Windsor Polo Club – competing on the international stage
with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
I ’ m sure that most people who live in the Hawkesbury have gone on a Saturday or Sunday road trip up Bells Line of Road from Richmond to North Richmond and gone past the most stunning green paddocks on the right-hand side heading west .
The grass is like carpet , and on many a drive heading west I ’ ve gone past watching the polo which is affectionately known as the “ Sport of Kings .” It ’ s earned this reputation due to the association with royalty and nobility , and elite warriors over
The Australian Men ’ s Polo squad . Credit : NSW Polo Association .
2000 years ago . Even King Charles III has been an accomplished polo player of some note over several years of his life . It is no surprise that this outstanding boutique polo venue in the Hawkesbury will be the home to some prestigious international matches on Sunday 7th April .
India will be played for the first time in 18 years and the men ’ s , the women ’ s international sees Australia take on New Zealand and the Junior Under 21s sees NSW Navy take on NSW Blue .
There will be an exhilarating display of talent on display with the captain of the Indian team , The Golden Stick Syed Shamsheer Ali representing the Indians , setting the ground on fire with his superb manoeuvring skills . He is also the only player in India who can tap the ball from goal to goal without the ball touching the ground which is remarkable .
Ali is a true goal machine with 216 goals in 91 matches in the 2022 / 23 season which will see the Indians prove to be very tough opposition for the locals . The Indians are also sending one of their foremost players , Abbimanyu Pathak , who has won every high-goal trophy as well as the IPA National Open Championship multiple times throughout his career .
The Australian women ’ s squad has been announced for the match against New Zealand with Chloe Allen , Ashley Glennie , Anna Dowling , Phillipa Fitz- Henry as captain and Shannon Booth representing the green and gold of Australia .
The Australian men ’ s squad for the 16-goal international against the Indians is Blake Grimes , Augustus Aguirre , Alec White , Lachie Gilmore , Jack Grimes and Ruki Baillieu . The Australians are confident that they can get the win against New Zealand in the women ’ s and India in the men ’ s game .
It will be a huge day in the 2024 calendar in the Hawkesbury and will attract polo players and fans from all over the world as the event will display the best of Australian polo . It will also demonstrate that the Hawkesbury can host large international events that inject healthy tourist interest and trade into the local community .
The fields are in pristine condition and the crowd will be right behind the Australian teams for the event . Adam Buchert is really happy with the surface and is looking forward to bringing
The Golden Stick Syed Shamsheer Ali . Credit : NSW Polo Association .
Windsor Polo Club to the rest of the world .
Tickets to the international event start at $ 30 for general admission and kids under 18 are free . Book tickets online at www . windsorpoloclub . com . au .
Food and beverages are available , and you will have an amazing experience . Come and check out some of the best sides in world polo for an exciting Sunday afternoon .
HARPO ’ s MARKS
I shudder to think of how much Peter V ’ landys ’ Las Vegas jaunt cost .
Airfares and accommodation for the four teams ’ 18 or so players , officials , physios , doctors , etcetera .
Then throw in Viscount V ’ landys , Andrew “ Abba-dabba-do ” Abdo ’ s and their staff ’ s costs plus the swag of hangers-on who received all expenses-paid invites to the big shindig .
Oh , yes , and the army of brown tongues from News Corp ’ s newspapers and the electronic media who rocked up all expenses paid .
Not to mention – OK , I will mention , the cost in hiring the stadium – crikey , just rolling out the playing surface would have cost a motza !
And of course , Profligate Peter and his mob would have spent another motza in advertising as well as funding their earlier “ pathfinding ” holidays to Las Vegas . All for what ? It has been estimated that between 60,000 and 100,000 televisions in the States turned in to watch the games – and I reckon the great bulk of those viewers were ex-pats from Australia , New Zealand , Britain and the South Pacific Island nations .
Two crap games played on a smallerwidth field , with dangerous short in-goal areas and only a metre or so between the sideline and the fence .
And why the big interest by the NRL in the Yank promotion ?
Money , money , money !
Profligate Pete and Abdo ’ s reasons for taking the game to the Land of the Brave , Home of the Idiots ?
Supposedly to interest the Yanks in the Greatest Game of All but really , just to get the Yanks betting on Australian rugby league .
There ’ s around 360,000,000 Americans and V ’ landys ’ Vampires are hoping to suck a small percentage of the punting blood money out of the joint .
And what will the NRL do with that extra motza ?
Give a big boost to V ’ landys and co ’ s wages , more money to the clubs to give these overpaid players more dosh ?
And supposedly provide funds to boost the struggling old game in the bush which , for decades now , has been sucked dry of promising young players .
I well remember back in the early 80s when your little mute mate was writing for the Sunday Telegraph .
I did a yarn on Manly-Warringah , which in one year brought around 40 promising bush youngsters to the Big Smoke , found them accommodation , schools and spots within its junior league teams .
If good enough , they played in the S . B . Ball , Jersey Flegg and Presidents Cup junior representative teams .
Of course , over the ensuing years only a small handful of them graduated to play grade for the Sea Eagles in the Australian Rugby League . And the Sea Eagles were no Robinson Crusoe ! Naturally the great bulk of those young men found jobs and relationships and a love of the Big Smoke , and only returned home for the occasional visit .
It began the demise of the always anticipated City v Country fixtures , which previously , year after year , unearthed a player or three who made it big at the top level .
I could list them all but there ’ s not enough room on these pages to do that !
The bulk of the 1975 side , the last Country Firsts outfit to beat City , went on to play in the NSWRL . They were Terry Fahey , Brian Hetherington , Erick White , Jon Jansen , Greg Brentnall , David Edwards , Mick Cronin , Arthur Mountier and John Ballesty - while Ian Martin , Ron Fogarty and Jim Morgan had already starred in that league before heading bush .
Country ’ s Steve Hewson was a brilliant halfback for the Queanbeyan Blues and would have made it in the big time but for a career-ending knee injury when only 21 . So , how would V ’ landys and Abdo strengthen bush rugby league with the injection of extra funds from their Vegas Vacation ?
Since 1984 , nothing has changed , and all clubs have continued to suck the bush dry of good young footballers .
I can ’ t see the NRL forking out the proceeds of the Yank punting money to pay for each young bushy boy and girl ’ s gear ( shorts , socks , jerseys , boots ) plus insurance fees and registration fees .
Boosting the game in the bush , my
Tijuana Brass ! Aah , bah-humbug !
SAD MARKS1 : The passing of another “ Butcher Boy ”, Barry Drayton . Barry , a Life Member , gave decades of service to Riverstone Junior Rugby League Club as player , coach , official and supporter . Barry was laid to rest last month beside his beloved wife , Anne , at Castlebrook Memorial Park .
SAD MARKS 2 : The passing early last month in Leeds of revered Welsh Rugby Union and Great Britain Rugby League legend , Lewis Jones . I am honoured to say that I marked him at five-eighth in the 1966 and 1967 Riverstone High School Students versus Teachers games . Jonesy just got the better of me !!
LATE MARKS : A journo friend of many years subscribes to all the major American newspapers including the New York Times , Washington Post and LA Times , and he tells me none of them gave any coverage whatsoever about the Lost Vegas venture .
32 ISSUE 167 // APRIL 2024 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT