Australia visit Thai Polo Club for Friendship Cup 2010
Last
weekend the Thai Polo Club were hosts to a visiting Australian team
led by the internationally renowned polo and sports commentator,
Hamish McLauchlan. The 10 handicapped team arrived for a practice
match on the previous Thursday and were able to try out their ponies
and make the necessary adjustments so that they could face their
South East Asia opponents 48 hours later with some confidence.
The
tour had been conceived many months ago as a friendly international
by the club Chairman at Thai Polo, Harald Link, who had enjoyed the
wonderful hospitality in Australia on many previous occasions and
extended the invitation for an exchange visit. Hamish (3 ha) selected
a team featuring his brother Gillan (4 ha), cousin Callum (3 ha) and
close friend Sam Kennedy (0 ha), who was accompanied by his charming
wife, Sarah.
After
much dining, drinking and exchanging of entertaining stories, the
serious business of the polo match arrived on Saturday 13th
February. Harald Link, playing for SE Asia, was supported by
Malaysian stars Edham Shaharuddin (4 ha) and Amran Selamat (2 ha),
along with the club’s General Manager, Roddy Matthews (4 ha).
The
host side set the pace with Selamat and Matthews opening a 2 goal
lead, but the Australians were not about to roll over, and Gillan
McLauchlan launched some thundering balls towards the SEA goal line,
thus keeping them in contention. However, Edham for SEA was on
blistering form and made some superb solo runs to goal with the ball
bouncing high, but with exceptional hand to eye co-ordination he
nursed a couple over the line. His efforts were enough to earn his
team a 4 to 3 victory and himself the honour of “man of the matchâ€.
The
beautiful trophy, which had been commissioned especially in
Melbourne, was duly presented to the SEA winners. The kind visitors
had also commissioned a new fun award for the “man of the matchâ€,
in the form of a unique jacket bearing the orange of Thai Polo and
the green and gold of Australia. Edham wore the garish garment with
immense pride at the prize giving.
As
evening closed in, players, guests and spectators all sat together
for a delicious meal and plans were hatched for a return trip and the
Friendship Cup was set to become an annual event.
The
weekend’s competition and camaraderie was completely overshadowed
by the devastating news that, on Sunday 14th February, the
leading Australian polo player and administrator, James Ashton, had
sadly lost his life in a polo accident at a neighbouring polo club.
Harald Link and all of the players, management and staff at Thai Polo
Club would like to express their deepest condolences to his wife,
family and the wider polo community.