Inspired Arena Polo Masters

from Polo Times February 2022

Passions: Robert Strom

Arbers’ Astra Achieve Arena Award

The Inspired Arena Polo Masters is the brainchild of AEPC chairman John Bunn and Peter Davies, MD of Inspired Essential Entertainment. As well as two days of polo, it was a hugely social occasion with a Champagne reception and dinner in Hickstead’s Beethoven Suite on Friday 7 January, a weekend stay in the Exclusive Hotel Group’s five-star South Lodge Luxury Spa including a delicious dinner for sponsors, players and their families on the Saturday night, plus a Sunday roast at the polo clubhouse to round off the weekend. “It is a wonderfully unique tournament weekend, where the aim is to have 12 like-minded players spending a weekend together as a truly social occasion,” explained Bunn, “We wanted to reintroduce much needed camaraderie that can be missing in polo these days, as everyone’s lives have just got so busy. If only all polo tournaments could be like this!”

After a nervous wait for an update on COVID protocols from Boris Johnson, the

Ana Escobedo in hot pursuit of the ball

The Final was closely fought in the Hickstead Arena

fifth Inspired Arena Polo Masters finally got the green light to go ahead, having missed last year’s fixture due to the pandemic.

Four well-matched teams took to the arena to battle it out for this year’s trophy. Simon Arber returned with his son Joe and professional Tom Morley for Astra; Ana Escobedo, arena specialist Jonny Good and Guards Polo Academy’s Ebe Sievwright made up Inspired; and organiser Bunn’s 2020 winning team Playnation returned with Hickstead Polo Manager Niall Donnelly and Charlie Wooldridge of 12 Oaks fame – all three teams have played every year since the tournament’s inception. This year saw a new team join the fold with Welsh Captain Ricky Cooper, professional Jack Hyde and Royston Prisk playing for Bell Fruits Games.

Saturday’s games were slightly dampened by somewhat biblical rain, but Hickstead’s arena held up well and all games were completed on schedule. The first game ended with a convincing victory for Astra against Bell Fruits Games, while the second was a much tighter affair with the lead changing hands regularly throughout, before Inspired made it into the Final 14-13.

Sunday saw the Sussex sun return, and the action kicked off with the Subsidiary Final between Playnation and Bell Fruit Games – Bunn’s team were the eventual winners after a fast-flowing game with both teams scoring freely.

The Final started a little cautiously, with both teams testing each other, but it soon went up a gear in the third minute, with Good clearing the ball out of defence with a strong header after which he then charged up the arena forcing a penalty goal in favour of Inspired. After the pony change, it was Morley’s turn to showcase some outstanding play as he ran the ball end to end with the first goal for Simon Arber’s team. Just before the chukka bell, Good scored a great back hander, leaving the scores even going into the second chukka.

The match then exploded into life with outstanding play by both teams. Good scored early in the second chukka to put Escobedo’s team back in the lead, but with some great team play from Joe Arber and Morley, the scores were quickly back level. A couple of quick goals on the rebound led to the first half finishing with a great back hand by Good and a lead of 5-4.

The third chukka saw Good missing a two pointer by mere millimetres, and the father and son Arber combo produced five goals in two minutes, both nailing two pointers. Escobedo produced a two pointer of her own to take the score to 14-11, but with Joe Arber playing a fantastic game and Morley delivering a 60 yard goal, Astra ran out the winners, 19-12. Where: All England Polo Club, Hickstead