Youth, development and the future were very much to the fore as Tianjin's Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club hosted the Goldin U18 International Polo Tournament on October 5 and 6, with teams from England, the USA, Argentina and South Africa competing for top honors.
For many, the sport of polo, known as "the game of kings" is synonymous with exclusivity, and its ancient origins as a method for training elite cavalry appear to lend some credence to this viewpoint.
On the surface, polo appears very different from sports which perhaps have more of a youth following, such as soccer and basketball. There are similarities, though. In polo, two teams of four players on horseback look to score goals over four 'chukkas' (or periods), each lasting just over seven minutes. Two mounted umpires are responsible for patrolling the 300-by-160 yards field to ensure that players follow the rules and spirit of the game.
As the young players at the tournament demonstrated, polo can be competitive, dynamic and even dramatic.
The tournament, which featured two semi-finals on Wednesday 5th October, and a final and subsidiary final (between the two losing semi-finalists) the following day, began with a rather cagey encounter between Argentina and the USA, which the USA eventually edged 5.5-5, thanks to outstanding contributions from Matthew Coppola and Kareem Rosser.
The second semi-final was a gripping encounter between England and South Africa. An action-packed first chukka saw South Africa race into a two-goal lead inside the first five minutes. South Africa's third goal was a spectacular effort by Byron Watson, which saw the young player take a tumble after scoring. England came back into the match, thanks to goals from Barney Wilson and Will Berner, however they still trailed 5-3 heading into the final chukka. England eventually edged a thrilling match 6-5, following Will Berner's last-gasp equalizer. England eventually succumbed 5.5-4 to the USA in Thursday's final. Argentina claimed third place, defeating South Africa 8-6 in the subsidiary final.
Despite the intensely competitive nature of the matches, on-field rivalries never spilled over into unpleasantness, and Goldin Metropolitan's vice chairman, Harvey Lee, believes that polo has a unique role to play in terms of teaching young people about discipline, teamwork and even compassion.
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