PT Sept 2011 by Edit

Volume 16 Issue 8 September 2011

£5.50

www.polotimes.co.uk

Cartier International

England lifts Coronation Cup in historic centenary year Plus: Going hunting, palatial properties and Pony Club PT p1 cover.indd 1

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Contents

Contacts Publisher Margie Brett margie@polotimes.co.uk Editor James Mullan jamesmullan@polotimes.co.uk

September 2011 News 10 All the latest news 16 Obituary: Philip Maeder 18 The big picture

Sub editor John O’Sullivan john@polotimes.co.uk Assistant editor Georgie May georgie@polotimes.co.uk

Comment 20 Backchat with Clare Milford Haven 22 Herbert Spencer’s Global view 24 Arthur Douglas-Nugent’s Umpire’s corner 26 Your views: letters

Advertising manager Harriet Kay harriet@polotimes.co.uk

Features 28 Polo players who hunt

Art editor Nicki Averill nickiaverill@polotimes.co.uk Marketing & PR PJ Seccombe pj@polotimes.co.uk Subscriptions Sarah Foster sarah@polotimes.co.uk Accounts Philippa Hunt - accounts@polotimes.co.uk

Tel: 01993 886885 Fax: 01993 882660

www.polotimes.co.uk

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Reports 34 Cover story: The HPA’s Cartier International Day, Guards 40 Warwickshire Cup, Cirencester Park 42 Goodwood Week, Cowdray Park 44 UK National Women’s Tournament, Ascot Park

Youth polo 52 10-page Audi Pony Club Polo Championships report

Knowledge 62 Playing around: Binfield Heath 64 Know your horse 66 Know your game 69 Ones to watch 71 How to spend it 72 Six-page polo property special 78 Book review: Cowdray Park Polo Club – The Centenary 81 Products – polo mallets 82 What’s on in September

Sidelines 84 Gossip: Don’t be the last to know 86 Cartier International Day special – HPA, Cartier and Chinawhite parties 88 Pony Club Polo Championships, Polo for Heroes and Sussex Charity Day

46 The RCBPC Polo Festival

90 PoloRocks at Hurtwood Park, Warwickshire Cup and Sotogrande

47 Home and abroad

98 Passions: Tamara Vestey

Cover photograph: Audi’s head of PR Jon Zammett, The Duke of Edinburgh, outgoing Guards chairman Colonel Paul Belcher and Cartier UK’s executive chairman Arnaud Bamberger look on as England captain Luke Tomlinson lifts the Coronation Cup on International Day at Guards Polo Club, by Cartier UK

Polo Times, September 2011

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17/8/11 13:58:48 16/08/2011 16/08/201117:25:47 17:25:47

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Sponsors of Tidworth Polo Club

Photographed by Peter Hall

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CLASSIC & SPORTS FINANCE

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News

from the Editor A good time was had by all at the final Cartier International in late July – unless, that is, you were a member of the vanquished Brazilian side. They suffered a physical battering and struggled to get going in front of the expectant audience of some 20,000 on the HPA’s biggest day of the year. Sadly, the popular football chant “It’s just like watching Brazil” should henceforth cease to be used as a compliment. Far from entertaining, the Samba nation’s reputation for colour, sparkle and flair seemed about as incongruous as a tax lawyer trying to convince you of his interest in sky diving at a dinner party. Utterly charming though they were, Brazil proved to be disappointing opposition on the field. Find out what happened, and what people made of it, in our comprehensive report on page 34. Also disappointing is the ever-diminishing number of entries in what was once the UK’s premier 15-goal tournament, the County Cup. This year, the event at Cirencester Park attracted a mere four teams (down two from last year), with the final set for the weekend we went to press. Given that the figures were exactly the same in the Beaufort’s Arthur Lucas trophy in early June, also in Gloucestershire, many are perhaps worried that the action is steadily moving further and further towards London, where Berkshire welcomes strong entries. However, while the 17 teams entered in Guards’ 15-goal Royal Windsor back in May and June appears incredibly healthy, as does – to a lesser extent – the six sides entered in RCBPC’s Eduardo Moore, both these figures are down three teams each from 2010. Following the success of the Gold Cup, it was also a shame – and perhaps a bit of a surprise – that the Cowdray Park 20-goal was also abandoned after only one side declared themselves to be really keen. The same problem befell the Beaufort 20-goal. Nevertheless, the Warwickshire Cup (see page 40) produced a week of scintillating 20goal action, as Nick Britten-Long finally got one over his perennial nemesis on the field – Guy Schwarzenbach – in yet another compelling contest between Laird and Black Bears. England’s Britten-Long carries the flag for the nation at the FIP World Cup Qualifiers in Italy at the end of the month (see right). However, the Warwickshire was down to just six teams from eight last year, and organisers at the Deauville Gold Cup also lost a side, down to five from six. Instead, it seems Sotogrande has overtaken the other often-more-historic events, with entries into the 20-goal Gold Cup at Santa María de Lobos up to eight teams from six last year. Argentine pros in particular like it, because the later-in-theday matches and consistently fine weather in southern Spain allow them to enjoy other activities (such as golf) whilst still earning good money for playing before the start of the action back in the southern hemisphere. Nice work if you can get it, but what can be done to help boost the 15, 18 and 20-goal at home?

Email me: jamesmullan@polotimes.co.uk 10

Polo Times, September 2011

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Help at hand for home-grown pros, but not quite yet David Woodd, chief executive of the HPA, has confirmed that there will be no changes put in place for next year’s high-goal with regards to the proposed home-grown player (HGP) rule, but made assurances that something to help HGPs would be implemented in 2013. In a letter sent out on Friday 5 August, following the final Stewards meeting about the matter on 29 July, Woodd announced that they had agreed on four main points, including the fact that any changes could not be sensibly put in place for the 22-goal for 2012. The Stewards proposal last year that a HGP rule should be discussed resulted in various proposals and lengthy debates generated from clubs, patrons, polo managers and players of all nationalities. “The complexity of the structure of the sport made it difficult for the parties involved to agree the detail of a possible new HGP rule that was sensible, fair and practical,” Woodd stated in the letter. The Chairman’s Committee met twice, on 14 July and 17 July, in an attempt to agree on a workable rule but failed to do so. Thus, the way ahead was left to the Stewards at their meeting in late July. Firstly, the Stewards agreed that “their objective was to create more favourable

conditions for home-grown players so that in the long term there would be one sponsored home-grown player in every high-goal team.” Secondly, it was agreed that those who have been a part of the England squad or have the potential to be, should have more opportunity to play to their full potential, whilst allowing teams, particularly in high-goal, to remain as competitive as possible. Although no changes will be in place for 2012, it was stated that a HGP rule will be introduced for the 22-goal in 2013. “The detail of the rule will be discussed with all the parties involved along with the other mechanisms available to the HPA, such as handicapping, work permits and restrictions on new or overseas sponsored players.” Finally, it was also agreed that a HGP rule in other levels, such as 18 and 15-goal, could also be implemented. However, as Woodd’s letter stated, it is “unlikely that one arbitrary rule of one home-grown player per team in 2012 would help either the entries for the 18 and 15-goal, which have reduced in the last two years, or the HGPs.” w React: write to letters@polotimes.co.uk

Argentine Triple Crown The six teams that will contest the Tortugas Open (27 September to 16 October), the Hurlingham Open (18 October to 6 November) and the Argentine Open (9 November to 10 December) were confirmed in August. As suggested at the end of last year’s Argentine season, the La Dolfina side will this year feature Pablo MacDonough and Juan Martin Nero, who move from Ellerstina to replace Lucas Monteverde and Bartolomé

Castagnola on the new 39-goal side. They join Adolfo Cambiaso and David “Pelon” Stirling. This leaves the 10goal Pieres brothers, Facundo and Gonzalito, with new teammates, Nico Pieres and Ignacio Heguy, to form their 37-goal Ellerstina team. Although, in the past, Ellerstina and La Dolfina have heavily dominated the Argentine season – playing each other in five of the last six Argentine Open finals – a newly compiled team could www.polotimes.co.uk

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News

Hitchman in for Good as England’s boys identify Italy as the team to beat ENGLAND have made an unexpected change to their team ahead of this month’s FIP World Cup qualifiers in Italy. Guards member Jonny Good, 32, has been replaced by fellow five-goaler Ed Hitchman in the 14-goal team that will travel to Villa a Sesta in Tuscany for the European play-off, which starts on 22 September. The original England team – which saw Good line up alongside Max Charlton (4), Jack Richardson (3) and Nick Britten-Long (2) – had already played together, beating a Young England side 7-6 on Gold Cup final day at Cowdray in July. However, England coach Alan Kent felt the balance of the side was just not quite right. “The team was just not gelling as well as we wanted it to,” said Kent. “I think it is important to say that it is not the case that we were unhappy with any individual, but more the way the team played as a whole. Everyone agreed that a change was needed.” Hitchman will join the existing trio of Charlton, Richardson and Britten-Long in the team. The Cowdray Park-based 27-yearold spent the English season playing in the medium goal before impressing as part of the victorious IG Index/Audi-sponsored Prince of Wales team in the Golden Jubilee Trophy on International Day at Guards, which ironically beat the How to Spend It.Com-sponsored Hurlingham team that Good was captaining. Hitchman was a member of the England team that finished seventh at the last FIP World Cup in Mexico in 2008 and said: “The World

England finished seventh at the last FIP World Cup, (l-r): Henry Fisher, Tom Morley, Ed Hitchman and Nina Clarkin

Cup was great fun last time. It will be great to be part of it again.” Despite missing out on the chance to represent England at the World Cup, Good backed the HPA’s decision to make the change. He said: “I’m not going anymore. It is a bit disappointing, but I agree that, for whatever reason, it just wasn’t working.” Out in Italy the top six European teams – Italy, England, Spain, France, Germany and Holland – will battle it out for two places in October’s World Cup in Argentina. Hosts, Italy, are taking the qualifying tournament extremely seriously and held a 10-man training camp in mid-August to help decide their team, which will be captained by 2008 Gold Cup winner Alfio Marchini. Argentine-born four-goaler Juan Jauretche,

who made it to the Queen’s Cup final with Enigma this year, and his five-goal compatriot Francisco Elizalde, who played in the English high-goal with Las Monjitas, were among the players involved. Kent believes this could make them the team to beat. He said: “The rumours are that the Italians have two Argentines with Italian passports, so we expect them to be strong. “We know it will not be easy, so we will have to be prepared. We have two training sessions planned for before we go out there. That will be enough to look at a few constructive points. We then have one practice game set up for when we arrive in Italy.” w See what Ed Hitchman makes of being drafted into the team on page 69

preview – Brits hoping to qualify separately put a cat amongst the pigeons. Monteverde and Castagnola have formed a 36-goal

“We’re the lowest-rated team in the qualifiers but we have a chance” – James Beim Estancia Grande side with nine-goalers Agustin and Sebastian Merlos and could be strong contenders in all three tournaments. In the Hurlingham and Argentine Opens, www.polotimes.co.uk

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these three sides qualify automatically, along with La Aguada, Pilará and Indios Chapaleufú, and two more teams will qualify through the play-offs. Seeking a place in both tournaments are Brits James Beim and Mark and Luke Tomlinson who, this year, will not all be trying to qualify together. Forming the La Quinta side will be Mark and Luke Tomlinson, Brazilian Joao Paulo Ganon and Julio Novillo Astrada. Beim and Guillermo Willington, who played with La Quinta last year, will play for Enigma with Valerio Zubiaurre and Matias

MacDonough in this year’s qualifiers, which begin on 28 September. “I head out to Argentina early this month,” said Beim. “My horses have been in work since late July, so hopefully they’ll be in good shape. We’re the lowest-rated team amongst the qualifiers but, it’s such an early stage of the season, when people’s horses are often a little heavy, so we certainly have a chance and I’m looking forward to it.” To see a full list of teams, and the schedules and results as they happen, see the tournament pages of the Polo Times website. Polo Times, September 2011

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News

Revolt against USPA election for governors acts as warning to HPA Ten “independent” candidates have challenged the association-nominated shortlist in this summer’s nationwide election of the US Polo Association’s governors-at-large, writes Herbert Spencer. An anonymous website campaigned for votes for the independents as “grassroots” members are concerned about the association’s alleged lack of funding of small clubs and low-goal polo.

consists of 13 governors elected by each of the USPA’s geographical circuits; 12 governors-at-large elected by the membership at large; and the association’s four officers: president, chairman, secretary and treasurer. Unlike the HPA, where registered players only have a voice through their clubs, all USPA players are direct members of the association. In 2009 the USPA gave members the right to

“Grassroots” members are concerned about the USPA’s alleged lack of funding of small clubs and low-goal polo In America, the USPA’s board of governors is equivalent to the council of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) as the supreme governing body of the sport. The board

nominate and then vote for governors-at-large, all of whom serve two-year terms. This year, the association’s nominating committee recommended its candidates, all

of whom are well-known and who have been actively involved with the administration of the sport in one way or another. By contrast, I failed to recognise the names of any of the independent candidates of which three came from Texas and the others from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, New Mexico, Colorado, and Washington. It’s unlikely that such “polotics” will be seen in the UK in the foreseeable future, if ever. According to chief executive David Woodd, the HPA has toyed with the idea of making players direct members so long as they also belong to clubs – but without any direct voting rights as in America. Results of the USPA election were due to be announced late in August after Polo Times had gone to press.

Cowboys and polo Florida’s top fields

Photographs by David Sinclair and Greg Ratner

Flying H Polo Club in Wyoming, USA, hosted “cowboy polo” on 17 July, pictured below. Cowboys from local ranches swapped their lassos for polo mallets to play in the match on board their heavily-built ranch horses, tacked up in Western saddles and bridles. The players taped sponge to the end of their mallets to reinforce them sufficiently for hitting a football, instead of a traditional polo ball. It is not uncommon for “cowboy polo” to be played in the USA – the version of the sport originated in 1952 and is played mostly in the western states of America.

Two cowboys playing their version of the game at Flying H Polo Club in Wyoming

Polo Times, September 2011

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receive a facelift

WORK IS WELL underway on three of the eight polo grounds at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPCPB) in Wellington, Florida. IPCPB’s director of facilities, Ray Mooney, has taken on the mammoth task of resurfacing the fields with Work on the fields at IPCPB is being the aim of having them coordinated by Ray ready for the start of the Mooney and his team 2012 season in January. Fields two and three have been shifted to the west of their current location and new upgraded drainage and irrigation will be installed. Bermuda 419 will be put down – a grass choice in South Florida for high quality polo fields. Once the first two fields are completed, work will be carried out on ICF West Field. “From the first season we set the bar high regarding the maintenance and care of the fields.” Mooney said. “The club has spared no expense to assure their position at the top of the international list.” “We host the game’s top-rated players in the most important polo tournaments on the continent. Anything less than world-class fields would be unacceptable,” commented John Wash, president of the club. www.polotimes.co.uk

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News News in brief Clare Milford Haven swaps her polo pony for a racehorse

“I’m happy to have raised £300,000 for Great Ormond Street”

www.polotimes.co.uk

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w LAS VEGAS IS hosting Polo America Expo on 30 September to 2 October. The international polo convention, will feature an 80,000-square-foot Polo Village and the finals of the Men and Women’s US Open Arena Polo Championships will be played – the first time in 30 years that polo has been played in Las Vegas. w THE PRO-AM CITY Championships take place at Ascot Park Polo Club on 10 September, when there will be various handicap levels, ranging from –8 to 8-goal. w BEAUFORT POLO CLUB will be hosting Hospitality Actions’ Polo Day on 11 September. Guests will tuck into a three-course lunch prepared by regional chefs, including Michael Croft of Calcot Manor and Martin Burge of Whatley Manor, before moving to the grandstands to watch the Sidebottom Cup final. Tickets cost £90 – contact gvittiglio@hospitalityaction.org.uk.

Photograph by Vanessa Taylor

PT columnist and zero-goaler Clare Milford Haven took part in a six-furlong charity race at Glorious Goodwood at the end of July to help raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Among the other 10 runners was Nacho Figueras’s wife, Delfina, who finished in seventh place. Milford Haven, riding The Beauty & The Bookie (Fairy Tales), finished in last place. “Sadly I didn’t fancy my chances of a win when the odds were stacked against me and my trusty steed, Fairy Tales, at 100-1,” Milford Haven told Polo Times. Clare Milford Haven riding Fairy Tales – named The Beauty and The Bookie for the charity race – at Glorious Goodwood at the end of July West Sussex-based Milford Haven After visiting a couple of trainers, being bolted was asked by Goodwood’s Charles with up the gallops, and realising that there was March to take part a few months previous to the a lot more to it than just riding a horse, Milford race. “I was very unsure about the prospect,” Haven undertook some professional training to Milford Haven said. “In fact it wasn’t until about prepare herself properly for the race. one week before the race that I was actually “As the days grew closer to the big event, vaguely sure of what I was doing. To say I was sleep totally eluded me and even eating became a chore,” she reveals. “I found myself involuntarily chanting ‘I am not nervous, just really excited. I am not nervous, just really excited!’ – Clare Milford Haven “I would have loved to have come in the first three rather than the last three but I am just grateful to have finished in one piece and happy to have outside my comfort zone would be a gross raised £300,000 for Great Ormond Street. I also understatement. I play polo three to four times raised £5,000 for my charity, the James Wentwortha week, but have never felt the abject terror I Stanley Memorial Fund, which was great.” experienced when I first went on the gallops.”

w EMBRAER EXECUTIVE JETS sponsored the inaugural Aviation Polo Challenge at Hurtwood Park on Saturday 20 August. Watched by spectators from the business aviation industry, George Galanopoulos, manager director of London Executive Aviation, faced rival Philip Louis Amadeus, managing director of Rotormotion in the match.

w FORMER 10-GOALER Benjamin Araya will be coaching at Leadenham Polo Club in Lincolnshire on 11-15 September. To book a place on a twoday course, please contact the club.

Polo Times, September 2011

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News

Aiming high  LE POER: the four RICHARD goaler received the Ferguson Cup for the best young player of the year, presented by Prince Philip on Cartier International Day. Read the full report from the day on page 34 VALE: the Somerset TAUNTON based polo club are holding their Centenary Cup tournament on 10-11 September in celebration of the club’s 100th year ON THE BEACH:  POLO Watergate Bay in Cornwall will once again play host to the Veuve Clicquot Polo on the Beach tournament on Tuesday 6 September. Joules will play First Great Western at 6.30pm and the event is free to attend

Swinging low  ENTRIES: the 20 HIGH-GOAL goal Cowdray Park Challenge and the Beaufort 20-Goal tournament in August were both cancelled due to a lack of entries LAUREN: the fashion  RALPH label is dropping “polo” from its name – changing from Polo Ralph Lauren Corp to Ralph Lauren Corp POLO CLUB: The Royal  RMAS Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) Polo Club sold their ponies at the end of the season. However, the club will continue as normal next year, using money saved to hire in ponies

Herbert Spencer honoured by HPA LONG-STANDING POLO TIMES contributor Herbert Spencer, who turned 82 in January, has been made a Life Member of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) in recognition of his more than 40 years working in the international polo community. HPA chairman Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers presented the award at the association’s Coronation Cup Centenary dinner on 21 July. After reviewing Spencer’s long career as a polo historian, publisher, photographer and media consultant, ColquhounDenvers said: “His role behind the scenes is seldom known of … but his advice to the HPA and many of us in the polo world has always been sound, sensible and extremely welcome.” Over the years Spencer has served variously as a media consultant to the HPA, the US Polo

Association and the Federation of International Polo. He also acts as deputy editor of the HPA’s Hurlingham magazine and contributes to Horse & Hound and the USPA’s Polo Players Edition. This freelance work, as well as his extensive writings for Polo Times, follows two books on the sport published in 1971 and 1994 and a magazine – Chakkar – which he produced in 1986 and 1987. The award of a life membership of the HPA, along with his wife Judith’s guest membership, constitutes the second honour he has received from a governing body of the sport. In 2006 he was recipient of the USPA’s Image Award for Contribution to the Public Appreciation of the Sport of Polo, recognising his efforts in promoting and conveying a positive image of the sport within and beyond the polo community.

Polo Times loves... ...SquareCircle Designs’ “Pegasus” line. The new luxury scarf company, which has an affinity with horses and polo in particular, is launching its debut scarf and shawl collection, featuring a series of iconic horses. The designs are printed on silks and cashmeres of the finest quality, combining traditional methods with innovative technology. Mother and daughter team Archana and Nirmala Sicka were inspired to start the company while decorating the nursery for Archana’s first grandchild. They were using traditional tribal Indian drawings, including a Bankura Horse, to decorate the room. Nirmala thought that the drawings simply had to feature on a scarf and, so, SquareCircle Designs was founded. Prices for a silk chiffon scarf start at £260, while cashmere shawls cost £375. See www.squarecircle-designs.com

Effective horsemanship requires perfect communication Choose Bombers Equestrian Equipment bits, for ultimate control on the polo field. Handmade in South Africa, the Bombers range offers bitting solutions for all horses and types of equine mouth conformation. Bombers polo bits: • Feature blue sweet iron metal that oxidises easily • Include hundreds of bitting solutions / mouth / cheek pieces • Encourage salivation & help bit acceptance • Boast a ‘Design your own bit’ service: www.bombersbits.co.uk

For stockists, call Equine Management: 01825 840 002 To buy, call: 01825 841 303 or visit www.bombersbits.co.uk / www.worldwidetack.com 14

Polo Times, September 2011

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www.polotimes.co.uk

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News

HPA warns subscription costs could rise to support injury fund The HPA has warned that if claims on its Injured Players and Officials Fund were to rise significantly beyond their current level, members’ annual subscriptions might have to go up to cover the payouts, writes Herbert Spencer. The HPA established the fund in 2008 and since then has paid out £62,672: £50,000 for a “life-changing” injury and a total of £12,672 for dental treatment for 10 players. HPA chief executive David Woodd stressed that the fund is not insurance but help for players and officials injured at polo, paid for out of subscriptions. “If the payouts increase significantly,” Woodd said, “then we would have to look at subs if members want this benefit.”

Guidelines for benefits include up to £2,000 for teeth and £2,000 for an eye injury; there have been no claims for eyes. The maximum payment for life-changing injury is £50,000; there has been only one in the fund’s four years: to Colin Mitchell, who broke his neck in a polo accident and is paralysed from the neck down. Payments from the fund are at the complete discretion of an HPA committee that is currently comprised of Lord Patrick Beresford, Jonathan Seddon-Brown, Robin Butler, Mark Cann and David Woodd. The Injured Players and Officials Fund is not the only help available, however. The injured can also apply to the Polo Charity Trust.

