Malaysia vs England
Saturday, the 12th of February 2011 at the Thai Polo & Equestrian Club in Pattaya, Thailand, was the scene for an international match between Malaysia and England.
Malaysia’s line-up consisted of Tengku Shazril, Shaik Reismann, Huzaini Yunus, and Saladin Mazlan, while England’s team consisted of James Carr, Oliver Cudmore, Max Routledge, and Oliver Hipwood, both 13-goal teams. While James Carr joined the team from India, the rest of the team were en route to China for the snow polo tournament the following week.
The Malaysians had been practicing and playing as a team for the past few months in Argentine and Thailand in preparation for the Zone D FIP World Cup Qualifiers this June in Malaysia. A well-prepared Malaysian team, mounted on their own horses, would be prove to be a stern test for the English team.
Malaysia led early but were unable to put any real distance between them and the English squad, who played very intelligently on horses provided by Harald Link, co-owner of Thai Polo. England controlled the ball through Oliver Hipwood and the tireless work of the other three players and refused to be drawn into a open running-game which would have better-served the Malaysian team. England managed to keep the score close and went into the last chukka even.
In the last chukka, England was better able to capitalize on the opportunities they were presented and went on to win the game by two goals.