interview
“Teams would also be cheaper,” reasoned
Fanshawe. “These guys are desperate to play, and I think the sport in England may be missing out on an opportunity. The players of the last 10 to 15 years are still there. The fact that Adolfo Cambiaso is still there - don’t get me wrong, his game is still exceptional and it’s amazing that a 40-year-old can still be at the top of his game and I respect that - but in my view the 18-goal patrons could be playing in the high-goal on the same budget if they went for some of these younger guys. The way the market works is that they are
cheaper. The price has been creeping up for 10 years and no one is trying to use these young guys, playing off six and seven, who can hit the ball the length of the field. Why aren’t they here? For me, they have never been asked.” It stands to reason. Look back in history and
Cambiaso and Lolo Castagnola started out in the high-goal in England. Cambiaso was quite brilliant even in his first season in England in the Gold Cup. He was 16. Fanshawe takes up that argument. “The last seven or eight Queen’s Cups have been won by Adolfo or Facundo and their teams. We need new guys, young guys. Sport is about young people. It is the truth of all sport. You are tested by the young guys. They play without fear. Cambiaso can still
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beat the young guys with his eyes shut, and he is the exception.”
“If you can’t beat the Cambiasos and the
Facundo Pieres of this world with the players you have at the moment, who have never beaten them, then it’s time to look for new players who can challenge the status quo. That’s the thing about young players - they have no fear, maybe through ignorance. But it doesn’t matter. Or it’s just arrogance. A combination of the two is what makes a great sportsperson. “The handicap system, of course, is the only
way to create an even playing field in polo. My view is that if you don’t win things, you go down in handicap. It might also be a way of levelling out the playing field.” Fascinating point. And on handicap, and
youth, Fanshawe believes a young group of English players should be given the opportunity to play for their country. “Unless you are 10 goals, you shouldn’t be an automatic selection for England. There is little difference between the sixes and sevens we have. Unless there is a dominant player, and we don’t have one in England, it should be open season – which really comes down to bold decision- making by the Hurlingham Polo Association.” Finally Fanshawe also believes that the introduction of sin-binning in English polo this
season needs careful handling. An improvement he would like to see this year is “less whistle” and a “faster game”. He added: “The most important thing this year is that the umpires don’t blow for what the players make of a foul: the players tapping the ball under each other’s horses and stopping the game. There is too much whistle and there should be less. The game should be played faster.”
As for the potential introduction of sin- binning, being introduced by the HPA, he said: “It’s fine, but needs to be made very clear to the umpires and the players exactly what it is. I’d be surprised if many players get sin-binned. I think that if they do, the umpires will start to feel that they are losing control of the game on the field.”
All said though, Fanshawe concluded this
interview in reflective mood. “How many summers do we have in life? Life in polo is constant preparation for those perfect moments. Total focus on what is important to improve and the realisation that we only have so much time. There’s no time like the present...” In other words, get out there and enjoy it. Another season is upon us.
Gareth A Davies is Polo Correspondent for The London Telegraph
guards polo club official yearbook 2016
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