Delivering the best of Britain overseas Following the success of the British Polo Day at Watership Down on 2 July, the team behind the event is busy organising the next dates of the quintessentially British day. The next British Polo Day, which aims to celebrate the heritage of the game, revive old rivalries and bridge cultures in various countries, takes place this month, on 17 September in China. From there, it makes its way around the world, to Singapore on 19 November, India on 10-11 December, before winding up in Dubai

and Abu Dhabi next March. To coincide with the event in India, luxury tailor-made travel company Abercrombie and Kent have launched a special Indian polo package holiday. The British Polo Day was founded in the Middle East by Tom Hudson, an Old Etonian who started The Old Etonian Middle East Society in 2008. Originally only Eton and Harrow took part in the tournament, but the more recent events have involved the Armed Forces and Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Choose life, choose the Polo Life Another player that has launched a polo firm based in London is former Cowdray Park member, Charley Law. Law, pictured below, has devised Polo Life, providing bespoke polo consultancy services for high net-worth individuals and private and corporate businesses that are seeking to involve themselves in the best the game has to offer. He is looking to generate business from clients in London, using exclusive partnerships he has made during his polo career, both in the UK and overseas. These partnerships include venues for top-quality taster days in the UK that would not normally be available to the general public, and exclusive locations for polo destination holidays overseas in the kinds of places that players couldn’t normally play at without an invitation. The firm will also hope to offer management services for players with a clear plan for their polo, whether it’s winning trophies, improving as a player, www.polotimes.co.uk

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playing quality practices or competing in the high-goal. “Once the aspirations of the client have been established, then we look at the budget and produce an action plan, whether it’s just for that season or for the next 10,” says Law. For those who prefer to soak up their polo from the sidelines, Law’s Polo Life has also created a series of global links with tournaments, venues and parties worldwide, so it can help individuals or groups find tickets, transport and accommodation for the most relevant events, according to the requirements of the clients. These could feasibly include the likes of the British Polo Day, described in the story above, as well as bigger tournaments, such as the Cartier events in the Far East or snow polo in Europe. The final string to Law’s bow will be to offer consultation for firms looking for sponsorship opportunities. w Discover more about the firm at www.pololife.com Polo Times, September 2011

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News

Latest from the HPA

HPA chief executive David Woodd rounds up the news from UK polo’s headquarters Cartier International Thank you to all those who played in and produced ponies for Cartier International Day and congratulations to England for their victory over Brazil, 8-6. England (27): James Beim 7; Mark Tomlinson 7; Luke Tomlinson 7; Nacho Gonzalez 6 Brazil (29): Luis Paulo Bastos 7; Joao Paulo Ganon 8; Rodrigo Andrade 8; Jose Kalil 6 Best young player Congratulations to 23-year-old four-goal player Richard Le Poer who was awarded the Ferguson Trophy on Cartier International Day for the best young player of the year. John Cowdray Trophy The John Cowdray Trophy was played after the finals of the Gold Cup on Sunday 17 July. England FIP Europe beat Young England 7 to 6. England FIP Europe (14): Jack Richardson 3; Max Charlton 4, Jonny Good 5, Nick Britten-Long 2 Young England (14): John Kent 2; Charlie Hanbury 4; Will Emerson 5; Ollie Cudmore 3 HPA Young England Select Following the Pony Club and Junior HPA Championships at Cowdray Park Polo Club, the HPA development committee selected players for the following event: The 21 Cup at Cowdray Park Polo Club, 9-11 August Faisal Al Rifai, Izzy McGregor, Karim Sheikh, Harry Davies, Jack Hyde, Tim Pearce-May, Ed Banner Eve, George Pearson, Sebastian Hancock, Ralph Richardson, Charlie Walton, Thomas Brodie, Max Stacy, Charlie Holley, Tommy Beresford and Hugo Lewis. Young England v Young Zimbabwe at Cowdray Park Polo Club Jack Taylor, Frankie Hutley, Charlie Scott and William Batchelor. The Alan Budgett Trophy at Kirtlington Park Polo Club, Saturday 13 August Roddy Seymour-Williams, Max Stacy, Izzie Parsons and Andrew Gebbie. The Whitbread Trophy at Rutland Polo Club, Saturday 13 August Abigail Watts, Tom Abel Smith, William Brasher, Nick Winterton, James Hudson, Charlie Walton, Tim Pearce-May and Cameron Huston. 16

The Stagshead Trophy at Ham Polo Club, Sunday August 14 Charlie Pidgley, Hugo Taylor, Robert Fleming, Lolly Stanhope White, William Penfold, Terence Lent, Harry Hickmet and Jamie McCarthy. Development Course at Beaufort Polo Club, 10-11 August Terence Lent, Harry Hickmet, Hugo Taylor, William Penfold, Max Dear, Kian Hall, Jamie Grayson, Milo Sweet, James Fewster, John Dalton-Morgan, Charlie Hitchman and Lolly Stanhope-White. Club chief umpires meeting and Umpire grading The club chief umpires meeting will be held at 11am on Wednesday 8 September, at RCBPC. The umpire grading meeting will be held afterwards. Handicap meeting The end of season handicap meeting will take place on Monday 12 September. Changes made at this meeting will be made public as soon as they are confirmed but are still subject to endorsement by the Stewards. Changes to handicaps can still be made for any player still playing this season. As always, all changes to handicaps will become effective from 1 January 2012. Coaching A three-day coaching course is due to take place at Beaufort Polo Club from Wednesday 21 to Friday 23 September. HPA app and login to website The HPA and The Polo Magazine have developed a phone-friendly interface of the HPA website. The Android App has been available since June (visit Androidmarket) and we have recently launched the iPhone App which is available to download from the App Store or by following the link on the home page at www.hpa-polo.co.uk. In addition, in an effort to increase communications with HPA members, a personal login on the website has been set up where personal and contact information can be updated. The personal login details have been sent out via email throughout the course of the summer – if you have not received yours please contact the HPA office by emailing enquiries@hpa-polo.co.uk.

Philipp Mäder 1959 – 2011 Piero Dillier remembers his longstanding friend, and fellow polo patron, Philipp Mäder (or Maeder), a face best known to most for his support of the St Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow over the last five years

hilipp Mäder was born on 13 March 1959 in Basel to successful Swiss parents. His father was a well-known businessman with, in Swiss terms, a large company in transport and logistics. Philipp grew up to be successful himself, forming his own business empire in real estate. This afforded him many of the luxuries in life and, almost eight years ago, he began playing polo under the watchful eye of Federico Bachmann, who quickly became his manager, regular professional and trusted confidant on all things polo. Together, they built up an impressive organisation in Europe and a beautiful polo estancia in Lobos, Argentina. They went on to play and win many high-goal tournaments in Spain, Italy, France, Germany

The polo community has lost a big enthusiast of this great sport – Piero Dillier and Switzerland. One tournament he never won, however, was the St Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow, which he viewed as one of the great iconic events of his native Switzerland. Philipp died of heart failure whilst playing in the Côte d’Azur Polo Cup with Marcos Heguy in St Tropez on Wednesday 10 August. His funeral followed the following week, with a small service for family only. However, a memorial event will be held this month [to be announced in PT’s newsletter and on website]. He leaves behind his girlfriend Carol and three grown-up daughters from his first marriage. He separated from his second wife Sibylle, whose own polo teams Philipp also supported, 18 months ago. And, for the rest of us, with the tragic death of Philipp Mäder, the polo community has lost a big enthusiast of this great sport. For me personally, I have also lost a very special friend whom I will miss terribly both on and off the polo ground. w Piero Dillier is the zone coordinator for the FIP’s European Zone

Polo Times, September 2011

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Obituary Philipp Mäder had been due to play in Switzerland’s most prestigious tournament, the Hublot Polo Gold Cup in Gstaad, which began a week after his death. As a mark of respect, rather than replacing the patron for the headline Hublot team, the sponsors decided to remove their side from the competition, which went ahead with just three teams.

Tributes to Philipp Mäder Pierre Genecand, president of Polo Gstaad “Philipp was a dear friend to all of us and it is hard to believe that he will not be with us anymore during the tournament. With his death, the Swiss polo community loses one of its most active and respected representatives.” Urs Schwarzenbach, president of St Moritz Polo AG Philipp Mäder was the proud patron of “The unexpected the Swiss team in St Moritz this year and tragic death of Philipp Mäder is not only a great loss for me personally, but also for Swiss polo. For many years, Philipp made an invaluable contribution to our St Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow, both in terms of sport and as a person. We will greatly miss his engaging manner on the polo grounds, and off. We say goodbye to a good sportsman and friend and remember him as a great patron and ambassador for polo.” Yolanda Carlsaw, former Polo Times editor “I first met Philipp Mäder in 2007 at St Moritz, his first year. I found him to be warm, enthusiastic and delighted with all things polo, which he had taken up in 2004 after his wife, a keen rider, encouraged him. What impressed me most was that he genuinely wanted to have fun. He said: “The main thing is fun. I play with people I like; people I can enjoy a drink with after the game.” His ambitions then were to play in tournaments that he enjoyed and to learn Spanish. When I met him, he had played all the Swiss tournaments and had travelled to St Tropez, Barcelona, Monte Argentario in Italy and Ellerstina in Argentina. His regular Argentine pro, Federico Bachmann, always came with him, and sometimes Pablo Jauretche did too. I met Philipp, who was also a keen skier, again last year in Gstaad, and once again I was struck by how good humoured and generous of spirit he was – qualities not seen in every patron of the game.”

In his own words… In an interview with Polo Times editor James Mullan in 2009, Philipp Mäder explained what he loved about polo so much and what it was that motivated him and his wife at the time, Sibylle: “Polo is a big ongoing part of our lives and our routine is the same wherever we’re playing. We have a relaxing morning to calm the nerves… eat a large meal for energy in the game, spend an hour talking to our teammates and grooms in preparation and then we play the match. Then, whether we win or loose, we go out in the evening and have a meal and some drinks with our teams. It’s important to remember you’re there to have fun and, whatever happens, you always learn something.” Polo Times, September 2011

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Parading for a Prince Patron of the HPA – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh – was on hand this July to enjoy the traditional Pony Club parade at the association’s International Day at Guards Polo Club. The youngsters received a rapturous reception from the 20,000-strong crowd and the significance of Pony Club polo was then immediately emphasised further still by England’s victory over Brazil. All four of England’s team are products of Pony Club polo themselves. For each of the last 15 years the pony clubbers on parade have been the winners at each level from the Pony Club Polo Championships the year before, in this case from 2010. They are led by the master of the Bicester Hunt and the winner of the Jambo Trophy, which is given to the player and pony that are deemed to be the best combination that both hunts and plays polo regularly. In all, around 40 players and ponies take part, and do so after only a very brief talk instructing them what to do and where to go. ◗ Read about England’s victory in the Cartier International on page 34, and find out what happened in the 2011 Pony Club Championships on page 52 ◗ Tony Ramirez, who took this shot, has been one of the sport’s leading dedicated polo photographers for around 10 years, since he decided to merge his two hobbies – photography and a passion for polo – into one. See more of his work on page 91, visit www.imagesofpolo.com or contact him on 07956 036649 for more information

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Comment

Backchat with Clare Milford Haven

Champagne-quaffing Coronation Cup spectators give the sport a bad name

artier will not be regretting their decision to swap their sponsorship from the Coronation Cup to the Queen’s Cup as of next year. Not only will their visibility be spread over three weeks as opposed to one day but they will now be backing a tournament whose image will be well suited to their brand and where the emphasis is on the sport rather than spot–the-celebrity. I felt the event had hit a low point when I witnessed, with a mixture of shock and disbelief, individuals ripping the Cartier signage off the boards as soon as the Test between Brazil and England was finished. Was it a sentimental souvenir of the game they were after? Or was it just mindless looting by people more interested in taking a trophy home after a day spent quaffing vast quantities of Pimms and champagne whilst guessing the waist measurement of Christie Brinkley, before launching themselves onto the heaving dance-floor of the throbbing Chinawhite tent? Whoever takes on the role of sponsoring the Coronation Cup in the future would be wise to take it back to basics, veto

Genuine polo supporters like these are given a bad name by the drunken revellers at Guards on the HPA’s International Day

Refreshing change It was so refreshing to see two family led teams make it to the Holden White final at Cowdray Park recently, with mother and son Janie and Freddie Dear of Apache playing father and son

Photograph by Centaur Photographic

Whoever takes on the role of sponsoring the Coronation Cup should take it back to basics the appearance of anyone from reality TV shows, and introduce a prize of a Nebuchadnezzar of champagne for the person who guesses the winning score. This way, it might encourage people to sit and watch the game rather than stamping its reputation into the ground with their stilettos. 20

Polo Times, September 2011

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duo Martin and Ludo Ephson of Poulton. Out of the 32 teams entered nationally, at least eight of them were made up of two amateur family members. It goes to show that competitive teams can just as easily be made up of friends and family. In these times of economic meltdown, it is

certainly a considerably cheaper and ultimately more rewarding option. It may, however, be challenging at times to have your teenage child tell you, in no uncertain terms, to “leave it”. Joy of youth We are usually away during the month of August and therefore normally miss out on one of the highlights of the season’s calendar – the Pony Club Polo Championships at Cowdray. However, this year we were here and even though we had no children competing, my heart swelled with pride watching the games and in particular, the parade. The fluffy ponies, the huntsmen, hounds and beaming

faces made you feel good to be a part of it. Thelwellian on the one hand, but impossible to ignore the high standard of play at every level on the other. The dedication of the parents of these young players also deserves a big mention, especially those camping in a field for the duration with their little darlings. One Pony Club mum, her exhaustion palpable as she leant on her son’s sticks for support, said she was counting the days ‘til they headed off to the south of France for a holiday… and she was one of the lucky ones sleeping in a Winnebago. F w Read more “Backchat” from Clare at www.polotimes.co.uk www.polotimes.co.uk

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Comment

Global view with Herbert Spencer

Why it’s important the HPA keeps its big day under guard, not Guards

have been asked why I bother to take publicists and editors to task for not giving the proper billing to the world’s biggest one-day polo event, the “Hurlingham Polo Association’s International Day”. It is simply a question of journalistic accuracy and giving credit where credit is due for a unique event of great importance to the governing body of the sport of polo in the United Kingdom and Ireland. To clarify the billing once and for all, I hope, this International Day, regardless of which sponsor’s name may be affixed to the title, is owned by the HPA. For years Guards Polo Club has been the host club, contracted by the HPA to provide facilities and personnel and to help organise the day under the HPA’s direction. Guards takes a share of the profits, so benefits substantially from income and from the prestige and the publicity the event generates. Too often, however, the impression has been given by publicists and editors of special publications associated with the

Photograph by Centaur Photographic

The impression is often given that International Day is owned by Guards, but it belongs to the HPA day that International Day is a Guards event. It is not. It belongs to the HPA. In fact, the association’s first International Day 40 years ago was not at Guards but at Cowdray Park Polo Club. It was the brainchild of Lord Patrick 22

Polo Times, September 2011

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HPA chairman Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers takes centre stage alongside Prince Philip and Cartier’s Arnaud Bamberger during the association’s International Day

Beresford and Michael Butler, the American producer of the hit musical Hair and a governor of the US Polo Association who was playing in England at the time. Patrick and Michael conceived it as a new international between England and the USA in lieu of the famous old Westchester Cup series between the two countries, which had lain dormant since World War Two. The HPA agreed to resurrect the 1911 Coronation Cup as the trophy and the association’s inaugural International Day was staged at Cowdray Park in 1971, becoming a permanent fixture as

England’s flagship international competition. The following year the HPA moved its International Day to Guards in Windsor Great Park, hoping that its proximity to London would draw larger crowds. The HPA paid the late Major Ronald Ferguson, then polo manager at Guards, as International Day director. It was Ronald who developed it into the world’s largest one-day polo event, attracting upwards of 20,000 spectators even before Cartier came on the scene as sponsor in the mid-1980s. In 2001, when Guards was closed due to the outbreak of

foot and mouth disease, the HPA moved International Day back to its original venue, Cowdray Park. Claridges Hotel replaced Cartier as the title sponsor that year and the Prince of Wales presided over the event. As the HPA’s communications director at the time, I realised that the association was not being given proper credit as the owner of its premier event. I geared all the publicity to change this, with some success. For the first time to my knowledge, the name Hurlingham Polo Association appeared on the front page of The Times newspaper. The following year the HPA’s International Day returned to Guards, where publicists continued to give the impression that it was a club event. I have never understood why the sponsor never took advantage of the obvious publicity peg of supporting the flagship event of the governing body. International Day contributes substantially to the HPA’s income and the development of polo throughout the country, including polo in the Pony Clubs and schools and universities, as well as the sport’s Polo Charity Trust. The Hurlingham Polo Association’s International Day will have a new sponsor or sponsors in 2012, the year of the London Olympics. Let’s hope that the new sponsors’ publicists will be astute enough to promote the proper billing for one of the polo world’s greatest events. And for its part, the HPA must do everything necessary to protect its greatest commercial asset, publicity included. F w Read more from Herbert at www.polotimes.co.uk www.polotimes.co.uk

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Comment

Umpire’s corner with Arthur Douglas-Nugent

We must provide adequate opportunities for our most talented Pony Clubbers

Photograph by Georgie May

s I write early in August, polo at the higher level in the UK already seems like a distant memory, but it continues strongly at lower levels, as it used to in days gone by when everyone disappeared to the grouse moors. Although the destination of the great and the good may now be different, the effect is the same. It opens up the better fields to all and brings back an element of fun into the polo being played. The debate on the nurturing of the home-grown player, to use the now accepted term, has intensified. While we seem to be no nearer to finding a solution, one thing is for sure and is demonstrated by the recent Pony Club Polo Championships – there is plenty of talent out there. The trick now is to provide opportunities and experience for those who aspire to making polo their career. Programme praised There is no room for complacency but it would seem, judging by the relatively small number of complaints, that the professional umpiring programme has gone well this season. Another welcome indicator has been that our top umpires are being invited to other countries.

The Pony Club Polo Championships showed there is plenty of young talent around

Notably this season three of the team are adjudicating in Sotogrande, hitherto the province of our Argentine friends. The A Group umpires have also been playing their part and have, under the management of Roddy Matthews, at last

The home-grown player debate roars on, but it is clear there is plenty of talent out there achieved coherence and a growing reputation. The key to their success is mastering the following: knowing the rules and when to

blow for a foul and when not; reading the game; managing the players and maintaining a smart appearance with a cheerful, but determined, disposition. A positive turn In the last edition of Polo Times, the debate on the new interpretation of the turning across rule had a good airing. In general, those who play and watch polo are in favour of the increased use of the backhand rather than constantly turning on the ball, which so often led to a melee. Yes, it can be argued that ponies are being hit more often by the ball, but on the flip side they are not now involved so often in ugly scrums, where so much dangerous and damaging play can occur.

Yes, the super talented player who relied on his skill at close play to win matches is no longer as dominant, but was this skill so wonderful to watch in contrast to the fast open game? I think not. In the Gold Cup this year it was the well drilled team of four lesser goal players who were able to see off the teams with the power concentrated in the hands of one or two and we saw the lower goal patrons being able to play a significant part in their team’s success. Surely all this is positive leading to the enjoyment of all. It’s not cricket Every now and then sport throws up a point of interest. Thus, during cricket’s second Test between England and India, we had the case of the batsman (Ian Bell) who was run out, but was sportingly given a reprieve by the opposition. As a starting point you have to say a rule is a rule and, if broken, however inadvertently, then the due punishment must follow. Of course a captain may make a sporting gesture, but truthfully this should be ignored by the umpires and the referee who must ultimately take responsibility for making the right decision. F w Read more from Arthur at www.polotimes.co.uk

Play goes on until the whistle blows… This month’s puzzle Name all of the occasions during a match when ends are changed.

Polo Times, September 2011

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Last month’s solution Jot down the occasions when the umpire throws in the ball. There are quite a lot! At the start of a match and after each interval; after a break in play if a penalty has not been awarded; after the ball has been out of play; after a goal has been scored, after any forced stoppage such as an accident; after the award of a Penalty 7 (for breach of the no contact rule); if the whistle blows but the referee signals “no foul”; if the ball has been trodden in or carried unintentionally and, finally, to restart after a Penalty One. www.polotimes.co.uk

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Comment Your views

Letters letters@polotimes.co.uk or The Editor, Polo Times, Holbrook Farm, North Leigh, Oxon OX29 6PX

Why 2011 was so improved I was thrilled to read that the change of rules converted the final of the Gold Cup, from the horror show of 2010, to a brilliant and exciting spectacle in 2011. Real polo experts must be celebrating that good, end-to-end, team play has replaced the individual skills of 10-goalers, which made the 22goal into a two-man game. After turning the ball so often and for so long, most players, including many of the higher handicaps, had lost the art and techniques of being accurate with angle backhands from both sides of the pony. This in turn had denied opportunities for team members to practise perfectly receiving backhands, positioning themselves early and positively anticipating the play, rather than simply waiting – negatively – for the ball to be hit and then behaving like novice ballchasers. One advantage of my age is that I’m in a lucky minority who witnessed Juan Carlos Harriott playing in the greatest team of the 20th century, Coronel Suarez. He shared possession with his brother Alfredo and the Heguy brothers, recognising that the speed of the ball was more than the horse and passing was the most effective way to play. They reached 40 goals and won the Argentine Open more than any other in its history. Possibly Adolfo Cambiaso could have followed in Harriott’s immortal footsteps, had he not been universally heralded for playing one-man polo. Hugh Dawnay Co. Waterford, Ireland 26

Polo Times, September 2011

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Letter of the month Course to recourse for unhappy HPA-course camper Sir, I gave up four days of my life and £350 to take an HPA Coaching Course (including medicals) and exam in April and found it a trying experience. To those intending to take the September course, you should be aware of the following: 1. Content: the course is focused entirely on the content required to get a polo player to -2 goals. There is almost no instruction on how to teach. The course is really geared for those who may have played, say, 100 matches of polo. 2. Professionalism: two out of the three instructors were routinely taking phone calls and texting while presenting. One well-known professional coach was slandered. 3. Transparency: nobody would admit to actually being in charge of the course. No one would take responsibility and no one wanted to discuss my points in private. 4. Accountability: it has been made clear to me that this is not so much an HPA course as a Beaufort Polo Club course, and the HPA would take no private criticism from me on this count. I know the HPA have very stretched resources but in this case they would do better to recognise their limitations and encourage others to start courses like this rather than try to pass this fare off as their own cooking and make it their official solution. Other tutors should look to run something to offer both choice and a more technical course. This HPA course takes about 40 people from all around the world per year – nice revenue for a couple of week’s work. Charlie Llewellen Palmer Cheltenham, Gloucestershire The writer of the Letter of the month wins a bottle of La Chamiza Argentine red wine

Solving the mystery of the unidentified men Sir, my old friend Horace, polo’s most eminent historian, is right as usual in his letter in the last issue: the photographer’s caption on the mount of the old photograph of

The original Indian Polo Association side

the Indian Polo Association from 1911 is incorrect. This photograph is obviously of the original team the Indian Polo Association brought over to play for the King’s Coronation Cup, which then subsequently had it’s line-up changed twice. First they brought in two English officers – legitimately, as they too were members of the

Indian Polo Association – so the line-up became Captain Leslie St Clair Cheape, Captain Shah Mirza Beg, Captain R G Ritson and Colonel Chanda Singh. Then, at the last minute, the IPA substituted Chanda Singh with a third English officer, Captain Vivian Lockett – and this was the team that went on to beat a side representing the Fourth Dragoon Guards. Interestingly, Cheape, Ritson and Lockett became 10-goal players after this first Coronation Cup encounter, Cheape and Ritson in 1912 and Lockett in 1913. As for the original team in the photograph shown, the style of their turbans suggest the player on the left is the Sikh Colonel Chanda Singh from Patiala and the others are from Rajasthan and south India, although I cannot identify them. Herbert Spencer Maidenhead, Berkshire

Sir, just to follow up on the question I posed to your readers last month, the mystery person in the photograph originally published in your July issue is Teofilo “Toti” Bordeu. He was a reserve for the Argentine team pictured and, despite the fact that the

Argentine reserve Teoﬁlo “Toti” Bordeu

photograph dates from 1953 and I remember playing with him when I was a medical student in the 1950s, Toti was still playing polo two years ago. Horace Laffaye Connecticut, USA Editor’s note: Thanks for clearing that up gentlemen www.polotimes.co.uk

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Your views

Comment

Many thanks from Mexico Sir, Octavio Munguia sent me a copy of the article you ran in the July issue [page 42] of the magazine on the Copa del Rey International polo tournament and I’m just delighted! We were so disappointed that none of you were able to come and see the event for yourselves, so it was so pleasing that, despite that, you managed to include the report and it turned out so well – you certainly did a great editing job.

