The 2023 Arena Challenge, held at Dallas Burston Polo Club on the 22nd and 23rd of April, saw record entries, with nearly 80 players competing across 7 grades. They cam from across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom, representing 8 different Pony Club Areas and 24 Pony Club Branches and Centres. Between them they scored an incredible 372 goals across 39 games, which took 20 hours to complete! It was an amazing effort from the teams and also from the hard working volunteers who ran the competition and umpired throughout the weekend!
It was brilliant to see lots of new faces in the teams, particularly in the Novice Minis and Novice Juniors teams and great to see new Branches being epresented as well, with members coming from the Blankney Hunt, South Norfolk, Vale of White Horse, South Shropshire and Rufford Branches for the first time.
We had some incredible play over the weekend and the standard was very high, with so many promising young players and their ponies showing that 2023 will be a very exciting year for Pony Club Polocrosse. The Coronation Cup in June should give all these players another opportunity to show what they can do, as well of course as the Four Nations in July, for which player nominations close for on the 30th of April so pleas eget yours submitted this week if you want to nominate for England, Wales Scotland or Ireland! After that we head to the Pony Cub Championships in August!
We are very excited for the rest of the 2023 which we think should be a great season and look forwrads to seeing you all more over the coming months!
Pony Club Polocrosse Arena Challenge 2023 Results
Best Horses and Ponies
| Grade | Horse/ Pony |
| Novice Minis | Ali (Abigail Robbins, Deanswood Equestrian Centre) |
| Open Minis | Webster (Austin Hayes, Warwickshire Hunt) |
| Novice Juniors | Rioja (Ava Lambert, Burghley) |
| Open Juniors | Naughty (Isabel Bates (West Warwickshire) |
| Intermediate Seniors | Catcher (Chloe Stevens, Warwickshire Hunt) |
| Open Seniors | Shady (Izzy Baker Creswell, Percy Hunt) |
Best Male and Female players:
| Grade | Best Female Player | Best Male Player |
| Overall | Taryn Tinker (Essex and Suffolk) | Alfie Vollans (Llangienor) |
| Minis | Grace Hockley (South Shropshire) | Fraser Lowden-King (North Northumberland) |
| Juniors | Perdita Gale (Burghley) | Ethan Campbell (Morpeth) |
| Seniors | Millie Dacosta Evans (South Northumberland) | Sean McManus (North Down) |
Lead Rein
Chloe Theckston (Essex Hunt North), Freddie Oliver Byrne (North Warwickshire), Martha Brown (Warwickshire Hunt), Noah Taylor (Morpeth), Zara Scott (Vale of White Horse)
Novice Minis
1st : Norfolk, Down and Essex – Abigail Robbins (Deanswood EC), Zac Hanna (North Down) and Elli-May Baskerville (South Norfolk)
2nd : North Warwickshire and Essex – Elise Flint (North Warwickshire), Isla Oliver-Byrne (North Warwickshire) and Alice Theckston (Essex Hunt North)
3rd : Area 6 Tigers – Amelia Bennett (Blankney Hunt), Georgina Cheetham (Rufford) and Thomas Vickers (Rufford)
Best Number 1: Zac Hanna
Best Number 2: Abigail Robbins
Best Number 3: Elli-May Baskerville
Open Minis
1st : Warwickshire Hunt – Austin Hayes, Oliver Hayes and Millie Taylor
2nd : Area 7 – Maggie Clark (South Shropshire), Grace Hockley (South Shropshire) and Archie Wasdell (Warwickshire Hunt)
3rd : Area 6 Panthers – Ava Lambert (Burghley), Clarissa Gale (Burghley) and Olivia Sharp (Belvoir)
4th : North Northumberland and Essex – Fraser Lowden King (North Northumberland), Lola Flower (Essex Hunt North) and Sammy Westerling (Essex and Suffolk)
Best Number 1: Oliver Hayes
Best Number 2: Austin Hayes
Best Number 3: Clarry Gale
Novice Juniors:
1st: Area 8 – Maggie Flower (Essex Hunt North), Connie Fitton (Suffolk Hunt) and Holly Theckston (Essex Hunt North)
2nd: Area 6 Pumas – Alexa Biddulph (Rufford), Ava Lambert (Burghley) and Zara Stafford (Burghley)
3rd: Area Seven-teen – Toby Milner (Suffolk Hunt), Mia Lewis (North Down) and Violet Bates (West Warwickshire)
4th: North Northumberland and Rufford – Bibian Mason (North Northumberland), Tegan Lowry (Northumberland) and Alicia Vickers (Rufford)
Best Number 1: Maggie Flower
Best Number 2: Connie Fitton
Best Number 3: Zara Stafford
Open Juniors Cup:
1st: Area 5 – Daisy Stone (Flint and Denbigh), Daniel George (Carrington EC) and Isabella Stone (Flint and Denbigh)
2nd: Wales and Burgley – Perdita Gale (Burghley), Masha Humphreys (Amman Valley) and Alfie Vollans (Llangienor)
3rd: Area 7 – Charlotte Gee (South Shropshire), Oliver Hayes (Warwickshire Hunt) and Lottie Wilson Fitzgerald (Warwickshire Hunt)
4th: North Down and Warwickshire – Isabel Bates (West Warwickshire), Eloise Keers (North Down) and Isaac Flint (North Warwickshire)
Best Number 1: Daisy Stone
Best Number 2: Masha Humphreys
Best Number 3: Isabella Stone
Open Juniors Plate:
1st: Area 2 Black – Ethan Campbell (Morpeth), Nina Lowden King (North Northumberland) and Jasmine Ford (North Northumberland)
2nd: Area 2 Pink – Talula Mason (North Northumberland), Anya Tate (Morpeth) and Tilly Threlfall (North Northumberland)
3rd: North Down – Bailey McGuile, Max Lewis and Abbey Wallace
Intermediate Seniors:
1st: Essex, Suffolk and Down – Stella Stearn (Suffolk Hunt), Jack Page (Essex Farmers) and Sean McManus (North Down)
2nd: Flint, Rufford and Warwickshire – Leia Lloyd Williams (Flint and Denbigh), Jess Gill (Rufford) and Chloe Stevens (Warwickshire Hunt)
Best Number 1: Stella Stearn
Best Number 2: Jess Gill
Best Number 3: Chloe Stevens
Open Seniors:
1st: Essex and Suffolk – Emma Joslin, Seona McCredie, Taryn Tinker
2nd: Area 2 – Millie Dacosta Evans (South Northumberland), Izzy Baker Cresswell (Percy) and Amalie Mason (North Northumberland)
3rd: Shropshire and Denbigh – Katie Davies (Flint and Denbigh), Alice Leeke (South Shropshire) and Jess Clark (South Shropshire)
4th: Area 8 – Jack Page (Essex Farmers), Kiki Flower (Essex Hunt North) and Hannah Davitt (Deanswood EC)
Best Number 1: Emma Joslin
Best Number 2: Izzy Baker Cresswell
Best Number 3: Jess Clark