la martina varsity day
Oxford University Polo Team were on devastating form on La Martina Varsity Day , defeating their usual rivals , Cambridge , 19-0 in a fast-paced , four-chukka match . All the Oxford team were playing superbly and the Most Valuable Player judges had difficulty choosing which of these four , sharpshooting players should receive this coveted accolade . It went to George Pearson , the captain of Oxford , who steered his team to this remarkable and historic victory .
Oxford could have been forgiven if they had taken their foot off the gas in a chukka or two to allow Cambridge , who played well , but just couldn ’ t convert some strong play into goals , to get back into the game , but Oxford were on a mission . The record for the highest score in a Varsity match , which has been played since 1877 , was 19-1 in 1911 . So once Oxford were 8-0 up at half-time they realised they had a chance of beating that long-standing score . This they did , shooting through their 19th goal in the final seconds of the game .
Not only were Oxford ’ s players impressive – this year the university fielded a two-goal team compared to Cambridge ’ s -5-goal squad – but their pony power was superior too . So not surprisingly the dark blues ’ Vere Harmsworth received the La Martina Best Playing Pony rug for the nine-year-old Whisper . Oxford also dominated the Old Blues game with Guards Polo Club Board Director Konstantin Graf von Schweinitz shooting through five goals to see Oxford defeat Cambridge Old Blues 7-5 .
The other winners on this day , sponsored by La Martina for the first time , were Harvard in the Atlantic Cup . They overwhelmed their Ivy League rivals Yale 7-1 . Yale started this game strongly and were leading 1-0 at the end of the first chukka . Then Harvard ’ s Johann Colloredo- Mansfeld rode onto the ground – he had been delayed on his journey to Smith ’ s Lawn – and immediately turned this game around . Harvard were 5-1 up at the end of the second and never looked back .
It is traditional that these matches are played open and so both Cambridge and Yale were hampered by the substantial difference in team handicap . That said , both Harvard and Oxford were deserved winners . These two teams produced some strong polo which is a great advert for the health of university polo here in the UK and for the USA .
George Pearson on a run down The Princes ’ Ground for Oxford in the annual La Martina Varsity Match
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