September
Ignacio Llorente Why polo must be played as a team
OKL Equestrian 2 RJ Polo Intro tournaments
Suffolk Polo Club Peachy Polo win the Raging Bull Plate.
Ed Morris La Low Goal Introduces
Solidaire Salver 4 goal Big Dog Bandits take home the trophy
Opinion Article
HPA Handicap Changes Controversy.
Looking for Contributors Could you write us an article? Tell us about yourself, your horses, your club, etc and get featured!
This Month‌ Ignacio Fernåndez Llorente:Why polo needs to be played as a team
Welcome Perhaps it was a mistake. Forming a brand new polo magazine about low goal polo in the U.K, just as the U.K season draws to a close was perhaps not the wisest of choices, which is why I have to give so much thanks to our generous contributors, who without, we wouldn't be able to bring you this magazine. We owe everything to those who were trusting enough to attach their name to the as yet unproven document you find yourself reading now. And the other group of people I would like to take the time to thank is yourself, the readers. Without readers there is no magazine. Simple as that. Please continue to read and learn from our host of amazing contributors, from up and coming players like Annabelle Kelly and Ed Morris, to renowned Polo coach and umpire Ignacio Fernandez. Please help us grow and expand by sharing our content across the polo community and get involved with the magazine by following us on Instagram and Facebook, telling us your views and opinions and writing articles to get featured. Enjoy the issue. Connor Kay (editor)
HPA handicaps controversy: Page 7
OKL Equestrian: 2 more RJ Intro tournaments held at Beaufort
Suffolk Polo Club Peachy Polo take home the Raging Bull Plate
In this Issue A look at the controversial end of season handicap changes.
Ed Morris talks to us about The Big Dog Bandits his difficult introduction to take home the Solitaire Salver 4 polo. goal.
La Low Goal Introduces:Ed Morris
Suffolk P
Polo Club
September marks the end of our season at the Suffolk Polo Club, and with that, came our Finale tournament, the Raging Bull, held on the 1st and 2nd of September with a celebratory party on the Saturday night. Gally's Farm, Hare Park, Cambridge Neurotech and Peachy Polo fought it out to win the Raging Bull Plate with over 30 goals scored over the two days. Peachy Polo came out victorious, with Jellybean owned by Rosemary Hoskins from the Hare Park team winning the Best Playing Pony of the weekend, kindly sponsored by Lycett's Insurance and Newmarket Stablecare. A great time was had by all on the Rodeo Bull and other entertainments, the Classic
Cars that attended and the ever-delicious Musk's Sausages that were also awarded as prizes alongside some fizz kindly donated by Corney & Barrow.
“Peachy Polo came out victorious�
WHY POLO SHOULD BE PLAYED AS A
TEAM
Ignacio Fernández Llorente (POLO IN) I take this opportunity to talk about elementary issues that must always be kept in mind while playing polo. There are many times when I see professionals play individually and not involve their teammates in the match. These professional players basically may have a little more skill, but above all, many more hours of training. Some professional players seem to have amnesia and forget the handicaps of the other members of their team, and demand equal skill from all the players, when they should only ask the best of what the others can give. This is a discussion topic that I have had with many players. A player who clearly plays better than his teammate, has no right to insult, nor to make their teammates feel inferior. In the 4 player team, the best player is commonly the leader, and it should be their role to make the remaining team members contribute to the best of their ability. To achieve the teams best performance it’s necessary for every player to contribute, and it’s equally important that the performance of the leader makes his teammates contribute for the team more than if they played individually. It is necessary to have leaders who are concerned for their colleagues in order to obtain a good team performance. Nowadays, many professionals prefer not to teach their teammates because “in one tournament they play on my team, and in another they're a rival" This is a big problem within polo. We must seek to repeat teams and get leaders to play as a team, where the 4 win or lose together, that are generous in teaching, and humble when they need help from their peers. On the other hand, any player, even if he has a low handicap, can contribute his bit to the team and therefore continue to improve and play with enthusiasm. If there is a team spirit, I am sure that your performance will be better than you imagine.
