The anticipation was…to say the least high!  A new title sponsor, qualifiers, 65 teams (a record) and wait for it, the only two days of snow in England. Yep, and we got it!  Despite all efforts it became dangerous and unfortunately was cancelled, and with dates very sparse things were looking doomed.

However. at 2 weeks notice, newcomer to Polo, Nick Davies, recent owner of Hand Equestrian, stepped in and said he could host. Albeit the arena was a bit narrow and lacked a few polo niceties, but on the other hand, it was heated, indoor, with café and bar and, yep, proper loos! 

At 8am on Friday the 9th, the nets were put up, padding around girders, 2 TV crews were on site setting up and all we needed were the students.  They arrived but the ponies for Umpire Austin Clarke and the first two games didn’t. A broken lorry was the cause. Still, an hour later we were under way, and with 34 chukkas to fit in we were glad of the Hand Equestrian lights as we didn’t finish till 8pm!


With the indoor facilities were more than getting the thumbs up from the students. A new record was set on the first day with an unprecedented 15 dismounts, one requiring treatment but nothing serious.

With sport.tv filming and showing the games on the massive display in the arena, polo throughout the 2 days was great, and it was lovely to welcome Moulton College for their first ever University experience, hopefully it wasn’t too bad!

Although play was over 2 days, the numbers were swollen on the first day as the Beginner Section had already managed one day at the snow bound Longdole Polo Club, and play by them was superb.  With Defence Academy away on manoevours, Royal Holloway looked firm favourites to win Section One of the Beginners, but against the run of play Warwick and Portsmouth both pipped them to the post in a three team final. Division Two was won by local boys UWE who defeated runners up Royal Vets College for the title.

The rest of the tournament was played over 2 days with all teams playing the conventional two chukkas. With flashing lights and bagpipes over the sound system St Andrews were made to feel at home, and with the whole SUPA team working hard and combing with Nick and Chris from Hand, the event was seamless.

First, with  Durham overcoming RAC in the semis  and then Edinburgh in the Final they took the Open for the first time. The team of Satchell, Cudmore and Wilson combining well.  David Blakey fighting hard on his 21st birthday couldn’t stop the team of Suthers, Houlker and Khan winning the new Combined University section in a 4 chukka match by 13 – 10. Bath ran away with the Intermediate with a resounding victory over RAC, and  Warwick winning in less comfortable circumstances against a stubborn Nottingham team in the final, although rumour has it, Nottingham refused a dance off for the title the night before in a random night club, and Oxford Brookes taking Section Two.

 La Martina, our main sponsors, not only supported all winners with bags and baseball caps but have now made it possible for the University Section of SUPA to reach out and become more professional in our outlook, and with the other sponsors, Roxtons, Polo Skool, the H.P.A, Baileys and Sat’s all bringing their name to the party, the future is bright, if not rosy.

A superb event, a great venue, brilliant sponsors, fantastic food, wonderful polo. What more can be said for the 2007 La Martina National University Championships.