St. Andrews Opening Tournament
8th October – 9th October 2011
The University of Stirling Polo Club kicked off their competitive season with an impressive second place finish in both the beginner and novice categories at the St Andrews Opening Polo Tournament. There were two separate competitions taking place side by side over the two days which meant that competitors played against players with similar levels of ability.
The side competing in the beginner category lost narrowly to St Andrews, eventually losing 6-4 before rounding off their tournament with a rousing 3-0 victory over a side consisting of players from a combination of university sides. Their record of one victory and one loss was enough to achieve second place and provide them with an inspiring platform to build their confidence in the sport.
The novice side were also in stellar form as they won both of their chukkas on the opening day of the tournament, beating St. Andrews 1st side 5-2. Buoyed by victory in their opening chukka they went on to beat Aberdeen 3-1 and progress onto the final on the Sunday. They returned on the Sunday knowing they could not finish lower than third out of the seven teams in the competition. Nonetheless their main aim remained to win the tournament, however this was dealt a major blow in their first chukka on the Sunday when they lost 3-0 to St Andrews 2nd side.
The final chukka of the weekend could still potentially have had an impact on the final outcome of the tournament as Stirling took on St Andrews 3rd side narrowly winning 2-1, claiming second place in the process. Overall it was a brilliant weekend for everyone involved with the Polo Club as they were awarded a special mention for their improvements from previous tournaments whilst Hazel Ramage was awarded the Most Valuable Player award in the beginner category on top of the second place finish in the tournament.
The Polo Club are always interested in gaining new members and everyone is very welcoming to players of all abilities. If you are interested in joining the Polo Club, contact Will Smith on supoloclub@hotmail.com for further information.