Victory Down Under

To top off a wonderful weekend filled with Aussie euphemisms, wicked wildlife, and stunning beaches, the Perth Polo Team won the Western Australia Open B Grade (2-goal) tournament. The Perth team consisted of myself, Zac Johnsson, Imagele Fischer, and Neville Stewart. The tournament format was six teams split into two pools of 3 teams. 2 chukkas of round-robin play on day 1 determined the rankings for each pool, with the winner of each pool advancing to the finals the next day. Despite having flown in early that Saturday morning, we were able to win our first game and tied our second going through to the finals on goal difference. The final was against a strong Balwyn team consisting of the MVP of the tournament, James Lester, a talented 4-goaler.

This game came down to the wire but we were able to score a last-second goal to put ourselves in front. While it always feels good to win, for me the best part of the weekend was getting to know the Australian polo crowd who were super kind and welcoming and by the end of it I knew almost everyone there. I also really enjoyed the experience of playing in a new country with new fields and horses and adjusting my style of play to those factors. Lastly, I want to say a huge thank you to Neville Stewart and the Fischer family for giving me horses to play with and making everything possible. I'm glad I could at the very least help get the team a win for all their kindness and generosity.