Polo is played in the 4 man format at the highest levels in Argentina
El Romanso displayed how well the 4 man polo team format can work by winning the British Gold Cup 2018
End of Season:
Handicap Changes The 2018 End Of Season handicap changes are out, and its fair to say they've not been received very well. New guidelines have been imposed by the HPA which outline what qualifies for a -2,-1 and 0 goal player, which are as follows: A –2 goal player may play in tournaments up to 6 goals and a club may award a –2 handicap to a playing member once they have passed the rules test and are considered safe. The club must inform the HPA in writing that their member has been raised to – 2. A –1 goal player may play in any tournaments up to 12 goals for which he is eligible. A player should be raised to -1 once they have become an established and playing member of the club. · A 0 goal player may play in any tournaments, including High Goal, for which he is eligible. A player should be raised to 0 once they are safe to play 8 goal or above and have achieved success in tournaments
As you can see these new guidelines are vague to say the least, and as a result have been left open to interpretation by the clubs themselves. The only main point of agreement between everyone being, the current guidelines demand less from a player to receive a handicap increase than the outgoing set of guidelines. The old rules stated a 0 goal player had to rarely foul, be a competent hitter of the ball on both sides of the horse, forehands as well as backhands, as well as displaying good horse control at speed. Both the ability to dribble and turn the ball were required to become a 0 goaler. As a result of the changes large numbers of -1s have found themselves raised to 0 goal for the 2019 season, 38.9% of all -1s in fact. This year 164 -1s had their handicap increased compared to only 41 in 2017. The HPA have suggested these changes to the handicaps as it was seen that there were large numbers of players who had been playing for more than one year but the handicaps were suggesting that they were not improving in ability. The same went for -2's moving up to the -1 handicap. Some people had been playing for many years and were maintaining their -1 handicap and it was suggested that there may be people that were being artificially held down to give them an advantage. There will always be discussions around an individuals handicaps but the HPA claim they are introducing these guidelines to try and make the handicap issue fairer and to prevent a "bottleneck" forming in the -1 bracket. From initial thoughts is appears that the changes may not actually resolve this issue but in effect just move the bottleneck up to 0 as the guidelines to be a 1 goaler have not changed, so lower level people are now finding themselves at 0 and therefore struggling with the jump to 1. Many are suggesting that the large scale handicap increases are instead down to a financial objective after the HPA introduced a tiered membership fee platform. Prices for annual membership depending on a players handicap. However after further research it has emerged that both -1s and 0 goalers are charged ÂŁ180 annually, dispelling this myth. The vague wording of the rules has also caused yet another issue. With so much of the decision making process being left up to the individual club's interpretation of the
new guidelines, a vast array of different levelled (ability) players have found themselves in the 0 goal bracket. This has of course led to disagreements over individuals handicaps because as we all know, it is better to be a good player off a low handicap than moving up and being an average player off a higher handicap, as you are likely to receive more games. For individuals in this situation the opportunity to challenge the handicap decisions has been offered by the HPA, and a meeting to discuss the appeals will be held in early October.
Th
he Solitaire Salver 2018
As the Autumnal weather sets in and the leaves begin to turn from resplendant green to warm ochre, the penultimate tournament of the season took place with a plethora of teams partaking in this popular 4 goal. The first of the games featured Tamac and Ice Lolly’s; the former would dominate the score board in the first half, but the Ice Lolly’s kept them within touching distance on a score of 3 – 2 ½ at the tread in. However, as Tamac turned up the heat in the second half the Ice Lolly’s melted under pressure to lose 5 goals to 3 ½. Tamac could not follow up their initial success when facing Virgo Stone on the Friday on 3 Cornered ground. It was level pegging – 3 all – at the half time whistle, but Virgo Stone put their nose in front in the third chukka (4 -3) and then followed through for a decisive victory of 6 – 4. The second game of Friday would pitch X Country Clinics against Redex; the former holding clear authority at half time leading 4 goals to 2. Redex tried to respond in the second half, but it was too little too late as they found themselves short by 2, also finishing on 6 – 4. The debut game for Big Dog Bandits would make clear their intentions for the tournament; they got off to a spectacular start, notching up six successive goals in the first chukka, with Redex unable to retaliate. Redex did manage to steady the onslaught in the lead up to the tread in, claiming two goals and conceding two; then adding a third in the following chukka. The final chukka would see fast-
