Victorian Polo Club

2011/12 Season Underway

The 2011/12 season is well underway with three successful tournaments completed. Thank you to all who have attended and showed your support.

The Melbourne Cup was a great tournament, culminating in the final which showcased two thrilling games of Polo. Kailis Pearls (11) came away champions defeating Hexham Driza Bone (10). In the subsidiary final it was Stella (12) defeated Cox and Kings (10). It was an enjoyable day out for all with the rain holding off for most of the day.

We'd also like to thank our sponsors for their continual support throughout the season. It is on this note that it is with great pleasure we'd like to announce Jeep have come on board as the official naming partners of the Victorian Polo Club, along with a number of other key polo assets. We look forward to the style and enthusiasm Jeep will bring to the events and are excited to have them as part of the Polo community.

We look forward to the rest of the season and the remaining key summer events:

Jeep Portsea Polo - Saturday 14th January
Jeep February International - Saturday 25th February
Jeep Cup - Saturday 24th March

The Jeep Portsea Polo is not far away and is shaping up to be the event of the summer; make sure you book your tickets now to ensure you don't miss out.

Thank you
Victorian Polo Club

2011/12 Season Preview

With a season 2010/11 being hit by record rainfall, we look to a new season with anticipation for good weather, flat green fields and plenty of people coming out to Werribee to enjoy the polo in the Sun.

The VPC once again thanks and welcomes all its sponsors for season 2011/12, in particular Stella Artois, The Age, Jaeger-leCoultre and La Martina. Please continue to support these brands who support our sport and our club so well.

The 2011/12 Stella Artois VPC Season will once again run from late October through until the end of March, with the major weekends centring around thefollowing:

Stella Artois Melbourne Cup – Sun 30th Oct and Sun 6th Nov
Christmas Polo – Sat 26th Nov
Stella Artois Portsea Polo (Portsea) – Sat 14th Jan
Stella Artois February International – Sat 25th Feb
The Stella Artois Cup – Sat 24th March

The Stella Artois Melbourne Cup is shaping up to be another fantastic tournament with interest already from teams from all across Australia.

Make sure you book your tickets now for both Sundays (Sun 30th Oct and Sun 6th Nov) – whether that be in your own self catered carpark or the VPC Polo Lounge.

The VPC committee led by Gillon McLachlan, look forward to seeing both new and old faces down at WPNEC for another fast paced season of polo. Please stay tunned to the VPC website for tournament updates, sponsor messages, event photos, bargains to be purchased on the classifieds and much much more.

Don't miss out on tickets to any of the major events – get in early and secure your car parks. Welcome to season 2011/12.

The Victorian Polo Club hits Facebook

The VPC now has an official Facebook site. With many of our members and supporters now using the medium of Facebook, the VPC has set up a page to spread the polo word.

Those of you who are on Facebook, jump on the VPC's page and view pics from previous tournaments, view comments and check out who 'likes' the site.

We look forward to seeing you at the polo….and now on facebook!!

Portsea Polo date locked in

The annually sold out Stella Artois Portsea Polo has now been confirmed for Saturday 14th 2012.

A week later than previous years, this years date will give those heading away over the Christmas New Years break a chance to attend this Not to Miss event.

Every year we get calls from people in the last few weeks of December devastated because tickets to the event have been sold out – as such we recommend everyone organises their ticketing now to avoid disappointment.

Go to www.portseapolo.com.au to get all event information and ticketing.

LAST SEASONS NEWS:

Stella Artois February International postponed due to flooding
Due to Werribee being hit by torrential rain on Friday evening and more heavy rain over the weekend, the Werribee Park Polo Grounds were completely flooded. As a result, the Victorian Polo Club has been forced to postpone last Saturday's Stella Artois February International. It will now be played on Saturday the 5th March 2011. All tickets will be transferable to the new date - tickets will be reissued in the coming days.

Stella Artois Melbourne Cup Polo Tournament
29th October – 7th November
The first week of November in Melbourne means one thing and that is that the Horse is the focus of attention. For some people it is watching the horses go around in a little event called the Melbourne Cup, the race that stops the nation……but for those in the know, its watching some of the best horse flesh in Australia battling it out for the Stella Artois Melbourne Cup - Polo that is.

