Wed 30th Apr 2008 FIP World Cup exclusive from Charles Froggatt An exclusive interview with Claire Tomlinson, England coach, as her team prepare to make their way back from Mexico empty handed As the dust settles after England’s exit from the 8th Polo World Championship in Mexico on Sunday, England coach Claire Tomlinson talks to Charles Froggatt about the English team, their journey and the organisation of the event.   England lost the opening game of the tournament against reigning champions Brazil (7-5) in what some have described as “a very dangerous game of polo.” They then played hosts, Mexico, (in the official opening game of the championship) in the centre of Mexico City at the military-owned Campo Marte.   Leading by three goals going into the final chukka, England appeared to be in a comfortable position and heading into their final group game with South Africa with realistic hopes of reaching the semi-finals. England were still leading by one goal when a  foul was blown which Mexico converted, bring the scores level. Mexico snatched the ball from the final throw in and scored the winning goal. England lost the game 9-8. England were out.   PT: A huge amount of effort and money went into getting England here and the build up sounds as if it went well…? CT: We must give this group of players huge credit for the attitude they have shown and the support they have given each other. My heart bleeds for these players after what happened. They are a really good team which had become very close to one another. The atmosphere in the team is the best I have ever seen. I congratulate them. They were so close to a different outcome.   The whole team had trained exceptionally hard and they must be congratulated for the level of professionalism they have shown. Fitness, nutrition and preparation was all spot on. Morale has been very high. I really think this is a new era for professional polo in Britain.   But the lack of professionalism here (both on and off the field) has hit them in the solar plexus and we have been very unlucky. They deserved much more.   PT: What happened in the last few minutes of the game against Mexico? CT: The last chukka appeared to be exceptionally long – not helped by the fact that the clock appeared to have broken down.   We conceded two doubtful penalties – which were well taken by Mexico – and, when the scores were tied and the players were lining up for the final throw in, only three of our players were able to get there before the umpires threw the ball in. The umpires did not wait until England were ready (they had been defending the penalty). Ed Hitchman’s horse had gone through the bridle. From the throw-in, Valerio Aguilar was able to run away with the ball to score.     PT: Three goals up with 6½ minutes left. Did England play too defensively instead of attacking and sealing the game? CT: Perhaps. But Mexico were better mounted, able to put huge pressure on us and were blocking our attacks. We had our best horses on the field but we could not stick with them in the end.   PT: In the last World Championships in Chantilly, England selected two five-goal players in the side. This time you opted for one in Tom Morley – Morley and James Harper were England’s five-goalers in Chantilly. Why did you opt for the 5, 3, 3, 3 (totalling 14 goals) combo? Would opting for two five-goalers have been a wiser option? CT: One of the problems at this time of year is that most of the players are preparing for the season and, if we were to have lots of players on different handicaps, we would have to have more reserves. This way, we can have a three-goaler on the bench who can replace three of the players and we have John Fisher on standby (in England) to come and fill in for Tom if he gets injured.   PT: Tell us about the earlier game, against Brazil? The first game of the tournament is always a tricky one to play in, because there is no precedent set with the umpiring. CT: We always expect FIP umpiring to be strict. But the umpiring in the game against Brazil was non-existent. We watched the footage of the game and we should have won by at least four goals. If only the serious fouls in the goal area had been blown.     And there were other factors that cost us, such as Henry Fisher losing his best horse. It was a dangerous game to play in.   So far in the tournament there has been a real lack of understanding of the players' actions and body language which has led to some umpiring mistakes being made.   The fact is that certainly if we played them again under different circumstances we would beat them. PT: The team came well prepared. But could you have prepared the team for that? CT: After the training camp in Pilar we were confident of doing well. But it would have been difficult to prepare a team for that kind of game, especially when you are on uneven horses with either no power or no brakes. PT: Many people have commented on the better condition of the Mexican horses, despite the FIP system of pooling the horses to ensure each team has equal horse power. Which team were given the best horses? Many people are saying Mexico have superior horses...? CT: I am not prepared to comment on whether the Mexican horse pool is superior in quality. I would say, however, that the pooling system has not been done properly at all and some pools are much stronger than others. Chile were lucky to draw the best string of ponies.   But what I would add is that the Mexicans were able to organise the conditioning of the horses earlier than other teams, which has helped them. Mexican grooms were giving the Mexican horses better food etc until this was discovered after the first game. When they came out to play in the first game, everyone was saying that they were in much better condition. They looked shiny and fresh. PT: What about England’s string? CT: We have been told by many people that England could well have the weakest string out of the eight. But you do the best with what you have. Also very important was the fact that the horses had not played for two to three weeks in order to save the grounds, which meant that they were not match fit. Most horses looked in very poor condition when the allocation was made.   Additional things such as the lack of rugs made things harder. The horses were cold at night and many were coughing.     PT: What about the horse pooling system? Given that we are at 2400m above sea level, should this have been taken into account? CT: Normally, experienced horse trainers play the horses and grade them on their ability. This did not happen here. The horses were not played in chukkas. They were just ridden and graded. Any polo player will tell you that the only way to grade a horse accurately is to play it. You also have to add into the equation that we are playing at altitude, so there should be two other factors taken into consideration: horses that are acclimatised; and horses that play on the coast at sea level. Most of these horses do not play at this altitude. The team with acclimatised horses has an advantage. Most of our horses are not accustomed to the altitude. PT: How do you view the organisation of this tournament? CT: The Mexicans are very good hosts, charming and generous people, but I think the attention to detail could have been better.   PT: Having spent large sums of money qualifying for the finals, time practising in Argentina and with the players committing so much to this tournament, on reflection, do you think the HPA should continue to spend the money on qualifying for the World Championship in future years? CT: I think that unless FIP organises tournaments more professionally, the HPA could put their money to better use, perhaps playing tournaments in Argentina. But I would still like to see teams trained professionally and internationals arranged so that players can aspire to play for their country. PT: What areas do you think FIP needs to work on? CT: FIP needs to think about rules and the way tournaments are run. Many rules are discussed at general assembly rather than in consultation with professional advisors. I think FIP is a great idea, but the organisation has to be looked at.   The really positive side of this tournament is that all of the teams are in the same hotel and there has been an incredible camaraderie between teams. Everyone has got on extremely well and the atmosphere has been fantastic.   PT: Who is going to win the 8th Polo World Championship? CT: I would say Chile, or Mexico, who have the home advantage. And a final update from Charles Froggatt ... England play their final game of the tournament against South Africa today. Mexico and Brazil have qualified in the same group. The other two semi-final spots will be decided between Chile, New Zealand and Spain, who could all finish their group having won two games.             As it stands, Chile have the upper hand having won their two opening games while New Zealand and Spain have won a game a piece. New Zealand will now face Chile and Spain will face Canada, who can no longer qualify.

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