Polo talent on display

FULL SWING: Burne McNeil (left) and Jess McNeil (right) chase Fern McIldowie as she approaches the ball with a full swing ready. The Harvest Transport Poverty Bay Polo Open at the Bushmere polo grounds begins tomorrow. Picture by Paul Rickard

Twelve teams will compete in three divisions at the Bushmere polo grounds this weekend in the district’s major polo tournament.

Play in the Harvest Transport Poverty Bay Polo Open starts tomorrow afternoon, with two games in the premier Eastland Vets 6-goal competition.

At 2.30pm, Hawke’s Bay B play Kihikihi. At 3.30pm, Hawke’s Bay A play Christchurch.

Organisers decided to play this section over three days, so teams who lose tomorrow will have another chance on Saturday to make the Sunday finals.

The other two grades — the Wilencote Polled Herefords 0-goal and the Farmlands Low-goal — will start on Saturday and play a straight knockout competition.

Visiting players of note include Simon Keyte, a widely experienced former 7-high-goal player who is teaming up with former Poverty Bay player Sam Kirkpatrick; 5-goaler Lachie Hunter, who teams up with Gisborne’s Fern McIldowie, one of New Zealand’s leading female players; and former Poverty Bay player Glen Armstrong, on 4 goals.

Other local players will be on show in the 0-goal and minus-grade teams.

Games have four chukkas, with two points for a win and one point for a draw.

On Saturday, games start at 10am with the low-goal competition. Birchleigh play Hawke’s Bay C in the first game and at 11am, Hawke’s Bay D play Ballance Poverty Bay.

Two 0-goal games will be played next. At midday, Wanstead A play Harvest Transport Poverty Bay, then at 1.30pm, Kaharau Poverty Bay play EJ Livestock Poverty Bay.

The 6-goal competition games will follow. At 2.30pm, the winners of Friday’s first game will play the losers of the second.

At 3.30pm, the winners of Friday’s second game will play the losers of the first.

On Sunday, all three grades will have sub-finals and finals, starting with the low-goal competition at 10am. Each game following is to start on the hour until the final of the premier 6-goal competition, which is scheduled to start at 3pm.

The teams are —

Eastland Vets 6-Goal

Hawke’s Bay A: P Hyslop 0, J Apatu 0, F McIldowie 1, L Hunter 5.

Hawke’s Bay B: B Glazebrook 0, S Jolly 0, S Kirkpatrick 1, S Keyte 5.

Christchurch: M Dormer -1, P Dormer 1, L Simcox 2, G Armstrong 4.

Kihikihi: S Kay 1, C Gensik 1, P Kay 1, A Parrott 3.

Wilencote Polled Herefords 0-Goal

Wanstead A: K Ebbett -1, I Kelsey 0, D Coddington 1, R Hunter 0.

Harvest Transport Poverty Bay: A Shotter -2, L Clark -1, C Clark 2, R Telfer 1.

Kaharau Poverty Bay: W Stevens -1, S McNeil 0, B McNeil 1, T Lane 0.

EJ Gordon Poverty Bay: J Shanks -2, J McNeil 0, N Clark 2, C Thompson 0.

Farmlands Low-goal

Birchleigh: G Wilson -2, J Harte -1, N Lawrence -1, R Kettle 0.

Hawke’s Bay C: G Gould -2, T Bostock -2, S Glazebrook -2, N Coddington 2.

Hawke’s Bay D: J Hyslop -2, J Green -1, B Withers -1, F Coates 0.

Ballance Poverty Bay: J Shanks -2, J Kirkpatrick -1, A Moore/H Hutchinson 0, P Kirkpatrick 0.