Top polo cup for Rangitikei

Rangitikei ensured the Savile Cup won't be heading south for the winter after they beat Port Hills 12-10 with an Angus McKelvie-inspired win from behind at Tangimoana yesterday.

McKelvie won his third Savile Cup after being part of the winning side in 2001 and 2004, and the younger of the McKelvie brothers scored six goals on his home track yesterday.

At the end of the fourth chukka, Rangitikei were down 8-5 but clawed their way back in the fifth and sixth periods to level it at 9-all and then snuck ahead 10-9.

Cam McKelvie, who scored once in the final, said the win was made sweeter by playing on his home ground.

"We're pretty happy. To have a win at home like that, it was bloody great," he said.

"It's huge. It's the biggest trophy in New Zealand polo and everyone wants to win and for us get to keep it for a year is pretty good."

Rangitikei shot out to a 4-1 lead early in the encounter but went off the pace in the second and third chukkas as Bulls-based Port Hills star, Will Lucas, managed to get his way into the game.

McKelvie put the difference down to having better horses for the sixth and final chukka. They had the pace when it counted.

He said when they were three down they never felt like they were out of the contest.

"We've scored four or five goals in a chukka before but we were only down by three."

It was the second Savile Cup win for Cam McKelvie and the first for team-mates Glenn Sherriff and Gary Vickers.

Port Hills were trying to become the first South Island team to win the Savile since 1929 and looked to have it in their grasp with good performances from Davey Allen and Guy Higginson.

Rangitikei took the hard route to the final. After losing 10-9 to Port Hills last Wednesday, they bounced back to beat Wanstead 10-9 on Thursday and had a surprisingly comfortable 13-10 win over Kihikihi on Saturday.

Rangitikei had that one wrapped up 12-4 after four chukkas and saved their best ponies for the final, Kihikihi coming back with six goals in the final two chukkas. Angus McKelvie scored seven of the goals in that game.

Kihikihi had been Rangitikei's nemesis in recent Saviles, beating Rangitikei 14-7 in the 2008 final at Tangimoana and drawing in the gloom at Auckland last year.

Rangitikei's C team, with Douglas, Mark and Sam Duncan and Englishman Olly Powell, won the 3-goal Riddiford and Levin Cup by beating Kihikihi 6-3. Douglas Duncan first won it 30 years ago.

Kihikihi B won the Wilson Cup after they beat Hawke's Bay 8-4 yesterday.

Rangitikei 12 (Angus McKelvie 6, Glenn Sherriff 3, Gary Vickers 2, Cam McKelvie 1) Port Hills 10 HT 5-all

- © Fairfax NZ News