SA sweeps unofficial polocrosse test series at Paddock

Combining the strategy of netball, the toughness of rugby, and the ball skills of lacrosse, polocrosse is a sport where action, power, skill and pace dominate. That’s exactly what spectators witnessed at Paddock last weekend, when polocrosse players from all over KwaZulu-Natal converged to play in the popular annual three-day tournament, hosted by Paddock Polocrosse Club.

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Polocrosse fans were treated to a perfect weekend of warm winter sunshine, blue skies and world-class equestrian action. The club shares its grounds and top-notch facilities with the Rust Bucket Oribi Engine Museum, a treasure trove of mechanical wonders and this was open to the public during the tournament, from Friday to Sunday last week. A full programme of matches between the various clubs included three unofficial tests between South Africa and Ireland.

The local club was extremely proud to have four Paddock Polox juniors playing in the open sides – men’s and women’s – which was a massive achievement. Kenan Classen (18) played for the official South African side against Ireland in U21 tests in April this year. Jens Bunge (17) played this month in an U19 South Africa side in an unofficial test against the UK. Playing in the women’s side were the Pretorius sisters Amber (20) and Paige (18).

As usual, the ‘Bucket Bites Kitchen and Café’ was in full swing, providing delicious meals. The scenic drive to the museum and the traditional country hospitality reserved for visitors to the Oribi area made the trip even more of a treat.

The teams were made up of players of all ages. Even spectators who did not know too much about the game found themselves caught up in the excitement, as polocrosse is a thrilling, very spectator-friendly sport.

Results: International Test Series results

Day 1:

Women-SA 24-15 Ireland; Men-SA 34-18 Ireland

Day 2:

Women-SA 20-21 Ireland; Men-SA 32-19 Ireland

Day 3:

Women-SA 29-14 Ireland; Men-SA 39-16 Ireland

South Africa’s men’s side won the unofficial test series 3-0 and the women’s side 2-1.

Special awards for the test series:

Men:

Best 1 position player – Chad von Benecke

Best 2 position player – Sean Gilson

Best 3 position player – Kenan Classen

A fantastic achievement considering that these 3 youngsters debuted in the men’s open side.

Best overall men’s player of the series – Stefan Harris

Best Irish men’s player – Eoin O’ Donnell

Kenan Classen also received both the ‘Golden Pony’ awards for the horses he put into the men’s horse pools (‘Ponting’ in SA pool and

‘Nkanyezi’ in the Irish pool).

Women:

Best 1 position player of the series – Jacquie Minnaar

Best 2 position player of the series – Chelsea MacDonald

Best 3 position player of the series- Dara Mangan

Best overall woman player of the series – Natalie MacLarty

Best Irish woman player – Debbie Harris

Golden Pony awards for women’s pools – Amber Pretorius with ‘Bella’ in the SA pool; Caley Higgs with ‘Sailor Man’ in the Irish pool.

Paddock Fun Polocrosse Tournament results:

Winners:

A division – Delta (Noel Bauer, Lynton Bauer, Joshua Halle)

B division – Nyati A (Joshua le Roux, Dane Myers, Jemma Stuart)

C division – Branson (Stuart O’Dell, Sydney Viljoen, Daniel Mawson)

D division – Anvil Equine (Harry Semmons, Jasmin Bowden, Andrew Lynn)

E division – Paddock B (Liam Classen, Nicholas King, Sebastian King)

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