We have been working with Sbu Duma for almost three years now, supporting him in a shared effort to have this South African native make it in the polo world. While we knew the odds were not in our favor, the meaning of having this unlikely young man achieve greatness in the otherworldliness of polo was too hard to resist, especially given the equestrian talent he has been honing since childhood. No stranger to adversity, Sbu was born into a family of little means and into the pretenses of post-apartheid South Africa. As a stable boy he was destined to fill his father’s shoes as groom at Dave Kimber’s ranch.
But history would see it differently and Sbu’s undeniable talent eventually came to our attention through a chance meeting with a producer for the BBC. Serendipitously Sarah Gillbard was visiting Peter and Elizabeth Grace and their fantastic daughters at the Ascot Park Polo Club when she shared the story of a mysteriously exceptional horseman, one who had made it up the ranks by force of his understated personality and his ability to inspire. The pros checked him out and with a thumbs-upwe sent him to Argentina several times where he trained with his high-goal mentor Federico Bachman in the ways of Argentine stick and ball. From Federico he also learned how to navigate the not-so-easy rules of Argentine culture. We saw that he pursued an equestrian management career parallel to his championship track and watched him go on to play and win matches throughout Europe. Then there were some setbacks; a technicality that kept brackets on his ranking, a short lived stint with Loro Piana, a missed opportunity in Dubai…
So it came as both a surprise and a feeling of profound accomplishment when Dieter Setz, one of Sbu’s primary mentors sent the following email last week from Pietermaritzburg SA:
It is now official. Sbu is part of the South African team to compete at the Federation of International Polo, IX Word Championship Zone D Playoffs held in Malaysia between the 11th June and 27th June 2011.See exert of the SA Polo March newsletter below.
ZONE “D” FIP PLAYOFFS – MALAYSIA:
The team selected from available squad members to represent South Africa at the Zone “D” playoffs in Malaysia is as follows:
4 goal Terence Spilsbury, Duncan Watson and Lance Watson.
3 goal Sbu Duma, Shaun Brokensha and Campbell Macnab.
In selecting the team, the selectors felt the best combination for Malaysian conditions and ponies would be two fours and two three goal players with some flexibility in having a reserve in each handicap bracket.
The tournament commences on the 11th June with the finals taking place on 26th June. Congratulations to those selected and we wish them well in Malaysia and look forward to their participation in the finals in Argentina during October.
Nice work Sbu. I know you’re not entirely there yet but you sure are getting close.
