Page 53 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2017

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 51
After an almost non-existent season due to a BATUS commit- ment and the usual trawls, Lancer polo was keen to make- up for lost chukkas in 2016. Eager to hit the 2017 season at the gallop, The Royal Lancers squad departed the usual drizzle of Catterick Garrison to commence their pre-season training camp at Jurassic Park Polo School, located in Swartberg, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. Run by former South Africa Polo Captain, Selby Wilkinson, the aim was to provide an intensive refresher for the squad, particularly as two of the members had not man- aged any polo in the preceding season.
After some pre-tour sessions at White Rose Polo Club, the squad departed for South Africa and spent time watching medium-goal polo at Oaklands Polo Club. As well as an excellent way to see professional polo, it also gave the team a chance to talk with the players and members of the South Africa polo playing fraternity whose advice was invaluable in the coming week.
Training began in earnest and the usual start to the day’s train- ing involved wooden horse practice, concentrating on technique and allowing a warm-up for the chukkas in the afternoon. This was followed by stick and ball, allowing not only the continua- tion of the drills from the wooden horse, but also allowing the team to focus on both riding ability and to start practicing and experimenting with tactics and positioning. The afternoon ses- sion was devoted to chukkas, with the team playing four chuk- kas each afternoon; for one player, this doubled his playing time in one week alone. Other players at the School provided some variety in team make-up, as well as providing a range of abili- ties for the team to play with and against. Late afternoons were spent discussing tactics and rules. An extra bonus was the visit from the farrier who taught the Lancers how to shoe, as well as sharing his invaluable knowledge of equine health and care. The evening was devoted to social; drinking the excellent house cellar wine, barbecuing animals on the braai and a horse safari to see zebras, ostrich and the sunset. This provided the per- fect time to recharge. The presence of a charming young fellow player from New Zealand provided our newest recruit plenty of time to try (and fail) to win over her affections.
It is clear that Jurassic Park Polo School provided an excellent pre-season training camp, not only in terms of value for money, but for the holistic polo instruction it delivered. Selby and his
coaches provided intense and individual coaching to each player and the improvement in the team performance was exponential.
On a final note, the only disappointment was that the team were not able to time their visit with that of the Royal Artillery team who arrived the following week; perhaps an early victory over one of our major rivals would have been the ultimate finish!
However, fortuitously the Royal Artillery Cup was to be our first tournament and we opened with an easy victory over a number of rivals including the Welsh Guards.
Mid-July brought the litmus-test of the Captains and Subalterns Tournament. Well, despite best preparations, we’ll leave it there.
Alas, polo in 2018 will be severely constrained by the Regi- ment’s presence in Cyprus. Unfortunately the scene in Episkopi – where both antecedent Regiments carved out strong reputa- tions – is no longer in existence. Lieutenant Cave takes on the Regimental captaincy in the absence of Captain Humphreys and we wish him and those at ERE who ride to the seasons’ battles the best of luck.
Royal Lancer Polo
DJC
Bunch of cads