paced play and a flurry of goals for either team, but ultimately the Big Dog Bandits claimed a conclusive victory of 10 goals to 5. Tuesday 4th September would see another landslide success for the Big Dog Bandits as they dominated the play, rarely giving X Country Clinics a chance. The former had a significant advantage of 5 goals to 1 at the end of chukka two, before going in for the kill in the second half, with some quick and skilful play. The scoreboard showed 10 goals to 2 ½ at the final bell. Next to take to Roadside would be Shibumi and Red Dogs, with the former getting off to a good start to claim two goals to none in the opening chukka. Shibumi continued to have the edge over their rivals, but the Red Dogs kept them within sight to go into half time just behind on a score of 3 -2. However, Shibumi asserted their authority in the second half, continuing to ease ahead to a win of 7 goals to 2, as Red Dogs were left licking their wounds. Virgo Stone and Ice Lolly’s seemed relatively evenly matched in the first chukka, but as Virgo Stone began to pull ahead in the second. However, an unfortunate accident in this chukka sadly left Lolly’s Charlie Hitchman unable to continue and with the need for a precautionary ambulance the Ice Lolly’s had to opt to forfeit the game. In the second match, Shibumi claimed another scalp in the form of Tomlinson Equine. They eased ahead in the first half for a score of 3 goals to 1 by half time and then continued their dominance, never allowing Tomlinson Equine to take the reins. The final score being 6 goals to 3 in favour of Shibumi. A close game between Tomlinson Equine and Red Dogs would follow on Thursday 6th, with the result seemingly unpredictable throughout. Tomlinson Equine got proceedings underway to claim the opening two goals in the first chukka, but Red Dogs defended well in the second and were only just denied their chances at goal for a half time of score of 2 – 1/2 . They would eventually convert their efforts to two goals of their own as Tomlinson Equine added a third, before a close finish with Red Dogs winning by a whisker of 4 ½ – 4. X Country Clinics and Ice Lolly’s were first up to play on Friday 7th; the former dominating throughout. It was 3-1 in the favour of X Country Clinics at half time and they continued their assault on the Ice Lolly’s goal with surgical precision to ensure a successful operation and a final score of 6 -2. There was very little
to split Shibumi and Virgo Stone in a hot contest on the Swinhay No.1 ground. Shibumi would just have the upper hand at the end of the opening chukka, but their opponents turned the tables by the tread in to lead 5 – 4. It was all to play for going in to the fourth as both teams lay claim to 6 goals; however, despite a valiant effort from Shibumi, Virgo Stone would claim victory by 9 goals to 8. Tamac seemed to keep the leash on the Big Dog Bandits in the first chukka, only allowing them a two-goal lead; but, the second chukka saw them escape the defensive efforts of Tamac to score endto-end goals in ferocious style to lead 5 – 2. It was all Tamac could do to fend off the attack, claiming two goals, matched by Big Dog Bandits adding the same to their tally. As the game drew to a close the score board showed 7 goals to 4 in favour of the Big Dog Bandits. Having battled their way to a position in the finals the Big Dog Bandits and Virgo Stone took to Swinhay No. 1 Ground in the hunt for victory; spectated by a large and enthusiastic crowd attending the annual Hospitality Action Polo Day. It would be a fierce and fast-paced contest, neither team going down without a fight and treating the crowd to some excellent play. A 60-yard penalty in favour of Virgo Stone allowed Mikey Howe to start proceedings in front; but following a wide penalty the Big Dog Bandits quickly levelled courtesy of Ed Walker. They continued their persistent assault, but were denied another goal, Ben Wilson preventing them from scoring by a hair’s breadth. Mikey Howe then stole the ball to neatly chip it through, just inside the far post. The Big Dog Bandits kept the pressure up, with Olivia Lamphee being very efficient at keeping Ben Wilson out of the game, but yet again Mikey Howe added to Virgo Stone’s tally. Luke Wiles capitalised on a penalty to keep the Big Dog Bandits in touch, but the ever-tenacious Howe would take the ball from the throw in to goal for Virgo Stone to finish the first half with a comfortable lead of 4 -2. Big Dog Bandits started the second half with fierce intent, making valuable use of a penalty from half way
