TALK
RAIN STARTS PLAY When a fash food fattened William von Raab’s land in Virginia, creating the perfect conditions for a polo pitch, he knew exactly what to do
Born from a millennial flood almost 20 years ago, polo is now an established summer treat at my home farm of Oldford in Virginia. Having followed the natural course of an American boy who had started playing polo at Yale College, then at the University of Virginia School of Law, I was determined to continue my connection with the sport by buying a polo-friendly farm in Virginia. The essential ingredient in this acquisition was a 15-acre patch of land alongside a river. The only problem with the land was the plantation of 6ft corn and 30ft trees that covered it. The gods solved this on 27 June 1995, when they dumped 24 inches of rain into the valley in less than seven hours. The Rapidan lived up to its name – it was first named the Anne, after Queen Anne, before becoming the Rapid Anne, then the Rapidan – it burst its banks and flooded. I was left with a razed patch of land, and a dozen piles of debris the size of small houses. After weeks of clearance and months of drying out, we had the basic ingredient of a polo ground – 15 acres of flat land. The perennial rye, Kentucky blue and Bermuda grass soon took hold, until the first crack of small white balls could be heard from my house atop the steep hill. Over the next year or so, I began developing the still-rough ground into a polo facility.
24
A few interested souls made occasional visits, keen to try out the latest polo fields in the Charlottesville area. Our popularity grew, and soon there was competition for players to fill out the teams playing matches on Oldford’s pitches. Polo at Oldford took a slightly different tack as time went on. About 15 years ago, Juan Pablo Butler arrived, from Cañuelas in Buenos Aires, to play the summer season. He soon became a permanent resident, and was to transform the atmosphere of the club entirely. The sport here went from the occasional pick-up game to an informal schedule of Tuesday-evening and Saturday-morning games among friends. Most of these fixtures were followed by an asado prepared by none other than Juan himself, as our master asado chef. The quality of the polo improved over time, and we were soon fielding teams of three to five goals apiece. Logistics, as in all polo clubs, are
After months of drying out, we had the basic ingredient of a polo ground
hurlinghampolo.com
Above William von Raab (fourth from right) at his 15-acre Oldford polo club in Virginia
always a hassle. The night before, or morning of, the game always presents a crisis over who and how many players are going to compete. But we have somehow always – bar one occasion – managed to field eight enthusiastic players. Often, the No 1 positions are occupied by polo tyros, who are treated with great care by the old boys. Several sons of players (including my son, Nicholas) have been brought up to become first-rate players by starting at No 1 at Oldford. The most notable characteristic of the sport in the country world of Oldford is the good nature one finds, even at the most critical points of a closely fought game. And even when there’s a disagreement and no umpire for that game (as sometimes happens), all will be turned into laughter after a few Corona beers and chorizo at the after-game asado. I hesitate to characterise our polo as gentlemanly – that’s for someone else to say. I can say, however, that it is civilised and great fun – a condition we hope to continue for many years to come. You could definitely call it real country polo, played at its grass roots.
