65
follow @hurlinghampolo
A C T I O N
H O P E F U L LY T H E E X P A N S I O N O F
WOME N ’ S P O L O W I L L B E W E L C OME D
W I T H E N T H U S I A S M I N 2 0 2 0
Opposite:
Lia Salvo (in blue) and Alice Servaes (in red)
at the Cotswold International.
Above, from left:
La Ruleta: Olivia Uechtritz, Alicia Woods, Lucy
Coddington and Nina Clarkin.
Right:
Alice Gipps (in
purple) with Nina Clarkin (left) and Alicia Woods
Their determined team effort gave them a 7.5
- 6 win, which also secured them the Victor
Ludorum series, having won four of the five
tournaments. Clarkin’s New Zealand mare
Heidi won the BPP award.
Having reached four finals,Tarantula had
a super run in the 18-goal. Heloise Wilson-
Smith who had a storming season off five
goals played with Rosie Ross,Jess Andrews
and Celine Lawrence, and although beaten
by La Ruleta three times, they won against
Cowdray Vikings at Knepp Castle Polo Club.
The UAE ladies teammade their first visit
of the season to Cowdray, where they also
came up against Lila Pearson’s Cowdray
Vikings in the final. Lila, with Hannah
Parry-Jones, Lottie Lamacraft and Sarah
Wiseman, had knocked La Ruleta out of the
semi finals, so had a good chance against
UAE and started well but UAE dominated
after the first two chukkas, winning 6-1.
The 12-goal level was no less
competitive, particularly at Cowdray. Polo
Quarterly started off by winning at Black
Bears against the home-based team Carlton
House with Rebecca and Alice Servaes. Polo
Quarterly were also finalists at Knepp Castle,
however they came up against Sophie
Kenna’s Coombe Place team, who started on
her winning run with Sammy Luff, Dayna
Waechter and Lottie Lamacraft. They also
went on to win at Cirencester against XC
Medical and at Cowdray again against Carlton
House. X Country Medics took home the
12-goal trophy against Peregrina at Beaufort.
The two levels worked well this season
but with more women participating and
climbing up the handicap ranks there are
plans to up the game and come on a par
with the mixed high goal for a couple of
tournaments. The idea being that if it is well
planned this will hopefully encourage more
patrons and players from abroad as well as
British sponsors to participate.
The Guards 22-goal exhibition in August
saw two strong sides play on the Queen’s
Ground. Alice Servaes, Lottie Lamacraft,
Nina Clarkin and Siri Evjemo-Nysveen played
against H.H. Sheikha Maitha, Milly Hine,
Hazel Jackson-Gaona and Rosana Turk.
With those, such as Clarkin, who have the
greatest influence at the top of the game
focused on the future of women’s polo, it will
continue to grow and reach its full potential.
Argentina is a good example and has shown
its women players how seriously it takes their
participation by including the women’s
Argentine Open on the main finals day at
Palermo. It’s hoped that the expansion of
women’s polo in the British polo season will
be welcomed with just as much enthusiasm
for the 2020 season.
The Cotswold International hosted the
England v Argentina Women’s International
at Cirencester in June. Frasers England came
out winners against a formidable Argentine
side. The South Americans have a lot of
talented young women coming up the ranks
who are getting better all the time.