allowing Wiles to score and edge closer to Virgo Stone, before levelling – 4 all- at the close of the third chukka. It was all to play for going into the final chukka, but Big Dog Bandits would dominate this dog fight. Wiles claimed another goal, followed by a superb team goal – a back hand from Lamphee to Walker, who then set it up for Wiles to finish. Mikey Howe tried to keep Virgo Stone in contention, but despite adding a fifth to their tally another penalty successfully utilised by Wiles would seal their defeat and see Big Dog Bandits emerge the victors 7 – 5 on the Whatley Manor Scoreboard. The Big Dog Bandits were presented with the Solitaire Salver by Nick Matthews, in the marquee and both teams received prizes kindly provide by Husk. The subsidiary final consisted of a round-robin of three games between X Country Clinics, Red Dogs and Redex – each match consisting of two chukkas. X Country Clinics and Red Dogs started proceedings, the latter dominating throughout to win 4 -1 and the former going on to play Redex. Redex shadowed X Country Clinics throughout and despite playing with verve and enthusiasm – including a stylish tumble from Greg Dudd in front of the marquee, much to the amusement of onlookers – they would concede defeat. Spectators were then seeing red as Redex took on the Red Dogs for the concluding round to decide the final placings. Despite claiming the opening goal in a close contest, Redex would once again fall short of winning – the final score 2 -1 in favour of Red Dogs. The final placings were as follows; third went to Red Dogs, fourth place to X Country Clinics and fifth place to Redex. Prizes were generously provided by Husk and presented by Ali Foster in front of the Club House.
Hi. My name is Ed Morris. I started playing polo mid season in 2016 and progressed to chukkas the following season. I have played as much as I can since then on and off the horse. Before I discovered polo I was in quite a bad place confidence wise. I have dyslexia and it was a wall of frustration. Also, although people think I’m really brave now, when I was five my brother broke his leg severely at Pony Club camp. I couldn’t ride anymore because my pony was too old and mum was too busy with my brother. When I did get the chance to ride again, all I could think about was breaking my leg. I’d lost my confidence but found it hard to admit it, so just pretended I’d lost interest in horses. In reality it was eating into me, because that’s what I wanted to do. Instead I threw myself into breeding chickens. I once hatched off forty at once and that was a bit much! Especially as they were in the house! If you want to know a Silkie from an Orpington I’m your man.
Ed
Alexan
Out of the blue when I was twelve, I decided to go to a group polo lesson organised by my school. I didn’t even know what it was. Only that it involved a horse and some kind of ball. The moment I got on a 14 hand white mare called Papita I knew I’d found my sweet spot. I couldn’t stop grinning. I was ecstatic – this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life! I immediately set about training my brother’s 12.2 Irish pony, Freddie. He had a mouth of iron and it took months to teach him to neck rein. I bought a 42 inch mallet and although stopping him was out of the question, I could still practice. I mowed a little paddock so I had somewhere to practice. I used to get up at 5.30 a.m. to train before school and then at five pm with a torch on my head to do more. Freddie didn’t know what had hit him, excuse the pun! Now I have more ponies they don’t have to do that much work!
nder Morris
In the 2017 season, I played my first big tournament (2 goal) I was starting to collect some nice ponies. Vanessa, Romeo and the infamous little grey, Clarita. She is a Spanish thoroughbred. She doesn’t quite reach 14.1 hands, but don’t let her size fool you. She is an absolute machine on the field, definitely my fastest horse. I first saw her grazing at Leadenham polo club, soon after she had been imported. It was love at first sight. I just knew she was special. Although it’s not been easy. That first season she used to shake her head manically every time I touched her mouth and half way through a chukka she would sometimes try to throw herself on the ground. I had my work cut out. I turned a corner after just spending hours sitting in her field or the stable trying to win her trust. Now we have a special bond and on days when I don’t have the time to tack her up, I will just put a head collar on and stick and ball her bareback. It’s an amazing feeling being able to stop a pony in just a head collar. (unlike Freddie!)
That’s just put in my mind my very first pony passed down from my brother. She was a chestnut eleven hand mare called Tiff. At my first Pony Club rally, I demanded mum take me off the lead rein, I was only four. The trouble was, Tiff was renowned for being stubborn. She wouldn’t budge when I wanted
to turn around. So I did the obvious thing – I got off and pushed her round like you would a trailer, and then got back on again. I say got back on, but I used to put my knee in the stirrup leather and heave myself up. I don’t think it was in the Pony Club rules!
