THE sound of thundering hooves echoed around the rolling foothills of Killarney at the weekend as 180 players and their horses took to the field for the town’s annual Polocrosse carnival.
Thirty teams made the trek to Killarney for the action-packed event with some players travelling from as far away as Western Queensland and New South Wales.
The large contingent of spectators at the carnival helped boost the town’s visitor numbers to more than 300.
In a rural town of less than 1000 people, the influx of polocrosse enthusiasts was good for Killarney’s local economy with players and supporters spending money in the local shops, food outlets and pub according to Killarney Polocrosse Club Secretary Kerri-Ann Lamb.
Kerri-Anne said the economic boost was just one of the reasons Killarney Polocrosse Club, despite having no playing members this year, continues with the tradition of their annual carnival.
“This year is the second year since the club was formed that we have had no playing members but the passion is still alive and the annual carnival is always on the calendar,” she said.
The event also served as a good training event for the Australian Titles to be held in early July with several Queensland representatives making the trip.
The A Grade final, which created much excitement along the sidelines, was contested by long-standing polocrosse rivals Warwick and Tansey. Although neither side fielded their normal A Grade teams due to some State Representative players not competing and some resting their Nationals nominated horses, the battle between the teams was hard fought. On this occasion, in a reversal from last year’s A Grade final, Warwick 1 came up victorious, beating Tansey 1 by 13 goals. The final score was 20 to 7.
This weekend, the polocrosse action will take place at Cunningham Polocrosse Club.
Play at Cunningham Polocrosse Carnival will start at 8am on both days at 1239 Bony Mountain Road, via Warwick.
Results: A Grade – Winner Warwick 1 20. Runner-up Tansey 1 7. Best player Cameron Shepherd (Warwick). B Grade – Winner Cunningham 4 11. Runner-up Lockyer Valley 1 9. Best Player Anthony O’Leary (Cunningham). C Grade – Winner Warwick 3 19. Runner-up Lockyer Valley 2 13. Best Player Anne Shepley (Warwick). D Grade – Winner Cunningham 5 9. Runner-up Gold Coast 6 6. Best Player Belinda Butcher (Cunningham).
Junior Results: Winner Cunningham A (Jnr) 6. Runner-up Cunningham B (Jnr) 5. Best No 1 Player Terry Butcher (Cunningham). Best No 2 Player Ainsleigh Ryan (Gold Coast). Best No 3 Player Reece Lamb (Cunningham). Best Lady Player Beth Hafey (Tansey)
