Singapore got past Indonesia in another bruising battle. I have always maintained that low goal polo is more dangerous than high goal polo where the players are usually much better riders and players who know the rules. Today was another day of late hits, elbows, sandwiches, hooked reins, zig-zags and aggro. It’s a pity some of these teams learn the bad side of the sport before they learn to play the game.
It should have been an easy game, and at 3-1 up we let them back into the match with two penalties to tie it at 3-3. They could even have taken the lead but missed an open 40 yarder. We took it upfield and as play broke down I managed to hit a perfect backhand pass for Satinder to tap in. That turned the match and we ran out 8-3 winners.
In the second game Malaysia destroyed Thailand 14 - 3 1/2. Thailand were simply outclassed on horsepower and teamwork. Malaysia played as a team, but too often Thailand played to one man. He may be Top, but not today. The Malaysian players regularly play 14 goal polo in the RMPA International League and they recently spent month in Argentina honing their skills against 16 to 20 goal teams. This Thailand team, on the other hand, has concentrated their local polo on inviting teams to come and get whupped on borrowed horses. It is a scenario reminiscent of how equestrian sport used to be 12 years ago, when some countries made to move to events on our own horses, and left behind the countries that had kidded themselves into thinking they were good when all they could compete on was on home ground on their own horses, while lending the other countries their second, third or fourth string horses.
I am sure it has been an eye-opener for many of the countries as they thought they had good horses. It is no surprise the people making the most noise are the horse-dealers who have sold them the slow-pokes. The patrons who have bought the slow-pokes aren’t dumb. They know a slow horse when they finally see it get cantered past by a good horse. So no amount of shouting and screaming about the other teams is really going to deflect their attention from the fact that their own short-legged fatboys will never grow speed. No matter how much they paid for them.
On Tuesday Malaysia and Singapore will play some club chukkas. The result is inconsequential as Malaysia is already in the final and Singapore is almost certainly in the final because of the who-beat-who rule. Philippines would have to beat both Indonesia on Tuesday and us on Thursday to change that. I have a lot of respect for the Filipino players because I know what they are like on their own horses, but seeing as they are riding 2nd, 3rd or 4th string short-legged fatboys this week, they really have no chance.
The Malaysian machine has now scored 36 goals in 3 matches, an incredible average of 12 per game. It is amazing to consider as Malaysia has actually slowed their pace when they have had the match won. I play my polo in Kuala Lumpur so facing my club-mates on Tuesday and in the Final will at least be much safer matches. Malaysia are a superbly mounted team and are an incredibly hard team to beat, but at least I know they will not resort to dirty tactics.
