South Island polo success

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31941, 19 March 1969, Page 11

South Island polo success

THIE Mid-Canterbury polo team gave an excellent indication of the growing strength of the sport in the South Island when it returned last week from the Savile Cup contest at Feilding with second placing in the junior handicap section to its credit and with a team member, E. O’Sullivan, gaining the award for the best team of three ponies in the tournament. The team gave the best performance of any South Island team in the tournament for many years. Its effort was even more meritorious because the four players with their team of 16 ponies, faced the longest and most rugged journey of any of the 20 teams in the tournament. They travelled by truck from Hinds to Picton, crossed the Cook Strait in the ferry and travelled again by road from Wellington to Feilding. It was the only team competing from the South Island. Polo is still very much a North Island sport with the Savile Cup tournament alternating each year between Feilding and Hamilton. The Amur! team has competed twice in the last four years, but appearances over many years have been only intermittent. The Mid-Canterbury club V

has built up an outstanding record in tournaments in the South Island in recent years, and has won the Gould Cup (the South Island championship title) for the last four years. This contest is held in Christchurch by the South Island Polo Association. The club decided to compete in the Savile Cup tournament to gain experience at national level. The money needed to take the players and ponies to the tournament and return was raised through fund raising efforts by the club members and supporters. Mr E. O’Sullivan said this week that the team's success in finishing second to Waimai would boost the sport in the South Island. The trip had been well worthwhile, and all members and their ponies had gained valuable experience, he said. Two of the ponies which gained Mr O’Sullivan his award won the same award for him at the South Island tournament last year. Because of the distance to take ponies, the team will not compete in the Savile Cup tournament at Hamilton next year but the MjdCanterbury team has been invited to play in the Waikato in January next year and ponies will be provided.