ENGLAND VICTORIOUS IN THE FINAL AUDI INTERNATIONAL OF THE SEASON
The Audi England team rode onto the field for the third and final time this year for the Audi International Polo at Chester Racecourse Polo Club, Chester. The team had tough opposition from the Veuve Clicquot Rest of the World Team but England was triumphant with a final score of 8-6 – winning The Diamond Jubilee Trophy and finishing the season in style.
The renowned Tomlinson brothers wore the Number Two (Mark) and Three (Luke) shirts, meaning half of the England side was returning to the field fresh from its Westchester Cup victory at the Audi International in July. Joining the brothers at Chester was England regular Nacho Gonzalez and Henry Fisher – making his first international debut.
The four players, aiming to stop England from continuing its winning streak, were a selection of players from across the globe. The Veuve Clicquot Rest of the World side included Australia’s captain Glen Gilmore together with Manuel Plaza de Ayala, Jonny Good, and Pepe Riglos.
After the ball was thrown in, Mark was immediately on the attack for England – sadly he was unsuccessful in finding the posts. Glen capitalised on the opportunity and opened the scoring for his side but England was quick to find its form and goals from Luke and Nacho meant the score became two goals to one to England before the end of the first chukka.
England dominated both the second and third chukkas. Luke scored twice and Henry and Mark followed each with a goal, giving England a five goal lead. However, Pepe interrupted England’s rhythm by adding a second goal to the board for the Rest of the World. A goal from Glen, who took the ball the length of the pitch, closed the gap and made the half time score 6-3.
The Rest of the World team returned fresh from the break with a newly discovered fire. Following two quick goals from Jonny, England was suddenly only leading by one goal. A foul by the Rest of the World resulted in a penalty for England, which was converted by Nacho, increasing England’s advantage to two goals.
Moments before the end of the fourth chukka, Luke and his pony slipped and both hit the ground – an indication of the danger involved in polo. Thankfully, both were unharmed and Luke was straight back on and continued playing.
By the final chukka, the result was by no means decided. Improving every minute, the Rest of the World team produced its sixth goal of the day, making it seven goals to six. The ground became more difficult and scoring was tough but the England side was successful, scoring twice more before the end of the match. This increased its lead to 8-6 and the England side once again became the winner of the Audi International for The Diamond Jubilee Trophy.
The presentations commenced and once again the Tomlinson brothers stole the show – with Luke winning the T W Steel Most Valuable Player Award and Mark’s pony Dani, a 7-year-old Irish mare, was awarded the Liverpool ONE Best Playing Pony.