The polo equivalent of both football and polo is upon us again. The amount of column inches on the sports pages of the national newspapers dedicated to possible moves and speculation as to contracts and wages offered is almost dwarfed by the rumours that are running rife about possible teams for the 22 next year. At least the handicaps came out yesterday.

As the puff of white smoke is seen above Little Coxwell and the mobile phones are switched back on a real frenzy erupts and the shock waves of the handicap changes to players 4 goals and above PLUS those who have played the High Goal continues to reverberate around Cowdray and Windsor well into the night. The managers and team leaders may well have seen the agreed plan fall apart due to some foible of the Committee but plans B and/or C are activated in their stead and throughout the following day deals are done and contracts agreed. By the time that Polo times lands on your respective desks or occasional tables with its now increasingly substantial thump the news will be out and the teams for next year will all be done with a few minor exceptions. The two Gold Cup finalists both went up 2 goals but La Bamba took both theirs in a dispensable player whereas two professionals went up in the Dubai team. More thought and work required by them obviously particularly as they fell at the last hurdle again and need a win soon. Apes Hill all went up if my informant is correct so whether the sponsor continues or not the rebuild for those players will be a major one. Sumaya also took a 2 goal hit and rumour has it that there are two changes there as well. So the wise sage who said if you are going to build a High goal team always start with a 10 goal player as he cannot go up is going to be proved doubly correct if the Pieres brothers stay together next season as the rumour mill says they will and they are only looking for a new fetch and carry boy!

A Game Of Two Halves

With the exception of Sumaya who have been there or there about  in both tournaments and deserve a special mention for their consistency over the past 2 years it was definitely a season of 2 halves and as such a mixed bag for the regulators. The Queens Cup won by a four man outfit that the walking dribble-no tapping rule was supposed to promote the Gold Cup the domain of the traditional powerhouse teams and won with two 10 goal players in the middle! Is it cup half full or cup half empty I have to ask myself? On balance probably cup half empty as the better pitches and fitter ponies allowed the top players to overcome the disadvantages and break free from the shackles of the tap counters. I have no opinion as to whether this is a good or a bad thing and purists will say that the Gold cup final was not a classic. All I think it shows is that we are not dealing with an exact science when it comes to regulation and the best will always if given enough time find a way to get the job done. The damage is probably being done at the lower levels of polo where the less skilled are punching over their weight and some of the polo I have seen is perhaps a bit too physical given the skill levels and experience of some of the other participants.

Looking Ahead

Whilst the High goal is over and the holiday season is well and truly upon us it would be too easy to say that the season is done for. Speculation about the Cartier result is high and for the first time in several years we have an International that is eagerly awaited. The La Dolfina/Ellerstina game the next weekend also provides interest particularly to see the response it gets and how the concept progresses and replicates itself given the various other touring concepts that are trying to gain a toe-hold in the marketplace. The Warwickshire Cup 20 goal experiment has attracted 8 teams which given its timing and the state of the marketplace is I think a great result. This period was always going to be the acid test of the polo market and I think that the 6 team entry for the Harrison Cup is probably not a good sign in the short term. Only in the Autumn during the “season  of mellow fruitfulness” to paraphrase a great poet will we get a good handle on next seasons prospects when we see how the 10 and 12 goal fest that September seems to have become pans out. So far we have been in my opinion punching well above the expected in terms of activity what remains to be seen is how much of it was carried over activity and how much of it sticks for next year. A long winter of much training and teaching of new initiates must lie ahead for those that do such things. My gut feeling is that we will need to replenish in the years ahead.