The Gold Coast Polocrosse Club annual carnival attracted 190 players and a big contingent of their supporters from all over South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales over the weekend.
Gold Coast Polocrosse Club Secretary Kylie Dunstan said the annual carnival held at Killarney Polocrosse Grounds went well with the weather perfect for polocrosse.
31 teams of six players and their horses took to the field to do battle for club pride in one of only three sports that Australia can truly claim as its own; the others being Australian Rules Football and Campdrafting.
In a rematch of last weekend’s A Grade Final at Cunningham, when for the first time in three years, the host club made the A Grade final against Tansey 1, this weekend saw Cunningham come up against Tansey in the Gold Racquet final.
It was a fiercely-contested final that left Cunningham 1 riding high in the saddle after breaking Tansey’s winning streak.
Todd Waugh and Ryle Waugh, both in the winning Cunningham side, were named Champion Male and Champion Female players of the carnival. Visiting Northern Territorian Steve Nolan, who flys south to compete in carnivals during the polocrosse season, played for Cunningham and took out the award for Best Number 1.
Buoyed by recent international and state representative selections, Cunningham Polocrosse Club is peaking at the right time of the season with only one more Club Carnival at before the Queensland State Club Championships are held in Wandoan over the first weekend in September.
Host Club Gold Coast were Runners Up in C Grade with Gold Coast 3 being beaten by Stanley Rivers. Debbie Cooper from Gold Coast was named Best Horse and Rider in E Grade and the Junior Encouragement Award went to the Gold Coast’s Annie Brosnan.
This coming weekend will see players and their horses have their final hit out at the IOR Rose Bowl to be held at the world famous Warwick Polocrosse Club grounds at Morgan Park, before the State Club Championships.
Gold Coast Polocrosse: Results
Gold Racquet Carnival 2016 Results
Gold Racquet Winners - Cunningham 1
Gold Racquet R/Up - Tansey 1
Best Horse and Rider - Todd Waugh (Cunningham)
A Grade Winners - Chinchilla 1
A Grade R/Up - Chinchilla 2
Best Horse and Rider - Aaron Mullins (Chinchilla 1)
A Mixed Winners - Tansey 1
A Mixed R/Up - Warwick 1
Best Horse and Rider - Byron Davison (Tansey)
B Grade Winners - Tansey 2
B Grade R/Up - Cunningham 2
Best Horse and Rider - Ray Sillitoe (Tansey)
C Grade Winners - Stanley Rivers
C Grade R/Up - Gold Coast 3
Best Horse and Rider - Will Colless (Stanley Rivers)
D Grade Winners - Chinchilla / Wandoan
D Grade R/Up - Cunningham 3
Best Horse and Rider - Terry Burchall-Butcher (Cunningham)
E Grade Winners - Tansey 3
E Grade R/Up - Warwick 5
Best Horse and Rider - Debbie Cooper (Gold Coast)
A Grade Jnr Winners - Shane Lamb, Tegan Lamb and Lilly Bredhauer
A Junior R/Up - Kayleigh Waugh, Shania Pitt and Connar Feltham
Best Horse and Rider: Shane Lamb
B Grade Jnr Winners - Annie Brosnan, Connor Summers and Koby De Luca
B Grade Jnr R/Up - Brooke Summers and Dakota Collins
Best Horse and Rider - Connor Summers
Champion Lady Player – Ryle Waugh (Cunningham)
Champion Male Player - Todd Waugh (Cunningham)
Best No 1 - Steve Nolan (Cunningham)
Best Male ASH Horse - Justin Hafey’s Jaylyn Downs Love (Tansey)
Best Female ASH Horse - Emma Hafey’s Ropely Park Calico (Tansey)
Champion Junior Player - Dan Hafey (Tansey)
GC Junior Encouragement Award - Annie Brosnan (Gold Coast)