Orville Clarke, Freelance Reporter

Chairman of ICWI, Dennis Lalor (right) makes a point to women's polo players (from left) Dana Aschinger, Maria 'Mumy' Bellande, Erica Gandomcar, Anna Dougall and Lesley Fong-Yee in the ICWI boardroom, New Kingston. Occasion was yesterday's launch of the annual ICWI international women's tournament to be held on Sunday at the Kingston Polo Club, Caymanas Estates. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

The world-renowned ICWI International Ladies Polo Tournament marks its 20th year on Sunday with two big matches at the Kingston Polo Club, Caymanas Estates.

In the first match at 10:00 a.m., the tournament will feature the Singapore-Jamaica match, a historic first for both countries. This will be followed by the ICWI Ladies final between defending champions Road Angels and Road Eagles, featuring some of the top women polo players in the world.

Plans were outlined at a press conference yesterday morning hosted by sponsors ICWI at its St. Lucia Drive boardroom, New Kingston.

"It is very pleasing to us that for over two decades we have managed to keep equestrian sports alive in this part of the world through this tournament," said ICWI chairman, Dennis Lalor, who is president of the both the Jamaica Polo Association and Kingston Polo Club. "We, at ICWI, are extremely proud to have started this ... Some women have gone on to greate>Lalor's son, Paul, president of ICWI and like his father an avid polo player, noted: "We are very fond of this tournament from a marketing perspective and we are proud to be promoting women in this way ... It's a very exciting time for polo in Jamaica."

Unique tourney

In 1988, when the tournament was conceived by Dennis Lalor, women's polo was extremely disorganised and female players in Jamaica were extremely rare. This tournament changed that perception, not only in Jamaica, but all over the world. In the last 20 years, all the top players around the world have taken part in the tournament at some time.

It remains unique in that it is still the only 'all-pro' ladies polo tournament in the world where all the women are mounted on top-class horses and meet on the field in two evenly matched teams.

In the first match on Sunday, the Jamaica and Singapore teams will be mixed. The Jamaican players are Anna Dougall, Rachel Turner, Michelle Suburan and Susan Wates, while the visitors comprise Kerry-Anne Lucas, Lynly Fong, Elaine Parnell and Summer Beinhorn who hails from a popular polo-playing family in Singapore.

In the second match, Road Eagles will be represented by Jamaica's most celebrated female player, Lesley Fong-Yee, Emma Tomlinson, one of the top women players in the United Kingdom, Erica Gandomcar from Denver, Colorado, as well as fellow American Dana Aschinger from Lexington, Kentucky.

Cupholders Road Eagles will be represented by Sherri-Lyn Hensman who has not only captained the Zimbabwe ladies team for the past two years, but won the South African championship in 2002, along with the Argentinan veteran Maria 'Mumy' Bellande who has been the top-rated player in her country for many years, along with Karen Reese Pimnser from Aiken, South Carolina and the Argentinean Catalina Manzorro who has travelled the world as a professional polo player. Both matches will be played over four chukkas.

The activities associated with the ICWI tournament, however, commence tomorrow afternoon with a training match and dinner at the Kingston Polo Club, while on Saturday, action switches to the St. Ann Polo Club in Drax Hall for a battle of the sexes match starting at 3:30 p.m.