Autumn 2021

A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW

John Tinsley commemorates David Woodd’s successful 22-year tenure as chief executive of the HPA

It will be well known by many that David is retiring as chief executive of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) at the end of this season. It was 23 years ago that a small group from the HPA interviewed David at the Joint Services Command and Staff College. The group consisted of Mark Vestey, Jim Haigh, Buff Crisp and myself. It is perhaps worth noting that we were unanimous that David was the man to take us into the next century and to oversee the changes in polo that were perhaps overdue. It is also probable that many players are well aware of some of the polo activities in the past 22 years, but many will not know of David’s “other life” outside polo, so I make no apologies for giving a small summary of his army and outside career.

David commanded his regiment, the 14th/20th King’s Hussars for its last six months and the King’s Royal Hussars for its first 18 months following amalgamation and was promoted to full Colonel on completion of the command. When we met at the Staff College, he still had five years to serve in the army and was waiting to be promoted to Brigadier, having turned down the post of Commander of British Forces in the Falkland Islands. But this was a very long way from Oxfordshire.