NEWSLETTER – FEBRUARY 2012

SNOW POLO IN CHINA:

The South African team recently returned from China after a very successful tour. Having never played on snow before we were not expected to get past the pool stages but thanks to some determined efforts often under pressure the team succeeded in making the final. This was lost to Hong Kong (7-4) after a poor start from which the team never quite recovered.

The pool results were as follows:

-- Lost 7-6 against England (who were the tournament favourites and top seed)

-- Won on a penalty shoot out against Argentine after ending the match 2-2

-- Beat India 9-2

This qualified us second in our pool for the quarter finals where we came up against Australia (Glen Gilmore, Kelvin Johnson and Will Gilmore) This was by far one of the toughest matches on tour and we were ecstatic to win the game 5-3. Sweet revenge after our defeat at the hands of the Aussies in last year’s BMW Series.

The tournament was staged at the Metropolitan Polo Club in Tianjin (which is a big city about two hours drive from Beijing) The facilities at the MPC are unprecedented with state of the art stables, indoor arena and two magnificent polo fields. These are over looked by the five star Goldin Metropolitan Hotel which makes many of our top hotels poor cousins!!!

The organisation of the tournament was slick and the quality of the horses (mostly bought in from Australia and New Zealand) was very good. The South African team consisting of Tom de Bruin, Jean du Plessis, Leroux Hendriks and Terence Spilsbury (reserve) were great ambassadors for our country. It was a happy tour with no disciplinary problems both on and off the field. South Africa was complimented by the FIP for their good behaviour on and off the field, punctuality and smart turn out. I got the impression that we surprised many of our competitors and soon became the tournament favourites.

For those interested, pictures of the tour will be posted on the SAPA website.   

AUSTRALIA:

The team travelling to Australia for the March/April series is as follows:

1. Davey Evans (4)
2. Brad MacGibbon (5)
3. Joe Henderson (5)
4. Duncan Watson (5)

Duncan Ellis will travel with the team as “Manager/Coach” and will also fill in as a substitute in the event of an injury. Joe Henderson was one of South Africa’s highest rated players but due to his overseas professional commitments has never played for South Africa. He is delighted at the prospect and his astute tactical knowledge can only benefit the team.

The South African Colts Under 21 team will travel with the national side and will do duty in the curtain raiser matches to the Internationals. The SA Colts team is as follows:

1. Byron Watson (2)
2. Dirk van Reenen (2)
3. Cody Ellis (2)
4. Joe Mandy (2)

CORONATION CUP:

South African has been invited to play against England for the Coronation Cup. This is an extremely prestigious international particularly as it marks the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s reign. The fact that we have been afforded this honour bear’s testimony to the high regard the HPA hold South African polo.

England have requested a 26 goal team to play against their top team which will consist of two seven’s and two sixes. The international will take place at Guards Polo Club on Sunday 22nd July. More information on this will follow in future newsletters.

SOUTH AFRICAN EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION:

In terms of the National Sports & Recreation Act of 1998 as amended in 2007, all equestrian disciplines are compelled to fall under the South African Equestrian Federation which in turn reports directly to SASCOC (South African Sport Confederations Olympic Committee). SAEF is governed therefore by the rules and regulations of the Sports Act - the most important of which is the awarding of Protea National Colours to its members. These will in future have to be submitted to SASCOC for approval in all instances.

On the “plus” side SAPA, as an affiliated member of SAEF, can apply for government funding for the development of polo in South Africa and for assistance with overseas tours.

PROFESSIONAL UMPIRING & RULES:

SAPA has set aside a considerable budget for the use of professional umpires at all provincial championship tournaments as well as one other prominent tournament in each province. This will be in addition to the SAPA run tournaments on the calendar. First prize would be to sponsor all country tournaments but budget constraints prohibit this.

It appears that the HPA won’t be making many rule changes for 2012. The only one that I am aware of is the Penalty 5(a) and 5(b) where the umpire will place the ball and call “play”. In other words the player will not have the opportunity to tee up the ball. There could also be an amendment to the time taken for penalties with umpires giving players a time limit when taking penalties. South Africa will only adopt any rule changes once they have been ratified and published by the HPA which we expect to take place during the course of this month.

NATIONAL SELECTORS:

The following members have been voted in by the senior players as national selectors for 2012.

