Balderdash Cup

Many flocked to line the sidelines of the Oldford polo ground  today to witness the time honored  ritual known for years as the Contest for the Balderdash Cup. The tourney has the unique distinction of being the only known contest in the western world in which the losers win the elegant and massive silver urn know as the Balderdash Cup. Even the ponies are excited with the prospect of extra measures of oats all around after the asado.

This year saw the arrival of the challengers, the Chetwood Cherubs, garbed appropriately in virginal white jerseys and expected to give the gold jersey Oldford Oldies a real run to avoid being left holding the proverbial cup.First blood was drawn by the Cherubs when Meadow Lass, Fiona Seager, fired one through the sticks in the first minutes of the contest. Not to be outdone in the “look Ma no hands” department Long Legs Kiyonaga evened the score with a withering blind shot under his pony’s belly.The Canadian Gent, Michael Watt put the Oldies ahead with one of his three blasts from mid-field scores mid chukker. Meadow Lass took a nice pass from Meadow Papa in the last few seconds of the period to leave the score at an even 2 –  2 .

The second chukker proved the undoing of the Oldies as Meadow Lass took one point with a viciously crafted neck shot. She was followed in quick succession by the Chilean Cherub, Rodrigo the Rogue and Mighty Diana Bignoli.  The Oldies lived up to their name and made no scoring headway in chukker two. The squads left the field with the Cherubs winning 5 – 2.

Tempers settled down in the third period. The only score for the Cherubs came off Diana’s stick following a textbook pass from Meadow Lass  right in front of the Oldies’ gold goal. Freight Train Butler blasted the white pill down the field in his iconic style to add a much appreciated goal for the Oldies in the third. The score settled at Chetwood 6 – Oldford – 3

The last chukker favored the Oldford squad as Freight Train repeated his third period performance by adding a much needed fourth goal. The Cherubs were held scoreless by the Oldies now seeming to have caught onto a good defensive strategy. The contest wound down to a score of Chetwood – 6  and Oldford – 4 by the end of the last seven and one half minutes.

The captain of the Chetwood team, Meadow Papa, presented the Balderdash Cup, this year a weather beaten U Va plastic beer tumbler, to the Oldford team captain, Canadian Gent, in a somewhat raucous ceremony at the end of the asado.