Hyderabad: Arena Polo, a horse and rider fest fit for kings

Hyderabad: The recent HPRC International Women’s Arena Polo Tournament, jointly staged by the HPRC, Polo Yatra and United States Polo Association (USPA) had everything a sports fan would look for–high action, entertainment and glamour. Although no player had a handicap higher than one, with just half a point separating the two teams, the final between the UK and USA had its share of thrills and spills.  These kept a goodly crowd glued to the elevated galleries, which gave them a ringside view of the happenings unfolding before their eyes. A giant screen relayed the action too. For those who couldn’t quite follow the proceedings, Sharad Saxena’s flawless commentary regaled the audience even while enlightening it about the sport’s finer points.  Telangana’s Director General of Police Anjani Kumar, who was the chief guest, opened the final with a ‘throw-in’ to signal the start of the first ‘chukker’ or period of play, lasting about seven minutes. The ball is generally tossed in the middle of two teams lined up against each other by the umpire but the organisers gave that a twist by inviting celebrities to do the honours.
The three subsequent chukkers commenced with the orange-coloured ball being flipped in by Jennifer Larson, Consul General, USA Consulate General, Hyderabad, Tollywood actor Sumanth and Tejaswini Chowdhury. Fresh mounts from the HPRC’s 90-strong stable arrived for each session, their tails neatly braided, their feet carefully bandaged.  Sure enough, not a single horse misbehaved ! Thereon, but for game and clock stoppages for infringement of rules, it was non-stop action, even when the ball ricocheted off the walls.  Gareth Wynn Owen, Deputy High Commissioner of Great Britain (extreme left) cannot hide his jubilation, while Jennifer Larson, Consul General, USA Consulate General, Hyderabad (extreme right) is all appreciation for team UK that defeated USA 18-5 in the HPRC International Women’s Arena Polo tournament held recently at Aziz Nagar, Gandipet.
The 18-5 scoreline in UK’s favour left little doubt about the superior side. Led from the front by Rosanna Turk, her compatriots Alice Walsh and Kristina Karailieva vibed well with their captain on marauding runs by the minute. Turk, adjudged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the championship, attacked with aplomb.