Dell Park keep hold of the Indian Empire Shield
Nikolai Bahlsen and his Dell Park team dominated the final of the 18-goal Indian Empire Trophy, winning the huge trophy for the second successive year. Played at Smith’s Lawn this year, Dell Park defeated Cadenza Juniors/Cowdray 9-2 on The Queen’s Ground. However the score did not do justice to Charlie Pidgley and George Pearson’s team, which featured Eduardo and Alejandro Novillo Astrada. These talented Argentines produced a good game, but struggled to convert runs down the field into goals.
Max Charlton, one of Guards Polo Club’s Ambassadors and a regular player for Dell Park, was named Most Valuable Player. This is the second time in a week that his skills in the saddle have been rewarded as he was named Most Valuable Player in Dell Park’s Pommery Archie David Cup win just five days previously, also at Guards Polo Club.
Dell Park’s double – they won this trophy in 2013 too – was tinged with sadness as Richard Le Poer had to retire injured in the fourth chukka with a suspected broken collar bone. His place was taken by Australian Dirk Gould. However polo players are made of strong stuff and Richard was able to rejoin his team-mates for the prize-giving and post-match photos.
Guards Polo Club was delighted to welcome the 15-year-old HH Maharajah Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur and his father Maharaj Narenda Singh to Guards Polo Club to make the presentations of this historic trophy to Nikolai and his team-mates.
The subsidiary final, which was played earlier in the day, saw a win for Spencer McCarthy’s Emlor, who defeated the Rothermere family’s Ferne Park 10-7.
Dell Park: Nikolai Bahlsen (1); Richard Le Poer/Dirk Gould (5); Max Charlton (6); Malcolm Borwick (6).
Cadenza Juniors/Cowdray: Charlie Pidgley (0); George Pearson (1); Eduardo Novillo Astrada (9); Alejandro Novillo Astrada (8).
Emlor: Ed Morris Lowe (2); Guy Gibrat (4); Rob Archibald (6); Nacho Gonzalez (6). Ferne Park: Jonathan Rothermere (0); Matt Lodder (3); Joaquin Pittaluga (7); Jaime Huidobro (8).
Pictures copyright Images of Polo