ICBL teams do double at Williams and Gooding Memorials

It was ‘twice as nice’ for the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Ltd. (ICBL) teams this past Saturday, as they rode off into the sunset with two trophies, when the Apes Hill Polo Club hosted both the Elliot Williams and Roger Gooding Memorials. With two ICBL-sponsored teams taking on two heavily-stacked Apes Hill teams, they both beat the odds to come away victorious in the matches put on to honour two local stalwarts of the sport.

In the Elliot Williams Memorial, Team ICBL overcame the odds to dismantle a higher-handicapped side featuring Oliver Williams, Stephen Williams, Linda Williams and Richard Deane. Starting with a half-point due to the inequality, Team ICBL, which read Roddy Davis, Christancia Evelyn, Harry Manning and Philip Tempro, built on the edge to get up to three and a half, while Apes Hill only mustered a single goal by the final chukka.

The Roger Gooding Memorial was the main event, featuring two 10-goal teams with Adam Deane, Marc Atwell, Philip Tempro and James Dickson suiting up for Apes Hill. Team ICBL consisted of Danny Atwell, Teddy Williams, Alex Cole and son of the honouree, Richard Gooding.

The first chukka ended evenly, with both teams sitting on a goal each. ICBL struck first with Gooding finishing a play set up by a Alex Cole 5B penalty. Just over a minute after, Tempro easily knocked the ball over the line from just in front the uprights.

There was only one goal in the second chukka, and spectators were made to wait the entire period, as Marc Atwell cut a lovely shot at the North end in the dying seconds to put Apes Hill ahead.

ICBL drew level early on in the third, as Teddy Williams was able to escort the ball through the goal unhindered. ICBL were a team possessed in the third, as they would go on to take the lead and extend it up to 5-2. First, Gooding beautifully backed a shot through the goal for the three-two lead; then Williams, on the very next play, hit the ball from about 80 yards out along the ground, and it rolled safely to its destination; and finally, Gooding, showing off his strong back-hand, had another ball over the line at the South end. Before the horn went to end the third chukka, Dickson, one of the better players on the island, got himself on the boards to bring the Apes Hill team up to three.

ICBL continued their reign in the final chukka with Danny Atwell sending home a nice neck-shot from about 70 yards out, after only one minute of play. ICBL shut things out for the 7-3 win when Williams took the ball all the way to the South end, before leaving it alone for Cole to finish.