Youth polo
SUPA National University Championships
Rain fails to dampen the spirits at the University Nationals
One hundred university teams took over Offchurch Bury Polo Club over the Diamond Jubilee weekend and enjoyed four days of polo and partying
Kian Gheissari reports from Offchurch Bury
W
Photographs by Ed Phillips
ith heavy rain forecast for much of the Diamond Jubilee weekend, students and organisers alike feared a repeat of February’s Arena Nationals, when the freezing weather played havoc with the play. The rain came as predicted, but tournament organisers SUPA (the Schools and University Polo Association) and hosts Offchurch Bury Polo Club did a marvellous job to ensure that every single chukka was played to plan. The SUPA National University Championships is the highlight of the university season and this year brought together 100 teams from 27 different universities who played across 11 different sections during a cracking four days of polo and partying. Royal Holloway dominated the Beginner section and took the B1 title with a final win over Harper Adams. However, they were denied a Beginners-double by a brilliant performance from Exeter B in the B2 final. Royal Holloway went on to win the Combined title, teaming up with Glasgow University, and club president Celine Lawrence thanked the hard work of their coach Charlotte Sweeney of Ash Farm Polo Club for their success. The level of play seen throughout the beginners section was extremely impressive. The performance of Tessa Higham of Sandhurst was particularly noteworthy considering she only had three lessons prior to the Nationals and she was duly selected as the most valuable player (MVP). The Novice 1 section is the most soughtafter title for those who had not played polo
Loughborough's Robin Spicer and Exeter's Harold Hodges go head to head in the rain in the Open final
68
Polo Times, July 2012
PT p68-69 Youth SUPA JOS JM PJ MB.indd 2
www.polotimes.co.uk
22/06/2012 11:45