April 14th, Windsor Polo Club, Richmond, Australia: Following six weeks of impressive competition during the three Australian high-goal tournaments at Ellerston, Garangula and Windsor Polo Club, it was an honour for Standing Rock Polo Team Patron and Founder of the Standing Rock Fair Play Award, Philipp Müller, to present the award to Larapinta (Michael Irvine, Alec White, Jack Archibald and Thomas Hunt) at the final of the Morton Cup.
While there were many contenders for the Standing Rock Fair Play Award trophy, after close evaluation by the umpires throughout the high-goal series, it was the Larapinta team who Head Umpire Chris Hyde and New South Wales Chief Umpire Antony White believed demonstrated superior standards of conduct, respect, sportsmanship, discipline and horse welfare on and off the field in all three tournaments. The trophy was received by Larapinta team players Alec White and Jack Archibald.
“Being involved with the New South Wales (NSW) pro umpire group and getting the opportunity to be a part of the selection process for the Standing Rock Fair Play Award has, in my view, been a huge positive move forwards for all who are involved in the teams’ organisations,” commented Chris Hyde. “It has proved that on and off the field the players and patrons have really made a huge difference in how they approach the sport, especially with how they converse with the umpires and officials. I truly believe that the Fair Play Award will grow to be one of, if not the most, sought after trophy’s in the game.”
Antony White also praised the Standing Rock Fair Play Award for the positive impact it is having in polo: “The Standing Rock Fair Play Award is a very positive step forward in our sport. To reward and encourage players to play fair and in a sporting manner is a wonderful thing. It should be every patrons dream to have their team name on this prestigious trophy. This will have a very positive effect on the way players respect officials, players, horses and grooms. We all thank Philipp and Standing Rock for such a wonderful initiative.”
Having launched last year to inspire players and teams around the world to strive for the highest levels of integrity and excellence in the sport, the Standing Rock Fair Play Award is gaining increasing recognition worldwide, thanks to collaborations with polo associations and clubs internationally, including the New South Wales Polo Association in Australia; the HPA in England; Chantilly Polo Club in France; and the New Zealand Polo Association.
“I would like to thank the Australian Polo community for being so welcoming, and the New South Wales Polo Association for their support and for embracing this award,” expressed Philipp Müller. “We have already received very positive feedback from players, umpires and clubs who believe the Standing Rock Fair Play Award is spearheading important improvements in polo by encouraging camaraderie and enabling umpires to reward those who demonstrate exceptional standards of sportsmanship and horsemanship. I look forward to continuing our partnership with the New South Wales Polo Association and seeing the Standing Rock Fair Play Award presented in Australia for many years to come.”
Image credit: Sarah Ebbett