Quads – the inside story! - (Quads website click here)

We flew London to San Francisco then onto Sydney (28hrs flying time) it really is a long way.

Collected 2 x 8 seated mini-buses and drove from Sydney to Tumut (5 hours) to our training camp. We were very warmly welcomed, by Doug and Irene Wood, at their farm, Silver Hills.

The farm nestles in a amongst as small range of hills that are covered on one side by Gum Trees, they have a fabulous bark of silver and beige with a light mint green leaf which shimmers in the breeze giving a silver effect. It was dry, when I say dry I mean dry, we rode in the morning on the second day all around the tree covered hills and even large branches on the ground cracked when the horses trod on them.

We were able to ride Doug’s’ young stock and had our first practise in the afternoon, it was a gentle affair but everyone was glad to be riding.

The next part of our trip is really quite famous now, but I want to try and capture the events as they happened.

UK Polocrosse Team goes to the Snowy Mountains. We took 11 horses in 2 trucks and on ute. The journey was about 2 hours from Tumut to the National Park. We were going to go Brumby Chasing; this is where a group of riders chase wild horses to try to catch some. However first we had to travel up into the mountains, on the aptly named Long Plain Road. We had a blow out of one of the front tyres on Pat’s truck, once we had jacked it up (with 5 horses in) we established that the spare was as flat as the blown tyre. After some time all was repaired and some stick work was practised while we waited [never stop practising]. So after we changed tyres with the other truck we make camp. Then it was time to head out on horse back into the National Park. It is 1.5 million acres, with kangaroos, wild pigs and of course Brumbies.

Mobs (as they call the herds) take many different sizes, we saw 3 or 4 Brumbies together and as many as 15 in one Mob. Now I don’t think it would be fair to talk about all the action but I know everyone would want to know that my horse ‘Flavour’ did stumble in some rough ground and I did have a small fall. I don’t think it is possible to communicate how funny everyone found this, but it is safe to say that it will never be forgotten. However we must more on, camping out under the stars in a swag bag was an interesting experience but it was made more bearable by Bundy Rum and Banjo’s amazing cooking.

In the morning there was time for one more trek out and as Jason and Guy had caught a Bumbie the day before we thought there might be one more to be had. There was.

After lunch Doug, took all of us, 10 people in the Ute to see an old cattle station and then down to a small water fall, the area here was a lot greener by the river and there were lizards etc. Guy and I were walking by the river, the girls investigating some caves when a long black poisonous snake slithered over Guy’s boot and behind me. I would like to say we were cool, calm and collected, but that wouldn’t be true.

We returned to our campsite to get ready to leave, all the horses were loaded up and off we went.

The sun was warm, we’d had a great time as we left the campsite and headed for Tumut. Jason had 5 horses and 3 people in his truck, they got onto Long Plain Road and the living door flew open. Sarah jumped out to close the door but the area was on fire. There was just enough time to get 5 horses out of the burning truck; the last horse was lead out as the flames were coming into the horse area. We did get everyone out safety but it was not possible to save the truck. Every single one of the team worked frantically hard to contain the fire and eventually put it out. We were all very sad for Patrick who had worked so had to get his truck and it had been destroyed, but at least he has the mother of all stories to tell and we will never hear the last of it.

It appears that there was a gas build up from the fridge and this must have ignited, It has made us realise how sensible it would be to make sure we carry a fire extinguisher in the truck. We lost 3 saddles (Martin, Greg and Guys) and a load of gear, it was a very painful experience.

OK, back to polocrosse. Our coach Ross Turnbull arrived at Silver Hills, he is a very experienced player and we were delighted to have him work with us. It is very difficult to write about coaching but I hope this sums up Ross’s approach. Trust yourself to keep the ball, and only pass when its safe, don’t call out, use eye contact and NEVER MISS.

We worked at Silver Hills till April 9th then it was time to collect our stuff and move up to the Quads at Bowral. It was a four hour drive to Bowral and the RSL club at Mittagong, which was to be our base for the next couple of weeks.

After a very pleasant lunch break with a massive Stone Merino Sheep we got to the Motel, having gone through a long signing in process we settled in for the night. It was agreed that the Friday [10th] before we got the horses would be a fun day, so that meant the beach.

It was 1 hour to Kiama which was a very pleasant seaside town, the beach wasn’t massive but sandy, sunny and quiet, the surf was great and we all had a swim and a relaxing time sunning ourselves.

Saturday, 11.00 the horse draw, the team gets pulled out of a hat, then that team selects a pool of horses, South Africa got A, UK got B, NZ got C and Australia got D.

Our riding session was at 2.00, this first session was not with rackets, quiet riding to introduce everyone to the pool of horses. I don’t want to go on through every day but they follow a pattern, 6.30 am walk the horses and 2ish work the horses, 5pm feed and walk horses. There is only 1 hr a day to practise so we did quite a few sessions on foot. There were a number of events that were to be attended but we got through them and so to playing.

