Bay win division at Savile Cup

Hustle and bustle: Rob Telfer (right) tussles with Hawke’s Bay player Jonny Coddington in the Poverty Bay Open polo tournament in January. Telfer was in the Poverty Bay team who won the Mackenzie Salver at the Savile Cup tournament last weekend.Gisborne Herald file picture by Paul Rickard

POLO

POVERTY Bay won the Mackenzie Salver at the Savile Cup polo tournament in Christchurch last weekend.

The team of Chloe Wheelans, Scott McNeil, Rob Telfer and Lottie Lamacraft beat Hawke’s Bay Red in the final 6.5-5.

Hawke’s Bay were favourites to win and went into the final chukka three goals up, but Poverty Bay brought it back in the last stanza to win by one goal, Telfer said.

“It was a good result. Our team hadn’t played together as a team until we got down there.

“A lot of people were a bit surprised. We definitely weren’t the favourites.”

McNeil also won the fair play award for the division.

Poverty Bay sent two teams to the competition with the A team of Jess McNeil, Burne McNeil, Cody Clark and Neville Clark relegated to the handicap division after their pool stage and being beaten in their final game 4-1.

Telfer said it took two days each way for the convoy of three trucks to transport the two teams’ horses.

Nevertheless, it was rewarding to come away with the hardware after a hard-fought competition.