Farrington victorious in the Bryan Bethell Cup
Saturday the 14th of June saw the conclusion of the Bryan Bethell Cup, with Farrington taking on Jolly Roger King of Polo/ Trinity Polo Stud (Jolly Roger) on a windy day at Ambersham 2.
In the Black shirts for Farrington Louisa Watt (0) rode out at 1, with Marcus Cork (3) at 2, Ollie Cork (4) at 3, and 8-goaler Benjamin Panelo at Back. Hugo Taylor (4) wore the number 1 shirt for Jolly Roger, with Ricardo Garros (5) at 2, 6-goaler James Beim at 3, and Niclas Johansson (0) at Back.
The match opened with Jolly Roger taking the lead through a well-finished goal by Garros, but Farrington responded swiftly with a 30-yard penalty conversion from Panelo. A cut shot goal by Beim and another penalty conversion saw Jolly Roger extend their lead, but Farrington kept it close with a breakaway goal just before the buzzer, leaving Jolly Roger narrowly ahead, 3–2. Panelo equalised early in the second chukka with a powerful 60-yard penalty, but Jolly Roger quickly regained momentum with two field goals. Unwilling to let the opposition pull away, Farrington struck back through field goals from both Panelo and Marcus Cork, levelling the score at 5–5 by the end of the second. In the third chukka, Garros scored twice to edge Jolly Roger ahead again, though another spot-on penalty by Panelo kept Farrington in touch. At halftime, Jolly Roger held a slender 7–6 lead.
After the break, Farrington returned with renewed focus and determination. With tight defence and strategic play, they managed to shut down Jolly Roger’s advances and added two more goals from Panelo, taking the lead for the first time at 8–7 heading into the final chukka. With everything to play for, Farrington came out firing. Cork intercepted a backhand from Beim and ran it through to goal. Beim hit back under pressure to keep Jolly Roger’s hopes alive, but Panelo’s clinical accuracy from a 60-yard penalty and a final breakaway goal, set up by Cork, sealed the win. Leaving Farrington victorious 11-8 in a thrilling finale.
After the match, Louisa Watt gratefully received the Bryan Bethell Cup from Inez Bethell, granddaughter of Bryan Bethell. The X-Zony Best Playing Pony Rug was awarded to Peña Ginebra, played and owned by Benjamin Panelo and cared for by grooms Luis Escobar, Mario Gomez, Argentino Ponce, and Toto Malgerjo.