• Duncan Ellis
• Campbell Macnab
• Donovan English

SAPA Exco appointed Clive Peddle to serve as Convener. Congratulations to these men who give up a lot of their time to assess and select teams for the various Internationals.

LADIES POLO:

A ladies international against the touring World Fusion team is planned for May and will be held at the same time as Highveld Champs. (East Rand Polo Club). Amy Gace has already notified the ladies on this and it is hoped to field four teams, each with a touring visitor participating on Friday and Saturday. The ladies international match will take place on the Sunday as a curtain raiser to the final of Highveld Champs.

Canada has also issued an invitation for a national ladies team to tour their country in July. This coincides with the Calgary Stampede and should be a wonderful tour. It is hoped Canada will reciprocate with a tour to South Africa over President’s Cup.

A South African Schools girl’s team will be selected at the SAPA Clinic – it is envisaged that this team will take part in the ladies section of President’s Cup. Girls eligible for selection must attend the Clinic unless they have other school sports commitments that might clash.

I have no doubt that you are all looking forward to the season/year ahead – let’s hope it’s a successful one for our national teams and Clubs some of which are fighting for survival. 

CLIVE PEDDLE
Executive Director – South African Polo Association

NEW VENUE FOR JOHANNESBURG BMW POLO TEST ON 26 AUGUST 2012!

CHANGE IN VENUE FOR JOBURG BMW POLO TEST
SAPA is delighted to announce that this year’s BMW International Polo will be moving from the Inanda Club to the spacious Waterfall Polo Park in Sunninghill. This is a stunning new expansive development where we’ll have room for so much more than we’ve had before. We’re playing a team from India and the Test will take place on Sunday 26^th August. Waterfall Polo Park has been beautifully laid out and consists of three polo fields, two of which are at our disposal for parking and other facilities. For more details see http://www.sapolo.org.za/bmw-polo-series-august/ 

POLO TOURS – JANUARY 2012

SNOW POLO IN CHINA:
The South African team depart for chilly China on Sunday afternoon. The weather guru’s tell us temperatures sink to as low as -12 degrees so there will be plenty of thermal clothing packed. Team preparations have gone well with the team practicing in Selby Williamson’s arena for a week – thank you Selby for your valued assistance and coaching. As you know, South Africa will be competing against 11 other nations for the FIP World Snow Polo Championship. We have a tough draw with our first match against England followed by Argentina and lastly old rivals India. Our immediate focus is to qualify for the quarters – the top two teams from each pool will qualify. Thereafter semis and hopefully finals!!!  The South African team is as follows:

• Tom de Bruin - 6 goals
• Jean du Plessis - 6 goals
• Leroux Hendricks - 4 goals
• Terence Spilsbury - 4 goals (reserve) 

We wish them a safe journey and the best of luck and look forward to them retuning home as the new Snow Polo World Champions !!!
AUSTRALIA:
The Australian Polo Council invited a South African team to play two Internationals during March/April this year. The tour itinerary is as follows:

• Monday 26 March: Depart Johannesburg to Sydney
• Tuesday 27 March: Test Match Horse Trials
• Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 March & Tuesday 3 April: Tournament Polo
• Saturday 31 March: Test Match (Windsor Polo Club)
• Thursday 5, Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 April: Play in Kurri Burri Polo Tournament
• Saturday 7 April: Easter Test Match @ Royal Easter Show
• Monday 9 April: Depart Sydney to Johannesburg

They initially requested a 24 goal team but due to work commitments of our high goal professionals this had to revised to 20 goals. The team selected is a combination of youth and experience and there is no doubt they will acquit themselves well. We look forward to a series win.
The team is as follows:

1. Davey Evans (4)
2. Brad MacGibbon (5)
3. Joe Henderson (5)
4. Duncan Watson (5)

Duncan Ellis will travel with the team as “Manager/Coach” and will also fill in as a substitute in the event of an injury. Joe Henderson was one of South Africa’s highest rated players but due to his overseas professional commitments has never played for South Africa. He is delighted at the prospect and his astute tactical knowledge can only benefit the team.

Concurrent with the senior tour will be a Colts Under 21 tour (maximum 8 goals) which will play in the curtain raiser matches to the Internationals. The SA Colts team is in the process of being finalised and will be announced shortly.

