10th September 2008
Polo Professionals put on a show at Watergate Bay for Veuve Clicquot Polo on the Beach.
More than two thousand spectators packed the sands of Watergate Bay yesterday evening to watch a fiercely contested match at Veuve Clicquot Polo on the Beach, the UK’s original beach polo event.
With players drawn from the ranks of professional polo teams, the exhibition match provided spectators with a demonstration of just how exciting - and heated - the sport can get, as the teams sponsored by Knight Frank and Kier Western repeatedly traded the lead throughout the four chukka match.
When the final hooter sounded it was the Kier Western team of Tim Vaux, Paddy Selfe and Ed Oluff, of Somerset’s Vaux Park Polo Club, who rode out winners by a margin of just half a goal.
But for former England international player Richard Blake Thomas, the experience of playing polo on a beach for the first time was memorable, despite finishing on the losing Knight Frank team.
“That was exhilarating! It was tough, really tough; the [playing] surface was quite hard to get the hang of, and it made it almost impossible to do things individually, it really required working as a team to put things together,” said the 28 year old, who plays professionally for the Meyado team based at Guards Polo Club, Windsor.
“Hats off to everyone involved, it’s an awesome event and I’d like to think it has an awesome future. Watergate Bay is definitely unique, and it doesn’t get much better than playing on the beach as the sun goes down. It’s the perfect setting.”
The Knight Frank team of Richard Blake Thomas, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Polo Manager Barbara Zingg, and Wadebridge resident Andrew Burgess started the match with a half goal handicap advantage over their opponents.
But Kier Western took the lead in the opening minute of the first chukka with an easy goal from team captain Tim Vaux. Knight Frank twice came close to regaining their initial advantage through Richard Blake Thomas, who first hit just wide of the goalpost, and then tried a long ambitious strike from down field. Young professional Ed Oluff from Kier Western then scored again to lead 2 goals to 1/2 at the end of the first chukka.
Following a brief pause to change ponies, Knight Frank worked their way back in to the match in the second chukka. Andrew Burgess won and subsequently scored a penalty early on in the quarter, and went on to score a second goal to give Knight Frank the lead, tapping the ball between the posts after Barbara Zingg over-ran her strong approach play. Kier Western pushed for another goal, and following a missed penalty the goal eventually came from a spectacular shot looped in from the sidelines by Ed Oluff, making the half time score Kier Western 3, Knight Frank 2 1/2.
At half time the crowd took to the pitch to tread in the playing surface, which, following two periods of fast-paced play, had changed from a hard packed beach to a mass of churned sand.
Kier Western built on their advantage in the second half, with 19-year-old aspiring professional Paddy Selfe scoring to take his team’s tally to four goals. They continued to dominate the run of play and twice came close to scoring again. However, an amazing solo goal came from Richard Blake Thomas, who carried the ball the length of the pitch from the hit-in on his own goal line, around the chasing pack, and through the goalposts. Both teams then scored again to set up a finely poised final chukka, with the score Kier Western 5, Knight Frank 4 1/2.
With the sun sinking towards the sea, Kier Western’s Tim Vaux scored a great backhand goal from mid field. Kier Western then pushed play up to their opponents’ end again, only for Richard Blake Thomas to send Andrew Burgess chasing a big hit - Burgess scoring with a difficult cut shot which scraped past the inside of the goalpost, drawing cheers from crowd. Ed Oluff scored again to restore Kier Western’s 1 1/2 goal lead, but a second scintillating goal by Burgess pulled the margin back to half a goal after another big goal line hit by Richard Blake Thomas.
With the clock ticking down, a period of tactical play in middle of field broke down in the final 30 seconds when Ed Oluff burst through the pack in an open run on goal. With the chance to seal the match for Kier Western, Oluff was thwarted by the pockmarked sand and hit wide, his mallet flying through the air as the final hooter blew. Final score: Kier Western 7 - Knight Frank 6 1/2.
“It was end to end stuff!”, said an energised Andrew Burgess. “That was a very competitive match - there was lots of hooking [sticks], a lot of riding off, some quite aggressive play - we meant it out there! Knight Frank were the lower handicap team, we started with a half goal advantage and lost by half a goal, so it worked out about right.”
