Local rider shines on the world stage with thumping win over South Africa
It didn't matter if she was on a strange little horse in a foreign country: local polocrosse hotshot, Farann Bussa brought home the gold. Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue readingAll. . .
It didn't matter if she was on a strange little horse in a foreign country: local polocrosse hotshot, Farann Bussa brought home the gold. Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue readingAll articles from our websiteThe digital version ofToday'sPaperAll otherin your areaFarann Bussa goes head-to-head against her South African competition. Picture suppliedThe Moruya rider recently spent almost a month in South Africa, where, as part of the Australian team, she smashed the competition, sweeping the test series 3-0. "The South African team was very tough and competitive. "We knew they were there to give us a real contest," Farann said. "But we had each other's backs and worked as a team. "Even in the context of a clean sweep, Australia's win in Underberg was a total rout: in the final match, Farann and the team smashed the competition 38-13. "A close game might be decided by one, two or three goals," she said. "Winning by 25 is a very big margin. "Farina's test-winning racket. Picture Tim Grey"My coach knows I can play anywhere, and can ride different horses," she said. Leaving her own trusty steed - Big Time - back in Moruya, the team selected horses drawn from a pool. "I ended up with a little grey horse named GT," Farann said. "She was unreal - a pocket rocket. "Moruya polocrosse rider, Farann Bussa, was named best number two. Picture Tim GreyDrafted for the Number Two position, Farann said her contribution to the game was simple. "My job was to get the ball to our number one, win it back from the opposition and stay on my player," she said. "I just did my job. "What qualifies as doing her job, though, is world-class: Farann was named the Best Number Two of the series. The win nicely sets up the Australian team for next year's Polocrosse World Cup in Zimbabwe. At the last tournament, South Africa won the cup over Australia by just one goal. "The World Cup team consists of four men and four women, and there's no guarantee the four women will come from our seven-woman squad," she said. "But being part of this tour gives us a better chance. If the selectors chose only from the seven women who went to South Africa, my chances would be fairly good. "But before she begins training for the World Cup, Farann is ready to return to reality for a little while. "Being away for three weeks was a big thing for me, but the kids did amazingly well while I was away," she said. "I was exhausted when I returned, but now I'm back into catching up on the bookwork. "As it happensBreaking news alertBe the first to know when news breaks.