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Vale Ken Telford - legend of the sport
30 Apr 2012
Mr Ken Telford, one of the true legends of Australian polo has passed away.
Ken died in his sleep on Saturday 28th April after a short illness. He was 81.
Ken Telford was selected earlier this year as one of the founding members of the Australian Polo Hall of Fame.
He will now be inducted posthumously at the inaugural dinner next March.
Celebrated through the 50’s and 60’s as one of the greats of the game, Ken’s career was cut short by a car accident in Adelaide in 1969.
After recovering from the accident he spent many years assisting with the administration of the sport on the Darling Downs.
At his peak, Ken played on a 7 goal handicap and was the 16th capped Australian, earning the accolade in 1957 when selected to represent his country against a touring team from the US.
Ken represented Australia 5 times leading the team on two occasions.
Among Ken’s long list of victories are 10 QLD Gold Cups, 4 Sydney Easter Show Gold Cup victories at the Sydney showgrounds and the Northern Challenge and Australasian Gold Cups.
During the 60’s Ken was Australia’s second highest rated player and his duels with Sinclair Hill are legendary.
Ken lead a number of famous polo tours including a marathon raid of the southern states in 1963. Together with Marshall Muller, Jim MacGinley, Ron Fiechtner and Mervyn Waldron the Queenslanders lifted the Barr-Smith Cup in Adelaide, Creswick Cup in Melbourne and the Sydney Royal Show Gold Cup on the way home.
In 1966 Ken lead a Queensland team comprising Dick Doolin, Ron Bell, Marshall Muller and David MacGinley to New Zealand where they finished with 9 wins from 14 games including the two important Test matches. All played on borrowed local ponies.
Ken also played in the UK in 1965/66 where he won the Windsor Gold Cup and a host of other tournaments.
Ken was renowned for making any horse he rode look like a champion and was without peer in his ability to outwit opponents.
Former 8 goal international Jim MacGinley describes Ken Telford as "one of the best thinkers in polo I have seen anywhere in the world at any time in my career".
"Ken was one of the all-time greats of the game. It was a great privilege to not only watch him play, but to play with him and to have known him well."
“Ken didn’t have the greatest horses so he had to play clever and there were very few who could get near him for ringcraft on the field”.
The Australian polo community offers its deepest condolences to Ken's family.
A funeral service will be held for Ken on Thursday 3rd May at the Church of England in Allora at 11am.
The Polo Hall of Fame welcomes contributions about Ken Telford.
Please email your memories of Ken to: HOF@australianpolo.com.au
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