First up Thursday, S.A. we just didn’t quite get up to speed, to many silly mistakes, everyone said we beat ourselves. Second up Australia, we did get beaten but during the game we made them very jumpy. Finally we had to play N.Z. It was very odd because Australia played SA in the morning, if they beat them by 11 goals all we had to do to reach the final was beat N.Z. Australia beat S.A 31-9. The scene was set we needed to beat N.Z. and we would be in the final. It just didn’t work out for us.

Final Day, our final was to be against S.A. It was cold, rainy and miserable, but nearly all our horses had made it through so we were feeling quite positive. The game was desperately close, the S.A. were leading till the fourth chukka, then we started to come back, we were in the lead in the last chukka when at 17-16 to UK they got one more goal. 17-17 the match went to golden goal, unfortunately S.A. scored it.

The other final Aus v N.Z. was a very one-sided affair and Aus won the Quad Series.

I want to end with a few personal comments. I would like to thank all the players for making the trip such a memorable event, Ross our coach is a fantastic Guy and what he knows about PX is amazing, we were very fortunate to have him on our side. He brought new life to our game. Knowing what I know now, if there is ever another tour overseas out of our season it is essential for the team to play at least 1 if not 2 real tournaments before the Internationals. Match sharpness cannot be practised, you either are or are not sharp. We played and worked hard but were just not quite there. Well done Australia they were at another level. We have just over 26 months till the World Cup, we need to be focused on playing S.A in 2 months time then looking to be ready for 20011. It will not be easy but we can beat all of them.

By Steve Whitehouse, Manager of the Quads Team

Presidents Tour 2008 UK V USA

When? October 2008
Where? Camp Stewart, Texas, USA
Who competed? Mens: Alex Bull (Captain), Jono Keen, James Davidson, Daniel Duhig, Rob Jenkinson (reserve)
Ladies: Charlotte Pykett (Captain), Vickie Metcalfe, Caroline Kelly, Beth Peaker
Sponsors: Joules Clothing! Joules provided all traveling gear for the teamRead the Program! - Click here

The tour kicked off with a great start with a fun tournament on the first weekend with the UK players being mixed in with American players. Charlotte and Alex had success winning both their divisions with Beth Peaker winning best player award. extreme sliding!!

The UK players said it was an experience playing in the dust! and prepared them for a dusty test match!
The American's were excellent tournament hosts, serving up tacos for breakfast which is a new must for the polocrosse scene!

The week in between was spent getting to know the test match horses, doing intense foot training...including basket ball polocrosse and pennis! (meaning a combination of polocrosse and tennis)...Guy was determined to try anything to make the teams hand and eye co-ordination as quick as lightening!!!
and of course not to mention the daily ritual of EXTEME SLIDING!!!

On the Thursday evening the team, manager, coach and supporter (AKA Charlie!) were invited to a meal at Jeapers House (who owns Camp Steward) where we were served Antelope! even yummier then Beef...just a shame i can't find it in the UK for love nor money!

Finally after a few days of intense training, we were handed our shirts to reveal our positions in the game and which horses were assigned to us, nerves really started to kick in. On the friday morning we were faced with some bad luck one of the men's horses had pulled up lame making it horse no.2 to come up lame, but thankfully after some careful treatment and shoeing he came sound and was ready for the match at 5pm.

4.50pm we line up behind the goals, adrenaline pumping after some 'go get um' talk from Guy, we were all geared up ready to represent our country.
The first chukka starts with the ladies Charlotte, Vickie and Beth which then proved to be the last chukka for that game as Vickie has a traumatic fall from her horse, Isabella which knocks her unconscious. Medics were called which they then called for an Air Ambulance, Vickie was then taken to San Antonio Hospital.
With the shock of Vickie's fall and the darkness falling the game was cancelled and we were to play the 1 test match on the Saturday.

3pm Saturday, after a restless night worrying about Vickie, the team were pulled together by Guy and Richard to get everyone in the frame of mind to win this match. With only 3 ladies left Caroline, Beth and Charlotte are to play all 4 chukkas and the boys are to be mixed about to complete the game of 8 X 6 min chukkas.

Final score 24-22
As you can see the scores were even to begin with, then by the 4th Chukka the UK stepped it up and the girls finished their last chukka with a 7 goal lead, then the USA men pull out a 7 goal chukka!! Which was worryingly fantastic to watch, the girls hearts were in our mouths watching the score board tick over for the USA. But Alex did us proud and kept us ahead, winning the game with his 2 goals in the last chukka!

Game Highlights and thrilling parts...
2nd Chukka - I (Caroline) fall off! and was almost trampled by my horse! luckily i escaped with a few cuts and bruises on my back!
Charlotte getting hit in the head 7th chukka! (another goal for the UK!)
James's 5 goal chukka....most were thrown after a flashy off side pick up!
Danny catching a record number of balls out the back of the line out as a 3...plus the long balls to James, always a crowd pleaser!
and of course winning!!!! and being told by Guy how much we kicked ass and how proud he was!

