The hotly-anticipated British Juniors match kicked off with strong play, dominated from the start by the Junior Reds, with captain Rafi Bruckner (2), Logan Anderson (2), and Wilfred Bate (1) putting on a brilliant performance to eventually win the match 11-9.

Making a confident start, Bruckner led the way with a 15-yard penalty in the first minute. Strong possession put the first field goal on the board with impressive teamwork from the Reds, before another penalty by Bruckner and a Penalty 1 for the Blues brought the score to 3-1. The Blues bounced back to get back into the swing of the game, breaking easily through the Reds’ defence to bring the score to 3-2 at the end of the first chukka.

The second chukka saw great play from both teams, with some great riding off and strong challenges from these young players. An open, flowing chukka gave the Hickstead crowds plenty to cheer for, and two goals apiece brought the score to 6-4 at half-time.

Tani Darritchon, captaining the Blues, opened the third chukka with a field goal for a score of 6-5. Proving his early success was no fluke, Bruckner continued to send penalties home, taking the score to 10-5. Another Penalty 1 in favour of the Blues was answered by a goal for the Reds, during some scrappy play when the ball popped up loose, ending the third chukka 11-6 and all to play for going into the final minutes of the game.

The final chukka opened with a goal for the Blues in the first minute, but a missed penalty from captain Darritchon proved costly, and kept the score at 11-8 into the final minutes. Another Penalty 1 was not enough to tip the scales, and the game finished 11-9 with the Junior Reds taking the spoils after a competitive match where the best of Junior talent was on display.

17-year-old Logan Anderson was awarded the title of Most Valuable Player, showing enormous promise for the future, while Nena, played by Blues captain Tani Darritchon, won the PlayPolo Best Playing Pony award. 

Photos by Images of Polo/Tony Ramirez

JUNIOR REDS

Captain: Rafi Bruckner (2)

Logan Anderson (2)

Wilfred Bate (1)

JUNIOR BLUES

Captain: Estanislao Mariano Darritchon (2)

Archie Heseltine (2)

Hugh Bate (1)