Five teams ventured to Melbourne this year to fight it out for the prestigious cup – two from Perth, one from Tasmania/South Australia, and two from Victoria. With defending champions Garangula unable to make the journey, the event was wide open, with the polo pundits unable to find a stand out team.

Play got underway on Friday 29th October with both Pitchfork and Stella Artois opening their accounts – with the standouts being Ellerston based Matt Grimes and English professional James Harper playing well for their respective teams. The Victorian Polo Club grounds were playing as well as they ever have with 47 goals scored over the two games and an average of 21 goals scored per game for the week.

With a wet week forecasted, there were early concerns that the event may struggle to get through all the games required in between Melbourne's hectic race calendar – with polo to be played around four of Australia's biggest race days. However the first Sunday ended up being the only day to be washed out – and rightfully so with some 70mils falling over night.

Throughout the week spectators saw some of the closest polo in recent Melbourne Cup history, with eight of the twelve matches being decided by a single goal. The highlight of these encounters was the play off game to see who would meet Pitchfork in the Subsidiary final. The game played between Riverpark and Tasmania/Piermont was an absolute thriller, going down to the eighth chukka, with goals widened. Having already seen the ambulance on the field six previous times it was no surprise when play was stopped minutes into the eighth chukka after a collision which saw Callum MacLachlan break his leg. After an extended delay Callum was replaced and Riverpark finally found the goals to secure a place on finals day, only to be beaten in the subsidiary final by Pitchfork 13 - 11.

And so on to the Stella Artois Melbourne Cup Final. The Stella Artois team, runners up in 2009, with three amateurs and the English pro were up against Sandalford, Peter Prendivilles team from Western Australia with the evergreen Glen Gilmore the play maker.

Stella Artois got the early jump leading by 4 goals through the third chukka, a welcome start for the team who had its defensive general Gillon McLachlan playing injured after an accident earlier in the week. However never underestimate a fired up Glen Gilmore, who partnered well with young gun Zac Hagedoorn to change the tide and bring Sandalford quickly back to even terms. Sandalford whilst playing well, certainly had the monkey on their back having made the final at Ellerston and Garangula over the previous weeks only to be beaten in both. Here was an opportunity to change the fortune of their east coast tour and they seemed to use this as motivation as they clawed their way back and shot ahead in the 5th chukka, eventually running out winners 12 – 11 in another close finish.

For the Stella Artois team it was probably a case of just not having played enough polo together as a team, but it did show that talented amateurs could mix it with the best in Australian polo

So in the end Sandalford who took all the accolades – Champions for 2011, with Zac Haegerdoorn voted the finals MVP and Glen Gilmores 'Jackie' winning the Garry White perpetual Champion pony award.

RIVERPARK
1	Angus James	1
2	Luke O'Leary	2
3	Kelvin Johnson	5
4	Jock Mackay	5
13

PITCHFORK
1	Tim Clarke	1
2	Corrin Gibbs	3
3	Matt Grimes	5
4	Greg Keyte	5
14

STELLA ARTOIS
1	Hamish McLachlan	3
2	James Harper	6
3	Gillon McLachlan	4
4	Sam Kennedy	0
13

TASMANIA POLO – PIERMONT
1	Santiago de Estrada	6
2	Andrew Williams	5
3	Callum MacLachlan	3
4	Juan Maiz Casas	-1
13

SANDALFORD
1	Zac Hagedoorn	2
2	Tex Webster	4
3	Glen Gilmore	7
4	Peter Prendiville	1
14

