Guards Polo Club Official Yearbook 2017 Official Yearbook 2017 | Page 158

tournament report
Royal Salute Coronation Cup
COMMONWEALTH
WIN EPIC BATTLE FOR
CORONATION GLORY
A
GT Bank Commonwealth team
came out best in a thrilling
match against England for the
mighty Royal Salute Coronation Cup
– the highlight of the Hurlingham Polo
Association’s flagship day of polo. After a
tense, six-chukka battle on The Queen’s
Ground, it was the Canadian big hitter
Fred Mannix jnr who lifted the trophy
from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and
Royal Salute’s Peter Moore.
Although the Commonwealth team only
just got their hands on this trophy. They
narrowly beat a tough England team 12-11.
Such was the standard of play that many
spectators said that this year’s match was
the best ever. Not a bad compliment when
one considers that this trophy has been
played since 1970!
The teams were so tight that the
scores were level at half time. England,
led by James Beim, went ahead (8-7)
for the first time in the fourth, thanks
to goals from Jack Richardson – making
his Coronation Cup debut – and Beim.
However, this spurred the Commonwealth
team on, firing goals from every member
of the team, to only one in reply from
Richardson. Suddenly there was some
air in the scores and the Commonwealth
had a two-goal advantage (11-9).  This
included a cheeky back shot to goal by
Hissam Ali Hyder, a Guards Polo Club
Director and the first player from Pakistan
to play in a Coronation Cup match.
The Commonwealth’s success was also
due to some brilliant defensive play from
the young South African Chris Mackenzie,
who was always there to stop an England
attack. Not surprisingly, he was later
named the Garrard Most Valuable Player. 
With all still to play for in the final chukka,
M