The future has never looked brighter for the 16-year-old all-round sportswoman, who was tipped last year as one of the Rutland Times' young stars of the future.

A sprinter and high jumper at county level, she has now been awarded a sporting scholarship to Oakham School and is looking forward to the challenge.

"I am very lucky because Oakham has such a marvellous reputation," said Sian, who is awaiting GCSE results from Uppingham Community College.

Born in Leicester, Sian is the daughter of Peter Barnacle, a Burrough-on-the-Hill farmer and part-time gravedigger, and his wife Annette who has worked with horses all her life, being closely involved with Cottesmore Pony Club and formerly working as a groom for well-known polo player Col Gilks of Langham.

She was instrumental in getting Sian in the saddle from an early age.

"Mum had got me a pony before I was even born," said Sian with a smile. "Within weeks of her giving birth she had me sitting on the animal!"

Sian took up polo as soon as she could, has played alongside adults since she was 10 and made the England under-21 squad last year, playing in regional games and home internationals.

She has three ponies, is a member at the Ranksborough arena and plays regularly at the Rutland Polo Club.

A regular player alongside professional three-goalers, she has reduced her her handicap to a creditable minus one and is a keen participant, along with fellow Cottesmore Red team members Will Brasher, Nick Winterton and Tom Able-Smith, in a gruelling event called the tetrathalon which incorporates not only riding but swimming and shooting.

Polo remains her true love. She plays most weekends in season (April to September) and trains most days. Kitted out in hat, faceguard, goggles, kneepads and boots and wielding her stick (which can be either bamboo or graphite) she once played two matches in an afternoon.

But although she's taken the occasional knock the worst injury she suffered recently was away from the polo field, when she broke an ankle falling down some stairs and missed her scholarship trials.

Sian reckons a good polo player needs swift reactions and keen competitiveness. It also helps if you've got a good pony because they need to be brave. One of Sian's ponies is famously docile off the pitch but "quite vicious" on it.

Once a sport for the privileged, polo is rapidly gaining ground among all strata of society.

It's a continuously brisk skirmish involving two teams of four who play four furious chukkas (periods) of seven minutes each, interrupted by two-minute intervals.

The danger for players is in getting hit by another rider's flailing stick or falling beneath one's steed but it's becoming an attractive spectator sport and a major social event at places like Cowdray Park and Hurlingham.

The Rutland club also stages highly competitive programmes, with the July's prestigious Assam Cup as the highlight of the season.

"The Assam Cup attracts teams from all over Britain and throughout the world," says Sian. "Several Argentinian players take part and I'm determined to get to Argentina one day because they play the best polo in the world."

"You're too young," chides Annette gently.

"You need a chaperone. Wait until you're a bit older and I'll come with you!"