Anyway, back to my second season playing tournaments. Up to the beginning of 2018 I had played at Leadenham, Toulston and Rutland. Now I found myself making three hour trips to the south twice a week to play in tournaments for HPA Rock Savage and Pony Club polo, followed by the HPA Colts Cup. It was a whole different ball game. I really enjoyed seeing different clubs like Dallas Burston and the Dubai ground. The heatwave meant we had to really look after the ponies and constantly give them water at motorway services. We used to set off at four in the morning, dad driving, and mum there as groom. One of my horses Vanessa started to buck in the lorry which was interesting!
Cowdray was the definite highpoint. I made some good mates over the four days I was based there. The pace was really fast, particularly in the Colt’s Cup on the fifth day. My horses felt tired and I had to nurse them through. It was still an amazing experience. Not so good though when we were stranded with no stabling after the Pony Club tournament with a broken down lorry. We had to hack the horses to a livery polo yard we managed to contact, but we got hopelessly lost, and ended up covering twenty miles of steep hills. The horses were hot and exhausted on what should have been their rest day. No wonder they weren’t quite on form!
I have just bought an ex racehorse as a project to train over the winter and recently was moved up to a 1 goal handicap. Next season, I would like to spend the summer down south at a pro’s yard, and hopefully in the future, play in the high goal and go pro.
My advice for anyone wanting to get better would be to just train as much as you can. When you don’t have a pony to ride, just get your foot mallet out and keep practicing your shots, or from a bike. Last winter I used to go out in the long wet grass after school and stick and ball with a foot mallet for at least an hour a night. I’ll be doing the same this winter.
This season has been quite tough with freaky injuries and massive vet bills. I felt I was jinxed at one point. And when Clarita fell off the back of the lorry, I thought it couldn’t get much worse. Now they are all in separate fields and are bubble wrapped and on the mend to come out fighting strong next season.
One thing Polo has taught me is to be resilient. Keep believing you can get there. It’s a hard slog, with highs and lows, but when you get on a run and take the ball up the pitch, it’s like nothing on earth. It’s totally insane.
OKL Equestrian
OKL Equestrian enjoyed hosting two more ‘RJ Polo Intro Tournaments’ in September to round off the season. These tournaments are based on being 0 goal teams and open to anyone including children and first timers. They are played in a competitive but friendly spirit on some of Beaufort’s most spectacular grounds. We also include a professional umpire so as and when there are fouls and penalties the clock is stopped and they can be fully explained with the focus being on player development and understanding of the game.
In the first final on Sunday 9th Sept Bowmore Asset Management ran out the winners with a score of 5-2 against OKL Equestrian. Tamsin Ferguson excelled herself to win MVP and a special mention to Hannah Van Biljon must be given for her impressive improvement this season. Teams were;
Bowmore Asset Management Lolly Stanhope White Hayley Hyde Andrews Tamsin Ferguson Siena Burnett
OKL Equestrian Ariel Lugo Hannah Van Billon Sol Green Olivia Lamphee
In the second final on the 15th September OKL Equestrian took the lead over Pinckney’s 3-2 with a last minute goal by Hayley Hyde Andrews. Hayley also scored again in the prize giving scooping the MVP Prize. Teams were; OKL Equestrian Ariel Lugo Sol Green Hayley Hyde Andrews Henry Jodrell/ Niul Wood Pinckney’s Mhairi Gould Lisa Smith Marcus Speed Hannah Van Biljon
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This Months Contributors: • • • • •
Beaufort Polo Club Ed Morris Ignacio Fernandez Llorente Suffolk Polo Club OKL Equestrian
Editor: •Connor Kay
Thank you for reading this issue of La Low Goal Magazine. I sincerity hope you enjoyed the issue. Please continue to look out for our content on issuu.com, Facebook and Instagram. If you have any comments, advice, opinions or articles please get in touch via our social media or by email at clarehamilton311@icloud.com. A massive thanks to our generous contributors producing content for the magazine, please go and look for their other content on various social media. Also a special thanks to Beaufort Polo Club for their continued support in allowing us to use their articles and supplying fantastic images to accompany them.
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