Emlor received the 2021 edition of the Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Windsor Cup from HM The Queen at Guards Polo Club on Sunday. Spencer McCarthy’s team, who received half a goal on handicap due to Bardon’s Adolfo Cambiaso Junior’s mid-season handicap rise, delivered a strong, team performance to win the Club’s oldest trophy 81/2 – 8. This is the second time that Spencer has added his name to the UK’s leading 15-goal tournament trophy, winning with Emlor in 2007.
Their opponents, Andras Tombor’s Bardon were surprisingly struggling in the early stages of the match, trailing 51/2 -1 at the end of the second chukka. Spencer himself had a stand-out game, making the most of any space and running the ball down the field. He also scored in the first chukka. Out-Sourcing’s Most Valuable Player Max Charlton was sharp shooting with penalties, converting four in this match, while team-mate Richard Tyrone produced some stylish play through all five chukkas to ensure Emlor remained a formidable opponent.
Bardon got themselves very much back in this game in the final two chukkas. Poroto Cambiaso and Kian Hall scoring three goals in the fourth between them to start closing the gap, although Emlor successfully converted two penalties to maintain their lead. So with the score reading 7-5 going into the final chukka this was now anyone’s game.
Max maintained Emlor’s advantage by converting a penalty before Adolfo Junior found the flags. Isidro Strada, who has been strong for Bardon throughout this tournament, then scored himself before successfully converting a penalty to bring this game very much alive – 81/2 -8 with time ticking away. So when Bardon were then awarded a penalty with little time left on the clock, Out-Sourcing’s guests and the day’s many spectators were on the edge of their seats, wondering if this was the moment that Bardon would snatch a last-minute win. The pressure was evident on the field too as Isidro uncharacteristically sent this penalty wide, ensuring Emlor won the game.
HM The Queen, accompanied by Mr Andrew Bentley and Mr Charlie Bruin, presented the impressive Out-Sourcing prizes to all the players and then awarded the Best Playing Pony prize to Genie, who had been played by Max Charlton. This 12-year-old bay mare is Max’s favourite retrained racehorse in his string and he played her in the second chukka.
Out-Sourcing Inc. has sponsored this tournament since 2018 but travel restrictions due to the global pandemic meant that the Out-Sourcing team, who are based in Tokyo, were unable to attend the final. However as the tournament was streamed live they were able to watch every moment via Guards TV.
Twenty-one teams had entered this year’s tournament and earlier in the day Noor Khadra’s Green Gates won the subsidiary final for the Mountbatten Cup. They defeated Charlie Wooldridge’s Twelve Oaks in an equally fast-paced game on The Duke’s Ground. Twelve Oaks were 6-3 up at half-time but then the dynamics changed. Twelve Oaks failed to score at all in the final two chukkas while Green Gates’ Charles Cooney and Diego Cavanagh – the tournament’s leading goal-scorer coming into this final – found five goals between them. This late rally ensured that it was Green Gates who won the match 8-6. Mr Nick Tubbs, representing Out-Sourcing Inc. and a Director of Out-Sourcing UK, presented the prizes.
Immediately after the polo Guards Polo Club welcomed the return the British Driving Society parade of champions on The Queen’s Ground. The driving society had hosted its annual summer show on another area of Smith’s Lawn and HM The Queen, who watched the parade from the Royal Box, presented the winners’ rosettes to all the wonderful carriages.
Emlor: Spencer McCarthy (1); Hugo Taylor (3); Max Charlton (6); Richard Tyrone (5). Bardon: Andras Tombor (0); Kian Hall (3); Adolfo Cambiaso Jnr (7); Isidro Strada (6).
Green Gates: Noor Khadra (0); Charles Cooney (3); Diego Cavanagh (8); Cesar Crespo (4). Twelve Oaks: Charlie Wooldridge (2); Jonny Good (4); John Paul Clarkin (6); Josh Cork (3).
Image © Images of Polo
