Mallets at the ready for PB Open

EYES ON THE BALL: Poverty Bay's Neville Clark controls the ball in front of Hawke's Bay B's Curley Thompson and Clark's teammate Rob Telfer at the 2020 Poverty Bay Polo Open. The 2021 edition is at the Poverty Bay Polo Club Bushmere grounds this weekend. Herald file picture

The Bushmere polo grounds will rumble to the sound of thundering hooves over the weekend for Poverty Bay Polo Club's premier annual tournament — the Poverty Bay Open.

Eleven teams from Poverty Bay, Hawke's Bay, Wanstead and Birchleigh (Hastings) are competing in the 2021 open, which starts at 10am tomorrow.

Two teams — Poverty Bay A and Hawke's Bay A — are in the Eastland Vets 6-goal grade. They will play each other both days, with accumulated points deciding the winners.

The Property Brokers 0-goal grade features six teams split into two sections. Ballance Poverty Bay B, Hawke's Bay B and Wanstead C are in Pool A. Wanstead A, Hawke's Bay C and Wanstead B are in Pool B.

Winners of each pool will meet in the final on Sunday.

Three teams are in the Kirkpatrick Farm Feeds low-goal grade — Birchleigh, Hawke's Bay D and Farmlands Poverty Bay C.

Like the 6-goal grade, accumulated points will decide the low-goal champions.

The public are welcome to head to the Bushmere grounds at 130 Bushmere Road, Matawhero, to enjoy the action

The Poverty Bay teams are —

Poverty Bay A: Burn McNeil, Cody Clark, Rob Telfer, Glen Armstrong

Ballance Poverty Bay B: Jess McNeil, Fern McIldowie, Neville Clarke, Matt Maclaurin.

Farmlands Poverty Bay C: Anne Marie-Cavanagh, Jenny Shanks, Scott McNeil, Campbell Chrisp.