The Weston family is synonymous with polocrosse.
Husband and wife duo, Will and Sandra both 42, have just returned from the nationals, where both of them excelled and were integral members of each of their respective teams.
It hasn’t been an overnight success for the family, it’s something that they have both been working hard on from when they were kids, into their teenage years.
For the last 20 years they have been at the top of their game representing their local club Jugiong, as well as representing NSW and Australia on a regular basis.
Will was an accomplished Rugby League player whilst also performing at the top of his game in the world of polocrosse.
Sandra said,
“Will broke his leg in his early twenties playing footy and decided to stick with polocrosse. There is little doubt that many in the sport would be happy with that decision as Will continued to thrive and leave his mark on a game that sees participants jostle with each other on horseback at 50 kilometres an hour.
The Times caught up with Sandra this week to discuss the success at the nationals.
Sandra was blown away with Will’s effort where he played in the Open NSW men’s side. The boys in blue played Queensland in the final. Will played in position 3 for the whole tournament.
Sandra said,
“He was awarded the Best 3, Best Horse and Rider, Player’s Player of the Carnival and Overall Champion Male of the Carnival,”
scooping the pool for his state.
The carnival started last Wednesday and concluded on Sunday where the final was played at 3:00pm. The teams enjoyed a few refreshments before they returned to work on Monday.
Sandra said,
“Will pulled up pretty good and so did his horse.” Will’s father-in-law bred his horse, ’Silverhills Skim’ and she described him as a very well-bred and good horse who sits at 16 hands.
Sandra said,
“The combination of Skim and Will sets them apart, they have been together for 6 years playing at the nationals. He is a very well put together, athletic horse with a great temperament. At 12 years of age he is in his prime.”
Sandra said,
“At the ceremony he was described as a good bottle of red that just gets better with age. There’s lots of people waiting for him to get old and slow but it hasn’t happened yet. We do a lot of riding on the farm.”
Will will now head to Warwick where he will captain the Australian Men’s side in early May against New Zealand in a best of 3 series.
International transport for horses can be costly so the Australians will be supplying horses to the Kiwis. This practice is reciprocated across the world. ‘Skim’ will be one of 3 horses Will will supply and he may be ridden by an opposition player as they are drawn out of a ballot.
Harden polocrosse member Paul O’Connor was glowing in his admiration of the Weston family and in particular Will’s longevity and his continued ability to perform at such a high level.
Paul said,
“He just continues to play at such a high level. He is one of the best athletes this region has ever produced.”
Not to be outdone, Sandra took out the Best Number 2 Award for the tournament and captained the team as well as winning final with her side.
Sandra has previously represented Australia but she is now allowing the curtain to fall on that part of her career and will likely stick to the local tournaments.
She said, “Ive been there a long time and I’ve had enough now at the representative level.” Sandra and Will’s son Ryan played in the final against Queensland and unfortunately his side went down.
Don’t expect that Ryan will be deterred, at 14 he will be back next year and a year older and closer to the age of his opponents who he is hoping to knock off in 2023.
With 5 children, you can expect that the next generation will keep the Weston family name in the polocrosse world.