Page 37 - QARANC Vol 14 No 12 2016

AMS Polo Team
The AMS Polo Team was formed in 2011 and played competitively for a short while before play slowed down due to operational commitments. When the team did play, it was composed of players from all the Corps that make up the AMS but had no representation from the QARANC.
In 2016, LCpl Erhahiemen (QARANC) sought to re establish the team on the military polo scene by taking over as Club Secretary and has made remarkable progress. For the first time ever, the team is dominated by personnel from QARANC.
The team held it’s first training session on Saturday 12th March 2016 at Hampshire Polo School under the instruction of Sean Wilson-Smith. The aim of the session was to introduce polo to AMS personnel and to attract seasoned players within AMS to join the team. The day was a tremendous success with two nurses who had never ridden before, trying polo and one even scoring a goal in a practice match. Personnel from the Defence School of Healthcare Education (DSHE) attended the session, including one Royal Navy Student Nurse.
So what exactly is this polo business all about?
Polo – The Sport – Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Players score by driving a small ball into the opposing team’s goal using a long-handled mallet. The traditional sport of polo is played at speed on a large grass field up to 300 yards long by 160 yards wide, and each polo team consists of four riders and their mounts. Field polo is played with a solid plastic ball, which has replaced the wooden ball in much of the sport. Arena polo
is played with an air filled rubber ball at slower speeds.
Polo and the Army – The Army and polo are intrinsically linked. The skills developed whilst taking part in the sport are directly transferable to the field Army. From the physical courage required to gallop a pony at speeds up to 30mph, the determination to reach out of the saddle of an unsteady pony to reach for the ball to the quick reactions and spontaneous decision making required.
Polo offers players the opportunity to make quick assessments and decisions under pressure and within time constraints. Other benefits include fitness, the positive effect on morale, the promotion of teamwork and the fostering camaraderie.
Continue to follow the team’s story on Facebook and on Instagram, or even better, take a road trip down to Tidworth Polo Club this summer to see AMS Polo in action. The team is scheduled to take part in the AGC Cup and the Captains and Subalterns Trophy, both at Tidworth Polo Club; the home of Combined Services polo.
12 Important Polo Terms
Chukka There are six chukkas (periods) in high handicap matches, each lasting seven minutes plus up to 30 seconds of overtime. If, during the extra 30 seconds, the ball hits the sideboards or goes out of bounds, or if the umpire blows his whistle for a foul, the chukka is over. There is no overtime at the end of the final chukka unless the score is tied. Players return to the field each chukka with a fresh pony. Chukka comes from the Indian word for a circle or round.
THE GAZETTE QARANC
Cpl Elsey QARANC & LCpl Attiwell QARANC
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SPORTS