West Somerset teams again proved they can beat the weather when Stallenge Thorne and Coach House Stables staged a fast-moving match in front of some 300 spectators for the Knight Frank Trophy on Sunday August 24.

Johnny Llewellyn took only seconds to score the first of his three goals for Stallenge, but Coach House Stables replied seconds later through Jeremy Toye.  The lead went back and forth, with good long runs in spite of tricky conditions.

Stallenge, featuring Jo Cadman, Megan French, Chris Dornom, Amanda Norman and Johnny, gradually pulled ahead of CHS's Octavia Campbell-Davys, Jonathan Hadley-Piggin, Izzy Tilley, Gideon Sumption and Jeremy (with a guest appearance by Mike Webber) to finish winners by 8 to 4 1/2. Play was interrupted only be a couple of dramatic exhibitions of how to fall off from umpire Trevor Reynolds - fellow official James Norman kindly halted play while Trevor discovered the ball-carrier to be the culprit.

The strike of the match came near the end: Jeremy's hit-in lofted nicely for 60 yards, only to be met by a tremendous mid-air return from Chris that went, as intended, right through the goal. Even his visiting brother-in-law was impressed. 

 

WSPC's Chris Dornom, Chris Hill, Amanda Norman and Jeremy Toye travelled to Vaux Park to take on our perennial visitors, Roger White's Combe Place, on Saturday August 23. The Combe Place squad of Daisy White, Hazel Jackson, Nick Coddington and Sheilagh Hamilton proved too strong for our team, but the scoreline of 8 to 1 1/2 belies a lively match where we gradually improved: we felt if we'd have had 18 chukkas we'd have pulled level.

 

Woolcoombe seized Guy Elgar's Ethiopian Shield in a somewhat wet and one-sided match against Coach House on Sunday, August 3. Woolcoombe's Jo Cadman, William Batchelor, Chris Hill/Mike Webber and Julian Batchelor/Hattie Norman scored seven goals to eclipse the 1 1/2 starting score for Coach House, made up of Charlotte and Lettie Knowles, Henry Sumption, James Norman/Trevor Reynolds and Jeremy Toye. Guy presented excellent mugs and champagne to the winners.

The day also marked a sad milestone as it was the last match for Mike Webber, a true stalwart of the Club who will be much missed - except that he's reported to be back in a couple of weeks to show off his daughter Lucy's new baby.

 

The Summersgill Ladies tournament saw some fine polo on Saturday, July 26, with both a perfect summer's day and a fast-running ground. Lisa Wood's Highwood took the honours, with Octavia, Henry Sumption and Jeremy Toye. Lisa scored two great goals in the first match, but had to retire in the second after a heavy fall. She reports aches and pains, but will be back in the saddle quickly.  Axon fielded a bevy of players: Kate and Tom Harris, Megan and Tamsin French, Hattie and Lucy Norman, Trevor and Val (no, not really) Reynolds. Julian and William Batchelor kept up the family theme, alongside Issy Tilley and Sarah Williams.

Taunton Vale Polo Club emerged the winners of a three-cornered contest for the Bilbrook Cup on June 28/29.  WSPC's squad of Hattie Norman/Issy Tilley, Gideon Sumption, Jeremy Toye and Chris Dornom/Chris Hill scored two points in their four matches, with Taunton Vale on six and Horner, also from Taunton, with four.  Taunton Vale's team was Anne James, Mike Owen, Paul Youngs and Geoffrey Persey.  Horner's was Greg Dudd, Kevin Greenleaves, Mark Williams and John Fisher.  WSPC President Philip Douglas kindly presented the Cup and sponsored the prizes.

 

Chris Hill, James Harris, Issy Tilley and Sarah Williams travelled to Vaux Park on June 8.  The scoreline is a closely kept secret, but Robin Tilley's pictures here are impressive.

 

West Somerset's Gideon Sumption, Lisa Wood, Jeremy Toye and James Harris beat Millfield Boys on June 7 by five goals to three-and-a-half.

 

Small Cup 

Chris Dornom, Issy Tilley and James Harris beat James Norman, Henry Sumption and Lisa Wood by 6 1/2 goals to three for the Small Cup on June 1,  overcoming a half-goal handicap disadvantage. For pictures click here.