2010/11 SEASON PREVIEW
The 2009/10 VPC Season was a huge success both on and off the field. With some 58 playing members in total, 25 of which were new members, the club was never been in better shape – however this is a new season and we are looking to build on this for what is sure to be an exciting 2010/11
The winter has seen the WPNEC grounds team working hard to provide A1 fields for the start of the 2010/11 season. With some good rain and a maintenance program which has seen sanding on all grounds, verti draining on grounds 2 and 3 and a general clean up of the trees around the Chirnside field, the polo facilities have never looked better.
The VPC once again thanks and welcomes all its sponsors for season 2010/11, in particular Stella Artois, The Age and La Martina. Please continue to support these brands who support our sport and our club so well.
The 2010/11 Stella Artois VPC Season will once again run from late October through until the end of April, with the major weekends centring around the following:
- Stella Artois Melbourne Cup – Sun 31st Oct and Sun 7th Nov
- Christmas Polo – Sat 27th Nov
- Stella Artois Portsea Polo (Portsea) – Sat 8th Jan
- Stella Artois February International – Sat 5th Feb
- The Stella Artois Cup – Sat 5th March
The Stella Artois Melbourne Cup is shaping up to be another fantastic tournament with interest already from teams from Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Queensland. Once again Victoria will be represented by The Stella Artois Polo Team who will be fighting hard to claim part of the $20,000 purse on offer.
The VPC committee led by Gillon McLachlan, look forward to seeing both new and old faces down at WPNEC for another fast paced season of polo. Please stay tunned to the VPC website for tournament updates, sponsor messages, event photos, bargains to be purchased on the classifieds and much much more. Most importantly though, ensure you have signed up to MYVPC so you can communicate with all in the polo world.
Don't miss out on tickets to any of the major events – get in early and secure your car parks. Welcome to season 2010/11.

MYVPC – ARE YOU A MEMBER?
Thank you for a great response in the 2009/10 season to the new initiative of MYVPC, the latest interactive polo network! MYVPC allows you to set up your own MYVPC profile, and get in touch with other MYVPC members. It also provides quick and easy access to all the latest VPC information.

To those who are current MYVPC members do not forget to update your profile with any relevant information for the up and coming 2010/11 season. For those who are not members of MYVPC, we encourage you to join up, create a profile and get into touch with all other members and be updated with the latest news in the polo community, major tournament information and results, weekly chukka results, photos, classifieds, and tips on playing polo from the experts.

Remember: Everyone is welcome to become a member of MYVPC – signing up is quick, easy and FREE!

Look forward to seeing you on MYVPC in the 2010/11 Polo Season

Please feel free to forward any questions or feedback to us by contacting Jane Hawkins via phone (03) 9421 3000 or email jhawkins@elitesports.com.au

WE WELCOME ABOARD A NEW SPONSOR, BULMERS CIDER
Bulmers Cider has recently signed as VPC's exclusive cider sponsor for the 2010 season. Bulmers premium cider is steeped in tradition. Established in 1887 Bulmers and is unapologetically English heralding form the home of polo- the UK. Best experienced on hot summer days the Polo represents the ideal occasion to enjoy a Bulmers over ice.

KICKING OFF WITH A BANG
Once again we will be holding the annual and much anticipated Victorian Season launch on the Friday night before to Melbourne Cup, this year it will be 29th October 2010. We are still to confirm further details, so watch out for further updates! We look forward to catching up with all and

DON'T MISS OUT ON TICKETS
Tickets and hospitality packages are now available for all VPC tournaments from Focal Promotions (see Ticketing) At just $25 per ticket for a day full of action, you can't beat a day at the polo!

July 2010 VPC SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

The 2009/10 VPC Season was a huge success both on and off the field. Most pleasing was that we received contributions from all stakeholders of the polo community at different times to create this success.
In summing up the season, we have pulled together the following figures to offer a snapshot of what was the 2009/10 VPC year:

The VPC signed up 58 playing members in total.

Of these 58 playing members, the club welcomed 25 new members, the highest seen since the club's establishment.
22 of these new members trained under tutelage of Luke and Matt O'Leary of the Victorian Polo Academy.

The VPC Social Memberships hit 60, with 28 of these also new members.

18 weekends of VPC club polo were played out at Werribee National Equestrian Centre, as well as The Bryce Dicks Memorial Mid Week league. Huge thanks must go to Jackie Woodhead and her team who presented the polo fields and facilities in first class order.

The VPC played host to 4 major tournaments at Werribee including the Stella Artois Melbourne Cup (over 2 weekends), Stella Artois February International and the Stella Artois Polo Challenge.

The season saw visiting teams and players from New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Asia and the USA.

The VPC gained 3 new category exclusive sponsors, welcoming Land Rover, Redken and Reschke.

We welcomed back 4 existing sponsors: Naming rights partner - Stella Artois, and category exclusive partners - Lavazza, Turtle Island and The Age. Thank you all for your continued faith in the club and the sport. A special thanks to Sarah Campbell and the Stella Artois team for their support and investment into Polo. Stella have made a strong commitment to the sport, not just in Victoria, and for that we thank them.

