The year 2007 was an exceptional Polocrosse year for us on the French team. Intensive training for our participation in the World Cup Club Competition in Australia included a kids’ training week and a training weekend at Kent where we tried out Jason Webb’s Australian Stock Horses that were similar to the horses we would play in Australia. In April, we had two national and one regional TV crew cover polocrosse in France, one of which was a 30 minutes show aired on a major, big audience, animal show!
Then came the World Cup, the highlight of the year, during which we met very friendly and positive people, especially the Warwick juniors who lent us their great horses and helped us adjust to the whole thing! Thanks to them, the Cobbon and Paroz families, we were able to finish a grand (for us!) second in the division of the Club Carnival in which we were entered. A wonderful time was had and we had very emotional farewells!
The rest of the year new and experienced players played at Kent Target and Doncaster, where we won our division and Best Player awards, and at the re-arranged Midlands Camp and Tournament (thank you Anne-Lise Richardson!). We also did a polocrosse demonstration at the Edenbridge and Oxted Show and performed in the Main Hall of the Paris Horse Show! With our goal of building player participation in our country for 2011, we have begun to set up our own premises in the bay of the Somme (see www.francepolocrosse.com), from where we hope to develop polocrosse playing in France and Europe. Our thanks again to all who have helped us this year, especially Jason Burbidg