Beaufort Charity Polo Day

The International Test Match at Beaufort Polo Club usually features as part of the Gloucestershire Festival of Polo, but with Covid-19 scuppering those plans, a paired down affair took place on Sunday 4 July, which saw The International Test Match between Frasers England and Ireland as part of the Club’s Charity Day in aid of the Even Keel Foundation. Despite the looming storm clouds, hundreds of supporters turned out to enjoy the Covidsecure, socially distanced Picnic Pods and Picnic Spots lining The HMA Tax No.1 Ground. In between the charity match and International Test Match, the Even Keel Foundation Charity Auction saw eight lots up for grabs: private training session with Yogi Breisner, seven-night stay in a ski apartment in Les Houches, Chamonix – the surprise of the day was a generous £800 winning bid for the first lot of the day, a bottle of British Polo Gin! In total, an impressive £9,700 was raised in aid of men’s mental health, the Even Keel Foundation commented, “We are absolutely delighted with the support we received for our charity polo match against the British Army at Beaufort Polo Club this weekend. Both teams put on a fantastic competition, and it was wonderful to see such a great crowd really getting behind the players, and of course the real focus of the day which was raising awareness for men’s mental health and male suicide – still the biggest killer of men under the age of 45. The auction that followed really demonstrated the huge level of support from everyone there, raising an incredible £9,700 for our Foundation, and we cannot wait to begin organising our next event and doing all we can to keep making a difference.”

Even Keel Foundation

Charity Day 16 players, two matches for one cause

The Even Keel Foundation Charity Match

As spectators settled down to a scotch egg and glass of bubbly, the Beaufort Charity Polo Day kicked off with the first match of the day between the Even Keel Foundation and The Army. The Army stormed through the first two chukkas and went into half-time with a 1½ goal lead. However, following some half-time team chats, the Even Keel Foundation team fought back to level the playing field with two goals and going into the last chukka there was all to play for as just half a goal separated the two teams. Even Keel Invitational team started the last chukka as they meant to go on, sending through two more goals and despite a final attempt by the Army to close the gap bringing the score to 5-4½,, the Even Keel Invitational Team were just that extra step ahead and claimed the trophy in the Even Keel Foundation Charity Polo Match.

The Even Keel Foundation

The Even Keel Foundation was established in memory of Michael Keel who died in June 2019 when he was just 43-years-old. Farmer, jockey, firefighter, Michael always did so much to invigorate the lives of so many. With his smiling persona and wonderful sense of humour, Michael was the last person anyone would expect to be battling so much inside. Michael clearly wore his mask well and that is why The Even Keel foundation wants to break down the stigma and encourage men like Michael to feel okay about taking off their mask; to talk and open up more about their feelings. It’s not about saying men should be on an even keel; it’s about saying it’s okay not to be. It’s also about us all getting better at talking and listening to men who appear happy in life; not just those who don’t.

The Even Keel Foundation Charity Match Teams:

4JULY

Even Keel Foundation

Gunner Miles Underwood Adebayo Karim Capt Paul Erhahiemen Gustav Rausing

The Army

Maj Dan Von Barlowen Lt Freddie Benyon Capt Will Cecil 2/Lt George Cadogan Where: Beaufort Polo Club, Gloucestershire

Photography by J Ridley Photography

BPP

Even Keel Foundation Charity Match Polo Times BPP: Gustav Rausing’s Chalina

To read more about Chalina, please turn to our Pony Power pages

MVP

Even Keel Foundation Charity Match Bud Polo MVP:

Adebayo Karim

Charity Auction Total:

£9,700!

Photograph by Marcos Cerdeira Adebayo Karim, the British Polo Gin MVP for The Even Keel Foundation Charity Match

The feature match of the day was between Frasers England and Ireland, two equally matched teams with all of the players knowing each other’s playing style and plays well, which heralded an exciting 15 goal match. Charlie Hanbury kicked off the scoring, giving Ireland an early lead, but Frasers England, featuring Hanbury’s nephew Tommy Severn, were hot on their heels with a goal of their own to close down the gap. The second chukka saw a penalty score for both sides, but Ireland just managed to hold onto a one goal lead going into the third chukka. As the third chukka dawned, Frasers England began their undertaking for The Golden Jubilee Cup and goals from Tommy Severn and James Emlyn closed the gap and eventually took the lead, 5-3. As the storm clouds gathered, the spectators determinedly took to the ground to tread in; the second half belonged to Frasers England who dominated the fourth chukka, doubling their lead to 7-3. The fifth and final chukka saw Ireland take everyone by surprise as they made their final play for the trophy, with a field goal from Max Hutchinson followed by two

The International Test Match Teams:

Frasers England (15)

Luke Wiles (4) Ollie Cork (4) Tommy Severn (4) James Emlyn (3)

Ireland (15)

Dom Lodge (3) Charlie Hanbury (4) Freddie Horne (4) Max Hutchinson (4)

penalties from Freddie Horne, however it was not enough and Frasers England ran out the winners with a final score of 7-6

To read more about Lovelocks Cubic, please turn to our Pony Power pages

MVP

International Test Match British Polo Gin MVP: Tommy Severn

BPP

International Test Match Polo Times BPP: Charlie Hanbury’s Lovelock’s Cubic

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