RESULTS JUNE 2007
OXFORD 9 - CAMBRIDGE 5 & HARROW 5.5 - ETON 5
Dark blues dominate student day
Oxford took the honours in the annual Varsity match at Guards Polo Club on Saturday, 9 June. Cambridge still lead the series though with more than 50% of victories in the 100-plus years of history of this tournament. The light blues were also the first to score in this Jack Wills-sponsored event. But Oxford motored into the lead by the end of the first bell, leading 3-1.
Fortunately for the huge crowd of spectators who were watching this battle on The Princes' Ground, an exciting game developed. Cambridge got into the game in the second and the scores were level at 4-4 at half-time. Oxford then turned up the pressure in the remaining two chukkas to win the game 9-5.
Peter Williams of Jack Wills presented the impressive Varsity Trophy to Oxford's captain Alex Gleeson. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the match. Ollie Clark of the Cambridge team, who appeared to have a large fan club at the game as the noise was deafening when he stepped into the presentation arena, received the Best Playing Pony Award for Bonita. He had played this mare in the second and fourth chukkas.
For the first time Guards Polo Club had combined the Varsity with another historic student polo contest � the Eton v Harrow match. Harrow (rec 0.5) retained the trophy but only after a tight game against their main rival. Harrow led by their handicap advantage 1.5-1 at the end of the first, but they pulled away in the second, showing a 3.5-1 lead on the scoreboard at half-time.
Eton came back into the game in the third, scoring twice to end the chukka 3.5-3. They then took the lead for the first time in the match in the fourth but this lead was short lived. Jack Richardson, who had played superbly throughout the game and was rightly named Most Valuable Player, scored the winning goal for Harrow just before the final whistle, helping Harrow to the narrowest of victories � 5.5-5.
Richardson also received the Best Playing Pony award for a 10-year-old pony which was bred by his father, Kim, the owner of Knepp Castle Polo Club in Sussex.
Oxford:Alex Gleeson (0); Jamie Dundas (1); Frederik Vannberg (-2); Hernrietta Seligman (-2)
Cambridge:Max Kirchoff (-1); Harriet Pepper (0); Alex Appelbe (0); Ollie Clarke (1).
Harrow:Bertie Cayzer (-2); Harry Wentworth Stanley (-1); Jack Richardson (0); Edward Gall (-1).
Eton:Tom Mayou (-1); Henry Jennings (-1); Lanto Sheridan (0); Benji Powell (-1).