FIP Women’s European Championships

Italy Snatch Half Goal Win

FIP Women’s European Championships

Nina Clarkin Reports

Team England and their ponies pulled up to La Mimosa Polo Club late Sunday night after a long journey with many COVID related border delays and started their preparations for the third FIP Women’s European Championships.

First up for the English team was Team Ireland who came out all guns blazing and really threw down the gauntlet and put England on the defensive from the start. England rallied well and after half time, stemmed the Irish flow and the final score of 7½-3 did not reflect the hard work and effort that England put in. There were many missed opportunities and England struggled to convert their frequent runs to goal.

A disappointed England crew were treated to supper at the Team hotel by Nick Moffat, team sponsor and owner of Moorgate Capital, and the team enjoyed delicious homemade pasta, some questionable fizzy rose (not the players!), and the best banana cake anyone had ever eaten.”

An early start on day two to prep the ponies was followed by a breakfast meeting to watch videos and talk tactics surrounded by the resident owl, a gaggle of geese, two parrots and a blackbird. England were up against Italy and came out firing on all cylinders. Italy started with a 2½ goal lead but England had quashed that lead within the first three minutes and were 2½-2 by the end of the first chukka. The format for this tournament is six 4½ minute chukkas and England looked set to dominate throughout. Unfortunately for the Italians Constanza Marchiorello fell and broke her ankle at the end of the third chukka and she was taken to hospital and a replacement was found. After an hour’s delay and a long wait for another ambulance, England re-took to the field with a 4-3½ lead but slightly struggled to find their previous form. The lead bounced between the countries with England trailing by ½ a goal with a minute to go. A fantastic near side backhand by Emma Wood found Heloise Wilson-Smith who roared to goal. The Italians fought her and hooked Heloise before she could convert but Milly Hughes was in the perfect position to score the goal and take England into the lead, moments before the final bell struck. England looked to have found their form but now faced Germany in the Semi Final who were fantastic in their game against Ireland.

Day three, England were treated to a trip to Milan where they took in the sights and enjoyed a trip to the fashion hub, which is the centre of Milan fashion week, and they met some designers and were treated to tours of their collections. After this they had a delicious lunch in Milan and went to the Duomo for a team photo shoot in the most spectacular surroundings. The team then partook in a local tradition which involved standing on a mosaic of a bull, specifically his testicles with their heels, and spinning three times for good luck before heading home for some R and R at the hotel.

Day four saw England up against Germany in the Semi Final and they once again came out in fighting form and took an early lead of 3-0. The German team played well but could not convert their penalties and this allowed England to dominate the game and they fought off a last minute comeback by the Germans to win 4-2. Fran Townsend played a blinder and marked her man well out of the match and made some crucial passes.

Finals day was mired by a terrible forecast so the Final was set for 9am. At 8.45 the heavens opened and lightening lit up the sky and we were called for a meeting to discuss our options. After deciding to wait until midday to make a decision on whether we would hit penalties there was a miraculous break in the weather and it was all stations go to play before the weather set in again. Heavy rain made the pitch hard going but it stood up remarkably well considering. England again started well and took an early lead of 3-1½ with a cracking goal from Heloise Wilson Smith and two solid penalties by Emma Wood. Milly Hughes worked tirelessly on Camilla Rossi and created space for Heloise and Emma to attack the Italian goal. The Italians clawed their way back with some good penalties and scored a good running goal to take the lead 4-4½. England lost some momentum towards the end of the fourth and some bad luck and tricky conditions allowed the Italians to take the lead 6 ½-4. England rallied impressively in the sixth with Emma and Heloise combining beautifully to score and Milly Hughes slotted one from 60 yards out to keep all our hopes and dreams alive. Sadly, time was not on our side and the slow field meant the Italians managed to hold their lead and denied England the goal to win it. A valiant effort by England against a strong Italian team made for a great game displaying some fantastic skills despite the tough conditions. Heloise Wilson Smith won MVP of the tournament and Fran Townend won The Sportsmanship award.

It was a long road to the finals and the England Team could not have done it without the sponsors, Moorgate capital, Emma Willis, and Fraser England, the reserves and the grooms who worked tirelessly behind the scenes and of course Christina and The Coaches.

Having came second the England Team have secured their place for the FIP World Cup in Argentina in April 2022 which is a huge achievement and despite not winning the European Championships they now have a chance to take our vengeance and go for World Cup glory!!

FIP Women’s European Championships Teams:

German Polo Association (16): Eva Brühl (6), Hna Grill (5), Marie Haupt (3) & Steffi von Pock (2) (Substitutes: Mona Scharf (3) & Christina Strasser (1)) Italy (12): Constanza Marchiorello (3), Camila Rosi (5), Ginevra Viscont (1) & Alice Coria (3) Ireland (15): Caroline Keeling (1), Siobhn Herbst (4), April Kent (4) & Ina Lalor (6) (Substitute: Lucas Moore (1)) England (16): Fran Townsend (1), Milly Hughes (3), Heloise Wilson-Smith (6) & Emma Wood (6) (Substitutes: Jess Andrews (5), Tilly Bruce (1) & Natasha Tisminiesky (4))

Photography by EquiEquipe/ph:Fabio Petroni The Final was not blessed with the best weather

Joss Ridley, Jayne Darling-Parks & Claire Allen A delicious lunch Specialist

CPPC Christmas Party; Cowley Manor, Cheltenham; Friday 13 December Ciren Does Christmas Insurance Policies

With Christmas on the horizon, Cirencester Park Polo Club members and friends gathered to celebrate the festive season Peter O’Rorke, Matt Evetts & Tony HaynesFor Polo Yards, Clubs, Schools and at the iconic Cowley Manor near Cheltenham. Alongside a delicious lunch, served to perfection by the lovely Cowley Freelance Instructors staff, there was laughter and festive cheer aplenty, as guests exchanged Christmas tidings of great joy! With all eyes turned to the 2020 season, gossip flew around the room – who will the next big Ciren star be? Which pros will play for which teams next year? Who will take the most falls? Suffice to say, a wonderful lunch was had by all; the perfect way to begin a thrilling festive season.

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