SAVILLE CUP POLO

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19892, 21 March 1939, Page 9

SAVILLE CUP POLO

HOLDERS DEFEATED RANGITIIvEI'S SURPRISE (Per Press Association.) FEILDING, this day. The opening games of the New Zealand Polo Association's Saville Cup tournament were played in Feilding yesterday afternoon, Cambridge meeting Rangitikei while Hawke's Bay played Matangi. Rangitikei completely upset all expectations in the first game, beating Cambridge, the holders of the Saville Cup by 5—4 in a closely contested game. The first chukka ended witn the scores 2—l in favour of Rangitikei and in the second chukka, with brilliant hitting, Rangitikei added two more. The Cambridge men were not up to form at this stage, their positional plav being bad, together with faulty hitting. Nolan was the life oi the Cambridge side from the third chukka on. leading attack after attack which invariably broke down through insufficient support. The fourth chukka saw the score 5—2 in favour of Rangitikei. From then on Cambridge got going better. K. Peake revealed flashes of his usual form, sending in a beautiful goal. The fifth chukka saw no alteration in the scores after hot play which was repeated in the final chukka, Cambridge scoring another goal, making the scores 5—4. The meeting of Matangi and Hawke's Bay provided a keen game, the Waikato team getting an early lead which the Bay gradually wore down, winning B—4. The veteran, F. McKcnzie, gave a great exhibition of positional play and riding off, while Lyons was another strong man in the Bay side. G. and H. Peake were the top players of the Matangi team. The experience of their opponents was too good for them. The Bay players became steadily better as the game progressed and the issue was never in doubt.