In addition to the above two tours there are a number of exciting and prestigious invitations in the pipeline all of which form part of SAPA’s ongoing strategy of promoting international polo tours – both at home and abroad.

CLIVE PEDDLE
Executive Director – South African Polo Association

NEWSLETTER – JANUARY 2012

NEW YEAR:
With the festive season now past and the year already well into January it’s time to focus on the polo season ahead with its revamped fixture schedule. Although it’s impossible to please everyone it appears to have met with approval from most of the players so let’s hope 2012 is an enjoyable and successful year.

SNOW POLO IN CHINA:
As many of you already know, South Africa has been invited to take part in a “Snow Polo” tournament hosted jointly by FIP and the Metropolitan Polo Club in China during February 2012. Twelve national teams will take part on a knockout basis i.e. 3 pools of 4 teams with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the quarter finals. Teams of three a side cannot exceed a total of 16 goals. In choosing the South African team, the selectors opted for a competitive team that would be match fit and honed – hence all the team members having recently taken part in the Plettenberg Bay summer season. The team is as follows:

• Tom de Bruin 6 goals
• Jean du Plessis 6 goals
• Leroux Hendricks 4 goals

We wish the team the best of luck and look forward to them retuning home as the new Snow Polo World Champions!!!

NEW ZEALAND:
The proposed tour to New Zealand in February has been postponed due to a lack of availability from high goal players. Hopefully, this tour will be revived for 2013.

AUSTRALIA:
The Australian Polo Council has invited a South African team to play two Internationals during March/April. The tour itinerary is roughly as follows:

• Mon 26 March Depart Johannesburg - Sydney
• Tue 27 March – Test Match Horse trials
• Wed 28, Thu 29 March & 3 April – some tournament polo
• Sat 31 March – Test Match (Windsor Polo Club)
• Thu 5, 7 & 8 April – play in Kurri Burri polo tournament
• Sat 7 April – Easter Test Match @ Royal Easter Show
• Mon 9 April – Depart Sydney – Johannesburg

Airfares, accommodation, hire of ponies and transport will be provided by the APC. They initially requested a 24 goal team but due to a lack of player availability this will probably be reduced to 20 goals.
Concurrent with this is a Colts Under 21 tour which fortunately falls within South African school holidays giving many of our talented school boys an opportunity to tour.

SANDTON RIDE OFF:
This event was scheduled to take place in May 2012 but due to sponsor problems has been postponed to later in the year – possibly September or October. More information to follow once new dates have been finalised.

PONY WELFARE:
The question as to whether a lactating and/or suckling mare could be played polo was raised last season. HPA Rules categorically forbid this so please be aware that Welfare Officers will not allow such a practise.

RULES:
The only ‘major’ rule change HPA have recommended for 2012 is that the ball should be placed by an umpire for Penalties 5a and 5b. This is to speed up the play and reduce the opportunity for players to waste time whilst a team mate changes a pony; and invariably a Penalty 5a or 5b is tapped anyway. The time for a player to place the ball for other penalties will be extended to 15 seconds but more rigidly enforced.
Neck shot - the rules state that a player may not take a full swing under a pony’s neck in such a way as to endanger other players or ponies. Umpires will be expected to take a stronger line on penalising players for this during the 2012 season.
These changes will only become effective once ratified by HPA and all Clubs/players will be notified accordingly.

UMPIRING:
The Association’s professional umpiring policy is still on track with a few new members eager to join the initiative. Budget permitting, SAPA will look to sponsor professional umpires at all the Provincial Championship tournaments as well as some of the calendar’s major tournaments.
On field discipline has improved and umpires will be instructed to keep it that way. The introduction of the “Yellow Flag” system has been partly responsible for this – a necessary aspect if we want to adhere to the NRC mandate of promoting polo in South Africa.

LOAN APPLICATIONS:
Clubs wishing to apply for interest free loans during 2012 should do so through their Provincial Chairmen before Monday 13th February 2012. These will be submitted for consideration at the Exco meeting in mid February.

AFFILIATION FEES 2012:
SAPA’s affiliation fee for 2012 will increase marginally to R750 per player for adults and R100 per scholar. Scholars include bona fide full time school children and tertiary education learners.