The photo with the Mayan priest worked out really well and certainly added some local colour. It is indeed an honour to be included in Polo Times! Elizabeth Kaye McCall on behalf of El Rey Polo Country Club, Mexico Editor’s note: I realise this is rather self-indulgent to include but, well, what the heck...

Junior polo debate rumbles on Editor’s note: the debate about the Pony Club and the Junior HPA has been a feature of the letter’s page in the last three editions of Polo Times. See page 60 for the latest letter on the subject in our special 10-page report from the Pony Club Polo Championships.

“Hurry up mum. I’ve got a chukka in a minute!”

Congratulations to (and considerations for) the HPA Sir, now that the high-goal season is over, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what was good this year and what could still be improved. I start by saying a hearty “well done” to the HPA for implementing, fine tuning and carrying through the no-turning rule. Having watched the majority of the Queen’s Cup and the Gold Cup matches and all of the Warwickshire Cup, it was a delight to see fast, open and exciting polo: no longer dominated by one 10-goaler, but a real team game. This has permeated right down to low-goal and the Pony

Club, making for better polo in all grades. It is now a delight to watch, play in and much easier to umpire. The umpiring is also now so much stricter and the players do not seem to be forever remonstrating and trying to “work” the officials. Hopefully next season the perennial problem of appealing will be tackled. There will always be dissent from a small minority in the polo world on rule changes, the very vast majority say “well done HPA”! However, on a more negative note, given that we saw two so-called “Internationals” in the

hastily cobbled-together matches at Cowdray and Beaufort this summer, would it not be a good idea to have a proper team selection for the British team for the Test Matches? My idea would be for 10 British players to be picked, and of those chosen eight who would be willing and keen to play against one another, and then the selectors could find the best four. Having chosen their top selection, let them play against the second choice. That should make for a good game! I realise that it is a very short and busy season and these players have lots of games,

although sadly very few of them play in the Gold Cup these days, but the contest could simply replace the two games that the HPA already organises. Why not ask some of the top umpires who see these players all the time to come and spectate? They could help give an unbiased opinion. Perhaps some new faces on and off the polo ground would also be advantageous to the game. I await with bated breath the correspondence that will no doubt follow. Lavinia Black Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Better commentary could make live streaming a real asset Sir, through the timely link in your email newsletter on 22 July, I was delighted to be able to enjoy the live video streaming of the Coronation Cup from the comfort of my own home. My thanks are also due to the two sponsors of that link. However, I do wonder who the broadcast’s target audience was? If that target was Joe www.polotimes.co.uk

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Public, then the cosy golf-style commentary (apparently by an Old Etonian using Estuary English and an expert racereader) might not have been the ideal choice. Polo should make dramatic viewing (even on small screens or laptops). And so, in order to make it both more comprehensible and enjoyable

for such viewers, I’d suggest that future commentators should: · avoid speaking to every stroke; · associate player’s names with their shirt numbers more than just once; · identify distinguishing features like helmet colour; · compare the ground with a football pitch – size, goal width, and frequency of

changing ends; · and, for goodness sake, say “60-yard penalty” rather than “penalty 4”! I much look forward to hearing other readers’ suggestions for taking the puzzle out of polo. Roy Law, Hampton Hill, Middlesex Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 16:24:35

Feature Polo players who hunt

The faint hearted need not apply As winter fast approaches and we wave goodbye to the outdoor polo season, a large number of players take to the hunting field in the wet and windy months. Georgie May finds out what drives them to go, what they love about it and how hunting alone sometimes isn’t enough

Juggling business and pleasure

s the polo season draws to a close later this month, polo ponies are turned away for their well-earned break and pros fly off to warmer climes. However, some players dust off their hunt coats, pull out their breeches and top up their hip flask ready for a season of charging around the British countryside. Similar to polo, hunting is fast-paced, adrenalin-fuelled and not for the faint hearted. So, it’s popular with all types of players across the UK and Ireland, from Pony Clubbers to patrons, who immerse themselves in a winter of thrills and spills.

The die-hards Robert Thame, forty-two years old, is a joint master of the Bicester with Whaddon Chase, one of 149 foxhound packs in England. Having played with the Al Habtoor polo team in the low and medium-goal this season, Thame will now be found galloping across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire hunt country on one of his six hunters for the next six months. “In August I had both polo ponies and hunters stabled and in work, which was a nightmare in terms of fitting it all in,” Thame said. “Fortunately I have a horsewalker, which is more valuable than a dishwasher! “I hunt at least three days a week being joint master. I don’t play arena polo, mainly because there is nowhere close by to play but also because hunting comes first. There is more adrenalin in hunting, it lasts much longer and is more unpredictable and closer to nature than polo. “There is a wider cross-section of people 28

Hunting in Ireland tests the bravery of both horse and rider

and socially, hunting is much better. We have skittles evenings and hunt balls for example, which are very well supported. In polo you play your game and then rush off. Although, I do think polo was perhaps more sociable back in the day.” Just over the border from Thame and his hunt, is the Cotswold Hunt in Gloucestershire. Lavinia Black, a zero-goal player, umpire and SUPA representative, is an amateur whipper-in for the Cotswold and has been hunting virtually all her life. She follows Rosie Vestey, who is senior master of the Gloucestershire-based hunt, and whose family has long enjoyed hunting as well as polo.

Patrick Heffron, player and patron of Neptune, a team who play here and in Ireland, is a joint master of the South Tyrone Hunt in Northern Ireland. As well as hunting and playing polo, he also has to fit in a fulltime job, running his urban regeneration and property investment firm, Neptune Group. “I get up very early to fit it all in! I live in Ireland but commute to London – where my firm is based – three days a week. During the first half of the polo season, I play at Beaufort and Cirencester Park and then play at the Northern Ireland Polo Club in June and July. I use August as a holiday, where I do as little as possible, before cubbing begins in September. “The South Tyrone is tough. I wouldn’t dare take a polo pony out – they wouldn’t be able to cope. You need an Irish Sports Horse-type – plenty of blood and very clean. We jump a lot of wire, as well as gates, hedges and ditches.” In terms of the social side of hunting, Heffron agrees with Robert Thame: “With hunting you are part of a community, whereas in polo you can play one season and not the next and no one knows you are missing. Hunting is a way of life for me – I am the joint master of the South Tyrone foxhounds in Northern Ireland and my wife, children and cousins all come out.” Also joint master of the South Tyrone is Stephen Hutchinson. Like Heffron, he’s a patron, playing up to 12-goal and based at Beaufort during the summer. He runs his own business – Tayto (potato crisps). “Most of the business is in England, so I

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Polo players who hunt

Feature

can spend most of the summer months in Gloucestershire,” Hutchinson says. “At the end of the season I go back to Ireland, where the polo ponies are also wintered, and get stuck into hunting. “I don’t play arena polo but we have recently put in a full-size arena at home, in Tandragee, so I think we will start up arena polo soon.”

Photograph by IPC Media

“In August, I had both polo ponies and hunters stabled and in work. Fortunately I have a horsewalker, which is more valuable than a dishwasher!” – Robert Thame

From polo pony to hunter By comparison with Ireland’s tough terrain, in the UK some of the tamer hunts can accommodate polo ponies. Andrew Swaffield, chief executive of the Mileage Company, which sponsors the England team, hunts his polo ponies with the Kent and Surrey Bloodhounds, albeit without jumping. “I didn’t have the chance to go out last winter due to work commitments but I plan to go out again this season,” Swaffield, a member at Burningfold Polo Club, comments. “The hunt caters for non-jumpers very well, with routes to go round the jumps. The first time the ponies went out, their eyes were on stalks and they lost a lot of fluid in sweat but the second time they were like professional hunters. I like to keep my three ponies going throughout the winter, as I believe they enjoy the variety and it makes them easier to fitten up for the polo season.” During the summer, Kirtlington Park members Charlotte Harris and her boyfriend Julio Sepulveda take out their Chilean polo ponies on hound exercise to help u Polo patrons Stephen Hutchinson (left) and Patrick Heffron (right) are also joint masters of the South Tyrone in Ireland

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Feature Polo players who hunt

Julio Sepulveda, on board one of his patron’s polo ponies, and Charlotte Harris, riding one of her own ponies, enjoy a day out with the Heythrop Hunt in Oxfordshire

u keep them fit. Harris is a joint master of the Fourshires Basset Hounds, a foot-following hunt, and occasionally takes her ponies out during the season to use when whipping-in if the landowners allow. “We like to combine walking the hounds and keeping the ponies fit during the summer,” Oxfordshire-based Harris says. “The Chilean ponies are always good with hounds and popular with the followers. We take them to the early morning meets at the beginning of the season and, if there is a Heythrop (foxhounds) meet near where we live or a Bicester meet at Kirtlington, where we keep the ponies, then we might go out on those too.” Lady player Clare Macnamara, a zerogoaler, keeps three of her five polo ponies in work during the winter, when she uses them for much more than just hunting. “I hunt with the Royal Artillery and the Tedworth, play arena polo, show jump, team chase and do hunter trials. I have two Chilean criollo geldings that I bought from Giles Ormerod, and a super Argentine mare that I’m even thinking about affiliating for

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eventing. They are very talented jumpers and have even given leads to seasoned hunters over jumps. “Last season, Harold Hodges, Debbie Bambridge, Charlie Fraser and I won the Avon Vale open teamchase – all players and all riding polo ponies. Following that, Harold, Debbie, Steve McCraith and I won the West Wilts intermediate teamchase and came second in the open – we would have won, if I had not fallen off! I was in front and came in fast at a big trakehner, took off three strides out and my pony somersaulted. It is the first time the ambulance has got to me – normally I jump back on and finish the course!”

Recognition between polo and hunting Each year, the Pony Club Polo Championships award The Jambo Trophy to the best polo playing and hunting pony. The Pony Club Polo Committee, including the Handley Cross, Surtees and Jorrocks section managers, decide who is most worthy of the award. This year it went to Hector Chamberlain’s 13.1hh-pony Jerry. His team, the Cotswold Hunt, also won Handley Cross Division 1 (see pages 52-61).

As well as winning the trophy, Hector and Jerry will have the honour of parading with the hounds prior to the Coronation Cup on the HPA’s International Day next July. The trophy originated about 10 years ago, when three New Forest members – Jonathan, Georgina and Helen Stuart – played and hunted a super pony called Jambo. Their mother, Diana Halford, a section manager for the Handley Cross, felt it was important to award outstanding hunting ponies that also proved their worth on the polo field and, so, the Jambo Trophy was born. Jambo was passed on by the Stuart family to two-goaler Matt Perry, who owned and played him for many years. Now nearly 30-years-old, he was seen playing at this year’s championships.

It’s a family affair Thirteen-year-old Pony Club player Lolly Stanhope-White isn’t averse to a hedge or two, hunting her polo ponies alongside her mother, Trini, father Justin and sister Jasmine, with the Taunton Vale Foxhounds. “Trini hunted one of Lolly’s ponies,

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Polo players who hunt

Feature

Taking it to the next level The Golden Button Challenge, hosted by the Ledbury Hunt, is one of the most fiercely contested hunt rides. Held on New Year’s Eve, the 31/2-mile cross-country race – styled on an original steeple chase – is certainly not for the faint hearted. Each year, around 50 riders enter, from jockeys to polo players, faced with the challenge of completing the course of 25 fences – including ditches, hedges and solid timber, which can often be around five feet in height, or even bigger. Clare Macnamara and Charlie Fraser, riding polo ponies Duqueco and Ace, taking part in a hunter trial at Larkhill And the prize? A golden button, which can be proudly sewn onto your hunt coat. There the Duke of Beaufort, had similar misfortune Caramello, last season,” Justin explains. are buttons for the winner, the first lady, the in his youth when out hunting with his father “Lolly played her this summer, including the first under 21, the first non-thoroughbred, first Simon, a former field master. Stagshead Trophy at Ham in August, and Irish rider and first veteran. Francesca Nimmo, “When I was young, I used to follow my Jasmine will hunt her and play her in the a zero-goaler, was the first under-21 in 2006 dad over fences on my 12.2hh pony Tom arena this winter. on her horse Us Four (as pictured above). Thumb,” Tomlinson says. “ We approached “We generally keep four polo ponies in “The idea of the race is that it is an old a small-looking hedge with a stream work over the winter, as well as two hunters fashioned point-to-point,” Nimmo tells Polo running underneath. I saw my dad waving and a fluffy [a small Pony Club pony]. One Times. “All runners start at the same time at me after he landed, which I read as him of those is Chizzie, who Jasmine now hunts. and it can become a bit chaotic as there waving me on rather than telling me to When Lolly was 10 years old, she was asked tend to be a lot of loose horses running stop! My pony landed in the middle of the around!” At this year’s race, postponed to stream, while I was catapulted clear to the 15 January due to snow on New Year’s Eve, other side. We went back to measure it the only 21 of the 48 starters completed the following day and the stream turned out to course, including zero-goaler Lucy Holland be 14-feet wide!” who finished in eighth place. Holland has “Tom Thumb was given to us by the even taken to the course side-saddle in – Justin Stanhope-White Budgett family, unbroken,” Luke’s mother, previous years. Claire, says. “He was hunted by Emma, Luke “The mixed timber hedges tend to and Mark – he also evented, show jumped to take part in the Taunton Vale teamchase catch horses out,” Nimmo continues. and played polo. He was a legend!” last minute because someone had dropped “Thoroughbreds tend to be the best choice “I don’t get to go out very often anymore out. She took Chizzie, who is 12.2hh, and of horse – you need something clever, due to being based abroad for much of the completed the intermediate course. She brave, good at jumping and has good winter,” Luke continues. “But my mother hailed a cab [held both reins in one hand stamina. Us Four was 16 when I first took still goes out with her hunters regularly and while holding the other up in the air and part and was ideal for the job – sometimes Emma, Mark and my father are all still keen. standing in the stirrups] over every jump the older ones are slightly wiser. He was “I really like hunting as it is your own fun because she was worried Chizzie may have originally a point-to-pointer, trained by my and you don’t have to worry about anyone pecked on landing but he jumps like a stag father – who said that if he didn’t win a race, else. Every day is different and it really tests and sailed over the fences. which fortunately he did, then he would your riding – hunting got me riding more than “She wasn’t so lucky last season, when her have turned him into a polo pony. After he 14.2hh pony Dex pecked on landing after she polo did when I started out, aged seven.” retired from point-to-pointing I hunted him followed me over a huge hedge. She fell off for a few seasons with the Bicester before and was knocked out but, after a rest at her Club spirit then doing the Golden Button Challenge.” auntie’s house just down the road, she was At least 30 of Taunton Vale Polo Club’s 70 The Golden Button will take place once back out again later.” playing members go hunting in the winter, again on 31 December. If you wish to England player and seven-goaler Luke including five of the 10 children that play. take part, contact Louise Daly on 07721 Tomlinson, whose family regularly hunts with The hunt chairman, Johnny Sumption, takes u 956599 or visit www.goldenbutton.co.uk.

“When Lolly was 10, she completed an intermediate teamchase on her 12.2hh pony”

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Feature Polo players who hunt

Where can I go hunting in the UK? Across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales there are 450 hunting packs, more than half of which are foxhound packs – totalling 232. Other hunting packs include bassets, beagles, bloodhounds, draghounds, harriers, minkhounds, rabbit dogs and staghounds. Hunting country varies across the UK and Ireland, from large banks down in Cornwall to stone walls in Gloucestershire and lots of wire in Northern Ireland. The type of horse needed varies on what type of country you are going to cross – a three-quarter or halfAbove: a young Luke Tomlinson disappears into bred horse is advisable where you need to a hedge on Tom Thumb, who was also hunted by brother Mark and sister Emma stop, jump and go, such as in Ireland, while Right: Stephen Hutchinson, joint master of the South a nimble horse with plenty of blood will be Tyrone in Ireland, clears a wire fence needed to withstand the likes of the moor down in Devon. If you wish to take your polo pony out, but don’t want to jump it, check with the hunt first to see whether they u one of his polo ponies out hunting all season, rides it in the charity hunt race and plays it cater for non-jumpers. throughout the summer. There are a number of hunts up and “There’s not much else to do down here in down the country popular with polo players. the winter,” Trini Stanhope-White says. “So a We name a few here: lot of people go hunting. If you grew up with Berkshire – Old Berkshire; Berks and hunting, as I did, it rubs off on the children so Bucks Draghounds they’ll end up following suit. It’s a tight-knit Devon – Eggesford; Cotley; Tiverton; community and there’s lots of camaraderie.” Taunton Vale Bicester with the Whaddon Chase attracts Gloucestershire – Duke of Beaufort’s; an array of Kirtlington Park-based players, Cotswold; Ledbury who decline to rest during the winter. TwoHampshire – Royal Artillery; Hampshire; goaler Andrew Barlow goes out with his wife Tedworth; New Forest and three children, Lucy Holland – who often hunts and jumps sidesaddle – goes out with Hertfordshire – Cambridgeshire with her husband Simon, and Francesca Nimmo Enfield Chace; Puckeridge and her father Chris are all often seen out Ireland – South Tyrone; Wicklow; Co. with the Bicester. Galway (The Blazers) The club also holds an annual Bicester vs Lincolnshire – Cottesmore; Belvoir; Grafton hunt match in June, where Bicester Fitzwilliam huntsman Patrick Martin (-2 goals), Sam Oxfordshire – Bicester with Whaddon Tylor (1), Robert Thame (4) and Andrew Chase; Heythrop Barlow (2) usually take part. Northamptonshire – Pytchley; Woodland Pytchley; Grafton Surrey – Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent; Surrey Union; Kent and Surrey Bloodhounds West Sussex – Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray Hunt Wiltshire – Avon Vale; South and West Wilts; Vine and Craven Yorkshire – Bedale; Middleton To see a full list of hunts in the UK and across the world, visit www.bailyshuntingdirectory.com

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The thrill of the chase outdoes the thrill of the arena Generally, those that have the opportunity to play arena polo will still also hunt, but many hunters don’t do both, as they can play polo in the summer. However, in Michael Herbst’s case, he gave up hunting altogether so that he could play arena polo. Herbst, the founder of Polo Wicklow in Ireland, was an avid hunter, going out with

the Wicklow Foxhounds, the renowned Galway Blazers and Bray Harriers for 20 years, before giving in to arena polo when he built a manège on his farm. “In 1993, I found that I was missing polo during the winter and it took too long to get fit again for the summer,” Herbst explains. “I had the ponies wasting in the field for the winter, which was toughest on the older ones so, after being introduced to arena polo in the US, I decided to build a polo arena on my farm in Wicklow. “Once I had the arena, that was it – I never looked back. A very close friend of mine, Craig McKinney, was a master for the South County. He would hunt then race over the mountains to jump on his polo ponies and play under floodlights at Wicklow! This was also used as a great opportunity to exhaust our visiting teams, who joined Craig on many occasions.” Does he miss hunting at all? “I don’t think so. With arena polo, you have the luxury of a nice, warm clubhouse to come back to and the social side is the same. I have always said that a good hunt is like a good chukka but you will never have four good hunts in one day. Polo has a great team aspect to it and it’s an hour of non-stop action – hunting can drag out if you are not lucky enough to get a good run.” F

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w Do you have any good hunting stories to tell? Write to us at letters@polotimes.co.uk

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17/8/11 14:03:53

Reports Cartier International: England vs Brazil, Guards Polo Club

England parties on happy 100th Pomp, pageantry and Prince Philip created a palpable sense of occasion for Cartier’s swansong as the headline sponsors of the Coronation Cup. However, as our correspondent explains, it was the quality of the show rather than the Test Match itself that made this year’s International Day

Herbert Spencer at Guards

England Brazil

Photograph by Jingye Luo

8 6

he Hurlingham Polo Association’s International Day, the world’s biggest one-day polo event, was 40 years old this year and the HPA was celebrating the centenary of its Coronation Cup. So the association’s 2011 Cartier International was always bound to be quite a party. In fact, it was the grandest show staged by the HPA at host club Guards since the Queen’s Golden Jubilee year, 2002. Then there was a record 125 young riders in the opening parade, carrying the flags of all 52 Commonwealth countries, with the Queen presenting the Coronation Cup and the HPA’s new Golden Jubilee Trophy. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, patron of the HPA, presided this year, when England faced Brazil. Upon his arrival at Smith’s Lawn, Prince Philip was reunited with his teammates from his Windsor Park team that 34

won the Cowdray Park Gold Cup in 1969: Lord Patrick Beresford, the Marquis of Waterford who flew in from Ireland for the occasion, and Paul Withers. The prince, unusually, joined 240 of English polo’s great and good for luncheon in the big HPA marquee, beautifully decorated and with an historical display tracing the 100year history of the Coronation Cup. During lunch HPA chief executive David Woodd presented Prince Philip with a framed scroll from the association “in recognition of his 90th birthday and his support of our sport over many years as a player and patron.” HRH appeared most pleased and left the marquee with his gift under his arm. Prince Philip took his place on the balcony of the Royal Box along with HPA chairman Most valuable player

Luke Tomlinson Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers, Arnaud Bamberger of sponsors Cartier and other dignitaries to watch the traditional opening parade that included a red-coated marching u Right: Mark Tomlinson, riding his favourite mare Hestenel, watches in anticipation after hitting a cut shot to goal, but a general lack of excitement in the game meant not everyone kept their eyes on the ball

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Cartier International: England vs Brazil, Guards Polo Club

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Reports

17/8/11 15:51:13

Reports Cartier International: England vs Brazil, Guards

How the match unfolded... Compiled by Margie Brett

First chukka

Second chukka

Third chukka

England started with one goal on handicap. An early foul by Brazil gave Luke Tomlinson the chance to score from a penalty, which he duly did to take England’s lead to two. US Open finalist Rodrigo Andrade responded with a field goal. It could then have been better for England, but both Mark Tomlinson and James Beim missed chances in the chukka.

