ON A scorching Sunday this month about 2500 city slicker spectators and a few of their rural counterparts trundled out to the Doomben Racecourse to take in what's becoming an ever-increasingly glamorous day out at the polo.
Enjoying the polo splendour are Emma O'Ryan, Brisbane, Dougal Elder, Goondiwindi, Ellen Gaudry, Bowen, Sarah Quigley, Townsville, and Sally Wegner, Gympie. Click on this photo to see more pics in our online gallery.
The final of the Jeep Australian Open Polo is not a tournament sniffed at lightly by the players though, who made their way to Brisbane from Scone, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Beaudesert, Sydney and even New Zealand to play for the coveted Australian Open Cup in a 12-goal and 6-goal final.
The six goal tournament final, put on by South East Queensland, played out between Mount Mort's team of Lance Shepherd, James Shepherd, Eustie Hill, and George Hill, and Coast-to-Coast's Neil Gilmore, Bingham Fitz-Henry, Peter Handbury and Warwick Steen, was a gruelling game of speed and precision.
But in a family affair, the Mount Mort team, made up of a father and son, and two brothers, came out convincing victors with the final score of 8 goals to 4.
Then came the traditional stomping of the divots novelty affair, which saw throngs of people stream onto the pitch from both sides of the field to leave their high-heeled mark on the day.
The electric Australian Open 12 goal was final played out between two long-time rivals, Ron Wanless and his Wastecorp team of Damien Johnston, Kit Brooks, and Alec White,who took on Angelo Russo's Yellow Cabs team of Glen Gilmore, Neill Ford, and Thomas Hunt.
In a goal-for-goal match the scores remained locked in the dying minutes of the final chukka, until a last minute gallant score from the Wastecorp camp, propelling them onto the winners podium, 11 goals to 10.
Click on this photo to see more pics in our online gallery.