“The last couple of games were so fabulous,” CPC member and Secretary Torie Front said. “There were cars two-deep lined on the sideline. It was amazing. The crowd was great.”
Following a few weeks traveling around the Midwest, the Polo Club has returned home to host a pair of games against out-of-town competition, giving people in Clermont County and the surrounding areas a chance to watch a sport that most wouldn’t usually be exposed to.
Last week, on Aug. 4, the Cincinnati Polo Club hosted Indianapolis at Miami Meadows. The teams needed to be divided up a bit to make the teams fair given the number of players present, but the team made up mostly of Cincinnati players were victorious, 12-10.
Keith Potter, the President of the Cincinnati Polo Club, led all scorers with five goals, while Torie Front scored three, Boris Christow had two and Indianapolis’ Austin Chandler also scored two.
Chandler dressed for the Cincinnati side to even out the numbers, while also given the task of neutralizing Greg Chandler, Austin’s father and a highly-rated player in his own right.
On the defensive side, the CPC were anchored by Vince Front, Torie’s husband, Paul D’Souza and Kit Collins. The match was officiated by Jim Friedman, a retired Cincinnati Polo Club player.
Also taking part in the action was Gordon Reed, who reprised his role as announcer; a post he held during the CPC’s heyday in the 1980s and 1990s.
Even in a winning effort, the CPC saw room for improvement that they were able to work on in between the two matches.
“We’re working on having better field position and team work,” CPC member Kit Collins said. “Every now and then we get bunched up, so we’ve been doing some drills so that when we see a certain scenario pop up, we can go the proper direction to receive a pass. The drills really paid off in this last game.”
The Club’s last game was on Saturday, Aug. 11 when the CPC hosted Bluegrass Polo Club from Lexington, Ky.
“It was a really close game,” Front explained, “they won, but I believe if we would have used the handicap system, it would have been a tie. Both of our games were really good games, so it was good for the crowd, too.”
The crowd, which numbered upwards of 150-200 spectators, got their first taste of the sport and were able to pet the horses and ask questions following each chukker – the name for one of the seven minute periods.
“The players tried to walk the sidelines as they were coming off following a chukker if they were not playing in the next one,” Front said. “They would walk along and let the crowd pat the horses and introduce them and try and answer questions that they might have.
“Also, after the game and at halftime people came over to the trailers and asked questions.”
While the CPC is still growing and looking to build a loyal fan base in the area, they are reaching out to the community through several affiliations with various organizations in the area. At each of the three home games, the CPC is coupling their polo matches with a worthwhile agency.
During their first game against Indianapolis, the Queen City Greyhound Rescue was benefitted and during the game this past week against Lexington, Angels Rest Animal Sanctuary was assisted.
The CPC will have one more home game, which is scheduled for Sept. 15. Cincinnati Labrador Rescue will be the beneficiary of that match.
If you are more interested in the Cincinnati Polo Club or have any other questions about the sport or the club, visit their website at cincinnatipoloclub.com or find them on Facebook.