Brazil still looked unsettled by the occasion and an early foul handed England another goal, scored from 40 yards by Luke Tomlinson. Then Brazil began to link better and, after another miss by Mark Tomlinson, a field goal kept Brazil within striking distance of their hosts, though Ganon later missed the chance to draw the sides level.

England misses (from James Beim and Luke Tomlinson) and no attempts on goal at all by Brazil made this a lean chukka. A tough ride-off by Andrade on Luke Tomlinson saw Tomlinson off his pony injured but back in play five minutes later and fit enough to score the only goal of the chukka – a 60-yard penalty.

England 2, Brazil 1

England 3, Brazil 2

England 4, Brazil 2

Left: Brazil’s Luis Paulo Bastos gives chase as England’s Mark Tomlinson makes another barn-storming run during the final chukka

u band, Pony Club Polo riders, a horse-drawn World War I ambulance promoting the charity of the day, Horses Help Heroes, and a bevy of scantilly-clad Samba dancers. Then came the main event, the Coronation Cup Centenary match between England, sponsored by Audi UK, and Brazil, supported by Equus & Co. Sadly, the match did not live up to the occasion. It lacked the excitement of what one expects from an international at the 28/29-goal level, nothing like previous Coronation Cup encounters such as those nail-biting matches of 2000, 2002 and 2005 when the games went to seven chukkas. Brazil brought over a 29-goal team comprised of two eight-goal professionals and two amateurs – but what amateurs! Here in England and in the US we are accustomed to seeing amateurs as high-goal

Photograph by Jingye Luo

Photograph by Centaur Photographic

The day’s earlier game, the Golden Jubilee Cup, produced a more riveting contest, featuring Nick Pepper (above) in fine form

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Cartier International: England vs Brazil, Guards Polo Club

Fifth chukka

Sixth chukka

Brazil’s captain, José Eduardo Kalil, retired due to the recurrence of an old injury to his ankle and was replaced by Luis Carlos de Mello. A heat-of-the moment turn on the ball in defence by Nacho Gonzalez gave Brazil an easy penalty to bring their score to three. But, in the best chukka of the Test Match, England quickly responded with two field goals from Mark Tomlinson to build up a three-goal lead.

Brazil rallied, taking advantage of some wayward England finishing and further fouls by Gonzalez, who had a mixed afternoon. However, after scoring an early penalty, another foul proved to be counter-productive for the Brazilians, when eight-goaler Ganon’s 60-yard spot hit caught substitute de Mello on the back of his thigh.Then a field goal from Andrade brought them back to their original one-goal deficit.

Any hopes that Brazil may have had to draw level and overtake England were dashed after Luis Paulo Bastos missed the chance to equalise and then two striking field goals, first from Luke Tomlinson and then from James Beim took the game away from the visitors. The final response from Brazil was a field goal from Ganon and a further huge long-range attempt from him went wide. England were the winners.

England 6, Brazil 3

England 6, Brazil 5

England 8, Brazil 6

Photograph by Jingye Luo

Fourth chukka

Luke Tomlinson receives medical attention after being injured in a powerful ride-off in the third chukka

patrons rated at zero or, at best, one or two goals. Brazil’s skipper, José Eduardo Kalil, was six goals and Luis Paulo Bastos was a seven, making him equal with Canada’s Freddie Mannix as one of the world’s highest-rated amateurs. The Brazilians were all playing off their home country handicaps, but in the end the HPA and the Brazilian association agreed that all the competitors would play off their highest handicaps anywhere in the world. So

With Cartier off, the HPA’s International Day is a juicy sponsorship plum, ripe for picking England captain Luke Tomlinson was rated at his Argentine handicap of eight goals rather than his HPA rating of seven. This made England a 28-goal team against Brazil’s 29. Brazil received £25,000 from the HPA www.polotimes.co.uk

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for their expenses of pony hire and local transport; the home team got £12,000. Brazil were rumoured to have spent much more than that on their ponies. They tried some 100 mounts and came to the ground with 40, strangely many from medium-goal rather than high-goal strings. Pony power was not a problem for the visitors, with some observers feeling Brazil was as well-mounted as England. What did seem apparent, however, was that the Brazilians, who had never played together before they came to England, lacked coordination as a team. They also suffered the disruption of being forced to replace their captain, José Eduardo Kalil, at half time, when the recurrence of an old ankle injury meant he realised he would be prevented from continuing. England were by far the more experienced and disciplined team, but even so they did not look at their best as they took the Coronation u

Reports

Analysis by Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers Comment from the HPA’s chairman, who reflects on the positives on the association’s biggest day of the year The first thing to say is how fantastic it was of the Brazilians to make such a wonderful effort to come all that way to play us, something which I’m afraid we haven’t been able to persuade the Americans to do for many years. They were very gracious guests and it was impressive that they put up two amateur gentlemen to play alongside two pros when faced with an all-professional England team with their tails up. I thought the horses generally looked fairly well matched and so, at the end of the day, the principal difference was simply that England played as a team better than the Brazilians did. They seem to be slotting together nicely, which is very encouraging. However, in some ways I’d have to say that, while the Coronation Cup is always a wonderful spectacle, the earlier game of the day was actually the more enjoyable to watch as far as the pure polo was concerned. It was open and flowing and was one of the best games I’ve seen. It also seemed to showcase the shift in the last couple of years, in which players seem to be rewarded more for playing with that open style. Those that ran the ball and tried to use it quickly and pass it faired much better than those who tried to retain possession, though it’s true to say that no one appeared to be marking anyone for long periods in the game! The contest made me realise the crop of new talent we have emerging, which is very pleasing. Equally pleasing as far the whole event was concerned, particularly for the HPA, was that the weather stayed fine. At Ham we have lost more than half a dozen days to rain this season, which is very rare, and so we were blessed that the conditions were so good. The weather was also great news for Cartier, so that they could bow out of the International Day on a high, with the sun out, a full house in, and an England win. F

Former England captain Howard Hipwood:

“

It was a strange game, because Brazil were certainly in it. Brazil’s problem was they missed several easy clear-cut chances. They had good horses within their side – many of those lent are horses I know myself – and so it seemed to me that their biggest failing was in being too nervous and too tentative. Nevertheless, while they had good mounts, I suppose I couldn’t say whether they had the same quality all the way through, and so this could have made a difference to some extent. However, the fact remains that Brazilians got themselves in good positions, but missed their chances.

”

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17/8/11 15:52:47

Reports Cartier International: England vs Brazil, Guards Polo Club

Why are you here?! Without mincing our words, we discovered what brought various members of the public to the HPA’s International Day

The lovers

The regulars

Bradley Birmingham and Gemma Corrigan “Bradley bought me a ticket for my 30th birthday. I’ve played polo but I’ve never seen a top-level match, so it was a nice present. He also used it as a way of getting us together, because he only bought me one, so he basically said that if I wanted to come, I’d have to come with him. I broke up with my boyfriend at the time and now Bradley and I are together!”

Colin Fowler and Samantha Sullivan “We come to Cartier every year for the polo, picnics and parties. We don’t like to miss a moment. It changes every year but it is still good fun and today the sun is out – it is just always a really great day.”

The new boy

Photograph by Centaur Photographic

Dimi Lezinska “I’m here to show support to the Equus Wealth team, who sponsor Brazil, and to tread in the divots – I have been told it is one of the things you have to do before you die. It’s my first time and I just want to see a good game and let the best team win!”

The curious

England coach Carlos Gracida, James Beim, Mark Tomlinson, HPA chairman Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers, HPA Patron HRH Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Cartier UK’s Arnaud Bamberger, Luke Tomlinson, Nacho Gonzalez and Audi’s Jon Zammett celebrate success on the 100th anniversary of the Coronation Cup

u Cup, 8-6. Half of the home team’s goals on the scoreboard came through penalty conversions (three) and from the goal they were awarded on handicap difference. Brazil equalled England in goals scored from the field, four each. The HPA and host club Guards had gone all out to make this double anniversary year a very special affair. This was the last year of Cartier sponsorship of the HPA’s International Day. Despite the rather disappointing main match, any potential new sponsors could not help but be impressed by the show. International Day is a juicy sponsorship plum ripe for the picking. F w In the earlier game, the IG Index/Audisponsored Prince of Wales team beat the How to Spend It.Com-sponsored Hurlingham team, 13-6, with nine goals from Nick Pepper. Hurlingham captain Jonny Good’s nineyear-old mare Minni won the best retrained racehorse award, but it was fellow five-goaler Ed Hitchman who stole the show for Prince of Wales. Read more about Hitchman, as he prepares for the FIP World Cup on page 69 38

Polo Times, September 2011

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Game rating • • • • • • • • • • u HPA Cartier International, Coronation Cup; 24 July 2011; Guards Polo Club Result: England beat Brazil, 8-6 Sponsors: Cartier UK; Audi UK (England); Equus & Co (Brazil) Handicap level: 28-29 goal Most valuable player: Luke Tomlinson Best playing pony: Pelusa, owned by José Donoso, played by James Beim Ferguson Cup for the best young player of the year: Richard Le Poer Coronation Cup teams: England (28): James Beim 7; Mark Tomlinson 7; Luke Tomlinson 8; Nacho Gonzalez 6 Brazil (29): Luis Paulo Bastos 7; Rodrigo Andrade 8; Joao Paulo Ganon 8; José Eduardo Kalil 6 / Luis Carlos de Mello 6 Golden Jubilee Trophy teams: Prince of Wales (18): Nick Pepper 3; Ed Hitchman 5; Malcolm Borwick 6; George Meyrick 4 Hurlingham (18): Jack Richardson 3; Max Charlton 4; Jonny Good 5; Chris Hyde 6

Rafael and Lital Bejerano of The Arch Hotel, London “Neither of us are fans of the sport, so we have come to see how it works and to enjoy the sunshine and the fun environment. It helps that it’s a glorious day, but it’s a nice vibe and we’re keen to educate ourselves about the game.”

The indifferent Erin and Lola Reinelt “The polo is a bit boring to be honest. We are just here for the socialising. It is a fun family day out so we are just here to have a good time.”

The polo tourists Peter Prendeville and John Marshall “I’m here with my friend Peter from Sandalford Polo Club in Western Australia. I have a polo club in Sydney, Kurri Burri, and we both have teams at home. It’s my first time here but Peter has been on a number of occasions. We are gunning for the England side to win as we play with James Beim back at home.” www.polotimes.co.uk

18/8/11 12:21:43

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17/8/11 14:05:18

Reports Warwickshire Cup, Cirencester Park Polo Club

Glorious in Gloucestershire Spectators were treated to a nerve-shredding, see-sawing final in last month’s flat-out and thrilling Warwickshire Cup

Caroline Smail at Cirencester Park

Laird Black Bears

9 8

Most valuable player

Henry Brett in the goalmouth and put the winning goal through the posts for Laird. Black Bears couldn’t recover and, as the final bell

How the match unfolded...

Polo Times, September 2011

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reputation as one of England’s finest was restored with aplomb. For Laird patron Nick Britten-Long, “it was Laird’s best game this year as a team. We are a mixed group of individuals: Henry is very emotional and his play is organized chaos; Tom Morley in contrast remains cool and calm; and Manolo [Fernandez-Llorente] is a mixture of the two.” This mix balanced out in Laird’s favour in this final, but Black Bears were very much in contention to the last and, at the start of the final chukka, Photograph by Tom Reynolds

ick Britten-Long’s Laird dominated in the last chukka to beat old rivals Black Bears, 9-8, in the final of the Warwickshire Cup at Cirencester Park. Any doubts about the positive impact of the new rules were overcome as spectators were treated to a nail-biting final showcasing fast, open fourman polo packed with end-to-end action, excitement and good solid umpiring. With two minutes left on the clock and the score level at 8-8, former England captain Henry Brett extracted the ball from a melee

sounded, spectators realised they had witnessed one of the most evenly matched and exhilarating games of the season, successfully reminding us how good 20goal polo can be at its best. An emphasis on team play was a contributing factor to the prevalence of end-to-end action. Black Bears began by accurately reading the game and their opponents’ movements – but, if the first chukka belonged to Black Bears, the second was definitely Laird’s. The Cirencester-based side’s attacking intentions, which had hitherto been thwarted, suddenly came to prominence and, in particular, brought Brett firmly to the attention of the spectators. Fernandez-Llorente was Laird’s star player in the semis but the final most certainly belonged to Brett. His quick thinking and impressive stick work made him stand out from beginning to end. Having been plagued by elbow problems in previous years, it finally seems as though all those hours with a personal trainer and an Olympic physio have paid off. Brett will hope this match can act as a turning point, as the 36-year-old’s erstwhile

Black Bears’ patron Guy Schwarzenbach (left) showed his aptitude and highgoal experience, as did Laird patron Nick Britten-Long

First chukka

Second chukka

Third chukka

Black Bears came out fighting, dominating the play. Failing to score on the first two attempts, a field goal by Harper (riding Prize – see page 69) five minutes in opened the scoring 1-0. Laird were unlucky with a few bounces off ponies and Harper stopped a spot hit by Morley, who then managed to regain possession but put the ball wide.

A highly skilled nearside goal from Brett to make it 1-1 marked Laird’s entry into the game in what was definitely their chukka. They finally enjoyed some decent possession and the conversion of two penalties by Tom Morley gave them the lead, 3-1. This was then narrowed by a field goal from James Harper on the bell, 3-2.

A penalty 5b to Laird was intercepted by Jean du Plessis, who headed for goal out in front but sent his shot just wide. Brett then capitalised on his position, picking up the ball and running it to goal, 4-2. The conversion of two penalties by Clarkin brought the scores level, 4-4, and left all to play for as the spectators went to tread in.

Laird 0, Black Bears 1

Laird 3, Black Bears 2

Laird 4, Black Bears 4

www.polotimes.co.uk

17/8/11 15:56:14

Warwickshire Cup

Reports

How did they perform? We mark the finalists out of 10, based on their effectiveness in terms of handicap

Laird Nick Britten-Long (2) The 34-year-old held his own throughout and proved a valuable member of the team. He was strongest in the sixth when he put in a couple of crucial backhands to help secure their victory.

Photograph by Luru Wei

The final’s most valuable player Henry Brett follows his strike as the ball sails towards the Black Bears’ goal

only narrowly missed out on going three goals ahead for the second time in the game, which could well have killed Laird’s chances. Nevertheless, the team’s long-serving talisman, New Zealander John Paul Clarkin, had a few complaints with their performance. “It is the first time this Black Bears team has played in this formation,” Clarkin revealed, “and we just didn’t gel together as we should have done.” But every player gave their all, playing on some wonderful horses, and showing great skill on a genuinely memorable afternoon. Just two years ago, Arthur DouglasNugent wrote in his column in Polo Times that “the umpires and members of the rules committee have a big job on their hands to improve polo as a spectacle. It has lost some of its magic of late.” If this game was anything to go by, with end-to-end polo, two teams with little to choose between them and a result that could easily have gone either way, that magic has

most certainly returned and polo is once again a pleasure to watch. F w Read more about James Harper on page 69 and see social snaps from the final on page 90

Game rating • • • • • • • • • • u The Warwickshire Cup; 26 July – 7 August; Cirencester Park Polo Club Result: Laird beat Black Bears, 9-8 Handicap Level: 17-20 goals Number of team entries: six Most valuable player: Henry Brett Best playing pony: Mandarinka owned and played by Henry Brett Best Thoroughbred playing pony: Secret Dossier, owned and played by Henry Brett Teams Black Bears (20): Guy Schwarzenbach 2; John Paul Clarkin 8; Jean Du Plessis 5; James Harper 5 Laird (20): Nick Britten-Long 2; Tom Morley 6; Henry Brett 6; Manolo Fernandez-Llorente 6

Fourth chukka

Fifth chukka

Sixth chukka

After two failed attempts at goal by Laird, Clarkin stole the ball from a hit in and slotted it through the posts on the nearside to regain the Black Bears’s lead, 5-4. A further two field goals made it 7-4. Laird fought back with the conversion of a penalty by Morley in the final seconds.

An impressive field goal from Fernandez-Llorente after three minutes brought Laird storming back into the game, 7-6. A hit to Black Bears taken by Clarkin was passed up to du Plessis to slot through the posts and retain their commanding-looking two-goal advantage going into the last.

Black Bears missed a crucial 60-yarder and remained scoreless while Laird put three field goals on the board to seal their victory, 9-8. Black Bears had a final chance with 15 seconds to go – Clarkin passed his hit from the spot for Harper to launch at goal but, excruciatingly, it went just wide.

Laird 5, Black Bears 7

Laird 6, Black Bears 8

Laird 9, Black Bears 8

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Tom Morley (6) Morley’s calm and consistent presence made him a central figure, utilising his powerful hitting to the advantage of his team. He successfully converted three penalties and set up a number of their goals.

Henry Brett (6) Undoubtedly the star of the game, Brett scored a number of spectacular goals and made a clean sweep of all the individual awards as well. With a top string of fast and agile ponies, he often out-ran other players to the ball.

Manolo Fernandez-Llorente (6) Although Manolo had some moments of brilliance in the game, he was not on top form. However, a couple of spectacular field goals in the fifth and sixth chukkas, meant he certainly wasn’t to be discounted.

Black Bears Guy Schwarzenbach (2) A strong presence, Schwarzenbach is a skilled patron and often a very useful player for his side. He worked hard to keep his opposing team out of the action and his game has undoubtedly improved over the season.

John Paul Clarkin (8) The 33-year-old Kiwi defused a number of Laird’s attacks, converted two important penalties and capitalised on a mistake by Laird to score a good field goal in the fourth, though he still wasn’t on his finest form, having broken a collarbone in June.

Jean du Plessis (5) The South African’s speed and agility meant he proved invaluable to the team. His finest moment was at the end of the fifth, when he picked up a pass from Clarkin and cut the ball through the goalposts to make it 8-6.

James Harper (5) Harper was on top form, using his strength working hard in defence to stop a significant number of attempts to score by Laird and scoring three of his team’s eight goals. He is surely a home-grown talent whose handicap will be kept a close eye on when the changes are announced.

Polo Times, September 2011

17/8/11 15:56:23

Reports Goodwood Week, Cowdray Park

Goodwood success for McCowen and Ephson Charlie McCowen’s Lamrei won the 15-goal Harrison Cup during Goodwood Week, while Martin Ephson triumphed alongside his son Ludo in the 8-goal Holden White

Clare Milford Haven in West Sussex

espite the cancellation of the high-goal Challenge Cup, Goodwood Week at Cowdray Park witnessed no shortage of thrilling polo as the finals of both the Harrison Cup and the Holden White were decided by just a single goal. Polo manager Chris Bethell was forced to cancel the Challenge Cup after only one team entered the 17-20 goal tournament. The Harrison Cup and the Holden White more than made amends, though, as Charlie McCowen’s Lamrei and Martin Ephson’s Poulton tasted success. The final of the 15-goal Harrison on Sunday July 31 was fought out on Lawns One between McCowen’s Cowdray stalwarts, Lamrei, and Satinder Garcha’s Elevation, who featured three English pros – Jack Richardson (3), Richard Le Poer (4) and Tom Morley (6). Harrison Cup most valuable player

Photographs by Clive Bennett

Santiago Gaztambide Lamrei – who included six goalers Juan Ruiz Guinazu and Santiago “Flaco” Gaztambide alongside young English twogoaler and budding commentator John Kent – dominated the first chukka, scoring the opening goal within seconds of the first throw in, before easing into a 4-0 lead. Morley, Le Poer and Richardson all scored in the second chukka as Elevation finally raised their game. And, despite Lamrei 42

Polo Times, September 2011

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Juan Ruiz Guinazu of Lamrei, left, rides off Elevation’s Jack Richardson during the 15-goal Harrison Cup final

scoring further goals through a signature cutshot by McCowen and a break-away goal by Gaztambide, Elevation equalised at 6-6 in the third chukka before taking an unlikely 7-6 lead heading into the fifth and final chukka.

