Honouring the Game and Dougal Archibald

THE Dougal Archibald Trophy was played in Scone on the weekend, with Ellerston taking out the honours this year.

While the grounds were drier this year due to the drought, the country polo tradition of bringing the community together was a welcome respite.

See photos of the game and winners below.

Ian Archibald, brother of Dougal Archibald said the Scone Polo Club is one of the things that makes Scone so special and was honoured to be at the 10th match played in his brother’s honour.

“From a very early age he loved horses and he had a certain confidence with horses and polo was a natural fit for him,” said Mr Archibald.

“We were very lucky because we lived very close to the polo grounds and we could ride over any day of the week and play a bit here which was terrific and it was a big part of his life,” he said.

“It has a lot of attributes, when I played and we traveled we were playing a ball sport, we were playing a team sport and we were playing an equine sport and then you’re also visiting another part of the state so there was a the social aspect as well; so there are lots of dimensions to the sport.

“It’s also a sport where a grandfather can play with his grand kids, like we have seen here today with the Grimes family.

“It’s a complex sport and it takes a lot of commitment and logistics, but when you get out on the field and you are looking at that little white ball I think that’s all you worry about.

“The Club is an important part of the lives of a lot of people and from the perspective of Scone I think it has been an attribute that Scone has been able to preserve for more than 100 years and it’s part of the fabric of the community.

“It’s one of the things that makes Scone pretty special really, other country clubs have struggled and Scone has remained a genuine club which is really rare.

“It’s encouraged junior polo schools and that gets the young kids enthusiastic about it from a young age and Scone has a fairly diversified economy so get get lots of different people playing the game, he said.

“The games have also become shorter with four chuckers instead of six so that makes it easier instead of needing six horses you only need four and you can nearly get by with two horses, so that’s been a good thing,” he said.

“Of course we’ve been very lucky with the ground and it was slightly nostalgic for me because the old ground used to be west of Scone at Yarrandi, so as a kid I’d go out and all I’d see is horses cantering around in the dust,” laughed Ian Archibald.

This year there was a new award for the best retrained race horse, a program from Godolphin which was judged by Anto White to be Daisey owned by Treen Murphy.