TRANS Tasman rivalry was fierce at Morgan Park last weekend as Queensland and NSW battled it out against New Zealand for the prestigious Cooper Cup.
Despite a high-speed display of horsemanship and racquet skills by the Kiwis, Queensland was too strong, winning the grand final on Sunday morning 21 goals to 14.
Games under lights on both Friday and Saturday nights provided exciting polocrosse for spectators, despite wet weather causing boggy fields which mildly slowed down play.
The Cooper Cup originated years ago as a reciprocal competition between Queensland and the Kiwis, with the venue alternating between the sunshine state and New Zealand.
This year’s competition included open men’s and development teams, giving younger players the opportunity to experience high level representative polocrosse.
And they did not disappoint, with the Queensland development team causing a shock upset on Saturday night, beating the Queensland open team by six goals.
As part of the weekend polocrosse extravaganza, 81 club teams from Queensland and NSW competed in a separate competition – the NTI Rose Bowl Championship Carnival. The club competition was made up of 56 Open, 12 Mixed and 13 Junior teams.
The NTI Rose Bowl Championship Carnival was won this year by Tansey 1, which scored 20 goals against Warwick 1 on 10 goals.
