SUPA: The Schools and Universities Polo Association Ltd

How do we follow the success of last year? Easy… more success this year! In fact every year it gets better, when will the resurgence end, who knows but long may it continue!

Tessa Johnson and her crew at Offchurch Bury Polo Club, pulled out all the stops. A new commentary and HQ point, loo’s, two boarded grounds, roped off parking and camping area and to top it all, a wonderful marquee for the Polo Skool party on Saturday.

All in place and the students arrived. Long live University Polo from the tentative Beginners to the aggressive and supreme Open, all levels were taken as Polo should be, in fun. OK, teams wanted to win but the weekend and the occasion was the winner!.

Exeter, who won 4 out of 5 trophies last year, were put under pressure on day one and eventually went home with one from seven. Durham University did the Arena and outdoor double by winning the Open, and despite a great first day Polo Skool were sent back to the blackboard by a Combined side from London/Edinburgh/Kingston/Bristol in the new Combined Section.

Reading also secured a double; after winning the Beginners last year they went on to win the Novice despite given a hard time by Nottingham. Also welcome to Guildford, Surrey, Middlesex, Kingston, Loughborough and London Metropolitan.

Sunday saw 51 chukkas starting at 10am, and even with hangovers and lost players we managed to fit them all in by 5.15, and get back the La Martina banner which had been “mis-placed” during the wee small hours whilst the party was on. Talking of the party nearly 200 people boogied and drank till gone 4am. Thank God Sunday morning was cool! This relaxed party, run by one of our supporters, Polo Skool, was a big hit with all, the music was good, the booze cheap even the goody bags ran out! Many new inter University friends were made, say no more!

Becky Simpson from La Martina was with us both days, mingling and enjoying the hospitality of groups of students, and after a busy Saturday, wine in hand looking at an amazing band of smoke from a BBQ drifting over a packed campsite full of players and spectators, she said “This is the spirit of Polo at it’s best”.

Plans are already afoot for next year, growth, ease and yet more fun if we can stand it! With nearly 50 Universities playing Polo and 49 teams, records continue to be broken, and with SUPA’s initiative on safety this year, hopefully ensuring a better playing environment, next year will be bigger and better.

Results

	Open	Combined
1.	Durham	London/Edin/Kingston/Bristol
2.	Notts/Warwick/Hull	Polo Skool
3.		Guildford/Edinburgh
4.		Dur/Middx/Lon Met/RAC

	Intermediate	Novice 1	Novice 2
1.	Edinburgh	Reading	London 2
2	St Andrews	Nottingham	Bristol 2
3.	Exeter	Southampton	Oxford Brookes 2
4.	Bristol	Warwick	St Andrews 2
Also:		Oxford Brookes	Nottingham 2
		London	Exeter 2
		Exeter	Warwick 2
		Surrey	Nottingham 3
		York	York 2
		RAC
		St Andrews
		Bristol
		Edinburgh

	Beginners 1	Beginners 2
1.	Exeter	Nottingham 2
2.	Warwick	Reading 2
3.	Nottingham	Oxford Brookes 2
4.	London	London 2
Also:	Portsmouth	Warwick 2
	York	Nottingham 3
	Royal Holloway
	St Andrews
	Loughborough
	Oxford Brookes
	Reading

Most Valuable Players
Open:	Mat Cudmore
Combined:	Tess Johnson
Intermediate:	Henry Nicholls
Novice:	Stuart Watts
Beginner:	Charlotte Jones