B’dos, Cheshire split spoils in Cheshire Tour

IT was even-Steven when the curtain came down on the 2017 One Caribbean Estates Cheshire Tour. The annual series, which is steeped in years of friendly rivalry between Barbados and England, saw the teams parting ways as equals at the end of an four-all game exciting game on Sunday evening

The 2017 tour was cut down to three game-days, as inclement weather saw last Tuesday’s match being called off. One Caribbean Estates Barbados drew first blood last Sunday in the opening game, while Cheshire drew level in Thursday’s game, to set up this past Sunday’s grudge match. However, when the dust settled at the Holders Polo Club, the Mickey Hutchinson Trophy went off with the Cheshire Team, while the Cheshire Tour Challenge Trophy stayed at home with the local side.

Barbados struck first in the final, with Jamie Dickson easily converting a 30-yard penalty. Cheshire bounced back on the very next play to see the teams tied at the end of the first chukka. Johnny Coddington was able to get his mallet on the ball inside a mess of hooves at the South end, sending the ball over the line in the dying seconds of the period.

Teddy Williams was the man to tip the scales in the second chukka in the favour of the home team. Not too many seconds had slipped off the clock when Harry Manning was moving through the middle of the field to the southern uprights.

With Cheshire’s Will Padden and Williams between him and the goal, Manning put a lovely shot over their heads that landed just ahead of latter. Williams made no mistakes with the play, and put just three touches on the ball to take it just in front the bars. Moving to the right, he finished things with a lovely under-neck shot.

At the other end, Dickson was gifted another penalty, that he put to rest to see Barbados up to three. Cheshire never let the locals get too far ahead of them, and Oliver Taylor knocked one over the line for the visitors before the second chukka ended. With loads of exciting exchanges coming between the horns of the third chukka, the score remained the same, as neither side was able to get the ball through the uprights.

Barbados held a three-two lead going into the final chukk,a but that was levelled when Taylor sent a solid rolling shot that found its mark despite several empty swipes from the Barbadian defence. The equality was short-lived, as Dickson escorted the ball to the South end for Barbados’ fourth goal.

The tension rose as the final moments wound down, as Barbados were sitting on a possible victory and Cheshire was hoping for some manner of a miracle. And they found it as Taylor put the ball through the bars just before the horn went to force an extra 30 seconds of play. The title almost went to Cheshire, as they broke off toward the North end, but the final horn sounded before they could make good on the effort.