Enigma maul Salkeld in British Open
By Herbert Spencer
Jerome Wirth’a Enigma handed Nick Clarke’s Salkeld a real shellacking Tuesday, beating them 11-2 in their league match of the British Open Championship for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup at Cowdray Park Polo Club.
Such a one-sided score was a surprise result considering that Salkeld has previously won all three of their league matches including a defeat of James Packer’s powerhouse Ellerston. Clarke’s side is only a 21-goal team, but had been holding their own against 22-goal favourites and looked well on their way to the quarter-finals.
Salkeld encounter with Enigma, however, proved a real disaster as Clarke’s crew failed to score in four of the six chukkas as they went down to ignominious defeat.
Salkeld scored first in the opening chukka when their Luke Tomlinson found the posts from a safety 60. Enigma’s Matias MacDonough equalised to end the chukka 1-1. That, however, was about it for Salkeld, who’s only other point also came from Tomlinson in the fifth period.
Enigma had a field day with all four members of the team scoring, including two goals by patron Wirth.
Wednesday will be one of the busiest days of the British Open, with five league games scheduled:
Dubai v Cortium, titleholders Zacara v Talandracas and Richard Mille v La Bamba de Areco at Cowdray Park’s Ambersham grounds; EFG Bank Aravali v Les Lions at Les Lions Farm; and Ellerston v Thai Polo at Great Trippetts Farm.