National Champions!

5 March 2024

Stowe are the National Polo Champions! 

Five Stowe polo teams travelled to Rugby Polo Club on Sunday 3 March to compete in the Winter Schools Polo Championships. Our A team Captained by Lucas Stern (Upper Sixth, Grenville) with Luca Natella and Archie Heseltine (both Lower Sixth, Cobham) had four very strong games, firstly winning against Harrow 4-1, then Cheltenham, with a score of 8-1. We were triumphant 3-1 over a team called La Mariposa (made up of the strongest players from non-playing schools), and finally we took a win over Rugby School 8-2 to become National Champions!

Luca was also given the prestigious award for being ‘Most Promising Player’. Incredible team performances as they seamlessly read every play and scored fantastic goals!

Our B team Captained by Leander Sautter (Fifth Form, Cobham) with Charlie Hodges (Fifth Form, Chatham) and Jemima Hammond (Upper Sixth, Nugent) had some incredibly tough matches but were victorious against Harrow 2-1 and Monkton 1-0 before finally losing to Radley 3-1, meaning Second Place in the Intermediate division. Wonderful plays by the whole team who fought hard against tough oppositions!

Our Novice Top Division team Captained by Ed Berry (Third Form, Cobham) with Jasper Hagger (Third Form, Walpole) and Freddie Leyland (Third Form, Chandos) drew 2-2 against Cheltenham, lost 1-0 to Marlborough and then drew 1-1 to Sherborne. They came a very respectable Third in their division.

Our Lower Novice Division team Captained by Bilal Rabiu (Lower Sixth, Cobham) with Aggie White (Upper Sixth, Nugent) and Pia Glynn-Smith (Upper Sixth, Lyttelton) had some great matches too. They beat Radley 2-1, drew 2-2 with Bryanston and lost to Shrewsbury 2-0. They came Second in their division after a nail-biting penalty shoot-out which was won by a great goal from Aggie!

Our final team was a combination team captained by Flora McDougal (Fourth Form, Nugent) in her first ever Nationals match. The team was made up with an Eton player and a girl from a non-playing school. They had some exciting matches beating Shrewsbury 2-1, sadly losing to Rugby 2-1 and SUPA team 1-0. They came Third in their Novice Section.

A fantastic was day had by all!