Polo: Saddled up to give the Aussies stick

By TERRY MADDAFORD

John-Paul Clarkin was virtually born on a horse. Little wonder these days he makes his living riding one or two or three or more chasing a white ball with a stick.

As one of New Zealand's top polo players, Clarkin has about 25 horses in work here and another lot awaiting his return to England.

Tomorrow afternoon Clarkin, cousin Simon Keyte and brothers Craig and Thomas Wilson will pit their skills in the one-off Rosebowl test against Australia at the Kihikihi Polo Ground.

The New Zealanders will be out to make it three in a row after victories in the past two years over England and South Africa. The test promises to be a competitive affair with both teams rated at 26 goals.

New Zealand could have put out a higher-rated team but held back to match the Australians.

The visitors are led by Glen Gilmore (like Clarkin, Keyte and Thomas Wilson a seven-goal player) - their captain for the past five seasons - with their highest-rated player Ruki Baillieu (eight goals).

The other team members are Ross Ainsley (five) and Damien Johnston (six).

"I will have nine or 10 horses on hand for the test," said 25-year-old Clarkin. "You need one for each chukka and a few spares."

The test will be played over six chukkas of 7 1/2 minutes duration apiece.

Interestingly, most of Clarkin's horses are mares. "Of the 25 I have here, only one is a gelding.

"It is a female dominated sport because of their temperament and value for breeding."

Most polo horses are aged between seven and 16 years, have been tried - and found wanting - on the racetrack and come in at between 15.1-15.2 hands.

"Two of my best horses are 16 years old but they play only two or three tournaments a year."

Like many New Zealand children from a farming background, Clarkin did the pony club thing, dabbled in eventing and showjumping before, not surprisingly, deciding polo was his go coming as he did from a family who had long played the sport with no small measure of success.

After early schooling at Te Miro Primary, Cambridge Intermediate and Cambridge High "where I did anything to get out of school work", Clarkin was, at 18, in England.

It has been a merry-go-round which has stopped only occasionally since. Along the way he has played with and against royalty, tried his hand at elephant polo in India and eased his handicap up to seven goals - three shy of his long-term ambition of becoming New Zealand's first 10-goal player.

Stuart Mackenzie was New Zealand's highest goal player, reaching nine for a season in 1988 when coached by Australian Sinclair Hill - the only player from this part of the world to reach 10 goals.

Cody Forsyth was on eight but has dropped back to seven to join Clarkin, Keyte and Thomas Wilson as the country's highest handicapped players.

Clarkin has played in Switzerland, England, Singapore, South Africa and Australia but has yet to make it to another of the big polo-playing countries, Argentina.

Based in England near Prince Charles' Highgrove country home, where he has seven horses, and soon to be nine or 10, Clarkin is well-versed in the ways of the sport in England.

"Sure, there is the cucumber sandwich, picnic hamper and champagne side to the sport but there is a lot more of what I call the normal stuff. I have played with the princes - Harry and William - and Prince Charles. They are all keen and would be better players if they had more time."

While he has got through the early years without too many injuries, Clarkin had his nose smashed in five places when he got in the way of a wayward stick a couple of months ago.

And made money? "There is good money in it - but I'm still looking for it," he quipped. "I get by, but it is an expensive sport."

Inside Track

Name: John-Paul (JP) Clarkin

Born: Cambridge, June 5, 1978

Turned pro: 1997

Represented New Zealand: Seven times

Savile Cup victories: Two, 2000 Cambridge, 2003 Auckland Morningstar