Tourney: UK Championships 2012 - Birmingham - 30 June/01 July

We have free warehouse accommodation for anyone who requires it.

We have very limited space in houses on Friday/Saturday/Sunday nights for those travellling furthest or those who have lent us a bed in the past. I will deal with housing requests, so PM me, particularly if you are coming from abroad/far away.

Deadline for requests will be Monday June 4th, 9am. People who have put us up in the past, or to whom we owe favours to will be contacted beforehand with offers. Priority will be given to people travelling furthest. After that, and depending on numbers, we'll randomly distribute places to teams or individuals.

I'll let people know by Tuesday 5th, so you can decide between the warehouse or somewhere else if you don't get a house place.

I'll let people know by Tuesday 5th, so you can decide between the warehouse or somewhere else if you don't get a house place.

A bit more about the warehouse...

• It is a working warehouse during the week, but the guys are happy to let us stay there over the weekend.

• It's about a 15 minute ride from the courts.

• We have toilets, a microwave, kettle and fridge. and you can help yourself to free teas and coffees.

• It's as grubby as any working warehouse, and we don't have mattresses for people, so It's best to bring along a roll mat as well as your sleeping bag.

• We can park cars/vans inside the warehouse. So if you're driving down and want to store it safely let me know and we'll arrange this. If you are driving, I can be there between 6am-8am on the Saturday morning, but will then have to head to the courts to help set-up.

Anything else let me know..

Matt

If you want to get your own place this motel is close, to town and the courts, and looks cheap.

Anyone want to share a motel room? it's £30 per room for up to 3 people for 1 night.

Bargain!

"Sleep well at the best price!"

Eugh, Formula1. At least get the Etap where the shower is in the room. It may be cheap but it's grim.

1. Hackney Goal Slotters (Ben/Felix/Alexis)
   
2. Nice Touch (Cam/Joshy/DT) - PAID
   
3. Chain Gang(Neil/Matt/Mya)
   
4. Wooden Skills (Ali, Iain, Dan)
   
5. The Dino's (Aidan/Ollie/Prav)
   
6. Black Stabbath (Fin/Andy/Dan)
   
7. Bubonic Plays (ste, Adam, Rob)
   
8. Spring Break (J,A,R)
   
9. Sirens (Zoe, Julia, Bells)
   
10. Passed It (Bill,Spikes,Beagle) - PAID
    
11. Your Mum (Juan/Ryan/Casper)
    
12. Cosmic (Mat/Todd/Rupert)
    
13. Le BigMac (Mayeut, Sean, Matt)
    
14. Team warin (Robbie, Alfie, Tim)
    
15. Skull Attack (Oz, Paul, Alej) - PAID
    
16. DR (Emmet, Luca, Mo) - PAID
    
17. Be.Right.On ( Jamie, Chris )
    
18. Smoking Nuns - Newcastle Bike Polo (Luke Skywalker, Oliver Twist, Demba Ba)
    
19. Kings (PK, MAX, Camilo)
    
20. tbc (Adrienne, Bianca, Jess)
    
21. tbc (Andy, James, Shane)
    
22. Thumbs Up! (Rich, Harvey, John)
    
23. Tornadoes.
    
24. 5G (Neil/Em/Chan) - PAID
    

Thoughts on international subs at UK champs...?

Guess it's up to the UKHBPA?

Hayden and Josh are against it. Think I am too. Is there a precedent set?

Well the OP says each team must contain two regular UK players..

Understood, and nothing against anyone playing with a foreigner, but we have to think about a precedent for the future; is it right to be, say, Irish champion and Italian champion, if you have no ties to one or any of the scenes?

If this ruling is used in other nations, a UK player could feasibly be Polish, Spanish, French, and German champ by subbing into teams. I'm not sure this is the right way to go about things.

I'd be interested to know what the ruling was in the past two champs, and for other national champs around the world.

#IMO #justsayin

I'm playing in the German Champs.

#justsayin

I'm playing in the German Champs.

#justsayin

Exactly. H-bomb started this shit.

