2011 Match Reports
Silver Spring 1870 Polo Team Make the Gold Standard
The 1870 Polo team built on their successful 2011 polo season yesterday with a convincing victory over El Remanso in the prestigious Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup. The win followed a tense and exciting game at Cowdray Park and saw the team win the prestigious Jack Gannon trophy as part of the subsidiary final.
The game, on Wednesday 13 July, saw 1870 beat worthy opponents El Remanso by an impressive 9-6. 1870 gained the all-important early lead, an advantage they held on to throughout the thrilling match despite strong challenges from El Remanso.
Great British Drinks Company, Silver Spring – based in Folkestone, Kent – has sponsored the 1870 Polo team since 2010. Silver Spring’s 1870 mixer brand – now available in Waitrose stores – shares both its rich British heritage and core values with the sport of Polo; excellence, teamwork, action and authenticity are important both on the Polo field and in the product.
Julian Aitken, Sales and Marketing Director, Silver Spring, said: “It is fantastic to see the 1870 Polo team still going strong this late in the season. It is a testament to the talented team of players involved.”
Queen’s Cup 2011
1870 faced up to first class team La Bamba de Areco in the third round of the Queen’s Cup. The match, on Sunday 29 May, was well fought but despite narrowing La Bamba’s lead, 1870 was unable to overtake and finished the match 11-8.
In the second round of the Queen’s Cup on Wednesday 25 May, Adrian Kirby and 1870 easily dominated opponents Jager le Coulture to win by an impressive 13-6. The match gave 1870 a 2-0 win/loss position in their league. At this point they top the bracket and the tournament with the biggest difference in goals scored. This makes Adrian’s Australasian side strong contenders to qualify for the final stages of the 2011 Queen’s Cup.
Adrian’s 1870 team earlier built on their magnificent Tyro Cup victory with a first round win over Aravalli in the Queens Cup at Guards Polo Club. 1870 played confidently in the match at Brooksfield in Sussex on Wednesday 18 May to defeat Aravalli 13-9.
Tyro Cup 2011
1870 had a fantastic start to the 2011 polo season by being crowned winners of the prestigious Tyro Cup at Cowdray Park. A thrilling final match on Sunday 8 May saw the 1870 team secure an impressive 9-3 win against opponents Ferne Park. 1870 took an early lead and stayed comfortably ahead of Ferne Park to ensure they walked away with the coveted title.
Adrian’s team had already achieved a 7-5 win against opponents Salked in the second round of the Tyro Cup on Sunday 1 May. After storming to an early lead of 5-0, there was a tense second half as Salked clawed their way back to 5-3. But 1870 kept their nerve and were deserved winners of the well fought match.
The 1870 team kicked off the 2011 polo season on Sunday 24 April with an impressive 9-3 win against Maize Dulce in first round of the Tyro Cup. The team (Adrian Kirby, Rob Archibald, Lanto Sheridan and James Rome) performed well with excellent positioning and confident attacking.
This year 1870 will also be competing in the Verve-Clicqout Gold Cup and the Queen’s Cup.
Polo is one of Adrian’s greatest passions and he plans his year around the British polo season. He runs his own stables from his stunning estate in Surrey and can often be seen brushing up his game at Guards, Coworth Park and Cowdray Park.