Lamrei finished in the ascendancy, though, and levelled the scores before Gaztambide, whose 10-year-old Argentine mare won the best playing pony prize, galloped clear to put them back in front 8-7. Both sides scored www.polotimes.co.uk

17/8/11 15:58:07

Left to right: Tom de Bruin, an extremely animated Matias Machado, Martin Ephson, George Meyrick, Ludo Ephson, Janie Dear and Freddie Dear all jostle for position during the Holden White final at Cowdray Park

late penalties as Lamrei sealed a 9-8 win. The Holden White final on the previous day witnessed two family led teams battling it our for the cup. Apache – featuring Janie Dear and her son Freddie – were narrowly beaten 6-5 by Poulton, whose line-up included Martin Ephson and his son Ludo. Both teams qualified out of Cirencester, breaking the trend of the last few years,

The Holden White final saw two family-led teams battling to win the prestigious cup which has seen Cowdray-based teams monopolising the finals. Certainly this was not Martin Ephson’s first attempt at securing the much coveted 8-goal cup, which has been battled for since 1952. He won it in 2005, when playing under the notable colours of Farrow & Ball, but www.polotimes.co.uk

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on paper his side went into this final as underdogs against an Apache team who comfortably won the Archie David at Guards, and had only been beaten twice in 17 games all season. Poulton started well with two early goals, but Apache soon stormed ahead 5-2, aided by an own goal by Martin Ephson and a great goal by Freddie Dear. Apache missed two glorious chances to extend their lead as two penalties went wide before goals by Poulton’s Ludo Ephson and Max Charlton narrowed the gap to just one goal heading into the fourth and final chukka. Another impressive goal by Ludo Ephson drew Poulton level before Charlton put them in front 6-5 after a great run down the field. Apache had a great chance to send the game into an extra chukka in the final seconds, but yet another penalty drifted wide as Martin Ephson celebrated his second Holden White triumph. F w See page 20 for more from Clare Milford Haven in her popular Backchat column

u The Harrison Cup 18-31 July 2011; Cowdray Park Result: Lamrei beat Elevation, 9-8 Handicap level: 15 Number of team entries: 10 Best playing pony: Santiaguena, owned, bred and played by Santiago “Flaco” Gaztambide Teams Lamrei (15): John Kent 2; Juan Ruiz Guinazu 6; Santiago Gaztambide 6; Charlie McCowen 1 Elevation (15): Satinder Garcha 2; Jack Richardson 3; Richard Le Poer 4; Tom Morley 6 u The Holden White Challenge Cup 15-30 July 2011; Cowdray Park Result: Poulton beat Apache, 6-5 Handicap level: 8 Number of team entries: 32 Best playing pony: Johara, owned, bred and played by Tom de Bruin Teams Poulton (8): Martin Ephson 0; Ludo Ephson 0; George Meyrick 4; Max Charlton 4 Apache (8): Janie Dear -1; Freddie Dear 1; Matias Machado 3; Tom de Bruin 5 Polo Times, September 2011

17/8/11 15:58:22

Reports UK National Women’s Tournament, Ascot Park Polo Club

Silverwood take Gold, even with the handbrake on Beaten 2-goal finalists in 2010 – Silverwood – got the top awards at this year’s two-day IWPA event on the last weekend in July, says Mia Randall-Coath, despite the enforced substitution of the team’s star player Marianela Castagnola after she broke her hand

here was a pleasant synergy at the 2011 UK National Women’s championships, with 22 teams taking part in the 23rd year of the event, which remains the largest of its kind in the world. Ascot Park played host as usual, though the organisation was conducted by the International Women’s Polo Association (IWPA), chaired by Ascot Park’s very own Pippa Gillard, daughter of the club’s founder, Peter Grace. The IWPA aims to promote ladies polo internationally, now with representatives in 33 countries worldwide each seeking to increase the numbers of ladies playing and the amount of sponsorship and support for the female game. Nevertheless, even with 10 events at present and more in the planning, the ladies-only UK National Women’s Tournament is still the flagship event of the calendar. This year, Ascot Park and the IWPA decided its beneficiary would be The Haven, a charity providing breast cancer support centres and outreach services helping women through the physical and emotional side effects of breast cancer treatment. Players came from across the UK and from all levels of the game and, despite the best efforts

Most valuable player in the -2 goal

Photographs by Action Polo

Olivia Mallach of the characteristically wet then surprisingly hot British summer, play started early on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, 30 and 31 July. On three grounds, the first balls were thrown in respectively at 9.00 and 9.30am with play continuing throughout each day. The Stickhedz Polo Apparel 1 to 2 Goal 44

Polo Times, September 2011

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Hayley Hyde-Andrews, winner of the La Tarde award in the 1 to 2 goal level for the most valuable contribution, with La Tarde Polo Club chairman, Juan Martin Sarli

Hazel Jackson, winner of the Chateau de Sours most valuable player award in the 1 to 2 goal level, with Mark Gillard of the sponsors

title was won by Silverwood, who beat Black Eagles 5½-3 in a fantastically exciting final, and who cleaned up all the individual awards as well. La Tarde Polo Club’s award for “the player who most contributed to the success of the team” went to Hayley Hyde-Andrews, the Chateau de Sours MVP award went to Hazel Jackson, and the team’s 15-year-old gelding BeeBop picked up the Roxtons’ best playing pony award. Silverwood lost last year’s final to Pink Power, 7½-7, so were delighted to finally get their hands on the spoils. La Tarde donated five individual awards across the tournament, giving each winner a five-night holiday to their polo club in Argentina. Wine-makers Chateau de Sours meanwhile donated bottles of wine to every individual player as well as impressive

magnums of champagne to the MVPs across all levels. The UberPolo -1 to 0 Goal level final was won in a tight match by Orangefields over Frogmore in another thrilling final, won narrowly 3½-3. The Chateau de Sours MVP was awarded to Orangefield’s Lucy Taylor, and fellow new leading sponsor La Tarde’s award was presented to her teammate Jo Stuart. The Cabello PE Pad best playing pony award went to Marianela Castagnola’s “Cat”, Biggest contribution in the 0-goal

Jo Stuart played by Hazel Jackson. Marianela played for Orangefields on the Saturday, and for www.polotimes.co.uk

17/8/11 16:02:09

UK National Women’s Tournament, Ascot Park Polo Club

Reports

Lucy Taylor gallops away to goal for Silverwood in the 1 to 2 goal final against Black Eagles. Taylor also triumphed in the -1 to 0 goal final, playing for Orangefields

Silverwood in the top 2-goal division, but had to be replaced in both teams for Sunday’s games when it was realised she had broken her hand after receiving a nasty blow from the ball. In the Casablanca -2 to -4 Goal, Apache beat Tottie with the award from La Tarde going to Apache’s Ciara McKibbin, rider of Columbia, named as the Elaine Hughes best playing pony. The Chateau de Sours MVP was awarded to Olivia Mallach, also of Apache. In the Touch of Ginger -5 to -6 Goal final, Tashan Polo beat KHHP. The Chateau de Sours MVP was Sarah Pearce of KHHP, and Karen Perkins of Tashan Polo was deservedly awarded La Tarde’s prize. The Roxtons -7 to -8 goal final was won by Hearts Polo, with the honours from La Tarde this time going to Pippa Vincent of the winning www.polotimes.co.uk

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Action from the -1 to 0 goal final, between Orangefields and Frogmore

team. Teammate Luci Surridge picked up the Chateau de Sours MVP award, while Dark Horse Polo’s Gillian Hughes received the best playing pony rug for Buck, a pony kindly lent to her from Cool Hooves. Dark Horse Polo were also the recipients of the overall prize for the best turnedout team, Rosie Ross picked up the IWPA player of the year award for her performances in 2010 and Sarah Wiseman won the Hung team spirit award in this year’s tournament. Indeed, all games were played in good spirits, with all teams and levels joining together for an

asado on the Saturday, and most sides staying throughout the Sunday for the culmination of the action. Spectators of both sexes enjoyed the polo from the sidelines, where hospitality marquees lined ground one and where shoppers could soak up the atmosphere at the numerous trade stands. “My thanks go to all the sponsors who donated remarkable prizes and to the professional players who supported the tournament,” said Pippa Gillard, chair of the IWPA, who was delighted to see the numbers of teams matching the highs of 2010. Roll on 2012. F w An interview with Marianela Castagnola’s brother Lolo will appear in the October issue, as he prepares for the 2011 Argentine Open u UK National Women’s Polo Tournament; 30-31 July 2011; Ascot Park Polo Club Principal sponsors: La Tarde Polo Club; Chateau de Sours; Stickhedz; UberPolo Handicap levels: 1 to 2 goal; -1 to 0 goal; -4 to -2 goal; -6 to -5 goal; -8 to -7 goal Number of teams: 22 Results 1 to 2 goal winners: Silverwood -1 to 0 goal winners: Orangefields -4 to -2 goal winners: Apache -6 to -5 goal winners: Tashan Polo -8 to -7 goal winners: Hearts Polo Polo Times, September 2011

17/8/11 16:01:20

Reports Home and abroad RCBPC – Polo Festival

Huge crowds and plenty of entries produce festival fun

Photograph by Gillian Hughes

ood weather, a healthy amount of entries and a fun finals day, where up to a thousand spectators enjoyed the Berkshire’s hospitality, made the 2011 Polo Festival – in association with Tally Ho Farm and Royal Salute – a festival to remember. With nine team entries the 7-10 goal, sponsored by Royal Salute, had the highest number of entries in this year’s festival. Playing in three leagues of three teams, Simon Holley’s (0) Asprey London met Clive Reid’s (0) AFB in the first semi-final. A one-goal margin saw AFB through to the final where they met Sara Hales’s (-1) Broadoak Farm. On the day, Broadoak’s Ryan Pemble (5) – named most valuable player – and Sebastian Dawnay (4) helped their side to a 9-5 victory over AFB, featuring five-goalers Peter Webb and Will Emerson. The second final was the ever-popular 4-8 goal, sponsored by Jeff and Julie Thomas of Tally Ho Farm. Paul Knights’ Equibuild MCE eased their way through the semi-finals with a 6-5 win over Shane Younger’s Healthcare International. On the other side of the draw, Tally Ho Farm supporters were devastated to see their entry going out in the semi-finals stage to Richard Davis’s Clashleigh, when Alex Jacob gave tremendous support to both Tarquin Southwell and Jonny Good. In the

Ochos Rios, the -2-2 goal Polo Festival winners: Sergio Baselli and daughter Juliana, Simon and Charlie Holley, Edward Morris-Lowe and Jack Hyde with his father Chris, his brother Josh and his mother Maggie

final, the combination of Tim Bown, Sergio Baselli and Manuel Plaza proved too strong for Clashleigh, who lost their patron Richard Davis to injury. The silverware was deservedly given to Paul Knights as his team Equibuild MCE led for the whole game, ultimately winning 6-4. Last, but by no means least, the -2 to 2 goal final, sponsored by Martell XO, saw the hot favourites Ocho Rios continue their winning streak against the Equibuild MCE team, who made their second appearance of the afternoon – this time Paul Knights was

France – Chantilly Polo Club

Photograph by R&B Presse

Showjumpers test out their polo skills Top French showjumpers tried their hand at polo during the French leg of the Global Champions Tour in Chantilly. Under the instruction of eight-goaler Pancho Bensadon, last year’s World Equestrian Games silver medallist winners – Kevin Staut, Pénélope Leprévost, Oliver Guillon (pictured) and Patrice Delaveau – were treated to an hour’s polo lesson followed by some stick-and-balling. Clearly not exhausted by their experiences on the polo field, Delaveau went on to win the Prix du Domaine de Chantilly a few hours later and Leprévost finished third in the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of France. At the end of the day the show jumpers revealed their plans to return to Chantilly next year to play chukkas alongside some of the club’s regular polo players. 46 Polo Times, September 2011

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joined by Jake Gordon, James Carr and Tim Bown. The Ochos Rios young guns of Charlie Holley, Jack Hyde and Edward Morris-Lowe were relentless as Sergio Baselli used all three to their full potential, running out the winners 9-4. In true festival fashion the prize presentation table seemed to groan under the weight of both trophies and prizes. Clothing and very useful polo accessories given by Tally Ho Farm were notably equalled by the fabulously filled prize presentation boxes given by James Robinson of Pernod Ricard. u Teams 7-10 goal: Broadoak Farm (10): Sara Hale -1; Marianela Castagnola 2; Sebastian Dawnay 4; Ryan Pemble 5 AFB (10): Clive Reid 0; John Gunn 0; Will Emerson 5; Peter Webb 5 4-8 goal: Equibuild MCE (8): Paul Knights -1; Manuel Plaza 3; Sergio Baselli 3; Tim Bown 3 Clashleigh (8): Cody Jones -1; Alex Jacob 0; Tarquin Southwell 4; Jonny Good 5 -2-2 goal: Ochos Rios (2): Charlie Holley -1; Jack Hyde -1; Edward Morris-Lowe 1; Sergio Baselli 3 Equibuild MCE (2): Paul Knights -1; Jake Gordon 0; James Carr 0; Tim Bown 3 www.polotimes.co.uk

18/8/11 13:11:42

Home and abroad

Reports

Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire – The Horserail Polo Challenge

Australasia dominate at Blenheim Palace At this year’s CLA Game Fair, held at Blenheim Palace from 22-24 July, polo took place for the very first time in the form of the Horserail Polo Challenge. The three-a-side tournament featured three international teams – Australasia, South America and Europe. Games were played in the 100 x 80 metres main arena, enclosed by Horserail’s fencing, and spectators were able to get right up close to the action as a soft ball was being used. On the first day, Horserail Australasia, a 12-goal side, played the 13-goal Chatham Marine Clothing South America’s side. With some brilliant goals from Nico Fontanarossa and Gaston Devrient, the South Americans looked as if they were en route to a win but Greg Keyte dominated the last chukka, guiding his Australasian side to victory. Pommery Europe, featuring George Sunderland – whose grandfather the Duke of Marlborough was in the audience – faced Australasia on the second day. Confident from their win the day before, Australasia came

out with all guns blazing and secured a 5-1 lead by half time. However, with the help of Sebastian Dawnay and Robert Thame, the Europe side managed to level the scores in the third chukka. But their opponents proved they were the better side and ran out the eventual winners and took home the trophy. On the final day, Europe played South

America for the wooden spoon, where the Europeans, who had only lost narrowly the day before, this time came out on top. During the event David Ashby’s Oxford Polo School, or TOPS as it is known, ran a very popular stand, where children and adults had a go on the wooden horse, some going away with a genuine interest in the sport.

Blenheim Palace provided the backdrop to the arena at the CLA Game Fair, where the Horserail Polo Challenge took place

St Albans Polo Club – Polo for Heroes

Tournament raises £20k for charity St Albans Polo Club, based in Hertfordshire, held their second annual Polo for Heroes event on 23 July. The day of matches and auctions is estimated to have raised £20,000 – £2,000 more than last year – for Help

for Heroes, the charity that raises funds for injured servicemen and women. The first match of the day, for the Camino Real Trophy, was fought out between the Hackett Army team and St Albans/Irish

Four teams took part in this year’s Polo for Heroes tournament, which helped raise funds for injured servicemen and women

www.polotimes.co.uk

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Guards. The latter started with a two-goal advantage but the Army team soon equalled this, scoring two goals in the opening chukka. The Army moved 4-2 ahead by half time but good teamwork between Steve Collins and Captain Alexander Ashburner-Nix put St Albans back in to contention. However, scrappy play ensued as both teams fought hard and the Army proved to be the stronger team, winning 6-4. Next up, playing for the Hertfordshire Cup, were the St Albans Warriors – sponsored by Invest US – and Silver Leys Skirmishers, sponsored by Horseware. It was a family affair with the Pizarro cousins, Francisco (Horseware) and Javier (Invest US), on opposing teams and young brothers Josh and Olly Cork and their father Andy Cork playing alternative chukkas for the Invest US side. It wasn’t until the second half that the game started to get going, when the experience of Rick Apsland-Robinson and Phillip Seller for Invest US helped them to secure the cup with a 4-3 win. Polo Times, September 2011

18/8/11 13:11:50

Reports Home and abroad Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst – Heritage Polo Cup

Photograph by Tony Ramirez

South Americans succeed at Sandhurst Six nations, players and umpires from 11 different countries and four days of play formed this year’s Heritage Polo Cup, hosted by Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) Polo Club, writes Elisabeth Gansterer. Qualifying games were, for the first time, played at Coworth Park, with the subsidiary final and final played on the Round Ground at RMAS. Dressed in traditional outfits of shirts and ties, supplied by TM Lewin, India – featuring four-goal brothers Manupal and Dhruvpal Godara from Bombay – took on last year’s winners, EFG International British Army Officers, in the first game on finals day for the third and fourth place play-off. Despite the heavy rain, India secured a 9-6½ win over the British Army Officers, which featured OCdt Cameron Bacon, who is

The winning South American side of Raphael Singh, Steve Rigby, Matias Amaya and Tomas Iriarte.

now in his intermediate term at the academy. Unfortunately the game was marred by a broken leg to one of Bacon’s ponies, which had to be put down, delaying play by an hour. Pololine.com South America remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, mainly

New York, USA – Monty Waterbury Cup

High-scoring Biddle beaten by White Birch in Waterbury Cup

Photograph by Alex Pacheco

White Birch defeated Heathcote 16-8 in the final of the Monty Waterbury Cup at Bridgehampton Polo Club in the Hamptons, USA. Starting on 23 July, the 20-goal tournament concluded in a hard fought final on Saturday 13 August, writes Alex Webbe.

White Birch patron Peter Brant rides clear of Nico Taverna during his side’s Monty Waterbury Cup win

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The 17-goal Heathcote team, featuring the tournament’s highest scorer Tommy Biddle, came up against a strong 20-goal White Birch team, so received a three-goal handicap advantage at the start of the game. Heathcote managed to retain their lead in the first two chukkas but Peter Brant’s White Birch flexed their muscles and, with goals from Fred Mannix and Marianno Gracida, White Birch moved one-goal ahead at half time, 6-5. There was little in it during the fourth and fifth chukkas, with Heathcote only trailing by one goal. However, all of a sudden in the second half of the fifth chukka, White Birch broke away scoring three goals to Heathcote’s none. With Heathcote failing to get another goal on the scoreboard, a pair of goals by Mariano Aguerre in the final chukka and two more by Gracida and Mannix, secured a comfortable win for White Birch. “We played them hard throughout most of the game and only trailed by a single goal at half time, and again in the fifth,” Biddle, who was part of the winning team in 2009 and 2010, said. “We’ve had a good season and there is no shame in losing to a team like White Birch.”

due to excellent play by four-goalers Matias Amaya and Tomas Iriarte. They faced a strong eight-goal Luxembourg team, sponsored by Hunters Guildford Land Rover, in the final. Despite the latter looking like the stronger team on paper, South America proved too good, winning 8½-5 One-goaler Raphael Singh, playing for the winning side, was named most valuable player. The best playing pony prize, a rawhide head collar decorated with fresh flowers – a tradition of the tournament – went to Cheeky played by Tomas Iriarte. Following the final, the Four Nations Invitational Polo Team beat the Ladies of the British Empire, 6-0, in the Ladies Exhibition Match. RMAS polo manager Barbara Zingg umpired in side saddle, while the ladies wore traditional, yet fashionable, attire during the game.

West Wycombe Park – Sponsors’ Weekend

Verity Roberts with Victoria and Nicki Williams Gray

Sponsors first West Wycombe Park hosted their Sponsors’ Weekend on 13-14 August, at Sir Edward Dashwood’s private field, where both days were rounded off with a dip in the lake. Five games took place on each day, with local companies sponsoring the teams including Amazing Retreats and Causeway Software. Clark Betz’s side, Bloodshot, named after his new drinks company, won the 0-goal league. Member Rebecca Clare celebrated her 20th birthday on the Saturday with friends and her father Mike. As well as dinner and dancing, there was also a live auction. Will Savage, a club member and a contemporary artist, provided pieces for the auction and Greenpoint Polo donated polo lessons. www.polotimes.co.uk

18/8/11 14:14:54

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Polo Times, September 2011

17/8/11 15:14:47

Reports Home and abroad News in brief

Germany – German Polo Masters Gold Trophy, Sylt

w S outh Africa – Hosts Inanda Polo Club secured victory in the final of the Inanda African Cup Polo series at Sandton on 7 August. They beat fellow South Africans Green Machines,10-6, in the final. Ghana’s African Polistas, the 2008 African Cup series winners, looked on track to repeat that success early in the tournament before finishing in fourth place. Photograph by Steffi Schmalz-Coté

w H am – Club and HPA chairman Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers scored the winning goal for hosts Ham when they beat the Royal Air Force by a single goal in the first ever meeting between the two sides. w Italy – Hosts Argentario Polo Club won the final of the 4-6 goal Coppa Italia FISE for the first time since 2006 in early August. Their opponents, La Mimosa, captained by Stefania Annunziata, equalised with a goal by Argentine player Cristobal Dourrie in the final chukka. However, an excellent goal by 15-year-old Matias Bertola in the last 30 seconds secured a 6-5 victory for the hosts. w G uards/Tidworth – After a disappointing result in the Rundle Cup, the Royal Navy bounced back to win the Inter Regimental tournament the following day, on 10 July. They led the Household Cavalry 7-6 in the final chukka and, after their opponents missed a late penalty, the Royal Navy secured the title for the second consecutive year. Two weeks later, the Royal Navy went on to defeat the RAF, 7-3½ in the Duke of York Cup at Tidworth, the last Inter Service tournament of the season. w U SA – There was fierce competition between ERG and Lucchese in the Piaget Silver Cup final at Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club at the end of July. Lucchese held an early lead before ERG scored four goals in the third chukka to storm into an 8-5 lead at half-time. ERG appeared to be better mounted and this proved significant in the second half as they ran out comfortable 16-7 winners. w France – Wasabi won the 8-12 goal Côte d’Azur Cup at St Tropez on 14 August. They defeated F Polo Team, 6½-5. Despite the untimely death of Really Easy patron Philipp Maeder before the semi-finals (see page 16 for his obituary), the tournament continued, following a day and a half of cancelled games. In the 4-6 goal section, Dark Ice, featuring English players Dean Clark and Helen Goddard-Watts, defeated Polish newcomers Sowiniec, 8-5, in the final. At the end of July, the St Tropez Polo Trophy was won by Herschel, who beat La Banda De Jeronimo in the final, 4-1. 50 Polo Times, September 2011

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The victorious Koenig Pilsner team are soaked with champagne by the other teams at the German Polo Masters

Last-second victory for Koenig The Koenig Pilsner team claimed victory in the final of the German Polo Masters Gold Trophy, in Sylt, on 7 August, writes Michael Lou. Koenig’s Dutch duo Martijn van Scherpenzeel and Aki van Andel, German Alexander Piltz and Argentine Micky Duggan spent much of the final neck and neck with the Bombardier team of Moritz Gaedicke from Berlin, Englishman Steve Ross and Argentines Manuel Guevarra and Agosto Romero Gomez. The scores were level 3-3 in the final chukka, until van Andel scored the winning

goal in the last 10 seconds. Torrential rain the night before the final made playing conditions very difficult and the final itself lasted an hour and a half. Last year’s winners, Grandios, featuring Pierro Dillier, Lucas Labat, Gaston Gonzales and Laulo Ntesch beat Mercedes-AMG in the subsidiary final to win the Silver Trophy. The event was again sponsored by Sal. Oppenheim, one of Germany’s oldest and most prestigious private banks, and organized by Kiki Schneider.

Sussex Polo Club – The Rupert Thorneloe Memorial Trophy

Jorrocks player helps charity day There was a huge turnout for the Rupert Thorneloe Memorial Trophy at Sussex Polo Club in July, which 10-year-old Toby Addison helped organise. Addison was awarded the Rupert Thorneloe Cup at last year’s Jorrocks Championships for most promising young player and pledged to raise funds for the Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal. In recognition of his efforts, HRH Prince Charles sent him a personal letter, which was read out before the prize giving ceremony at Sussex. In the final of the Rupert Thorneloe Memorial Trophy the 48th Highlanders of Canada got off to a strong start against Aquila, leading throughout the first half. Although Aquila made a comeback in the second half, scoring six goals in the final two chukkas, it wasn’t enough, and the Highlanders ran out the winners, 10-7.

Young Toby Addison is held aloft by the Welsh Guards

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30/8/11 11:01:10

Home and abroad

Jamaica – Hi-Pro and ICWI Family Polo Tournament

News in brief

Wates family secures double delight in Jamaica

w USA – Martin Tanreghi led the scoring for Agua Enerviva as his side won the final of the Whitney Cup at Saratoga Polo Club – one of the oldest polo clubs in the USA, founded in 1898 – by defeating Hawk Hill, 11-9. Brookland finished in third place, followed by Banbury Cross in fourth.

