Two HOOK Army Polo teams entered the RAF two Polo Tournament on 10/11 May. All 12 teams played a series of 2 chukka matches on Saturday 10th May in two Divisions, 0 Goal and -3 Goal. It was the first time HOOK Army had entered two teams entirely due to our generous support from HOOK. Weather was superb with just enough wind to keep everyone cool. A highlight of the two days was a double run Flypast by the iconic Lancaster bomber at 500’ and surprisingly not one pony bolted. The RAF Polo Association did a great job in organisation from a dinner on the Saturday evening to arranging ponies. David Black as manager ensured everything went like clockwork and a long stint by Henry Browne as umpire kept all players and teams straight!
The 0 Goal Team:
- Lt Henry Whichelo-Page RSigs -1
- S/Cpl Anthony Kitchen LG -1
- Lt Col Lucy Anderson RLC 0
- Capt Hector Fair KRH +1
It was the first time this group had played together and in the rounds they came up against two strong teams which both included some pros, namely +2 and +3. They battled hard in match one but found the opposition well organised and thus despite some fine runs by Fair supported by Anderson they lost the first encounter. The second match was better as the both Whichelo-Page and Kitchen found their range and they drew this affair. Thus into the Sub-Final on Sunday, here they played really well up against a strong JP Morgan team and this 4 chukka affair meant that the team settled and played really well with Kitchen scoring two goals with great support from Anderson, they scored 4 goals in fine style and won with no reply after 4 chukkas.
The -3 Goal
- Cpl Elly Robb RSigs -1
- Tpr Hugo Webster RWxY -1
- Capt Matt Ryder RA 0
- Capt Alex Bartlam RA -1
Again this was the first match of the season for this group and on grass. Two chukka matches are always a challenge at this level BUT they really gelled well and some strong hitting by Ryder backed up by Bartlam put the pressure on a rather weak opposition but they won in fine style. The second match was very different and the team came under strong pressure and after chukka one were 2 goals adrift. However, some sharp marking by Robb and Webster cleared the path to goal meant Ryder and Bartlam gained confidence and they managed to draw the match with 4 goals each. This put them into the Final and with 4 chukkas ahead they seemed to make a bright start but the other team had worked them out by the break and sadly rather run away with the match to secure victory by a decent margin.
