& More 2015
Jamie Dickson
Fortune changed and gave some fortune to the unfortunate when
Dickson opened his account for the Hyundai Barbados team in the
second chukker from a 60 yard penalty with under two minutes left
in the chukker. It was his first of six goals as he plundered his way up
and down the turf with unmistaken prowess and determination.
Dickson ultimately led Hyundai Barbados to a memorable 7-6 win
in the opening match over the LIME Cheshire team, resounding
applause and cheers for a closely fought and exciting contest greeted
both teams after the final horn.
The tempo was set for three more matches which would satiate the
appetite of any sportsman, who was partial to adrenaline, competition
and all out action.
The second game brought more of the same high paced polo to the
Holders polo ground. Cheshire fielded a team for this contest of Maxine
Farnsworth, Steve Jones, Lucy Taylor and Johnny Coddington; they got
off to a similar start as in game one. The Barbados team for this match
consisted of Pablo Crespin, Stewart Gill, Vicky Gonsalves and Richard
Gooding, who hoped to maintain the lead established in Sunday’s
opening game. Two early goals by Jones and Taylor gave the visitors
a 2-0 lead, however, Pablo Crespin pulled one back for the home team
with a beautiful under the neck shot. Taylor was intent on maintaining
the advantage for Cheshire and she ensured that her team held a twogoal advantage going into the second chukker when she scored from a
close range penalty.
Down 3 goals to 1 at the start of
the second chukker, Barbados made
their surge. Goals from Gill and
Gonsalves drew the rivals level. Gill
found himself in the right place when
a long shot by Richard Gooding landed
perfectly for him, while Gonsalves
who had played some superb defense
for the entire game thus far added the
equaliser for the home team to level
the scores at 3-3.
The third chukker saw a reversal of
fortunes and Barbados played an
excellent team game on both ends
of the turf. Gonsalves showed
excellent stick work clearing a ball off
the goal line and also converted at the
other end later in the game. Crespin
Steve Jones and Charlie Walton of Cheshire attempt to
catch up with Barbados’ Christian Chaves
and Gooding also found the mark in the third chukker and the home
team went into the final chukker leading 6-4.
Perhaps the tension got the best of the locals late on and a costly error
on the home team’s part enabled Coddington to steal the ball from Crespin
and take it in the opposite direction for the easy goal.
In a thrilling finish to a see-saw game, Johnny Coddington’s second strike
in the final chukker gave the Lime sponsored Cheshire team the goal
they needed to equalise with mere seconds on the clock, to draw the
second game of the series 6-6.
The series was still wide open, with Cheshire only down by one game
going into the third. The LIME Cheshire team for this third game was
Steve Jones, Will Padden, Charlie Walton and Ollie Taylor. Suiting up
for the Hyundai Barbados team was Damian Luke, Alex Cole, Christian
Chaves and Roddy Davis.
The Hyundai Barbados team suffered
their first loss of the series on Thursday
despite leading by 3 goals at the end
of the first chukker, a reversal of roles
from the previous two games. It was
the visitors this time that got the slower
start, but as the norm dictated so far in
the series, the slower starter of the two
teams became the stronger finisher in
the latter moments of the game. Cheshire
plays was consistent for the entire
game, and though Barbados kept up
the pressure, they just didn’t have that
edge, and Cheshire took the game
6-5. The Cheshire win set up a climax
for the final playing day of the tour,
with both teams aware that a series
win was now down to one day’s play.
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