56
hurlinghampolo.com
IMAGES COURTESY OF ST REGIS
M U M B A I A M A T E U R R I D E R S ’ C L U B I N T E R N A T I O N A L T E S T M A T C H , M U M B A I , I N D I A , F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7
A C T I O N
E N G L A N D V S I N D I A T E S T
For the first time in recent memory, England held their ground over four
chukkas of exceptional polo to stop India winning
At the end of the Indian season, the whole
polo nation descended on the grounds of
Mumbai’s only club, the Amateur Riders’
Club, to play the final tournaments of India’s
calendar. This year, to invigorate the occasion
with an international event, they asked the
HPA to send a 14-goal team to India.
James McCarthy (1), Will Emerson (5),
Nacho Gonzalez (6) and Terence Lent (2)
were chosen to match a similar line-up from
India, with two of their country’s leading
pros, Abhimanyu Pathak (5) and Dhruvpal
Godara (5) and two up-and-coming players,
Sunny Patel (1) and Salim Azmi (3).
The England team used the days before
the match to get to know their horses and
the ground, sussing out their tactics for the
game. Despite the Indian team’s great
hand-eye and superior horsepower, England
were confident that the experience and
tactical awareness of Gonzalez and Emerson
at the heart of the team would make sure
they were competitive, and so it proved from
the start of the match. England's tactics
were to slow down on the ball and hit to
goal as hard as possible.
Gonzalez scored from the half-way line
in the first minute and later landed an
impressive shot five yards short of the goal
which was tapped in by McCarthy.
India dominated the next chukka with
Pathak demonstrating great skill, scoring
two goals in the air. England stuck to tactics
with McCarthy and Lent putting pressure on
the opposition. This worked well with India
giving away a penalty in the third chukka,
which saw Gonzalez score for England.
The scores were tied 3-3 going into the
last chukka and with a tap-in goal by Patel,
one would think that India would hold out,
but Emerson scored the goal of the game
with a neck shot from behind the half-way
line to set up an exciting final few minutes.
Godara scored a safety 60 with just one
O R G A N I S E R S U R E S H TA P U R I A H S A I D I T WA S
T H E B E S T MAT C H O F I N T E R N AT I O N A L P O L O
H E H A D W I T NE S S E D F O R A L O NG T I ME
