Norfolk Polo Club Team wins the May Cup at Higham Polo Club 2014

Norfolk Polo Club Team wins the May Cup at Higham Polo Club 2014

Charlie Tighe, Peter Burton, Tom Townsend and Paul Bussey showed true grit last weekend, winning two tough matches to bring home the May Cup from Higham Polo Club.

In both cases against teams playing an Argentinian professional, they managed to contain them and ultimately come through and win despite being the underdogs in both cases.

Great performances all round, with Tom Townsend once again excelling as playmaker – an old head on young shoulders with the talent to back it up, a battling performance with some great runs in attack by Charlie Tighe and a feisty showing from Peter Burton, scoring the winning goal (which he would be too modest to mention). It was great to be part of the team.

Only marred by a slight off by Mr Burton, although the lake that has since formed in the crater has been named in his honour.

 

 

 

 

Wodehouse Stud team wins the “Mad May” tournament at Suffolk Polo Club

The Wodehouse Stud polo team were one of two teams from the Norfolk Polo club who entered the Mad May tournament at Suffolk Polo club this year.  Fortunately we were in different halves of the competition and both teams won their competition and came away with a fantastic hare sculpture trophy as a result.

The Wodehouse Stud were Emma Beardshaw (0) , Peter Burton (-2), Matt Evetts (2)  and Paul Bussey (-1).  We won the Saturday match against the Woodland GG’s by 9 goals to 2 1/2 to progress to the Sunday final against Griffins which we won 6 goals to 4 1/2

It was the first time we had played together as a team so it was all the more pleasing. A big thanks to Matt whose polo was sublime. Emma was rock solid and powerful despite using the match to try out ponies and Burton’s wonder-goal in the first 30 seconds of the Saturday match set the scene for the weekend.

Thanks to all the team and to Suffolk for their great hospitality – if only we could get them to visit Norfolk!!

 

 

 

A Toast to the Game of Kings

A Toast to the Game of Kings

 

 

 

A toast my friends

To the king of games,

A toast to The Game of Kings

 

To Chess on horseback, cerebral fun

Where brains will beat brawn, to the chagrin of some.

It makes men out of boys and boys out of men;

Where girls can beat boys….

Well, now and again!!

 

To the hours in the saddle where it just won’t go right

Then that sudden leap forward; the joy, the delight;

‘Til the next peak appears that you just have to climb;

And on it progresses, that’s what makes it sublime.

 

To the fouls we commit, whether major or slight

To the umpires, god bless ‘em, they can’t always be right

 

To trusting your pony and becoming as one,

Amazing yourself with what you’ve just done.

To adding a flourish, an attempt to beguile;

Not just playing polo, but playing with style.

 

And then to the match, to donning your whites,

Regretting the beer from the previous night.

The stakes have gone up, the tension is high;

The ponies can sense it, they’re restless and fly.

 

To relief at the throw in, the adrenalin flowing’

It’s nervous and scrappy and just won’t get going.

When it’s turning against you and nothing goes right,

To sticking together and still fighting the fight.

 

To turning and running, leave opponents behind

Just knowing your teammate is reading your mind

To time slowing down and your thoughts speeding up

To the field clear ahead and the ball sitting up

To scoring the goal and turning the game

If ever a sport was deserving of name

The King of Games, the Game of Kings.

 

So raise your glasses one and all – a toast:

To do justice to our noble sport,

Whether won or lost, the fight well fought,

To friendships forged in the heat and the strife,

To sucking the very marrow from life,

To Polo, the Game of Kings, the King of Games.

 

Paul Bussey 2013

Paul’s Profile

PAUL BUSSEY

Discipline: Polo

Team: Wodehouse Stud

Goal: 0

Playing ponies for 2018:

  • Chikka
  • Flash
  • Monnie
  • Tolita
  • Yappa
  • Minnie
  • Harry