Monday 20th October
After regaining some sleep and rest at Amy Keith's home we all piled into the ICU Ward at San Antonio Hospital to say a goodbye to Vickie, who had to stay in Hospital for the next few days. We were all sad to say goodbye, but we knew she'd be fighting back in no time at all! and to please us more, Hazel (Vickie's mum) emailed to say she was discharged from hospital a few days later and should be flying home soon! To which she does and is now at home recovering and getting back to home life in the UK...cold and miserable! ha ha!

It was an amazing tour and i would recommend visiting Texas to everyone! The people are lovely, the scenery is breath taking, the horses are fab and polocrosse in America is amazingly competitive you would have an awesome time!
Thank you to all the Americans for lending us horses, this was really appreciated, thanks to the horse coordinators, tournament organizers and the USA team and a special thanks to Jeapers and Amy Keith for hosting us, you've both made our trip an amazing experience.

Thanks to Guy and Richard for traveling with us to get us ready for our victory! and for looking after and managing us all!

When? July 2008
Where? Kent and Essex, UK
Who competed? To read up on the Australian Team - Click here

Men's: Guy Robertson, Hamish Michael, Greg Sergeant, Martin BrooksLadies: Sophie Lodder, Lucy Shell, Debbie Harris, Ruth Jones

The Aussie's walked away winners, winning all 4 test matches, however 2 matches were incredibly close and was a great from the young UK side.

When? Feb 2008
Where? Ocala, Florida, USA
Who competed? Heather Kelly, Jayne Fookes and Rachel Imber, all of Solent Polocrosse Club
Read the report.....

After the Nationals prize-giving an invitation came up for a masters tournament in Florida in February. Where's the decision???? Sun, horses and partying or stay at home mucking out in the cold & wet?

So on 15th February, the UK ladies team, consisting of Heather Kelly, Jayne Fookes and Rachel Imber left a cold wet Gatwick airport for sunny Florida. W e arrived in a very warm sunny Orlando at about 4.30pm. Rachel our ace driver got us on the way north to a small village just below Ocala, we had a slight detour out the airport, but that got our ace driver time to adjust, we had a few strange look as, probably because our car knew we were Brits and made us feel at home by driving on our side of the road !!

We arrived at countryside stables, the home of Janice and Vinnies, of Goof Times Polocrosse Club and what a great place, our hosts were so excited we had arrived and made the trip all the way from the UK.
On getting there we also met the Canadians that we would be playing against and bunking with at countryside stables, what a nice bunch they turned out to be, so easy to get along with. So a big hi to Sue, Alan, Dave, Anna, Debbie, Pam, Ralph (who said i looked like prince Charles?! Ann would have been better, anyway from then on i was called Charles) not forgetting Dessie and Faith.

That evening we ate out with everyone and got to meet the South African players, the famous Bomber was also there, rackets, bridles, bits, saddles you name it he’s got it.

The next few days were spent playing polocrosse, riding, more riding, boy did we need the practice, great fun. We did venture out to various tack shops and our favorite place the tractor shop (not quite what it sounds like) four visits later. Most evenings we had a beer or two and enjoyed our new friends, talking of course about polocrosse. The Irish chaps arrived later in the week, another great bunch, what a laugh they were, it was so nice to Sharon Kennedy, I wont say the only sane one!! I wonder if she wore that hat skiing in the end??

Friday soon arrived, off we went to try our mounts for the tournament, they trucked them in from near and far, arriving in great long swan neck trailers, with about 15 on board. All polo ponies. We were matched up to suitable ponies. They were fine considering they hadn't’t ever seen a polocrosse racket before and were asked to adjust there and now. Heather’s pony wasn't very sure at first, but was great the next day.

Even though Heather’s back was in pretty bad shape, well done Heather we no you were in agony.

The tournament at Lord Lyall's grounds got off to a late start, because it was like a blooming monsoon sat morning, peeing down one min then hot sun and blue sky. The play was very good, we had good chukkas, the whole tournament was very well run, the umpiring, goal judging and tables all ran well. We also did a big parade on Sunday and carried our union jack with pride, flying the flag and all that. So a big thank you to everyone that helped org anise the masters tournament especially Janice & Vinnie we no how hard you worked to pull it off.

I certainly would recommend to anyone if they get the chance to go to Florida GO.

....This is your roving reporter Jayne Fookes signing off ( when can i go again somewhere else? )

When? April 2007
Where? Morgan Park, Warwick, Queensland, Australia
Who competed? Mens Team: Guy Robertson, Jason Burbridge, Hamish Michael, Martin Brookes, Reserve: James Roberston
Ladies Team: Shelley King, Debbie Harris, Sarah Simkin, Sophie Lodder, Reserve: Lucy Shell

Well the UK World Cup team came away with an impressive 2nd in the World Ranking!!! they beat the Kiwies, The Zims and the Yanks...but tough competition from the Aussie's meant they slipped just behind and came away with some silver trophies!