Any queries or feedback on the above – please feel free to contact me to discuss.
CLIVE PEDDLE
Executive Director – South African Polo Association

NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2011

BMW INTERNATIONAL SERIES:
The 2011 BMW International Series was a great success despite the terrible wet/cold weather conditions at Shongweni. The visiting Australian team were a great bunch and made many friends here in South Africa. They played really good polo and were happy to play whatever ponies were given to them. In the end they were superbly mounted thanks to the generosity of our pony lenders - the South African Polo Association is extremely grateful to all those players who unselfishly lend horses. Without this support your BMW International Series would be a non starter and your Association’s income stream seriously affected. The teams who did duty are as follows:

Australia
1. Kelvin Johnson (5)
2. Andrew Williams (5)
3. Matt Grimes (5) Captain
4. Rob Ballard (5)
Reserve Will Gilmore (4)

South Africa
1. Selby Williamson (5) Captain
2. Brad MacGibbon (5)
3. Russell Watson (5)
4. Gillespie Armstrong (5)
Reserve Davey Evans (4)

South Africa lost the Series 2-0 but not without a fight and some good polo. Matt Grimes and Rob Ballard showed their class playing very good constructive polo clearly demonstrating their professional approach and good horsemanship.
Interestingly, the two Blesbok matches played against the Aussies ended in draws when the handicap differential was taken into account. This is a great opportunity for South Africa’s younger players to pit their skills against touring teams and it is my belief that these matches should be promoted into bigger events.

HANDICAPS:
The following handicap changes were made at the last handicap meeting of the SAPA Handicapping Committee. The changes will be effective from the 10th January 2012 as most of the polo outside of the Cape will be winding down.

• Duncan Watson 4 to 5 
• Michael John Marlton 4 to 5
• Brad Gace 4 to 5
• James Hackland 3 to 2
• Dirk van Reenen 2 confirmed
• Byron Watson 1 to 2
• Cody Ellis 1 to 2
• Joe Mandy 1 to 2
• Craig James 1 to 2
• James Brice 0 to 1
• Andrew Jonnson 1 confirmed
• Guy Clegg 1 confirmed
• Eugene de Bruin 1 to 0
• Rob Barras 0 to 1
• Richie Hogg 0 confirmed
• Nicky Williamson 0 confirmed
• Aaron Pagel -1 to 0
• Dean Storah -1 to 0
• Cameron Chubb -1 to 0
• Dan Ronan -2 to 0
• Craig McCord -2 to 0
• Blake Chubb -2 to -1
• Clair Heaton Nicholls -2 to -1

TOUR TO CHINA:
The South African Schools team consisting of Byron Watson, Dirk van Reenen, Cody Ellis and Forrest Caine travel to China on the 2nd October to take part in an Under 18 tournament involving three other countries. They will be hosted by the Metropolitan Polo Club in Tianjan and will be accompanied by team manager Greg Caine. All are in good form having recently won the 6 Goal Section at Natal Champs. We look forward to their progress in China.

SNOW POLO IN CHINA:
South Africa has been invited to take part in a “Snow Polo” tournament hosted by the Metropolitan Polo Club during February 2012. The intention is for 16 national teams to take part at 14-16 goal level on a knockout basis i.e. 4 pools of 4 playing each other within the pools and the top two teams from each pool advancing to the quarter finals. My understanding is that each participating team will be awarded a sponsored budget to meet expenses. We await further details in writing.

NEW ZEALAND:
We have also had an invite from New Zealand Polo for a 22-23 goal team to tour New Zealand during the first two weekends of February next year. This tour will clash with the China trip but we have sufficient high goal players to accommodate both invitations. So, there are opportunities a plenty for our top players to represent South Africa abroad next year. More details will follow in due course.

FEDERATION OF INTERNATIONAL POLO:
The finals of the FIP World Cup will take place at the Estancia Grande Polo Club, San Luis, Argentina from 10th – 21st October. South Africa, unfortunately will not be there as a result of our loss to Australia in Malaysia.
The annual General Assembly council meeting of FIP will take place on 24th October in Buenos Aires. I will be attending this meeting on behalf of SAPA where no doubt the question of South Africa hosting the 2014 Zone D playoffs will be discussed. Hopefully, we will be better equipped to make an informed decision once the mechanics of the tournament are outlined.

