Victory for England as the Arena Polo Test Match returns to Hickstead

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Team England saw off opposition from Ireland to win the Inspired Arena Polo Test Match at Hickstead on Saturday 5 March.

It was a welcome return for the International test match, following a two-year absence due to the pandemic. It was also the first time England had played Ireland at the All England Polo Club since 2015.

With two 17-goal teams playing for the Bryan Morrison Trophy, the test match was always likely to be closely-fought. However, England were quickest out of the blocks, and by the end of the chukka had established a 6-2 lead over their rivals.

The second and third chukkas continued in a similar vein, and by the end of the third chukka England had established a seemingly insurmountable lead of 14-6. However, the Irish captain Ryan Pemble had other ideas, galvanising his team to score seven goals in the last chukka. In the end, England’s lead was just too great and despite Ireland’s fight back, the game ended with a final score of 16-13 to England.

The Polo Times Best Playing Pony was Cheyenne, owned by John Horswell and played by Ryan Pemble, while the Most Valuable Player was Jack Hyde.

Earlier in the day, the polo action got underway with a match for the HPA Arena Colts, which ended in an 8-8 draw between the light blue team (captain Logan Anderson, Nico Hiller and Rafi Bruckner) and the dark blue team (captain Hector Rogberg, Aaron Lewis and Ulysses Hu).

The Inspired Arena Polo Test Match, for the Bryan Morrison Trophy

The All England Polo Club, Hickstead

England 16-13 Ireland

Team England: Tom Morley (captain) 7, Jack Hyde 6, James Mann 4

Team Ireland: Ryan Pemble (captain) 7, Niall Donnelly 5, Max Hutchinson 5