Metropolitan Intervarsity Polo 2014 – The Cambridge Challenge Heats Up
At Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club
Harvard upset Oxford, Stanford defeat Yale and London overthrow Cambridge
Metropolitan Intervarsity Polo 2014 – The Cambridge Challenge is currently underway at Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club. With four days down, there is one more to go until this year’s champions are revealed.
Following the success of last year’s tournament, teams returning to compete in this year’s event include the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Harvard University and Yale University. This year also sees the inclusion of two impressive newcomers to the tournament, the University of London and Stanford University.
At last year’s event, following a nail-biting final battle with Harvard, the University of Cambridge managed to scoop the final prize. This year, anticipation is high to see whether they will be able to secure their title for another year
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The annual event attracts large groups of university alumni, many of whom have flown in from their home countries to support their alma maters in Tianjin. The sidelines are also frequented by VIP guests, international polo experts and media, who are able to enjoy the games in the luxury setting of the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club.
The tournament, which is now in its second year, is not only a means of presenting some of the impressive upcoming polo talents, but also a thoroughly enjoyable way to promote the game of polo among today’s young Chinese. The Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club hopes to encourage more interest and enthusiasm for the historical sport, and
present more unique opportunities for academic, cultural and social exchanges among representatives from universities, as well as local students and parents.
For centuries, polo has been known as the “Game of Kingsâ€. Now, Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club is making this aspirational lifestyle accessible to China’s youth, enabling young people to find passion in a sport that encourages teamwork, responsibility and, above all, fun.
The first three days of the tournament saw some passionate play from all teams, showcasing the unique skills, the athleticism and elegance at the heart of the glorious game of polo. on day four, the pressure was on to see who will be named the final victor.
On another hot humid day in Tianjin, Oxford, with a two-point handicap advantage, went head-to-head with Harvard. The opening chukka showed a confident Oxford team take control with an early 3-0 lead; by the second chukka, with both teams playing great defense, Oxford were able to score another point. Harvard, after a few good attempts, were finally able to mark their first point on the scoreboard after a penalty taken by Neil Purdy, which ended the second chukka 4-1, with Oxford in the lead.
The third chukka showed Harvard attempt a comeback, scoring early in the chukka, but Lawrence Wang kept Oxford in a 3-point lead by scoring in the final few seconds. The fourth chukka heated up, with goals from all four of the Harvard players, finishing with a beautiful goal from Johann Colloredo-Mansfeld giving the Harvard team a 6-5 win. Johann attributed their win to great team play and was relieved after securing the winning point.
The second match hosted Stanford and Yale, both looking for their first win in this tournament. It was a slow start for the two teams in the first chukka, but Stanford eventually gained the ball, scoring goals thanks to Erich Schloss and Ellie Redding late in the first chukka. Stanford slowly pulled away from Yale in the second chukka, scoring two more, giving Stanford a 4-2.5 lead. The third chukka ended with Stanford taking 5-2.5 lead, as Eric Birdsall aimed a shot wide of the posts. In the final chukka, the Yale team were able to put a point on the board with a goal from Arthur Sonnenfeld, but it was too little too late. The outcome of this match was already decided as the final horn blew, leaving Stanford with a 5-3.5 victory.
The battle continued as Cambridge and London crossed mallets, looking to steal the other’s glory. Both teams entered this match undefeated, but at the end of the day only one team would claim victory. It was a slow start, with both teams denying each other much opportunity to make a move, but Cambridge eventually came out on top scoring two goals in the first chukka.
The second chukka opened with Reda Shetty managing a quick goal for London. Any hopes for London making a comeback in the second chukka were quickly extinguished by Sam Browne as he scored three goals for Cambridge ending the first half 5-1 to Cambridge.
In the third chukka, London missed a few golden opportunities but valiantly played on. It paid off for London, with Natascha Hedegaard scoring a tough angled shot. London managed to hold Cambridge off as the third chukka ended 5-2 with London hoping to turn things around in the fourth chukka. Charles Scott showed his terrific skills by scoring four goals and turned the match around. When asked about his four-goal run in the fourth chukka, Scott gave most of the credit to his horse, Beetle, “Point and go. She makes life easy. I don’t have to think about riding, just think about hitting the ball,†said Scott when asked about his performance. He also gave praise to Reda Shetty for his great assistance. One more goal from Shetty was enough to put the final nail in the coffin for Cambridge, ending the match 7-5 to London. It was later learned that Cambridge’s star player, Sam Browne, had suffered an injury to his hand in the third chukka, raising doubts over his ability to play in tomorrow’s Championship match against London.
The tournament will continue on Sunday, 20 July, with all six teams matching up for the final day of polo. Stanford will be taking on Yale, Oxford will have a chance to redeem themselves against Harvard, and London will have the opportunity to knock Cambridge off their pedestal.
The results so far:
Sunday, 13 July 2014
Result: London vs Yale 10 – 7.5
Stanford vs Harvard 4 – 11
Wednesday, 16 July 2014
Result: Oxford vs Cambridge 2.5 – 6
London vs Harvard 9 – 4
Thursday, 17 July 2014
Results: Cambridge vs Stanford 17 – 5.5
Oxford vs Yale 10 – 1
Saturday, 19 July 2014
Results: Oxford vs Harvard 5 – 6
Stanford vs Yale 5 – 3.5
Cambridge vs London 5 – 7
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The tournament will continue as follows: |
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20July 2014(SUN) |
15:30 |
Stanford vs Yale – 5th&6thPlace |
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16:30 |
Oxford vs Harvard – Subsidiary Final |
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17:30 |
London vs Cambridge – Final |
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