your back with your feet hip width apart and half a foot away from your hips. Ensure your knees are in line with your ankles at all times. 2. Engage your core and slowly lift the hips upwards, rolling the spine up one vertebra at a time. 3. Squeeze your hamstrings and glutes as you bring the hips up – stop just before over-extension of the lower back. 4. Pause at the top and then slowly roll the spine back down. 5. The hips should be the last thing to touch the ground.
6. Exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down.
Competitive? To monitor progression, see how long you can hold the top of the glute bridge for. Re-test every 4 weeks! You can also start to add dumbbells or a barbell into the exercise by resting them on your hip bones for added resistance.
La Low Goal Shop Available at lalowgoal.co.uk
by low goal for low goal
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