Cotswold Polocrosse Club’s 2019 Tournament took place on the 22nd and 23rd of June at Longdole Polo Club in Gloucestershire. Most of the weekend ran very smoothly but it ended in some controversy after the A grade final did not place, after Costwold and Warwick, the two teams due to contest the final, became embroiled in a dispute over whether Warwick could field a substitute player. Lizzie Shearing had played on the Saturday but then was unable to play on the Sunday due to feeling unwell. Warwick said Cotswold had initially agreed to them fielding Shane Borland as a substitute, despite him being a 12 graded player and not an 11 like Lizzie, but then had changed their mind with an hour to go till the final.

For their part, Cotswold said that they were simply asking Warwick to play by the UKPA and IPC rules, which state a substitute player must be the same grade or lower. Both teams actually made it to the pitch but after some further discussion Warwick left again and no A grade final took place, which was disappointing for the spectators who had gathered ready to watch a battle royale between the two teams. However, Warwick’s withdrawal meant Cotswold were declared the winners and Warwick finished in second spot.

The B grade final saw Celyn overcome Kent. Celyn doubled up their A grade section in their B grade team and so overcoming that would have been a hard challenge for a young Kent team. They fought hard till the end but Celyn always looked reasonably comfortable after they built an early lead.

Below that there were a number of voictors for combined teams and sections, as the C grade was won by a combined team of Yorkshire and Cotswold with Kent again in second spot.

The D grade was won by a mixed team made up of Chiltern, Limemere and Arden, with the full Arden team in second spot, while the E grade victors were a combined Beaudesert/ Cotswold section with Limemere in second spot.

In the Junior grade the Open Juniors were won by a combined Arden/ Celyn team with Kent in second spot. Kent then combined with Limemere to win the PJ’s with Arden in second spot.

There was also some great lead rein polocrosse between Riley, Archie, Ed and Isla; showing that the future of polocrosse in the UK is in safe hands!

1st2ndBest Number 1Best Number 2Best Number 3Best Horse
A GradeCotswoldWarwickJames Allen (Cotswold)Danny Duhig (Cotswold)Rachael Duhig (Cotswold)Marmite – Katie Loutsiou (Celyn)
B GradeCelynKentKatie Loutsiou (Celyn)Izzy Baker Cresswell (Kent Target)Charlotte Winder (Celyn)Daisy – Matt Hale (Cotswold)
C GradeYorkshire Warriors/ CotswoldKent TargetHilton Bellis (Yorkshire Warriors)Joao Evora (Cotswold)Elizabeth WalkerMarimba – Jazz Henning (Bethersden Bulls)
D GradeMixArdenSeona McCredie (Arden)Amanda Wilson (Kent Target)Kathy Hopkins (Chiltern)Kira – Seona McCredie (Arden)
E GradeCotswold/ BeaudesertLimemereLee Cuggy (Cotswold)Becky Porter (Yorkshire Warriors)Tim Batchelor (Limemere)Petra – Graham Ward (Yorkshire Warriors)
Open JuniorsArden/ CelynKent TargetKeegan Jacobs (Celyn)Emily Cross (Arden)Sammy Borland (Arden)Tornado – Keegan Jacobs (Celyn)
Primary JuniorsKent Target/ LimemereArdenGeorgia Wasdell (Kent Target)N/AJames Dawson (Arden)Crystal – James Dawson (Arden)