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Opposite, from top
:
the brothers (from left:
Philip, Geoff, Jim and
Bob) en route to the UK;
exercising the horses
on the way to England.
This page
: an illustration
of the Ashton brothers,
1930, which appeared in
the British press
of the horses away. The boys managed to pull
her back on board before another wave came
over the deck and seemed to swallow up
Philip. After a few panicky moments, they
found him: he’d hidden behind a mast with
a rope tied around his waist.
Eventually they limped into Southampton
to a wonderful reception – a special train
awaiting with refreshment for the horses and
grooms. ‘Jim, Geoff and Phil always said they
could not remember a more wonderful
feeling of satisfaction and relief,’ recalls Bob.
After five weeks of settling in, they began
slow chukkas. At one point early on, after
a gentle competitive practice, Bob heard one
of the English players say: ‘It makes all the
difference when we go full speed, doesn’t it?’
Aware of the low expectations the English
polo scene had of their Australian guests,
Bob’s pride was pricked. He told his brothers
they should ‘get their best horses and have
a go’ at it. Without a word, the Goulburn
Team from Australia quietly switched ponies
and came back for the second chukka intent
on riding the Englishmen off. The brothers’
grunty little ponies outpowered the tall but
far-from-solid English horses and destroyed
them. It was at this point the Ashtons knew
they could compete as equals.
The press was enthralled. The Ashton
brothers, with their good looks, charm,
exotic background and sense of adventure,
quickly became the toast of the town.
The boys went on to win a string of
trophies, and in 1930 beat Stephen Sanford’s
Hurricanes – considered the best private
team playing in England at the time – to lift
the Whitney Cup. Everyone took note. Soon
they were being feted with invitations that
involved the Prince of Wales, King Alfonso
of Spain and Dame Nellie Melba.
Then came the prestigious Hurlingham
Championship Cup. The boys had made the
final and were once again pitted against the
formidable Hurricanes.
At the end of the fourth chukka, the
score was 6–2 in favour of the Hurricanes.
Jim brought out his favourite pony Checkers,
who rode at top pace launching into a
remarkable dribble across the length of the
idea of how their horses or their team would
perform alongside the premier polo teams
of the time. Word of their trip had spread
throughout the English polo world, and the
feeling was that they’d be embarrassingly
inferior to the others competing that season.
The six-week trip itself was adventurous,
and dramatic at times, but successful. Major
passenger liners looked agog at these crazy
Australians schooling polo ponies on deck
as they passed along the Suez Canal. Once
the boat reached the Mediterranean, an
enormous storm erupted and a huge wave
went over the bow, which almost swept one
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA , ASHTON FAMILY
