The Lions Clubs International at Oak Brook Polo Club

Eyeglass donation and two, four-chukker matches made for great Sunday afternoon of polo.

On Sunday, august 9th,  the Oak Brook Polo Club welcomed the Lions Clubs International for the day. With headquarters in Oak Brook, the Lions Clubs serve over 200 countries, in hospitals and senior centers, in regions battered by natural disaster, in schools and eyeglass recycling centers, Lions are doing community volunteer work, helping, leading, planning and supporting. Attendees were encouraged to donate their old eyeglasses to help provide better eyesight for those in need.

Rob Wilkinson kept the crowd engaged with his customary colorful commentary. Following the traditional car and pony parade, the 1:00pm game got underway with teams, Hinsdale Magazine versus home team Oak Brook Polo Club. Samantha Falbe and Bob McMurtry played offensively upfront for Hinsdale Magazine, with Chris Vangel at 3, and Matias Obregon at 4. For the Oak Brook team it was Mimi Shirey playing in goal scoring number 1 position, Del Walton at 2, Horacio Onetto at 3, and Jim Drury playing 4 at the back. Hinsdale Magazine led the way ahead for the first 2 chukkas. Chris Vangel played a good fast game, with lots of strong back shots from his teammate Matias Obregon. Bob McMurty pulled off a couple of sneaky neck shots towards goal, but will probably be remembered most for some good hard ride offs in defense.  Samantha Falbe stayed well positioned up front to collect the big passes from her teammates. For Oak Brook, Del Walton worked hard back and forth all over the field. He shared hitting off the back line with Horacio Onetto, sending the ball up and through the field to goal scorer Mimi Shirey. Jim Drury got out front with a few break away plays too. By the middle of the third chukker, Oak Brook Polo Club evened up the score, and would go on to win the game 10-6. The MVP award went to Mimi Shirey, and Jim Drury’s “Apache” won Best Playing Pony.

The 3:00pm match was another straight 4-chukker game – this time between Hotels of Oak Brook and the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) team. Mimi Shirey played up front for RMHC again, with some help from Bob McMurtry at 2 this time. Juan Martin Guiterez played at 3, and Del Walton was the big hitter at the 4 back position. Samantha Falbe played at 1 for Hotels of Oak Brook, Chris Vangel at 2, Horacio Onetto at 3, and Jim Drury at 4. This was a good hit and run game with Juan Martin and Chris Vangel bumping each other the whole game. Del Walton worked hard feeding the ball up to goal scorers Mimi Shirey and Bob McMurtry. Samantha Falbe played well up front, but also got in a few well-timed hooks in defense.  Horacio Onetto was a good pivot player for Hotels of Oak Brook and quite a few times showed off his stick and ball skills as he dribbled the ball through traffic to score. Jim Drury got in a few hustle shots before Ryland Rebak stepped in as a substitute for the last 2 chukkers. This game was a good hard hustle, so much so, that it ended in a tie 6-6. To find a winner, we asked Steve Anton from the Lions Clubs International to toss a coin, which fell to winners Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). MVP went to Chris Vangel, and Horacio Onetto’s, “Holy Pagh” won Best Playing Pony.

Oak Brook Polo Club’s next event will take place on Sunday, August 16^th beginning at 1:00 PM CDT (Gates Open at 12:00 PM) with “International Day”. Oak Brook Polo welcomes a polo team from the Delhi Polo Club in India. The International Trophy, last seen in Oak Brook in 1986 when presented to a team from England, will be the tournament cup. Vikram Singh Sodhi, managing trustee of the Anandpur Sahib Heritage Foundation, and owner of the Delhi Polo and Riding Club, will be joining his team for this rare opportunity to compete against the Oak Brook Polo Club, captained by James Drury. Vikram established the Delhi Polo and Riding Club in 1995, which is a fully developed polo and equestrian facility. Chukker.TV will broadcast the International Cup match starting at 3:00 PM. For event information and to purchase tickets, visit www.oakbrookpoloclub.com.