Mon 6th Aug 2012El Remanso win injury-plagued 26-goal debut at Cirencester Park The club's inaugural 26-goal tournament was contested in difficult conditions, leading to nasty injuries to both patrons
Satnam Dhillon suffered yet another setback in what has been a cruel and painful season for the English six-goaler, rushed to hospital after receiving a blow to the face early in the second half of his side's defeat to El Remanso in Cirencester Park's first 26-goal match on Saturday. It was only his fourth match back after two months out of the game with a ruptured kidney.
Dhillon was replaced by umpire Dave Allen, who had wondered earlier in the afternoon whether he'd be required as a substitute for the opposing patron George Hanbury, who suffered a facial injury of his own in the second chukka. Fortunately, Hanbury's goggles absorbed most of the blow when the ball jumped up and caught him but he sported a bloody plaster over his cheek at the post-match presentations.
The causes of the injuries in both cases were stray shots, with the polo ball proving difficult to control on the badly cut-up number one ground at Ivy Lodge. Rain lashed down for about half of the game and, while hardly spectators did their best to tread in at half-time, the ground suffered badly. The ball wouldn't run on quickly enough and, in truth, it was a poor game considering the wealth of talent on display.
The highlight of the game was the shooting of Eduardo "Ruso" Heguy and David "Pelon" Stirling, and El Remanso's eventual 8-5 victory never really looked in doubt, even when Cirencester Park's ever-improving four-goaler Jack Archibald came into the game more in the final two chukkas. See the full team line-ups here.
A SUPA match between Millfield and Cheltenham College (won by Cheltenham) followed as the weather improved before Princes William and Harry fought out a rain-sodden charity match the following day.
Photograph: Satnam Dhillon, who suffered a nasty cut to the face and concussion in the inaugural Cirencester Park 26-goal final on Saturday afternoon (by James Mullan)
 |