harlie Wooldridge received the Duke of Wellington Trophy from Lord Christopher Wellesley and his son Oliver after Twelve
Oaks won this prestigious final 8-7. They defeated Christopher Bruckner’s Asian Art/Cool Hooves in a tense game that only got going in the second half. With a strong entry of 11 teams and played as a qualifier for the 12-goal Hurlingham Polo Association’s Victor Ludorum, this final had all the ingredients to be a memorable match. However both teams struggled to find space in the first half, with the umpires’ whistles regularly in use. Twelve Oaks’ Jacinto Crotto, later named the Most Valuable Player, produced some flashes of brilliance, but any flowing polo was regularly brought to a halt by a whistle. At half-time the score was reading 2-2 and so this was clearly still anyone’s game. The many spectators at Guards Polo Club were
surprised – and delighted – to see both teams transformed in the second half. Crotto started the action by converting a penalty, with team-mate Hugo Taylor delivering a fast run to goal. Jamie Morrison brought the Twelve Oaks score up to 5-2, while Taylor confirmed the Oaks’ dominance by scoring again – all within the ›first
