Rutland polo club berkeley insurance assam cup 2011

Rutland Polo Club was once again delighted to welcome eight teams to challenge for the historic Assam Cup, sponsored by Berkeley Insurance of Leicester. Known as one of the strongest 6 goal tournaments in the country, the games are always fiercely competitive and this year was no different. Having won their first two games Malmaison (Rick Aspland- Robinson -1, Phil Seller 1, Segundo Condesses and Mike Henderson) lined up against Summit Media (Hedley Aylott 0, Jack Berner 1, Tony Wesche 2, Matias Criquae 3) in the final with play commencing thanks to co-sponsors Bentley Cars launching the ball from one of their stunning convertibles. Both teams started strongly with Malmaison proving very calm under pressure dispatching two early penalties with ease. However MVP Matias Criquae kept his side in the game with some intelligent plays, always proving a thorn in Malmaison’s side. With neither team managing to dominate the game and establish a convincing lead in the second or third chukkas, the fourth and final chukka started with Malmaison holding a slim one goal advantage. In a nail biting last seven minutes Malmaison managed to claim victory with a strong final chukka from the entire team, despite Summit Media saving their strongest ponies for this period.

As always, the 0-goal Findlay Cup provides a strong supporting tournament during the same week. Eight teams competed for a place in the final with Sporting Designs and Tottie clashing in the final. Sporting Designs (Alex Boucher -1, Paul Girdham - 1, Archie Hurson 0, Henry Browne 2) managed to dominate Tottie (Rachel Oddie -2, Anna Ward -1, Will Melville-Smith 1, Diego Bayugar 2) in a very physical game showing great tactical awareness claiming a 8-1 victory.

The local hospice charity LOROS provided a very successful fund-raising lunch event for 250 people on the Sunday, providing a good supporting crowd in glorious weather. The whole event, including auction, raised over £ 12,500 for LOROS. Make sure you make a note in your diary for next years event.