WARWICK’S Morgan Park hosted one of the largest polocrosse carnivals for the Queensland season on the weekend.
More than 500 riders and horses competed in its annual Rose Bowl carnival as well as four teams that took part in the Australian Junior Challenge.
According to Warwick Polocrosse Club president Les Fraser, the mixed competition was the largest ever seen on the grounds.
He described it as a great showcase of both international and club level polocrosse, with clubs going for their last hit-out before the state championships to be hosted by Cunningham over the first weekend in September.
“The play was some of the most competitive we have seen,” he said.
Some 82 teams – 47 open, 21 mixed and 14 junior – came from as far west as Longreach and from Quirindi to the south for the club competition.
The NTI Rose Bowl championship was won again this year by Tansey 1 who scored 25 goals against Wandoan 1 on 14 goals.
Home side Warwick 1 took out the Rose Bowl Beaten Team.
Mitch Sargood, Tambo, fends off the attentions of a Cunningham player in an A grade mixed semi-final at Warwick. Click on the image to view a gallery of the polocrosse action.
Best Horse and Rider of the Rose Bowl was awarded to Trent Collins from Tansey.
Champion Lady Player of Carnival went to Warwick Player Katie Barr.
Carnival attendees were also treated to the fierce rivalry of interstate and national competition when young Queensland and New South Wales players went head to head with Australia’s junior development squad in a round robin competition.
Mr Fraser said the idea of the competition was to give national players of the future an opportunity to show their talent and prepare them for some international competition.
“They were true champion ambassadors for our game,” he said. “This strategy of exposing talented younger players to higher level competition was one of the reasons Queensland was so successful at the nationals in Darwin last year,” he said.
State selectors were in attendance over the weekend viewing prospective players for the selections of the Queensland state teams for the national titles at Albury in April 2016.
The Australian selectors were also at Morgan Park, viewing players across all categories to update their Australian squads.
Results
Rose Bowl Championship: Tansey 1 25 Runners-up Wandoan 1 14 Beaten Team Warwick 1 Best H&R Trent Collins (Tansey)
A Grade: Cunningham 1 20 Runners-up Bauhinia 1 10 Beaten Team Gold Coast 1 Best H&R Lauren Cant (Cunningham)
B Grade: Tansey 2 19 Runners-up Chinchilla 1 10 Beaten Team Inverell Best H&R Kristi Burns (Tansey)
C Grade: Longreach 18 Runners-up Bauhinia 2 8 Beaten Team Lockyer Valley 1 Best H&R Mark Moloney (Longreach)
D Grade: Tansey 3 12 Runners-up St Rivers 1 8 Beaten Team Gold Coast 2 Best H&R Jess O'Brien
E Grade: Walcha 16 Runners-up Warwick 3 8 Beaten Team Warwick 2 Best H&R Phillip Frewin (Walcha)
F Grade: NEGS 11 Runners-up Wandoan 2 10 Beaten Team Toowoomba 2 Best H&R Heidi Smith (NEGS)
G Grade: Chinchilla 4 9 Runners-up Cunningham 3 8 Best H&R Quentin Wedmore (Cunningham)
H Grade: Tansey 5 12 Runners-up Pallamallawa 5 Best H&R Jacki Strahley (Tansey)
A Grade Mixed: Warwick 1 (Mxd) 18 Runners-up Tansey 1 (Mxd) 9 Beaten Team Wandoan 1 (Mxd) Best H&R - Male Braydon Beck (Warwick) Best H&R - Female Katie Barr (Warwick)
B Grade Mixed: Tansey 2 (Mxd) 18 Runners-up Warwick 2 (Mxd) 6 Beaten Team Tara 1 (Mxd) Best H&R - Male Jack Standfast (Tansey) Best H&R - Female Amy Moloney (Taroom)
C Grade Mixed: Chinchilla (Mxd) 13 Runners-up Cunningham 2 (Mxd) 11 Best H&R - Male Bill Kerr (Cunningham) Best H&R - Female Grace Young (Chinchilla)
D Grade Mixed: Gold Coast 3 (Mxd) 14 Runners-up Tansey 3 (Mxd) 9 Best H&R - Male Steve Collins (Tansey) Best H&R - Female Jayde Copeland (Gold Coast)
A Grade Junior: Warwick 1 (Jnr) 25 Runners-up Warwick 2 (Jnr) 4 Beaten Team Cunningham 1 (Jnr) Best H&R Sophie Wells (Warwick)
B Grade Junior: Chinchilla 1 (Jnr) 20 Runners-up Inverell (Jnr) 7 Beaten Team Tansey 1 (Jnr) Best H&R Martin Cuzens (Chinchilla)
C Grade Junior: Wandoan 1 (Jnr) Runners-up Lockyer Valley (Jnr) Best H&R Sam Sargood (Tambo)
Champion Horse of Carnival: Grant Carroll (Tansey)
Champion Australian Stock Horse "Dawilga KL