“I was the umpire for last year’s match at Watergate Bay but this was a different game altogether. The standard of polo was of a much higher handicap level, and the match was really competitive. With the cliffs and the sea it’s the most dramatic place to play.”
With the last ball struck, the players climbed the steps to The Hotel’s terrace to receive their trophies from Veuve Clicquot’s William Sharpley, who presented the Watergate Bay Trophy to Kier Western captain Tim Vaux.
In a unanimous decision by the commentators, Kier Western’s Ed Oluff was awarded the Chukka Trophy for the Most Valuable Player.
Commentator Captain Ben Marshall explained: “Right there in the middle of the field, Ed was controlling the game for Kier Western, turning on the ball, and setting up the attacks which won them the match - and he scored some great goals as well.”
The Woof Wear Trophy for the Best Playing Pony was awarded to ‘Negro’, a black gelding played by Richard Blake Thomas and Andy Burgess. ‘Negro’ was presented with a top quality blanket by Ali Reynolds of Woof Wear.
The Teams
Knight Frank: 1 Barbara Zingg (Handicap 0), 2 Andrew Burgess (0), 3 Richard Blake Thomas (3).
Kier Western: 1 Paddy Selfe (0), 2 Tim Vaux (2), 3 Ed Oluff (2).
ENDS
Images
High resolution print-ready images can be downloaded here.
Notes For Editors
Founded in 1772, Veuve Clicquot has an established history of innovation and creativity. Madame Clicquot was the first woman to run her own champagne house when she took over the business in 1805. She revolutionised the way champagne was made by putting holes in her kitchen table and “riddling” the bottles to clarify the wines. Similarly, Veuve Clicquot’s innovative, daring approach is evident when in 1877 they became the first company to register their unique iconic yellow which is still apparent with Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label today. www.veuve-clicquot.com/ukseason
The Extreme Academy, Watergate Bay is one of Britain’s leading venues for beach sports and events. Founded in 1999, the Extreme Academy comprises specialist schools for surfing, kitesurfing, waveski, stand-up paddlesurf and mountainboarding; technical equipment hire; and the Extreme Store, stocking a wide range of clothing and technical equipment. The Beach Hut, located on the ground floor of the Extreme Academy, is well known as Cornwall’s coolest beach hangout, and a great place to eat. www.watergatebay.co.uk/polo.htm
The Hotel, Watergate Bay has emerged from a £2 million programme of investment as a must-visit beach destination. With the public areas and bedrooms all refurbished in the past three years, the décor is beach house chic throughout. The contemporary modern look, award-winning dining and relaxed atmosphere are only topped by The Hotel’s unbeatable location right on the beach. www.watergatebay.co.uk
Kier Western provides a full range of construction and related services across a broad client base including county and district councils, major property developers, high street retailers, hotel operators and industrial manufacturing companies. Kier Western is part of Kier Group plc, the leading construction, development and services group with an annual turnover in excess of £2bn. With a comprehensive network of offices across the UK Kier Group responds to both local and national opportunities and initiatives, working extensively in partnership on formal joint ventures, frameworks and strategic alliances with blue chip private and public sector clients. www.kier.co.uk
Knight Frank LLP is the leading independent global property consultancy, and specialises locally in new homes, and stunning houses and apartments, throughout Cornwall and Devon. Headquartered in London, Knight Frank and its New York-based global partner Newmark Knight Frank operate from over 165 offices, in 36 countries, in six continents. For further information about the company, please visit www.knightfrank.com
Chukka is a British lifestyle clothing brand for men, women and kids. Inspired by polo the range appeals to people who enjoy clothes that are designed to live and play in. Following on from Chukka’s involvement last year at Veuve Clicquot Polo on the Beach they are once again providing the kit for the two teams and presenting the trophy for the most valuable player. www.chukkaclothing.com
Woof Wear has been designing and producing high quality protective products for equine athletes and riders for over twenty years. In-depth research combined with testing and feedback from riders has helped Woof Wear develop practical, hard-wearing products that work in harmony with both horse and rider to give maximum protection – day-to-day or at top level competition. Woof Wear are presenting the trophy for Best Playing Pony. www.woofwear.com
Media Contact - PR on behalf of The Extreme Academy, Watergate Bay
For more information and images contact: Jim Michell at Barefoot Media.
Telephone: +44 (0)1208 895089 Email: jim@barefootmedia.co.uk |
