Spencer McCarthy has a long history with polo, and has won very important tournaments. However, he'll never forget what happened on June 3, 2018, in Emlor's 12-6 victory against Les Lions...
“I had a great game on Sunday 3rd June in the Queens Cup. When stick and balling before the game I told Tincho Merlos that 'I feel great and I'm on fire!!!' For a patron to score 6 goals in a Queen’s Cup game has never been done before and to do it on the Queen’s ground at Guards Polo Club was fantastic. For the professionals to be hitting the ball up to me and allow me to score the goals proves we have a very good team spirit," said Spencer to CLICKPOLOUK.
Emlor has been having great performances in the tournament, but anything could happen in the quarter-finals. “I believe we have a good opportunity to do well in both the Queen’s Cup and Gold Cup. Nacho Gonzalez has played with me for the last 17 seasons. His handicap was lowered last year to 5 he is very well mounted this year. Tincho Merlos is a great playmaker, very experienced. Diego Cavanagh again is a very experienced player. Pite Merlos is our coach and who better would you want coaching you in the high goal? We respect one another on the field and off the field and have a great friendship between us, this goes a long way."
Spencer McCarthy believes that Emlor has good chances. And, also, he dreams of scoring more goals...
A life around horses and polo
“I started playing polo at the age 23, I had never ridden before. My father was playing and I would go along to watch him. I started to hold the spares and riding them at the grounds, one of his professionals Alejandro Olmos, 6 goals at the time, invited me out to Argentina for the Winter of 1989. When I returned to England I said to my father that I wanted to play polo as a profession he said no and I had to go to work to earn my money and then maybe one day I would have my own team. I mainly played low goal in my fathers team Squalls Estate. My father set up a club on his estate in England called Ansty Polo Club."
That is the story of Spencer McCarthy in polo, a story that continued until the creating of Emlor. “I started my company in 1994 with my brother and we needed a name for it. At that time I had no children and my brother had two daughters Emma and Laura, so we named it after them “Emlor”. That was when I first played with Tincho Merlos in England he was just 17 years old and 3 goals at the time. We played an 8 goal tournament together in England and won it."
Spencer has won quite a few tournaments. Among the most important ones are The Prince of Wales, Warwickshire Cup, Indian Empire Shield, Royal Windsor, The Harrison Cup, The Eduardo Moore and The Gold Cup in Deauville, France. He still has one dream to accomplish, though: “My dream would be to win the Queen’s or Gold cup. I’m 50 so don’t have much time left…”