SANDTON RIDE OFF:
A Johannesburg events Company, in conjunction with SAPA, is planning an equestrian extravaganza next year in May to span over two weekends with numerous functions and fashion shows packed in between. The first weekend will feature horse jumping featuring jumpers from all over the world followed by “action polo” the second weekend. The plan is for eight cities (four local and four overseas) to compete on a knock out basis for a place in the finals. The event will take place at Willoughby (Stonefield) Johannesburg and will provide another source of income for the Association. If successful, the event could become an annual event in the city.

2012 FIXTURE LIST:
The 2012 fixture list is in the process of being finalized. There was much criticism of this year’s calendar exacerbated by the wet winter conditions country wide. There have been a lot of suggestions from players to plan tournaments on back to back weekends followed by a “free” allowing players to practice with their Clubs – especially those that are short of numbers and struggle to play polo when Club members are away at tournaments. With this in mind and to minimize transport costs the plan is to follow the Plett Easter season (where reciprocity between EG/KZN and local Cape players can take place) with two high goal EG tournaments followed by a break and then two Highveld tournaments. These need to be fairly early in the season before the major frosts set in. These would be followed by another break and then two major Natal tournaments. Club tournaments would be interspersed in between where ever best in consultation with the Provincial Chairmen.
Handicap levels for all provincial championship tournaments, Karkloof Classic and SA Champs will be increased from 12 to 14 goal – the FIP International level but more importantly to suck in more two and three goal players into higher goal polo. The effect of this will (hopefully) give younger 2’s and 3’s the opportunity of playing faster polo and subsequently take them to the next level.
With these tournaments set at 14/6/0 levels an overall prize will be awarded to the team winning the most tournaments. This will encourage teams not to change too much and form the basis of a mini league. An individual prize will also be awarded to the player with the most points in each section based on the success rate of the player. We will be looking for a sponsor for this. Tournaments would be weighted according to the degree of difficulty in achieving success i.e. winning SA Champs would earn more points than say Natal or Free State Champs.
The calendar will also include a Ladies section in as many of the major tournaments as possible – such as the Underberg High Goal, Karkloof Classic, Inter provincial and maybe the President’s Cup. The latter could form the basis of a selection tournament for the ladies to play an International during September/October next year.
These are all ideas planned for the 2012 polo calendar – any suggestions would be welcome.
 
UMPIRING:
The Association’s professional umpiring policy is still very much on track with a few new members eager to join the initiative. I am hopeful, budget permitting, to sponsor SAPA’s professional umpire’s at all major tournaments which should ensure a measure of consistency at these events.
Thankfully, on field discipline has improved during the latter part of the season and umpires will be instructed to keep it that way. The introduction of the “Yellow Flag” system has been partly responsible for this – a necessary aspect if we want to adhere to the NRC mandate of promoting polo in South Africa.
That’s the wrap for the time being – I wish all those Clubs holding tournaments in the ensuing week’s lots of fun and good exciting polo.
 
CLIVE PEDDLE
Executive Director – South African Polo Association

AUSTRALIA WIN THE 2011 BMW INTERNATIONAL POLO SERIES

The Australian Polo Team pulled off a convincing win against South Africa by 9 goals to 7 on Sunday 21 August at the Inanda BMW Polo Test. The playing conditions were in stark contrast to last weekend's waterlogged Test, as they took to the field in brilliant sunshine and played to a capacity crowd. Australian Rob Ballard won Man-Of-The-Match while Dirk Van Reenen's horse, Ocean, won Best Playing Pony. The win in Joburg means the Aussies head home winning the Series 15 goals to 12. Thank you to everyone for coming out to support the teams and we look forward to another exciting BMW Series in 2012. 

AUSTRALIA BEAT SA IN VERY WET CONDITIONS AT SHONGWENI

The visiting Australian polo team completed a sporting double yesterday when they followed up the Wallabies’ win over the Springboks in Durban on Saturday with a 6-5 victory over South Africa in the first Test of the BMW International Polo Series at a rain-soaked Shongweni Club near Durban watched ironically by the rugby Springboks who were guests of honour.

The game was very closely fought throughout and only won by the Australians at the end of the final Chukka. Andrew Williams of the Australian team won man-of-the-match although all eight players deserved a medal for playing in such difficult conditions.

This means Australia go to the final Test at the Inanda Club in Sandton on Sunday with a 6-5 advantage. Weather forecast is looking good at the moment so we can hopefully look forward to some sunshine and exciting polo.