I think the OP was about 2 of 3 players playing their regular polo in a UK scene, I don't think actual nationality matters (ever), but if you are playing in the UK you class as a UK player and bringing in a sub from abroad is fine as long as it's only 1 on a team. As for a future precedent, it might be worth thinking of a better way of defining the where you play your main polo thing.

I don't care who is champion of the uk and wouldn't want to be myself. I just see it as a polo tournament happening round here.

while i can't comment on two years ago, dublin send a team to last years UK champs in edinburgh. we send messages to the organisers and posted here to gauge reaction beforehand to see if it was okay. no-one raised an objection (publicly at least). at the tournament itself, no-one seemed to have an objection either.

The 2/3 rule has been very clear from the beginning and Rob has put it very well that it is not your nationality but polo community that matters. Personally, I think its a dick move if there are available subs in the UK community and you outsource from Europe or wherever... ultimately its upto the UKHBPA and there are plenty of threads for you to discuss this in!

Anymore payments please?

Corrected ;)

The 2/3 rule has been very clear front the beginning and Rob has put it very well that it is not your nationality but polo community that matters. Personally, I think its a pick dick move if there are available subs in the UK community and you outsource from Europe or wherever... ultimately its upto the UKHBPA and there are plenty of threads for you to discuss this in!

Anymore payments please?

2/3 rule is clear enough.

I play regulary in Barcelona, but I'll be living in London for 3 months this summer, am I going to be a UK player then? Whats the minimum time you have to play somewhere to be regular player?
In my case there is no problem, because my team is clearly 2/3 uk players, but....

^This is the sort of thing that needs the extra defining. Its easy enough to just sort it out between everyone using a bit a common sense at the moment, but one day it'll probably need an official line to toe.

Camillo, rest assured the talk is not around you.

You made your intentions clear many months ago that you will be here for a period of time. It's more of the matter of a player just coming over for a single tourney or just for a few weeks to compete.

2/3 rule is clear enough.

I play regulary in Barcelona, but I'll be living in London for 3 months this summer, am I going to be a UK player then? Whats the minimum time you have to play somewhere to be regular player?
In my case there is no problem, because my team is clearly 2/3 uk players, but....

Thoughts on international subs at UK champs...?

Guess it's up to the UKHBPA?

Hayden and Josh are against it. Think I am too. Is there a precedent set?

I think it's a bit strange to have a non-UK polo player playing in the UK champs. I guess the question of whether to allow it, or take a view on it, comes down to what the point of the UK champs is. Is it just another polo tournament?

My gut feeling is that having one of the best players in Europe, who is not a UK player, playing in the UK champs is not right. But that's just my gut feeling. I am totally open to other points of view.

2/3 rule is clear enough.

I play regulary in Barcelona, but I'll be living in London for 3 months this summer, am I going to be a UK player then? Whats the minimum time you have to play somewhere to be regular player?
In my case there is no problem, because my team is clearly 2/3 uk players, but....

Camillo, rest assured the talk is not around you.

You made your intentions clear many months ago that you will be here for a period of time. It's more of the matter of a player just coming over for a single tourney or just for a few weeks to compete.

I'm with Ben on your case, Camillo. You will be a UK player, albeit for a short time, but we welcome you with open arms.

I don't think actual nationality matters (ever).

+1

the 2/3 is good because, i think that sometimes it can be hard to source a sub from the UK.

and i have stated my feelings on ireland playing in the UK champs (check UKHBPA forum), i am not going to repeat myself/start another argument.

Luca, you handled the Ireland thing pretty badly in the UKHBPA threads, you should solely canvas your reps and try to keep your feelings to yourself whilst presenting the facts.

In the past the 2 of 3 rule has sufficed because in theory taking a new player will negatively affect your team dynamic.

I can't think of a UK Champs where super subs have been used, but it's not uncommon for other tournaments. Other countries generally use the 2 of 3 rule for their national championships too.

Teams that take super subs should expect to get heckled, "don't be a dick", etc.

Time to page Manu.