p05-09 Ponylines Hurl Iss04
4/10/06
02:41
Page 5
ponylines [news]A Swiss patron’s son takes the reins [views]Accidents prompt a safety debate [gossip]England’s polo ‘Oscars’ debut at the Dorchester
ONE TO WATCH: BEST AMATEUR Guy Schwarzenbach’s outstanding performance during his first season of highgoal polo impressed everyone in England, not least Hurlingham, which has named him Amateur Player for this issue. But the 24-year-old Swiss businessman’s spectacular introduction to the top end of the sport came about entirely by accident. Guy, son of Urs Schwarzenbach, patron of the powerhouse Black Bears team in England, learned to play at the Packers’ Ellerston club in Australia. He normally plays low-goal polo in Zurich, and enjoyed some medium-goal experience in Sotogrande, but had yet to join his father in high goal. This season, after Urs was injured in the Queen’s Cup, Guy flew over from Switzerland to take his place with the Black Bears, playing in Queen’s, the Warwickshire Cup and the British Open for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup. His debut at the 22-goal level is described in the high-goal roundup in The Action section of this issue (p40). HERBERT SPENCER
