Polocrosse
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Polocrosse training is happening on Monday 8th August 2011 10am – 2pm at Bulby, PE10 0RU. Please can folk contact Sue Bevan if interested in coming to training. The plan is to have morning skills practice, break for lunch then perhaps if teams can be formed have some friendly chukkas in the afternoon. Deirdre is coming to coach and if numbers are big enough we will try to draft in additional coaches. The cost will depend upon the fee and travel costs of the coaches and the numbers attending.
Check out the photo’s from the championships last year of our teams at the Pony Club Championships at Draycott in 2010.
The red and blacks were 1. Diana on Dino 2. Charlie on Louis 3. Jake Webb on Pete . The purples were 1. Tamara on Minky 2. Mollie on Shadow 3. Ellis on Millie.
We came 3rd and 5th in the Junior tournament. This was an spectacularly good result after getting splattered in our first championships in 2008, coming 5th in 2009 progressing to fielding two teams in 2010 one of which had never played a match before the Championships, the umpires could hardly believe it. Cross over skills from games certainly helped. Well done everyone and well done the ponies.
Thanks to the Burghley parents who camped at the championships with the teams and inevitably enjoyed helping.
If anyone wants non degraded copies of the web pictures please email Sue Bevan
AGE GROUPS
Mini's are 12 and under on 1st Jan on ponies 13.2hh and under and junior teams are 14 and under on 1st January on ponies 14.2 and under. Those who are keen might like to take part in other competitions before the Pony Club Championships in 2010.
Seniors (open) on ponies 13.2 minimum. Competing in other tournaments would involve registering with UKPA (United Kingdome Polocrosse Association) and affiliating (joining) a registered Polocrosse Club. (registration at the discounted rate of £10 with UKPA..(deal offered to Pony Club Members) and membership of Ashfields for Junior members is £30). See www.ashfieldspolocrosse.com/membership/ Checking out the map of clubs this one seems the most accessible…down the M11 and is the club Kim Lampard is associated with. Kim has coached Burghley and Bulby members and is based near Grantham.
In UKPA the age groups differ from the Pony Club which are listed above. UKPA Primary Juniors are 11 and under on 1st January, Juniors are 15 and under on 1st January in the year of play.
With kind regards from
Sue Bevan
Burghley Polocrosse team excelled at the Pony Club Championships coming overall fifth in the junior section. They came third in the toughest of the two sections, winning their first match 5-1 against United Pack HP then losing narrowly to top team Croome 3-2 and overall tournament winners Brecon and Langiby Hunt 5-3, so gaining a place in the play off for 5th and 6th place. The won their final match 8-0 against United Pack first team who had only lost in their section to overall junior tournament second placers, Brecon, 2-1.
Team play improved spectacularly during the tournament resulting in their final match seeing no. 3 defender Jake Webb on Pete (the Roan Rocket) and no. 2 midfield Charlie Parkin on Louis regularly immobilise the oppositions number three leaving Diana ‘home alone’ in the scoring area free to shoot at goal. Diana and Jake reciprocated by immobilising the opposition’s no. 1 leaving high speed and spinner Charlie on Louis to wrest the ball from the opposition. Jake on Pete moved in like a Sherman tank to collect the ball from the middle any horse mêlée and did some great blocking, runs and passes to Diana on Dino and Charlie on Louis who could only be stopped by a horses head slobbering on Charlie’s shoulder. Diana and Dino nipped in to mêlée’s like small children squeezing to the front to extract the ball and exit up the pitch protected by fast moving Charlie on Louis who doubled back to defend with Jake and Pete. Wow chaps…that was really good fun. Well done.
If anyone is interested in PX, they are welcome to contact me by email and I will add them to the list to notify them by email about any training and PX events coming up.
Many thanks.