The Jamaican season drew to a close with the Hi-Pro and ICWI Family Polo Tournament in the last two weeks of July. There were two sections, low-goal and high-goal, both won by teams put forward by the Wates family. In the low-goal section, Wates/ICWI – Paul Lalor, Ricky Wates and his son Hamish and

Mark and Ricky Wates, Lesley-Ann Masterton FongYee and James Robertson of winners, Hi-Pro/Wates

Photograph by Peter Meade

Reports

Pieter Barrow – saw off eight teams to claim victory. In the high-goal section, Hi-Pro/Wates defeated ICWI/Chin to win the Senior Cup. The ICWI/Chin team – Craig Russell and brothers Shane, Paul and Kurt Chin – jumped into an early lead, ending the second chukka 4-1 in front, before the rain started to come down heavily. By the fifth and sixth chukkas, Hi-Pro/ Wates – Lesley-Ann Masterton Fong-Yee, James Robertson and brothers Ricky and Mark Wates – started to close the gap and they eventually took the lead for the first time in the final chukka. A 40-yard penalty awarded to the Hi-Pro/ Wates team gave them another goal before the final bell as they secured a 7-5 win.

w Coworth Park – Having made a firm impression on the low-goal circuit this season, including their Archie David Cup win in June, Apache secured a mediumgoal victory at the end of July. Freddie Dear’s side saw off 11 teams to win the 12-15 goal Coworth Park Challenge. They beat Paul Oberschneider’s La Golondrina, 10-81/2, in the final. w South Africa – In the first Test Match of the BMW International Polo Series, Australia defeated South Africa 6-5 at Shongweni Club, near Durban. The visitors, who have won three of the last four series, were heading to the Inanda Club in Sandton for the second Test, as Polo Times went to press.

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

Ham – Pakistan Charity Day

Young cadets beat the alumni

Ham sneak past team from Pakistan

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) held a new edition of the Leadership and Excellence Cup this year on 21 July, featuring three different matches of various handicap levels, writes Elisabeth Gansterer. The day started with the Al Attiyah Cup, where the Officer Cadets beat RMAS Alumni. OCdt Cameron Bacon, who keeps his string of polo ponies at the academy, aided his side to their first OCdt Henry Edwards, OCdt Cameron Bacon, OCdt William Gibson-Fleming, win of the season. and OCdt Richard Nichols who beat the RMAS Alumni in the Al Attiyah Cup In the second game, in joined by Warren Scott, Daniel Ottamendi the Excellence Cup, Lloyd’s of London beat and Roddy Williams – scored three goals for the Flying Financiers. Lloyd’s of London’s her side. “The Leadership and Excellence Mariano Raigal was named most valuable Cup day supports the continuation and player, having led his team to a 4-3 victory. growth of cadet polo at the academy,” The highlight of the day, for the 8-goal Barbara Zingg, RMAS polo manager, said Leadership and Excellence Cup, saw Norton following the matches. “It was also great to Rose LLP beat Adamas Diamond Bank, 8-7. see the cadets win today.” The winning team’s captain, Fiona Reilly – www.polotimes.co.uk

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Ham Polo Club hosted a charity polo afternoon in August, raising more than £20,000 for The Charity Support Trust, which raises funds for victims of last year’s devastating floods in Pakistan. The BHCDewa from Pakistan took on a team from Ham in the highlight of the afternoon. HRH Princess Nauf Bendar Al Saud threw in the first ball, before the home side went on to defeat the visitors, 5-41/2 in a thrilling four-chukka match. “It was a tight match and only at the end of the fourth chukka did we feel confident that we could take home the prestigious trophy,” said Sam Instone, captain of the winning side.

Pakistan High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan presents captain Sam Instone with the trophy

Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 16:24:51

Youth polo Audi Pony Club Polo Championships

Presented by

Photograph Action Polo

It’s been emotional

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Audi Pony Club Polo Championships, Hurtwood Park and Cowdray Park

Youth polo

Exhausted but elated, scores of tired parents and their thrilled children are now enjoying their summer holidays after the usual mind-boggling logistical effort that was the Pony Club Polo Championships last month

xxx

Tony Emerson reports from Hurtwood Park and Cowdray Park

nother year of economic recession and high fuel prices limited the number of players taking part in Pony Club polo. Most of the reduction came in the older sections, and there were no teams from Ireland or Scotland. But an encouraging sign was a record entry in the Surtees section for children of 14 and under, and branch managers will be hoping they can all continue into the senior sections in the years to come. In the Junior HPA sections, for the first time the umpiring was entrusted to one professional (as happens in Argentine medium-goal tournaments) and this was considered a great success. It is to be hoped that the Pony Club sections follow suit for their finals in future. Asking senior pony clubbers to put something back in by umpiring u Polo Times, September 2011

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Youth polo Audi Pony Club Polo Championships, Hurtwood Park and Cowdray Park u is fine in friendlies or the early stages of tournaments, but a finalist of Handley Cross (under 14s) deserves the same consideration as a finalist of Gannon (under 21s).

Jorrocks – under 11s

Jorrocks I winners, Grafton: George Deverall, Frankie Barlow, Johnny Beck-Brown and Emma Grayson, with Chris Eaton

Jorrocks II winners, Surrey Union: Emma Nelson, Christo Brodie, Ralph Robson and Holly Taylor

Jorrocks III winners, the Heythrop: Archie Irvine, Ben Fleming, Flora Douglas and Heidi Gilje

As they were last year, the Jorrocks Championships were played on the Wednesday before the main Cowdray finals at Hurtwood Park, where chairman Kenney Jones kindly gave them the number one ground. There were two more teams than in 2010 and, happily, many fewer passengers among them. The weather was also perfect. Huge effort was, as ever, put into presentation and the Texaco Trophy for the best turned out was awarded to the Wylye Valley II (who were also the youngest team). On the field, a very balanced-looking Grafton team eased through their one-

charity over the year. The new winner was Will Harper of the Cotswold.

Handley Cross – under 14s This year there were two outstanding players – John Dalton-Morgan and Hector Chamberlain – that stood out in the one-chukka league matches on the Friday and Saturday and it was right that their teams, the New Forest and Cotswold respectively, should face each other in the two-chukka final on Sunday. The New Forest made the first attack but, after they failed to score, Hector Chamberlain took the ball all the way from his line to give the Cotswold their first goal. Further pressure from the Cotswold led to a goalmouth melee, from which Tamara Gibbons tapped through. The final chukka was played on Cowdray Park’s famous Lawns One and, from the line out, the New Forest’s John Dalton-Morgan

Toby Addison, last year’s winner of the Rupert Thorneloe Cup, had raised £3,500 for the Welsh Guards charity chukka league matches but, in the other half of the draw, favourites South Berks were held by the Beaufort, and only reached the final on goal difference. The first action in the final resulted in a penalty to the Grafton, which was not well taken, but Frankie Barlow was there to follow up and push the ball through. After the throwin, a second penalty was awarded against the South Berks and Johnny Beck-Brown made no mistake. Angered rather than disheartened by this turn of events, South Berks’ Ned Hine scored with an end-to-end solo run, and all four Grafton players were deployed in highquality defensive work before the final hooter came to their rescue. At the prize giving, we were told that Toby Addison, last year’s winner of the Rupert Thorneloe Cup for the most promising boy, had raised £3,500 for the Welsh Guards

took the ball to score a spectacular goal: game on. After end-to-end play, the Cotswold had a chance to clinch victory from a 30-yard penalty, but it went wide, and then the New Forest were awarded a penalty two from close range. Lianne Evans made no mistake and the match had to be decided on a run-down, which went the Cotswold’s way. At the parade, Hector Chamberlain and Jerry won the Jambo trophy for the best combination of player and polo pony, which had both hunted and played polo together regularly.

Handley Cross Division I winners, Cotswold: Tamara Gibbons, Patrick de Barros, Richard St Pier and Hector Chamberlain with Colonel Justin Stanhope-White

Surtees Division I winners, Cotswold B: Tommy Severn, Rosanna Turk, Oscar Luard and Dominic Lodge, holding the Cooper Cup with Mrs Charles Whittington

Surtees – under 14s This section had record entry numbers, with 16 teams, and its quality was exceptional. Any of six teams could have reached the final, but it was a turn-up when the Cotswold B team with an average age of only 11

Photographs by Michael Chevis and Action Polo

Most promising players: Will Harper receives the Rupert Thorneloe Cup and Willa Gravell receives the Jorrocks Cup

Best turned-out winners, Wylye Valley II: Bill Crook, Toby Crook, Hannah Garret and Megan Bevan

Polo Times, September 2011

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22/8/11 10:20:49

Audi Pony Club Polo Championships, Hurtwood Park and Cowdray Park

Youth polo

Sideline small talk Big names support youth polo Guests seen enjoying a magnificent lunch, kindly provided by the chairman and committee of Pony Club polo, included the HPA’s David Woodd and Simon Tomlinson, Cowdray Park’s Paddy Bangham, Audi’s Kaulai Harwood-Scorer, Kenney Jones, Buff and Eliza Crisp, Robert and Joan Vaux from Vaux Park, PT columnists Clare Milford Haven, with husband George, and Arthur Douglas-Nugent as well as a number of Pony Club section managers. Having feasted on fillet of beef, crab, salmon, strawberries and chocolate cake, the guests piled into the stands to watch the parade and eagerly awaited Surtees and Gannon finals.

Important innovations

Cotswold A (in green) and Cotswold B in action during the Surtees Division I final, where the latter were victorious

pipped the much-fancied side from the New Forest Hunt. On the other half of the draw, Cotswold A headed their league to face their younger companions. In the first chukka, David Gibbons for the senior team and Dominic Lodge of the junior exchanged goals. Then Tommy Severn of Cotswold B met a hit-out at a horrible angle and scored while everyone else waited for a whistle that was never blown. It was as well that both teams were from the same Pony Club, otherwise we might have relived an episode of 20 years ago when, after a similar incident, a Mrs C J Tomlinson ran onto the pitch in protest only to be tackled by the opposing team manager. In the second (and final) chukka on Lawns One David Gibbons equalised with a 30-yard penalty but, just before the bell, Tommy

Severn pounced on a loose ball and slotted it through at an angle for Cotswold B to win.

Loriner – under 17s The league matches in this section had not been outstanding, and the first chukka of the final between the Vine and the Bedale appeared to reveal little except just how much the players had over-indulged at the boozy barbeque the night before: the most noteworthy contribution was made by Mouse, a bull mastiff, who joined in the Bedale’s cheers with operatic howls. However, the second chukka was of the highest quality. For the Vine, Rosie Fonseca took the ball from the line out and put her team in front. D’Arcy Rainford-Blackett equalised for the Bedale, and then two excellent goals by Freddie Buxton clinched it for the Vine. u

Drivers of innovation this year have been the Jorrocks and Loriner Section training sessions (which have been under-pinned with much greater parent participation, such as camping alongside their players), overseas trips to South Africa, Argentina and China and the visiting girls’ side from Kenya. Greater parental involvement has also meant a marked improvement in leaving grounds in an immaculate state. Another bonus in 2011 is much greater interaction between Pony Club Branches and Members that play within them - this has been seen in Rutland, Gloucestershire, the West Country and Surrey and it is hoped that this will spread even further.

Putting ponies first This year for the first time at Cowdray a cup was awarded to the Branch who kept their stables in the most immaculate condition, this year the cup went to the Cotswold Vale Farmers Hunt. All thanks to Janet Slakemire and Viv Goode for devising a means of ensuring this is recognised, which underpins the philosophy of putting ponies first; players second.

Polocrosse championships

Loriner Division II winners, Grafton: Emma Mesquita, Louisa Parsons, Isabelle Berner and Tarka Carew with Dr Nigel Berman of the Worshipful Company of Loriners

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Loriner League winners, the Vine: Rosie Fonsecca, Miranda Simpson, Freddie Buxton and Toby Small with section manager Charlotte Horne at Tidworth Polo Club

Only a week after their polo championships at Cowdray, the main Pony Club Championships took place in Derbyshire, which featured polocrosse alongside show jumping, eventing, dressage and mounted games. North Warwickshire Branch acheived a hattrick, winning the Maldon Polocrosse Championships for the third year running.

Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 16:16:41

Photograph Action Polo

Youth polo Audi Pony Club Polo Championships, Hurtwood Park and Cowdray Park

George Pearson of Cowdray Park (in orange) is ridden off by Hugo Lewis of Longdole in the Langford final

Rendell winners, Avon Vale: Orlando Wethered, Max Dodd-Noble, Alex Cary and Stephen McCraith with Kaulai Harwood-Scorer from principle sponsors Audi

Hipwood League winners, Guards: Charlie Pidgley, Karim Sheikh, Ed Banner-Eve and Tom Brodie with Simon Tomlinson, who presented The Daily Mail Trophy

Langford League winners, Cowdray Park: George Pearson, Jack Taylor, Ralph Richardson and Tommy Beresford with Jilly Emerson

Polo Times, September 2011

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u Rendell – under 21s With just six teams qualifying, Friday’s matches were arranged to decide the finals, which were played over Saturday and Sunday (with two chukkas on each day). Avon Vale played the Cotswold for the championship, and at half time led 2-1½. The Avon Vale had already won the Rendell League at Tidworth and were a team well organised in front of the Rendell’s only one-goaler Stevie McCraith at back. Against them, the Cotswold – fielding an effective substitute in Nell Jacobs – defended well but just could not get past McCraith. In the third chukka, McCraith himself managed to break away from the halfway line to score. A similar run was foiled in the fourth, but Orlando Wethered was in place to follow up and clinch the match for the Avon Vale.

Hipwood – under 15s Four excellent teams went to Cowdray and it was a pity that the most exciting match of the championship – the Hipwood subsidiary – was played out at Ambersham. In a super-fast encounter, Longdole and Sussex were never separated by more than a single goal, and the match had to go into a fifth chukka which lasted four minutes before Alexander Cooper won it for Sussex. In the main final, the Guards team started favourites against the Old Surrey & Burstow but, for the first three chukkas, Guards were

lacklustre compared to the enterprise of Sebastian Hancock and Jack Hyde and fell behind 3-1. Guards were unlucky at the end of the third, when the second hooter went just before the ball crossed the OS&B’s goal line, but Charlie Pidgley scored from the subsequent throw-in at the start of the fourth. This emboldened Guards, and Tom Brodie in particular. They upped their game for the final chukka and got the reward for their pressure, with the OS&B conceding a penalty two and a 40-yarder to fall behind, 4-3. However, OS&B equalised in a dramatic attack moments later, during which the team’s number one Joe Arber fell and injured himself – the whistle went shortly after his teammate Jack Hyde slipped the ball in, and a long delay ensued as Arber was substituted. However, his sacrifice was in vain, when Guards got the ball from the throw-in to restart the game and the OS&B defence failed to mark Tom Brodie, who followed up on the ball well to score the winning goal, 5-4.

Langford – under 18s Cowdray Park fielded a team that read like the Debretts of British polo, and with their pony power and training experience it was no surprise that they went to the championships unbeaten. They were up against Longdole, whose key player was a student at Cheltenham College, J J de Alba, from a Mexican polo dynasty. u www.polotimes.co.uk

19/8/11 16:16:51

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17/8/11 15:31:11

Youth polo Audi Pony Club Polo Championships, Hurtwood Park and Cowdray Park Sideline small talk Under-21 Cup names revealed At the end of prize-giving, the HPA’s Simon Tomlinson read out the eagerly awaited names of the 16 players selected to play in the Under 21 Cup, which took place on 9 and 11 August. The young players were “spotted” by the HPA during the season. The names of the selected players were as follows: Young England Red: Faisal Al-Rifai -1; Jack Hyde -1; Sebastian Hancock -1; Max Stacy -1 Young England Blue: Isabelle McGregor -1; Tim Pearce-May 0; Ralph Richardson 0; Charlie Holley -1 Young England White: Harry Davies -1; George Pearson 0; Tom Brodie -1; Hugo Lewis -1 Young England Black: Karim Sheikh -1; Edward Banner-Eve -1; Charlie Walton -1; Tomas Beresford 0. In the final, Young England Black beat Young England Red, 7-11/2

Further players selected by HPA As well as the Under 21 Cup players being announced, a further eight names were Jambo Trophy winner Hector Chamberlain riding Jerry, parading with the Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray Hunt. announced for the Stagshead Trophy. The HPA also selected a further 12 players for rules they only qualified for the subsidiary two other tournaments in August, as follows: u Receiving 1½ goals on handicap, Juan José on goal difference (having had an unlucky de Alba extended the Longdole lead to 2½. But draw of matches in the cross-league fixture that was as good as it got for them. A sequence Alan Budgett Trophy (Kirtlington) schedules). Sure enough, the Grafton proved of excellent combinations between Cowdray HPA Select: Roddy Seymour Williams 0; Max their quality by duly steamrollering Vaux Park Park’s Tommy Beresford and George Pearson Stacy -1; Izzy Parsons 1; Andrew Gebbie 1 in the subsidiary final. tipped the balance at the end of the second Young Zimbabwe School Boys: Ben Cowdray Park met Cirencester Park in chukka to 5-2½. In the third Ralph Richardson Stodart, Thomas Wood, Gareth Meikle and the main final. Cirencester received 1½ executed a spectacular long shot to score, and Sean Linfield goals on handicap, but relinquished much then it was basically game over. The two teams faced each other on 13 of that advantage when they conceded a August, where the HPA Select won 6-21/2 simple 30-yard penalty. However, Harold Gannon – under 21s Hodges turned very quickly on to a pass In the qualifiers, Cowdray Park had suffered Whitbread Trophy (Rutland) a surprise defeat to the Grafton, but the latter to restore Cirencester’s lead. The same HPA Select Red: Abigail Watts -1; Tom Abel player then found the posts with a long team was unfortunate that under Blue Book Smith 0; William Brasher 1; Nick Winterton 0 HPA Select Blue: James Hudson 0; Charlie Walton 0; Tim Pearce-May 0; Cameron Hutson 0 The HPA Select Blue team defeated the Red side 11-6 in the match on 13 August. Stagshead Trophy (Ham) HPA Select Blue: William Penfold S; Hugo Taylor -2; Lolly Stanhope-White -1; James McCarthy-2 HPA Select Red: Charlie Pidgley -2; Harry Hickmet -2; Terence Lent -1; Robert Fleming -2 The match was played on 14 August, where HPA Select Blue were the victors, 5-4. 58

Polo Times, September 2011

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Cowdray Park’s Guy Fox-Andrews en route to team victory in the Gannon final, hooked by Cirencester Park’s one-goaler Jack Mesquita

Charlie Turk with his pony Flash, who won the Polo Times best playing pony rug at the Jorrocks Championships, presented by PT’s Georgie May

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19/8/11 16:17:13

Audi Pony Club Polo Championships, Hurtwood Park and Cowdray Park

Youth polo

Sideline small talk Great expectations PT also bumped into a radiant-looking Jodie Kidd. With her baby boy due just two weeks later (as Polo Times went to press), “bumped” was the operative word. “We have come along with a few friends, including Stuart Lodge, whose sons Patrick and Dominic are playing against each other in the Surtees final,” Jodie said. “Andrea [Vianini] also has five of his ponies playing here today so we’ll be looking out for those. It’s an excellent day out – my sister and I used to take part in these championships so I love coming back to watch the games.”

Special medals for lucky Loriners The Worshipful Company of Loriners, bit makers, who sponsor the Loriner section are celebrating their 750th anniversary this year having been founded in 1261. In recognition of this anniversary, commemorative medals were especially made for this event and presented by Dr Nigel Berman on behalf of the Livery Company to Loriner section players. The Jambo Trophy is presented to the best rider and pony combination that both plays polo and hunts regularly

chukka, it looked all over. But Cirencester had other ideas: Hodges made an enterprising meet and scored, and Rupert Lewis converted an excellent 60-yarder. With half a minute to go, Cirencester were half a goal down and received a 30-yard penalty. Lewis went off to change ponies and the umpire insisted on the penalty being taken before he returned. Hodges had to do it in a rush and missed. From the subsequent hit-in, Cowdray took the ball to the other end and Scott scored in off the post as the final hooter sounded. F w See page 88 for social snaps from the champs

Cirencester Park’s Ollie Powell with his pony Miss Bouggy Wouggy, who won the RoR prize for best exracehorse, presented by RoR’s Di Arburthnot

Daniel Batchelor of Cowdray Park with his pony Max, who won the Polo Times rug for the best Handley Cross pony, presented by PT’s Georgie May

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Jack Richardson’s pony Waffle was awarded the Polo Times best playing pony rug in the Gannon section, after helping Jack’s team, Cowdray Park, win the Gannon final. She is a nine-year-old home-bred mare out of Eyecraft and Lolita, both of which were played by Jack’s father, Kim, for four years. “I’ve played her in everything from 2-20 goal this season,” Jack said. “She turns quickly, is tough in ride-offs and is, of course, very attractive! Her only quirk is that she marches round her stable so we have to keep her in a pen in barn instead.” Max was the recipient of the best playing pony rug in the Handley Cross section, a gelding owned by 12-year-old Daniel Batchelor. Daniel, who plays for Cowdray Hunt, had no idea his beloved pony had been chosen, with his mother keeping Max hidden behind the prize-giving marquee until it was time for the presentation. To see Daniel’s expression of sheer delight when he heard his pony’s name called was lovely. In the Jorrocks Championships at Hurtwood on Wednesday 3 August, Charlie Turk picked up the PT rug for his aptly named grey pony, Flash. Charlie, who played for Berkeley, accepted his prize from Polo Times assistant editor Georgie May.

