Youth
All Aspects of Youth Polo
La Martina Varsity Day
Oxford, winners of The La Martina Varsity Trophy
Oxford has dominated the university test over the years
Photography by ©www.imagesofpolo.com
Harrow, winners of the schools match
Both Harrow and Eton were evenly matched teams
Oxford retained the coveted La Martina Varsity Trophy on Saturday 5 June, defeating their historic rivals Cambridge in a competitive match under a blazing sun at Guards Polo Club. Oxford has dominated this university test – which dates back to 1879 – in recent years; Cambridge last took the trophy back to East Anglia in 2014. Although this year was a much closer affair than some of the more recent contests, Oxford winning the game 8-3. The Varsity is always played open, which was not to Cambridge’s advantage due to the handicap difference, but Cambridge kept Oxford in their sights throughout the four chukkas. Tamara Gibbons, an experienced Varsity player for Oxford, was named the La Martina Most Valuable Player, a prize she also received in this match in 2019. Cambridge’s Junaid Safdar headed home with the Best Playing Pony prize for Chasco Laguna – a seven-year-old mare who was bred by and is owned by Alfredo Bigatti; Alfredo brought the horse over to the UK this year. Laguna’s sire is Christian Grey and its dam was a Thoroughbred.
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Polo Times, July 2021
The Varsity Day, which has been sponsored by La Martina for the past five years, began with an equally competitive schools match featuring Harrow and Eton (received half goal on handicap). This was a fast-paced match and Harrow narrowly won this match, 5-4½, with Hector Rogberg delivering a particularly strong performance. Eton did not head home empty handed though, as Oliver Drewitt was named the Most Valuable Player while his team mate Beau Buchan received the La Martina Best Playing Pony prize for Sapo. La Martina Varsity Day Teams: Oxford (0): Jamie Baillie (-1), Cecily Day (0), Tamara Gibbons (0) & Thomas Gordon-Colebrook (1) Cambridge (-2): Éclair Chen (-1), Catherine Richards (-1), Junaid Safdar (0) & Tate Lavitt (0) Harrow (-5): Ulysses Hu (-1), Freddie Strange (-2), Marc Lindgren (-2) & Hector Rogberg (0) Eton (-6): Alick Sweeting (-2), Oliver Drewitt (-1), Beau Buchan (-1) & Fraser McDade (-2)/ Sacha Davie Thornill (-2)
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