It is important we thank everyone for their continued support including sponsors, players and spectators – your commitment to the sport is the foundation and the reason it continues to grow year after year. We look forward to seeing everyone in the 2010/11 VPC Season.

CHANGES TO THE VPC WEBSITE

The VPC welcomes new category exclusive partners: Reschke, Land Rover and Redken

Stella Artois and the VPC: Hand in Hand

We are absolutely thrilled to report that our Naming Rights partner Stella Artois has signed on for a further three years. The support of the team at Stella Artois has been integral and we look forward to mutually benefiting from the association and growing the great friendships that were borne out of last season. A huge thankyou to all at Stella Artois for their support.

Kicking off with a bang

The season has already kicked off with a huge bang with both the launch of Victorian polo and the Stella Artois Melbourne Cup under our belts. The Stella Artois Victorian Polo Launch was hosted at St Kilda's Republica on Friday, October 30, where sponsors, players and social members were all able to celebrate the beginning of the season together.

The Big One

Congratulations to Simon Keyte and his Garangula team who have happily walked away with the 2009 Stella Artois Melbourne Cup and $15,000 in prize money. The Cup is now on its way back to Harden NSW where it will stay for the next 12 months! The Tournament kicked off on Friday 30th October at Werribee Park, and hosted the finals on Sunday 8th November. The Subsidiary final was claimed by Riverpark (12) against Clearview (11), and a nail-biting final saw Garangula claim victory over the VPC 7 goals to 6. For a full list of results and teams see News on the home page, www.victorianpoloclub.com.au

Pubs and Clubs head to head

A slight change to this years polo calendar is the Stella Artois Challenge (formerly the Winemakers Tournament), usually towards the end of November, is this season being held on the 27th February. A terrific day for all will take place with six key Stella Artois venues from around Melbourne going head to head in action packed three match tournament. Last year the likes of Belgian Beer Café, Trunk, Silk Road and the Grand Hotel amongst others fought out three epic battles.

America en route to the VPC

After a break for Christmas and of course the Stella Artois Portsea Polo tournament on January 9th (see www.portseapolo.com.au for details), we travel back to the doorstep of the Mansion in Aerobe for the Stella Artois February International. This year we host the American team in a 16 goal blockbuster – further news releases will follow here on the website.

Don't miss out on your tickets!

Tickets and hospitality packages are now available for all VPC tournaments from Focal Promotions (see Ticketing) At just $25 per ticket for a day full of action, you can't beat a day at the polo!

Classifieds online now!

Stella Artois and Polo: Hand in Hand

Season 2008/09 saw the Victorian Polo Club welcome a new Naming Rights Partner via the Fosters Group in Stella Artois, the leading imported beer brand in Australia. The support of Stella Artois has assisted greatly in polo reaching the broader audience.

With a rich history dating back centuries like the sport of polo itself, Stella Artois has enjoyed involvement with a sport
very much on the rise as reflected in the recent record attendances and coverage of the Werribee Park based Victorian Polo Club events, and Portsea.

Stella Artois Brand Manager, Sarah Campbell, said the brand is absolutely thrilled to be involved with the sport
during this phase of it's growth.
"Stella Artois has been proud to be associated with Polo in Australia this past season. Stella Artois will build its association with Polo in the coming seasons, supporting the flourishing
sport in Australia," said Campbell.

The support of Stella Artois has contributed greatly to the social aspect of polo and will do so in New South Wales in the near future as well, with a genuine mutual interest in growing the sport throughout the country.

The emerging 'new' polo audience of the young, enthusiastic men and women looking for a relaxed alternative to the more conventional Spring and Summer events such as horseracing and tennis have enjoyed the fantastic hospitality at the polo this summer, which has become a genuine place to be.

"At a fantastic series of events, spectators have enjoyed world-class games on some brilliant summer days. The Polo has been a run of great social days as well, perfectly suited to a few ice-cold Stella Artois!" said Campbell.

Both the Victorian Polo Club and Stella Artois look forward to a longstanding relationship which will kick off once again in November this year with the Stella Artois Melbourne Cup Polo Tournament at Werribee Park. For brands wishing to enjoy the success that polo brings in Australia, check out www.victorianpoloclub.com.au.

All photos are thanks to the official VPC photographer, Carolyn Yencken. Please visit www.greatphotos.com.au