Youth polo
SUPA National Universities Championships
Strong competition produces thrilling finals Universities from across the UK and Ireland came together for the annual outdoor championships in June, where three days of polo including a busy day of finals kept organisers, umpires and students on their toes
Sabrina Bell at Offchurch Bury
T
he SUPA National Universities Championships was deemed another success this year, as an impressive 86 teams descended on Offchurch Bury Polo Club for three days of back-to-back polo. For the first time, players started to arrive on the Thursday, the day before games got underway, to soak up the glorious weather and prepare for the three days ahead. Saturday was by far the busiest day with 100 chukkas played over two grounds at the club. The students turned up on time and the chukkas ran like clockwork, also thanks to the hard work of the ground crew, umpires and Warwick University goal judges. Argentine holiday specialists La Tarde provided Saturday night’s party, where 350 revellers enjoyed a late night of drinking, dancing and food provided by caterers Relish. There was no lie-in for the Bath Spa B and C teams, who were on the ground at 9.30am to play in the first of Sunday’s chukkas.
St Andrews’ Millie Bagnall (wearing light blue) comes up against Reading’s Ali McGregor (in purple) in the Novice 1a three-a-side section of another record year at the SUPA National Universities Championships
minus-five-goal Bristol team should have been put through to the final. Instead Royal Holloway, led by Charlie Minns-Shearer,
Photographs by Natalie Hazlehurst
An impressive 86 teams offered spectators three full days of back-to-back polo, including 12 sides of university alumni Blessed with more good weather – while the rest of the country, including London (see page 42), was rained upon – the day witnessed superb play across all 11 sections. An administration glitch by SUPA marred the Upper Intermediate section, where the
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Polo Times, July 2011
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came up against Regents, featuring the Huynen brothers from Holland, where the latter secured victory. In the Novice 1 final, newcomers Stirling University, who had sailed through the earlier stages, eventually lost to Loughborough.
Harper Adams, who shone in the SUPA National Universities Arena Championships in February, proved they were also strong contenders on the grass, beating Birmingham B in the Novice 1a final. The Royal Veterinary College picked up the Novice 2 title. University of Liverpool, another newcomer, this time in the Beginner 2 section, beat Royal Holloway in the final. The RCSI team from Dublin had mixed fortunes in the Beginner 1a section, defeating several fancied teams. However they weren’t able to fend off Oxford Brookes and Bath Spa, with the latter picking up the title. www.polotimes.co.uk
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