Sue
The PX championships are on the 15th and 16th August. We are taking a team, Charlie Parkin on Louis, Diana Bevan on Dino and Jake Webb on Pete. They competed at Bawtry which qualifies them to go to the Championships. They came 3rd out of five teams, only losing to the winners Cheshire Cats 1 – 0 and the second place team Rockwood Harriers, the hosts 2-0. Charlie won the rosette for most improved player, scoring 11 goals in the last two of four matches. With Jake’s suberb defending on Pete, the team only conceded 3 goals in the whole tournament…no wonder the announcers last year at the Pony Club Championships kept saying what good defence play the pair make. With Diana on Dino who was loaned to Lisa last year at the Championships by a Rockwood player the Burghley team game is consolidated. Charlie is planning to ride Louis who has returned to Burghley PC having been playing at Bedford. We are all hoping we do better at the Championships that we did last year! It was fun, let’s hope this year is even more fun and we score more than our single goal last year!! Good luck everyone. Watch out for training dates. Anyone interested in playing polocrosse is welcome to come to team training for practice and chukka’s.
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WHAT IS POLOCROSSE? THE PITCH The field is 60 yards (55m) x 160 yards (146.5m), with three separate areas. The goal scoring areas, on each end, are 30 yards long. Only the No.1 of the attacking team and the No. 3 of the defending team can play in these areas. The middle area is 100 yards long. The line separating the goal scoring and centre areas is called the penalty line. Goal posts are 8 feet apart. To score, the ball must be thrown from outside an 11-yard semi-circle in front of the goal through the posts or a between their imaginary vertical extensions.
THE PLAYERS A team consists of 6 players, divided into two sections of three who play alternate chukkas of a maximum of 8 minutes each. Six or eight chukkas comprise a full match. The three players in each section play the position of a No. 1 "attack", a No. 2 "centre", or a No. 3 "defence". Junior teams have three members and breaks between happen by running two matches on the same pitch, the different match chukkas alternating with each other. WHO GOES WHERE No. 1's play in the attacking end and the centre, No. 2's play only in the centre and No. 3's the defenders play in the centre and their defending end of the pitch. THE HORSE Players are allowed only to play one horse, except in the case of injury. Primary Juniors must play on ponies 14.2hh or under. There are no other restrictions, you can play on any horse. The better you become the more important it becomes for the horse to be agile. Top grade players generally use thoroughbreds or horses crossed with quarter horses or Australian stock horses between 14.2hh and 16hh. THE GAME AND THE KIT As the name implies, it is a combination of polo and lacrosse. It is played outside, on a field, on horseback. Each rider uses a stick to which is attached a racquet head with a loose, thread net, in which the ball is carried. The ball is made of sponge rubber and is approximately 4" across. The objective is to score goals by throwing the ball between your opponent's goal posts from outside the 'D', rather like rugby there is an imaginary extension of the posts between which it is possible to score. HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED Players can pick up the ball from the ground, catch it in their racquet, and ride with it. They will throw it to other players until the No.1 has possession in the goal scoring area. A player cannot carry the ball over the penalty line, but must bounce it so that they do not have possession of it while actually crossing the line. However, it can be thrown to a player over the line. When carrying the ball, a player must carry it on the stick side, i.e. right-handed players must carry it on the offside of the horse. They can, however, pick-up or catch the ball on the non-stick side provided they immediately bring it back to their stick side. STARTING THE GAME It commences in centre field with the players lining up, one section beside the other, with the No. 1's in front. This is called a line out. The umpire then throws the ball, over the player's heads. The game recommences similarly after a goal has been scored. Whenever an attempt at goal fails, the No. 3 throws the ball back into play from behind the penalty line, as directed by the umpire. GETTING THE BALL OFF THE OTHER TEAM Hitting at an opponent's stick, either to dislodge the ball or to prevent them from gaining possession of it, is allowed in an upward direction only. Riding off is allowed, but crossing, stopping over the ball, or elbowing constitutes fouls. Sandwiching of one player between two others also constitutes a foul. Fouls result in a free throw to the offended side. Requirements for the rider are a recognised safety helmet and a racquet. For the horse you will need leg wraps and coronet boots. |