Polo Times, September 2011

Photographs by Michael Chevis unless otherwise stated

shot. In the second chukka, Cowdray’s Jack Richardson took advantage of his superb pony power to dribble right through the opposition and peg back the score to the handicap difference. The third chukka was all Cowdray, with Charlie Scott receiving a long backhander in the goalmouth and converting as a good number one should do, with Richardson picking up a rebound from the Cirencester back line and making no mistake in front of goal, and with Freddie Horne tapping in a penalty two. When Richardson scored with a lofted 40-yarder at the beginning of the final

PT best playing pony rugs

19/8/11 17:14:59

Youth polo Audi Pony Club Polo Championships, Hurtwood Park and Cowdray Park

Letters special

Julius Baer says keep your eye on...

letters@polotimes.co.uk

Izzy McGregor, Hurtwood Park

or The Editor, Polo Times, Holbrook Farm, North Leigh, Oxon OX29 6PX Sir, I have read with interest quite a number of letters in the last few issues debating the merits and demerits of Pony Club polo vs Junior HPA vs SUPA. I have a few comments I would like to air, and not anonymously. Being a relative newcomer to the game, I have been shocked with the apparent need for anonymity that some of your correspondents insist on writing under. I cannot, myself, understand the need for anonymity, unless there is something that I am missing here? Are your readers that afraid of the repercussions of speaking out against the HPA and Pony Club or questioning their own motives? Have their members who have previously spoken out been sanctioned in the past? Have their children been blacklisted or sidelined as a result? There must be something that has caused this atmosphere of fear. In a commercial environment, organisations equivalent to the HPA and Pony

Results in full Team results: Jorrocks Division I 1st Grafton Hunt, 2nd South Berks Hunt, 3rd Beaufort Blue, 4th Cotswold Hunt, 5th Old Berks Hunt, 6th Berkeley Hunt Division II 1st Surrey Union, 2nd Beaufort Buff, 3rd Wylye Valley I, 4th Cottsmore Hunt Division III 1st Heythrop Hunt, 2nd Beaufort Hunt,

3rd Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt, 4th Wylye Valley II Handley Cross Division I – The Handley Cross Cup 1st Cotswold Hunt, 2nd New Forest Hunt, 3rd Cottesmore Hunt, 4th Beaufort Hunt Division II – Pardy Cup 1st Cowdray Hunt, 2nd Cotswold Vale Farmers Hunt, 3rd Grafton Hunt, 4th Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt

Hurtwood-based minus-one-goaler Izzy McGregor has confirmed her status as one of Britain’s best emerging females with an impressive showing in the Junior HPA this season. The 14-year-old was the only girl to be selected by the HPA to play in the 21 Cup at Cowdray in mid-August. And, despite her Blue

team losing narrowly 4½-4 in the semi-finals, she really stood out. Izzy made her Jorrocks section debut for the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt at the tender age of five, becoming the youngest player to qualify for and play in the Pony Club Polo Championships. She has since enjoyed remarkable success at the

Club would, by now, have identified that they clearly have an issue with their perceived image and would be taking steps to resolve it, starting with asking their members why some of them feel this way. This would allow them to either resolve the issues identified or, if there are no actual issues, communicate themselves more effectively so that members understand that and that there is freedom of expression. Whilst Ken Harpsaw was clearly fictitious, his (or her) views have been widely discussed at all of the Pony Club events this season and he (or she) seems to have a fair amount of support. So, it would

appear that both the Pony Club and the HPA have their work cut out to try to get all their members back on side. From my perspective, however, what doesn’t appear to help is the letter from David Woodd in the August 2011 edition, entitled “Junior HPA is open to mere mortals as well”. In it, David makes his case very well about the progression from Pony Club to Junior HPA. However, he is let down by the rest of his organisation, who continue to schedule the first two weeks of Hipwood tournaments to coincide with only prep and public school holidays once again this year. So, open to mere mortals

Surtees

Loriner

Division I – The Cooper Cup 1st Cotswold Hunt B, 2nd Cotswold Hunt A, 3rd Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt, 4th New Forest Hunt, 5th Beaufort Hunt Blue, 6th Beaufort Hunt Buff, 7th Hampshire Hunt, 8th North Cotswold Hunt, 9th Surrey Union, 10th Eggesford Hunt

Division I – Loriner Challenge Trophy 1st Vine Hunt, 2nd Bedale & West of Yore Hunt, 3rd Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt, 4th South Dorset, 5th Old Berkshire Hunt, 6th Beaufort Hunt

Hipwood League – The Daily Mail Trophy 1st Guards, 2nd Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt The Smail Trophy 1st Guards, 2nd Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt Subsidiary – The Emerson Trophy 1st Sussex, 2nd Longdole

Division II – The Surtees II Trophy 1st Grafton Hunt, 2nd Cottesmore Hunt, 3rd Cheshire Hunt (South), 4th Heythrop Hunt A, 5th Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt II, 6th Cowdray Hunt

Division II – Hillingdon Hall Cup 1st Grafton Hunt, 2nd Cotswold Vale Farmers Hunt, 3rd Cowdray Hunt, 4th Cottesmore Hunt League – Gig Horswell Trophy 1st Vine Hunt, 2nd Bedale & West of Yore Hunt

Langford League – The Martin Trotter Cup 1st Cowdray Park, 2nd Longdole The Hurlingham Champion Trophy 1st Cowdray Park, 2nd Longdole Subsidiary – Langford Plate 1st Royal Artillery Hunt,

2nd Surrey Union Rendell League – Bank of Ireland Trophy 1st Avon Vale Hunt, 2nd Cottesmore Hunt The Frank Rendell Cup 1st Avon Vale Hunt, 2nd Cotswold Hunt, 3rd Hampshire Hunt Black, 4th Cottesmore Hunt, 5th Pytchley Hunt, 6th Surrey Union Gannon Daily Telegraph Trophy 1st Cowdray Park, 2nd Cirencester Subsidiary – The Jaguar Trophy 1st Grafton Hunt, 2nd Vaux Park

Excellence in polo meets excellence in private banking. Your contact in London: daniel.gerber@juliusbaer.com, tel. +44 203 205 1611

Polo Times, September 2011

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19/8/11 12:29:13

Audi Pony Club Polo Championships, Hurtwood Park and Cowdray Park

Youth polo

The grass-roots view

Right: Izzy McGregor

The latest from Theresa Hodges, UK Pony Club Polo chair, in her regular column championships: in 2008, she won the Handley Cross Cup with Surrey Union, before clinching the Surtees 1 title with Surrey Union B the following year. She has since moved on to the Junior HPA, explaining why she decide to play it two seasons ago in a recent issue of Polo Times, which has prompted a lively debate on our letters pages since, and below!

it is then, as long as your children attend independent schools and are not educated by the state. Also in the August edition, Anon from Scotland expressed concern that the selections for HPA training weeks and development courses seemed to be disproportionately favouring what he (or she) called the “dynasty” families. I have reviewed the last couple of years of Polo Times and, indeed, Anon’s observation is correct. The general opinion at Pony Club events this season over a glass of wine amongst the unwashed masses (literally in some cases at Cowdray) was that “Scottish

Anon” makes a very good point here. Most agreed that, if the future of UK polo is to be cemented, then it is the non-dynasty mortals that need the most support in order to guarantee their development. However, if this perception of privilege is incorrect, then the powers that be need to make this clear. I now feel justified in my earlier comments about the need for improved communication and a better perceived image, but who really knows – I am after all, just a mere mortal.

Special prizes:

Wouggy, played by Ollie Powell in fourth chukka (Cirencester Park)

The Tony Gilks Branch Manager Award for most organised team manager – Piers Fitzwilliams (for New Forest Hunt) The Rupert Thorneloe Award for most promising boy – Will Harper (Cotswold) The Jorrocks Cup for most promising girl – Willa Gravell (Beaufort Hunt Blue) Jorrocks Sportsmanship Award – Milly and Ned Hine (South Berkshire) “Tic Tac” Award for best player pony combination – Monty McGregor and Dove

(Old Berks Hunt) Young Telegraph Award for most promising player in the U15/14 sections – Tom Brodie (for Guards) Sylvia Shepherd Trophy for Loriner girl who shows most promise – Miranda Simpson (for Vine Hunt) The Andrew Older Memorial Trophy for most promising Langford player of the year – Charlie Walton (for Royal Artillery Hunt) Catherine Yates prize – Lucy Bowman (for Surrey Union) The RoR bridle for best ex-racehorse pony – Miss Bouggy

Chris Gibbons Bisley, Gloucestershire

The Polo Times rug for best playing Gannon pony – Waffle, played by Jack Richardson in second chukka (for Cowdray Park) The Polo Times rug for best playing Handley Cross pony – Max, played by Daniel Batchelor (for Cowdray Hunt) The Polo Times rug for best playing Jorrocks pony – Flash, played by Charlie Turk (Berkeley) SATS saddle award for most valuable

player of the season – Harold Hodges (for Cirencester Park) Jambo Trophy – Jerry and Hector Chamberlain (for Cotswold Hunt) Presentations by: Theresa Hodges, Veronica Thoneloe, Chris Eaton, Kaulai HarwoodScorer, David Woodd, Piers Fox-Andrews, Colonel Justin StanhopeWhite, Jo Whittington, Nigel Berman, Simon Tomlinson, Jilly Emerson, Jeremy Barber, Lady Lucy Fraser, Di Arburthnot, Georgie May, PJ Seccombe, Tony Emerson, Elizabeth Fox-Andrews

The Pony Club and Junior HPA summer season ran from 10 July until 7 August – four action-packed weeks – and it is always a huge relief for all the volunteers to get the other side of the Cowdray Championships. It was just wonderful to be back on Lawns and our thanks to everyone in Cowdray Park Polo Club and Cowdray Park Estate and The Pony Club office for making this possible – and to the indomitable Mike Smith who also masterminds the Cartier parade of winners each year. In 2008 we had 110 teams; in 2011 we have 79. The good news is that entries were up at most of our friendlies this year which created some very happy days for everyone and some more income. Balancing the books in the current financial climate is tricky and means we are even more indebted to all the helpers. My heartfelt thanks to everyone involved for your camaraderie, courtesy, generosity – and, lots of laughter. Special thanks must go to all ground owners and to David Woodd and his HPA team for their support and help in improving standards of play and development across all Sections. Standards of play in Jorrocks, Handley Cross, Surtees, Loriner and Rendell were well up to standard and in many matches showed much better levels of play than in previous years. The Cowdray Championships could not take place without the generous sponsorship of Audi, whose interest in grass roots polo as well as the England team means so much to everyone involved. Our thanks also for the continued support of SATS, PoloSplice and Roxtons and for their presence at our tournaments through the season. Thank you to everyone for such a fun season, which has been full of good polo and good friendship.

Excellence in polo meets excellence in private banking. Your contact in London: daniel.gerber@juliusbaer.com, tel. +44 203 205 1611

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Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 12:29:20

Knowledge Playing around – Binfield Heath Polo Club Our intrepid improver Carlie Trotter (-2) works her way around the UK’s polo clubs

Heath in good health Carlie Trotter travels to Binfield Heath on the Oxfordshire/Berkshire border and finds new polo manager Pedro De Lamare making great progress during his first year in the job “Water, need water,” I croak following a closely-fought match on the Polo Fix team at Binfield Heath’s summer festival. “So that’ll be a Quilmes then...” comes the devil-on-my-shoulder that is club member and my teammate for the day Matias Carrique (3). One could be forgiven for thinking the day before the Cartier International at nearby Guards would be a quiet one here, but tournaments have been oversubscribed at Binfield all season and today is the biggest party of all. So a Quilmes beer it is. Winning by half a goal seems particularly lucky against West Wycombe’s JJ Spark – and perhaps unfair since I’m borrowing his ponies – but Matias’s equine acrobatics and Erik Anderson’s team tactics happily earned us the bubbly and a comfy spot watching the 6-goal and 8-goal. I’m so chuffed with my chukka on 18-yearold mare Tocassa that I have to be restrained from squeezing her into my car – I’m not the first to ask if she’s for sale and won’t be the last. West Wycombe and Kirtlington players are regular visitors and the

Finalists in the 8-goal Coppid Owls Tomaz Fernandez, Tristan Phillimore, Jason Norton and Greg Keyte and Black Bear’s Henrietta Seligman, Garth Fraser, Simon Keyte and Davy Baxter with Lady Phillimore (centre). Below, 0-goal action

closeness of the clubs means JJ is on speed dial for pony hire. Since most members live or rent property locally the club does not want for spectators, including the dog walkers that happen on us when roaming the heath. The cheers erupt loudest from Henrietta Seligman’s corner as she helps Black Bears to a 5–4½ victory against Coppid Owls/ Waimai in her first run out for the legendary team. Having a high goal

team down the road has certainly benefitted the minus-goalers here, as players with but a few years in the saddle ride out confidently against the likes of seven-goaler Simon Keyte. Club deputy chairman Michael Mylonas says the connection also helps members source the best ponies, just before he scores with one of the best nearside backhands I’ve ever seen to win the inaugural Firefly Partners Cup.

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18/8/11 14:23:10

Knowledge

Playing around – Binfield Heath Polo Club

The club will no doubt attract even more pros next season after investing “a river of money” in irrigation earlier this year. Visiting pro Rafael Villela Rosa says: “I’m really impressed with how the grounds have improved recently – and, once they’re sanded, even more pros will come.” When commentator Jamie Hayward takes a break to sample the finest empanadas this side of Tucumán province from the Portena food stall, member Clive Posselt gladly grabs the mike. “Oh dear that’s a mess,” he says of one botched goal, then “we’re in for some entertainment folks, this pony likes to buck.” The chuckles on the sideline show that this is a club of longtime pals. Lord Phillimore, who owns the estate and chairs the HPA Umpires and Rules Committee, is thrilled to see his club re-energised after a couple of quiet years and shares a giggle with me as his son Tristan (2) wwgives an appealing player the run-around. I’m reminded that if anyone misbehaves

here there’ll be an enquiry on the spot, unless it’s at the after-party. With 90 people inbound for an evening of asado grub, dancing and more Pimms than you can shake a stick at I’m put to work wrapping cutlery. Organiser Rona Posselt says: “I love arranging relaxed shindigs where the kids, grooms and nonplaying members can all enjoy themselves.”

The club is re-energised and has invested heavily in irrigation for its two fields Proceeds go to the local air ambulance, which Rona is all too familiar with after breaking her neck back in 2007. Just as I’m donning my dancing shoes the Phillimores beat me to it and put us all to shame with an expert and very energetic swing dance. When I tear myself away at 1am the party looks as if it’s just hotting up, and I think the same goes for the club. F

Soundbites from the sidelines Pedro De Lamare - polo manager “Members have been really supportive in my first season here so we’ve been able to get lots more polo happening and installed an irrigation system that will encourage more pros to come. We won’t stop doing zero-goal but the plan is to take our polo a step higher than what’s played at West Wycombe and Fifield, focusing more on six-goal tournaments. I’m working on establishing a polo school and some club hirelings for next year and I’m lucky the family that owns the land gives the club their full backing.” Michael Mylonas - founding member “I used to play away a lot but now the polo here is so good that I hardly bother. We’ve got strong links with nearby Black Bears so the guys who look after the team’s young horses come here for 2-goal chukkas at the beginning of the season and that improves your game enormously. We try to accommodate pros who have multiple games a day in the match schedule and limit tournaments to six teams so that the grounds don’t get killed. Most members live locally for jobs in London and we have an alcohol licence so it’s quite sociable.” Louise Goodenough - spectator “After doing an introduction day at Ascot Park I looked up my nearest club and realised I could walk here from Harpsden with my dog. I’ve always been horsey and used to go to Ham to watch games when I lived in London so to find a club on my doorstep is a dream. At the moment I’m a chef for a local family but the next step is to find a family with polo ponies who wants a chef-come-groom. I can’t wait to get some lessons but I suppose I’d better start saving for the membership fees.” www.polotimes.co.uk

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Binfield Heath Vital statistics Playing members 44 Non-playing members Sponsors and polo aficionados of the Berks, Bucks and Oxon set Facilities Two full-size irrigated grounds, sideline food stall and bar, shaded pony lines, comfy seating and loos. Location Set in a tree-lined clearing on the picturesque Phillimore estate, the club is accessed via Emmer Green Road coming from Reading and five minutes from Henley-onThames. Down the road from the Glass & Bottle pub, 10 minutes from Reading train station (25 minutes from London Paddington), and within 40 minutes of Guards, RCBPC and West Wycombe. Philosophy Competitive weekend polo for low goalers on the way up Running the show Since moving the defunct Checkendon Polo Club to Binfield Heath in 1994 and retiring from polo himself in 2001, land owner Francis Phillimore has kept a keen stewards’s eye on proceedings. In their first season at Binfield, Pedro De Lamare and partner Karyn Shuter have revitalised the club calendar in their respective roles of manager and secretary with the help of a proactive committee. Other key players behind the scenes include chairman Sir Michael Rake and events queen Rona Posselt. Crowd Mostly local high-flyers with their own ponies, the club also attracts a large Brazilian contingent and high-goal players looking for a practice run out. Supporting pros include John Paul Clarkin (8) and Simon Keyte (7). Seasonal highlight The club’s annual charity day brings as many members as possible together for a pre-Cartier party, as well as popular faces like famed equine artist Elizabeth Armstrong. Livery Local stabling can be arranged through the club, the polo manager is happy to advise on this. There are plans to build more stables on the estate and corals for visiting teams. Membership Adult membership is £1,000, £350 for professionals. Pony hire with nearby Green Point Polo (greenpointpolo@yahoo.co.uk) is available. Tournament entry starts at £350 per home team up to 4-goal, increasing to £550 per visiting team for 8-goal. Contact bhpcmanager@gmail.com; call polo manager Pedro De Lamare on 07792 211259; for more information about the club visit their website at www.binfieldheathpoloclub.co.uk Polo Times, September 2011

18/8/11 14:20:55

Knowledge Know your horse Mark Emerson MRCVS is a two-goal polo player and an ambulatory equine vet

End-of-season fatigue Towards the end of the season, poor performance and wear-and-tear injuries can become evident among many polo ponies, as our duty vet discovers month? Probably loss of performance. By August, most polo ponies have been playing for at least three months and it is not surprising that they’re not all performing as well as they were in mid May. Poor performance is probably the biggest single issue faced by equine vets dealing with any form of sports horse and the issue can be a real minefield. Rarely do such horses present a single straightforward symptom and to diagnose the problem can be time-consuming and costly. In many cases a loss in performance is due to orthopaedic problems such as joint or muscle pain. But equally,

Giving horses time off won’t reverse all the wear and tear of the season

he end of the polo season is drawing closer. As a polo player, I don’t really want the season to end, but as a polo vet, the end of the season is welcomed – I need a rest and the horses also need time off to recover. We tend to think of injuries to polo ponies as one off occurrences – a ball in the face, a whack on a leg – when in fact many injuries are the result of cumulative wear-and-tear. When a tendon is sprained, for example, the chances are the tendon tissue was already considerably fatigued, resulting in a loss in elasticity. The sprain was probably going to happen anyway – it was just a question of when. We also know from studies that if a tendon is sprained in, say, the left forelimb, in most cases the same tendon in the right forelimb is also weak and partly damaged. Both limbs have done the same mileage after all. Giving horses time-off, such as turning them out for the winter, won’t reverse all the wear-and-tear 64

Polo Times, September 2011

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Tendon sprains in both forelimbs are not surprising as both legs have done the same amount of mileage

accumulated over a long and hard polo season. But the break puts a stop to the mechanical onslaught of non-stop polo and does give the horses’ limited regenerative powers at least some chance of prevailing. The above paragraph makes polo sound rather brutal, so in the interest of balance I would also like to pay tribute to the way most polo ponies are looked after in the UK. As an equine vet, one only has to be called by pleasure horse owners at the weekend to be reminded of the relatively high level of basic veterinary knowledge amongst most polo players and grooms. So what has been the hot topic amongst my clients over the last

problems such as stomach ulcers due to stress and inappropriate feeding routines can cause a drop in performance. Certainly the way many polo ponies are managed and fed would suggest that there is likely to be a high incidence of stomach ulceration, but gastroscopies (viewing the stomach lining with an endoscope) are not conducted frequently enough to specifically diagnose the condition, which means we have little evidence to prove this hypothesis. Certainly some of my clients who have used anti-ulcer treatments on their polo ponies have reported marked improvements in performance. F ◗ Mark Emerson works as an ambulatory equine vet based near Ascot and has polo clients across the south of England: tel 07973 800358 or email mark@emersonequine.com www.polotimes.co.uk

17/8/11 16:09:58

Knowledge

Know your horse

Physio for thought How to treat muscle tissue damage by Australian high-performance vet Nicola Jagger, specialist in chiropractics and cohesive equine physiotherapy

Muscle injuries are rarely proven to be the cause of lameness or underperformance in horses. However, these injuries form the majority of cases in my practice, and present as follows: Trauma – causing haematomas (bruising) Strains – often from fast work or sudden turns. Gluteal muscles and hamstrings are very vulnerable to strains Tearing – muscle fibres snap when stretched beyond the limit of their elasticity. Most commonly from falls and slides affecting pectorals and hamstrings Needle stick reactions – localised inflammation There are three major stages to treatment: 1. At the time of injury – cold compression, box rest and anti-inflammatories. Early intervention can have a significant impact on healing times by minimising the amount of fluid, bleeding and muscle spasms. 2. Repair – once inflammation has subsided commence light exercise and physiotherapy to maintain blood supply to the muscle groups 3. Remodelling – treat fibrotic/scarred muscle tissue with stretching and massage; use targeted strengthening exercises; ample warm up and cool down, and continue to monitor and manage affected muscles

Gaucho

tips for grooms

As we near the end of the season, you may find your ponies do not need as much exercise. Save their energy for matches and consider whether it is worth playing them in chukkas if the ground is hard. After a long season, they may benefit from a more gentle regime for the last few weeks. Get your ponies used to being “naked” outside during the day and overnight if it is dry. This will allow their bodies to prepare for the winter by growing a thicker coat and develop protective oils. Don’t push your luck by making your ponies’ shoes last a couple of weeks longer. Look after the wellbeing of your ponies and help avoid injuries by staying on top of their farriery needs. When you come to turn them out for the winter, leave their front shoes on for a while – this will give them support and protection when the ground gets very soft and you’ll reduce the chances of them getting bruised soles and possible infections. www.polotimes.co.uk

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Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist

Preparing your ponies for winter turnout The end of the season is upon us! Ponies have been pampered for the last six months and are about to experience a drastic change to their routine. Many will have had a minimal amount of fibre in their diet and will now have access to 24 hours of grass – a huge change for a sensitive digestive tract. So, reduce their hard feed gradually and increase their time out at grass gradually. If you suddenly stop feeding them after their last game on a Sunday and turn them away on the Monday morning to 24 hours on grass, the risk of colic will be greatly increased. Growing a good winter coat to protect them from the elements requires vitamins and minerals. At this time some ponies may drop a little condition too, so feeding a balanced ration will help. A pony starting the winter not holding enough condition

will find it hard to put on weight at this time of the year. Grass is often in abundance in September, however, its nutritional value is rapidly depleting, so do not be surprised that big grass bellies occur quickly from the indigestible fibre sitting heavily in the hind gut. Top line will also slip away if grass is wholly relied upon as the only feed source. Feeding high fibre, low calorie cubes or a balancer will assist in maintenance of condition. Paddock or field licks are invaluable. They will help with coat growth, foot growth and strength over the winter months too, reducing the amount of “pus in the foot” and poor quality feet for your farrier to shoe onto next season. The better they come out of the winter the better prepared they will be for next season, so do not cut corners.

