Brendan Sinclair can't ride a horse.
His wife, Victoria, reckons he got on his young cousin's horse once, the little girl spooked the animal, he fell off, and that was the end of his equine efforts.
But get the Whangarei man on a bicycle swinging a polo mallet and while it may not be the sport of kings as the Persians once knew it, it's certainly a challenge for rivals to stand their ground against him as he will slam his bike into them as readily as if he's riding an Arab stallion.
Mr Sinclair's keen on hardcourt cycle polo, a game which developed in Ireland in 1891, was demonstrated at the 1908 Olympics and is now popular around the world with more than 100 teams competing in the 2010 world championships.
And it is making its debut in Whangarei this weekend, with players from Auckland, Hamilton and Taupo joining local enthusiasts in the Hot Cross Mallet open bike polo tournament from 11am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday.