Top line will slip away if grass is wholly relied upon

Preparándo a tus caballos para el invierno Llegamos al final de la temporada y los caballos que mimamos por 6 meses están a punto de sufrir un cambio drástico en su dieta: de recibir poca fibra van a pasar a tener acceso a pasto verde las 24 horas, un cambio enorme para su delicado sistema digestivo. No los largues al campo de un día para el otro. Para evitar problemas como diarrea y hasta cólicos, cambiá su dieta en forma gradual: lentamente reducí la cantidad de alimento balanceado que reciben e incrementá el tiempo que pasan sueltos comiendo pasto. Por lo general el pasto verde abunda en Septiembre pero suele ser de mala calidad. Los caballos tienden a ponerse panzones enseguida y a perder la musculatura superior, debido a la abundante fibra difícil de digerir que

se deposita en los intestinos y a las deficiencias en la misma. Para ayudarlos a adaptarse al cambio y mantenerse en estado saludable, es recomendable darles un balanceador o una ración de cubos a base de fibra. A los caballos que adelgacen al final de la temporada se les va a hacer difícil poder aumentar de peso durante el invierno. Los cubos de sales minerales son de gran ayuda para el crecimiento del pelaje y de los vasos. Reducen el riesgo de infecciones en los vasos y le van a hacer mas fácil el trabajo a tu herrero al principio de la temporada siguiente. Cuanto mejor vuelvan del invierno, mejor preparados van a estar para el año próximo, asi que no trates de ahorrar en temas importantes que a la larga te va a salir mas caro.

◗ Contact Lorna Edgar on lorna@baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk and 07808 863864 Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 16:26:04

Knowledge Know your game Must-have tips for players – from Jamie Peel, three-goal pro and 2008 Gold Cup winner

Stay well groomed Choosing your groom for the season is one of the most important decisions that you will make all year. As a professional or amateur player you will have invested a lot of money in your horses, so it is crucial that you have the right person looking after them. Grooming is one of the hardest jobs in polo and in my view they are very rarely given the credit that they deserve. To a polo player the horses are everything, they are what the game is about but without the right person looking after them you will never fully enjoy them. Having a good groom is like having a champion pony, the value that they bring is priceless. As a player you expect your groom to devote themselves to your horses and to care

Building a relationship with your groom is fundamental. You need to think of them as your business partner for them as if they were their own. You want the horses to be loved and given every ounce of time and attention that they deserve. Finding this person is not easy, it takes time and then if you do get a really good groom it can be just as hard trying to hold on to them. Building a relationship with your groom is fundamental. You need to think of them as your business partner. Playing the ponies is only part of it, you need to know how they are

at home, if they are drinking well or gone off their food and how they pull out in the morning after a hard game. All of these things need to be discussed daily so you must be able to communicate properly with each other so that things do not get missed. The relationship is built on respect for one another, you need to take on board what the groom is telling you, just as they must listen to your ideas. Unfortunately things can go wrong and when they do it can Jamie Peel, right, with groom Maxi Fernandez, left, and Tash Brown be detrimental to your season. It is possible that you made the However it is not only the player who can wrong choice of groom in the first place, if get let down. The vast majority of grooms this is the case then you need to act quickly give their players and their horses everything. to resolve the situation so that your horses do Grooming is more than a job, it is a way of not suffer as a result. life and only those who genuinely love their In life there are always going to be horses will pursue this path. complications but a groom/player relationship So when a groom is let down by their can be very intense and stressful. You are player it is equally frustrating. both working long hours and it is when you The players need to understand and are tired that the cracks can begin to show. respect what their grooms do for them, but Too often people look for a quick fix. If the likewise the grooms need to understand what groom is not happy it has become too easy the players do. In my opinion if you take on a for them to up sticks and leave as there are job for someone then you should honour your always positions going elsewhere during contract and work to the best of your the season. It is always disappointing to see abilities until the job is done. F someone getting let down as so much time and effort goes into preparing for the season ◗ Do you agree with Jamie's views? Let us know by emailling: letters@polotimes.co.uk and it is so disruptive to any organisation.

Mind games Mind games Min Sports psychologist Miranda Banks on what polo players need to think about to optimise As all the teams with whom I work are aware, I tend to bang on about the double-role nature of on-field captaincy. If you are team captain, then you have two distinct roles: your position as a player and your role as team leader. It’s

Polo Times, September 2011

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therefore vital that, even if you’re not having a good day with the ball, you maintain your responsibility of giving direction and support to your teammates. Frequently, I’ve seen captains in the past fail in both roles, if they are not playing

www.polotimes.co.uk

18/8/11 14:27:09

Knowledge

Know your game

Fit for purpose

Avoiding injury

James de Mountfort, polo player and personal trainer to the Red Bull F1 Racing Team reveals the exercises and techniques that will help your polo

Essential tips from equestrian and extreme sports biomechanics fitness expert, Linda Byrne

To make sure you are fit for purpose to play polo it is important to have well-balanced shoulders. This trusty exercise will show you how to test whether your shoulders are holding you back. 1. Stand tall holding a pole against your glutes, spine and skull with your right hand at the top of the pole and your left hand at the bottom (as pictured right).

The hip flexors are an important group of muscles that flex your hip. There are quite a few muscles that actually do this, but the two that are specifically referred to as hip flexors are called the psoas and the iliacus. Playing can put these muscles into a shortened position and as a result, can leave them feeling very tight. The psoas attaches to the lower back, so if it’s tight it can pull your back forward, and is therefore a common cause of back pain. To avoid this, incorporate this stretch into your exercise regime and make sure to do it after every game.

2. Walk your hands as close together as you can while keeping the pole in contact with your spine. If your hands don’t meet, measure the distance between them. 3. Now repeat, starting with your left hand at the top. Again, measure the distance between your hands. If the distance between your hands in either reading is greater than one inch, you have an asymmetry and need to work further on your shoulder mobility. The greater the distance between your hands, the less efficient your shoulders are working and the greater your risk of a shoulder injury. I’ll go through some stretches to correct this next time. Happy training. Hip flexor stretch ◗ Contact James on 07949 455712 or james@personally-trained.co.uk to put together your own regime to get you fit for purpose.

• Lunge forward with your right leg, while carefully placing your left knee behind you on a padded mat. • Position your right foot firmly on the ground in front of you.

Mind games Mind games their performances. This month – polo leadership well. They will “feel bad” giving direction to others, as they are not as effective as usual themselves, thus magnifying the ill-effects. If you find yourself in the role of captain, you need to ensure you

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keep up your leadership, no matter what else is going on – your team needs you. ◗ Contact Miranda on 07789 933936 and miranda@mirandabanks.com

• Place both of your hands on your right knee. • Push your hips forward • Hold this stretch for a total of one minute • Now repeat on the other side, lungeing forward with your left leg. ◗ Contact Linda on 07535 655338 and linda@lvbinc. co.uk, See http://www.lvbinc. co.uk for more information Polo Times, September 2011

18/8/11 14:27:00

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Polo Times, September 2011

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18/8/11 14:02:47

Ones to watch

Knowledge

Ed Hitchman

Photograph by Tom Reynolds

can guide England to the FIP World Cup, says John O’Sullivan

Prize

Height: 15.2hh Age: 10 Colour: Liver Chestnut Sex: Mare Sire: Monty (Ellerston) Dam: Lottie (Ellerston) Owner: James Harper

Black Bears’ back James Harper tells James Mullan what makes his opening chukka pony such a valuable mount

she will always put in one head shake up and down when she is told to come to a stop. It stops her being perfect, but doesn’t slow her down.

How did you get hold of Prize? She was part of my string the first year I went out to work at Ellerston [in Australia] some three years ago, and I used to play her in the last chukka because of her power. She’d been one of their top four-year-olds but had been slightly overcooked since and could be a bit untidy for those that didn’t know how to handle her. I negotiated with Jim Gilmore and bought her the second year I went out there, as well as another horse which I sold to George Hanbury in May last year.

How did she play in the Warwickshire? I played Prize in the first chukka and scored a goal off her from open play. She’s almost always good for at least a goal a chukka, but I couldn’t play her again in the last as I’d planned, as she’d lost a shoe. But it felt like the right level of polo for her. Even when we played 14-16 goal at Ellerston, it felt more like 18-20 because of the quality and pace of the grounds there.

What are her strengths? Well, it used to be her power but now it’s her handle. She changes legs beautifully and is always absolutely correct, without any feet ever out of place. It makes her perfect to hit the ball off and so now I tend to play her in the first chukka of all my games, as she helps me settle.

Photograph by Centaur Photographic

Any weaknesses? She’s lost some power since Australia for some reason. She never used to ever lose a ride-off or a race to the ball, but she does now get caught from time to time. However, it’s mitigated by her improved temperament. She seems to have calmed here, having moved from a busy yard to my small private one. Her only other fault is that

Would you ever sell her? Ideally no, but if someone came in offering me a big number, then I’d be crazy not to. But you need horses like Prize in your string, as she’s super sound as has probably played three-quarters of the 90 games or so I’ve played this season. She loves polo and can handle up to four or five games a week if necessary. That is invaluable – she’s certainly deserved her rest this winter. She’ll go out early this month after the 8, 12 and 16-goal at Guards is finished and she won’t be back until the first week in March.

Cowdray five-goaler Ed Hitchman is hoping to finish off 2011 with a bang by helping England to October’s FIP World Cup in Argentina. The 27-year-old replaced Jonny Good in the 14-goal England side after impressing during the Golden Jubilee Trophy on International Day at Guards. He joins Nick BrittenLong (2), Max Charlton (4) and Jack Richardson (3) for this month’s European qualifiers at Villa a Sesta in Italy (22 Sept to 2 Oct). And, having represented England at the 2008 World Cup in Mexico, he is looking forward to playing his part again. He said: “It was great fun last time, so it is good to be involved again. The World Cup is a brilliant tournament to play in, so I hope we qualify.” Standing in England’s way are Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Holland. With two places up for grabs, Hitchman is expecting a tough test in qualifying. He admits: “Italy are looking really good at the moment and they will be a threat. “I think two out of the three of England, Spain and Italy will qualify. “The plan is to have three or four good training sessions before we go out to Italy and a few practice matches out there. We will be ready. “I’ve been playing mainly medium goal this season and I haven’t really had any spectacular moments. “Winning the World Cup would definitely be the highlight – then I will return to England looking to have a big 2012 season.”

Is she easy to keep? She’s not a “people-horse” to be honest and isn’t an affectionate pony that likes hugs or anything, but she is easy, yes. During the season, I feed her a scoop of mix and a bit of hay each day.

Page sponsored by Baileys Horse Feeds – experts in polo nutrition Tel: +44 (0)1371 850247 www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk www.polotimes.co.uk

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Polo Times, September 2011

18/8/11 14:02:33

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18/8/11 16:32:56

How to spend it

Adrenalin alternatives with Andrew Dent This month: advanced racing simulators Braking for the Caracciola Karrussell at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in your BRM, your front inside wheel is threatening to lock up. Ease off the brake pedal as you still need to carry speed for this corner, one of over 70 at the famous 14-mile circuit in West Germany. It’s nicknamed the ‘Green Hell’ by your fellow drivers, and don’t look now, but it’s 1964 and the race organisers haven’t fitted Armco barriers yet! John Surtees is out in front in his Ferrari, but you still have a chance to catch him. If you think you’re Graham Hill, well, you could have been – as all former racing drivers know, the older you get, the faster you were. In fact, you’re in the advanced simulator at the Race Centre near Southampton in Hampshire, one of the wonders of modern motorsport science. Simulators used to be very Mickey Mouse, but nowadays they are so good that real F1 drivers use them to learn new circuits and they aid teams in car development. This one can accommodate groups of up to 30 drivers, on many hundreds of different tracks. There is a choice of machinery, too, from Caterhams, modern F1 and historic Grand

Prix cars. Prices are more than reasonable, and for less than the cost of a good dinner you can provide your mates with a full-on evening’s entertainment and go home without the bruises, sweaty helmet syndrome, stiff neck and carbon monoxide poisoning that go with the patch for indoor karting. There’s no need to have a driver’s licence, so kids can take part, but be warned, sometimes they are surprisingly good at it. Realism is excellent and you get plenty of track time – more importantly, perhaps, everyone gets equal equipment so the old karting bugbear of “I had a duff one” or “I’m too heavy for this” are dealt with at a stroke. It’s a brilliant venue for Stag Parties or corporate entertainment, or even just a small group of friends looking for entertainment. You don’t need fireproof clothing but you’ll still be surprised how easily the red mist comes down – best to make sure you take fresh underwear with you as well. http://www.theracecentre.co.uk http://www.virginexperiencedays.co.uk/

Calibre de Cartier, steel Refined Swiss watch makers Cartier may have ended their 27-year association with the HPA’s International Day at Guards, but they will remain very much involved with the English polo scene through their new sponsorship of the Queen’s Cup at the same venue. This year they rewarded each player on International Day with the automatic steel version of the Calibre de Cartier watch, which matches elegance with modern convenience. The smart timepiece, pictured above, has an alligator skin strap and is water resistant to 30m. Available from £4,750 www.polotimes.co.uk

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Knowledge

Motors Morgan cars Founded in 1909, Morgan Motor Company remains family owned and continues to manufacture contemporary British sports cars. Each car incorporates the one hundred-year-old Morgan philosophy: pure, elegant, light and fast. All Morgan cars exhibit 21st century coach building excellence. Handcrafted aluminium bodies are

sculpted over an ash wood frame. This body adorns a modern chassis powered with the latest engine technologies. Every Morgan is created with passion, care and dedication by their craftsmen and women who are based in the heart of the Cotswolds. The classic Morgan cars are available in 1.6, 2.0 and 3.0 litre variations. Each of these can be personalised down to the last detail or stripped back and sold in the purest ‘Sport’ specification. Whether you consider the fun and frugal 1.6 4/4 Sport or the highly

Purdey and Roland Iten team up to produce a real belter A unique belt buckle, called the Roland Iten R81, is available from James Purdey & Sons flagship store in Mayfair. The result of a skilled collaboration between bespoke gun and rifle makers, Purdey, and inventor Roland Iten, the buckle is hand crafted from steel and rose gold and inlaid with fossilised mammoth tooth, using the finest Swiss watchmaking skills. Available from £11,750

tuned Plus 4 Super Sport, there is nothing quite like the Classic Morgan. For more information about the Classic, Aero series of supercars, or the new acclaimed 3 Wheeler, visit www.morgan-motor.co.uk Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 12:06:47

Knowledge Market-leading properties

Rich pickings Unaffordable to most of us, we can still dare to dream, and so Amy Lodowski takes a snoop to discover the properties available for polo’s wealthiest set this autumn

ledisloe House in Gloucestershire is just a stone’s throw from the historic Cirencester Park Polo Club. Set in 36 acres of formal gardens, parkland and woodland, this grade II listed country house looks terrific with a tree-lined drive finishing with a grand fountain in front of the house. Tall sash windows throughout the house provide stunning views of the gardens, while high ceilings and beautifully proportioned accommodation with period fireplaces all add to its glorious Georgian character. An impressive dining room within the wine cellar also provides an interesting area for entertaining. Thirteen loosebox stables with a central courtyard and stone-built tack and feed room make this property ideal for any equine enthusiast. You could call Bledisloe House home with an offer in excess of £8million. Contact Savills’ specialist equine estate agent

The spacious and welcoming main hallway at Bledisloe House in Gloucestershire and, top, the impressive facade of the property, which is available through Savills for those prepared to make an offer in excess of £8million

For further information with regard to equestrian property sales contracts, please contact Mark Charter at Blake Lapthorn directly: on 023 8085 7116; via email, at mark.charter@bllaw.co.uk; or write to Mark Charter, Partner, Real Estate, Blake Lapthorn, New Kings Court, Tollgate, Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, SO53 3LG

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www.polotimes.co.uk

19/8/11 16:30:56

Market-leading properties

James Walker on 01285 627555 or jwalker@savills.com More conveniently located for London, Childwick Bury Stud in Hertfordshire offers a rare opportunity to acquire a prestigious and highly regarded property, once described by Racing Illustrated as “one of the most complete and beautifully arranged studs of its kind”. This epithet remains as true today as when it was written over 100 years ago, but the amount of land on offer should also make it appeal to anyone in the equine industry. At an imposing 415 acres, and well located in a very soughtafter commuter belt, between St Albans and Harpenden, the property is suited to any equestrian pursuit. In addition to the main house, the stud facilities and paddocks, Childwick Bury Stud includes a farmhouse, three

Childwick Bury Stud, above and right, comes complete with beautifully maintained paddocks, more than 100 stable boxes, and numerous farm buildings and housing

cottages, farm buildings and a goodsized block of arable farmland. The stud buildings provide more than 100 boxes, located between the traditional main yard (where there are 34 boxes), the yearling and foaling yard (where there are 66 boxes) and between a further four indoor yards. The buildings also incorporate a stallion unit and a trophy room – something to aspire to! Outside, the exceptionally well-maintained paddocks that extend to approximately 192 acres have useful walkways running between them. Childwick Bury Stud is available as a whole or in six lots, with an asking price upwards of £9.5million for the whole. Contact Jane Mynott of Bidwells on 01223 559306 or email jane.mynott@bidwells.co.uk Meanwhile, less than six miles from Guards and seven miles from Ascot Park, Barton Lodge finds itself sandwiched between two of the most prestigious polo clubs in the

Barton Lodge has its own stick-and-ball ﬁeld and is just minutes from Guards and Ascot Park

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Knowledge

country. Just 27 miles from the centre of London, this house in Berkshire offers the ideal location for any polo enthusiast. Right on the edge of Windsor Great Park, this Georgian House sits beautifully in 25 acres of private land. Eight bedrooms, a coach house, gym and formal gardens aren’t all this prestigious property has to offer. The house even comes with its own stick-and-ball field. The picturesque village of Winkfield is located near by, which offers all the amenities needed. This house is an excellent example of a luxury country house in a prime polo location, and it can be yours for £7.5million, available through Savills. Contact Guy Robinson on 01753 834654 or grobinson@savills.com In roughly the same location, but for those with an even bigger budget, Hanover House is a 17,120-squarefoot newly built property in Wentworth with six bedrooms, including a u

Hanover House, also near Guards, backs onto Wentworth Golf Course

Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 12:24:32

Knowledge Market-leading properties

u penthouse suite, five reception rooms, a pool complex, tennis courts, cinema room, staff accommodation and an open-plan dining room leading onto a beautiful loggia and terrace. The house is just a 10-minute drive to Guards and the gardens even back onto the 14th fairway of Wentworth Golf Course. Its prestigious location and grand scale and design make Hanover House arguably the most impressive property in the Wentworth estate, and it’s on the market for £14million. Contact agents Knight Frank through James Crawford on 020 7861 1065 or james.crawford@ knightfrank.com If words don’t fail you altogether, then adjectives such as grand, opulent and lavish will be those that you’ll use when describing Updown Court. This southfacing mansion was built in 1924 on a mere 12 acres of land, before being purchased by His Highness Prince Sami Gayed of Egypt in 1977. The prince expanded and upgraded the mansion to the modern masterpiece that stands in the 58 acres of Surrey countryside today. Just a 20-minute drive from the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, the estate boasts 22 bedrooms and bathrooms, 17 receptions, a security lodge, heli-pad, gate house and guest house, as well as all the expected leisure facilities and stabling. 74

Polo Times, September 2011

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At £70million, Updown Court, above, is currently the most expensive property on the British market

At a phenomenal £70million, this is the most expensive house on the British market today, though looks a snip compared to the recent sale of Park Place near Henley-on-Thames to a Russian Millionaire for £140million. If you feel like competing on that scale, contact Hamptons International to discuss an offer with John Denney in the head office, on 01483 572864 or denneyj@hampton-int.com

or those for whom the UK market doesn’t appeal, or those whose thoughts are turning to sunnier climes at this time of year, then there are a number of options overseas that might be of interest for the winter. In particular, if you’re not already familiar with the range of villas on

offer at Apes Hill Club in Barbados, then make this your first port of call. Nestled between the 10th, 17th and 18th holes of the club’s world-class 18-hole golf course, the “Villas of Garden Hall”, of which there are three varieties, are designed with luxury in mind and are stylistically based on a Barbadian plantation home. Each villa includes an infinity edge pool, garage, walk-in wardrobe and golf buggy port. Large bedrooms, spacious living and dining areas as well as a fully-equipped kitchen all come as standard. Those with their mind firmly set on polo however may consider the Polo Villas, situated right on the edge of the Waterhall Polo Centre. The 2,600 square-foot open-plan villas all come with their own private plunge pool, modern kitchen and spacious lake-view u

Homes at Apes Hill Club, Barbados offer stunning views across the island, and their 18-hole golf course and polo grounds

www.polotimes.co.uk

19/8/11 12:24:44

Exceptional polo properties

Travelling to the Argentine Open?

Real estate & land for sale Holiday flats in Palermo Daily stick & ball, and chukkas Unrivalled polo facilities Just one hour from Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA Skype: buenosairesstay BA Tel: (005411) 4807 9046 UK Tel: (0044) 2081333931 Email: help@sos-prop.com

Sales: www.tierraestates.com Rentals: www.bastay.com

Polo Arena Construction

C O N T R A C TO R S

• Manege Construction • Pony Lines & Wash-Down Areas • Lunge Rings & Exercise Tracks • Equestrian & Stock Fencing • Roads & Tracks • Hard Standings & Concrete Slabs • Special Projects for more information please contact: tel: 01483 894 888 • mob: 07836 356714 • fax: 01483 892 497 email: jeremy@jcfc.co.uk web: www.jcfc.co.uk

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Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 12:24:56

7518

Knowledge Market-leading properties

The new innovation in equestrian fencing…

Horserail All the houses featured here are, or have the potential to become, equestrian properties. Given that the first impression of a property always comes from its appearance, how the paddocks are presented and maintained are a crucial element in creating a property to be proud of, and so should not be overlooked. Anyone with an equestrian property will know that a significant part of the purchase price and maintenance costs are spent on fencing. However, a new affordable alternative to traditional post-and-rail fencing, which won’t break, splinter or warp, has been developed in the USA and Australasia. Called Horserail, it is now on offer for British horse owners, after former England international, Sam Gairdner helped bring it to the UK market. “Having been around horses all my life, I know how many hours people spend maintaining broken or dangerous fences,” explains Gairdner, now a four-goal player. “Being introduced to Horserail fencing in Australia has changed my idea of what can be achieved.” According to Gairdner, there are five main benefits to using a Horserail fence: • Safety – strength and ﬂexibility minimizes the chance of injury • Durability – 30 years manufacturers warrantee • Economy – costs are comparable, with at least twice the life expectancy • Electriﬁcation – all Horserail fences come with integrated electrification • Low-maintenance – no painting or replacing rails, etc The products range from a cheap dividing fence suitable for any livery yard, to a four-rail stud fence, with all the options available built from two specialist products: the smooth coated Horserail technology itself (made from premium virgin grade polyethylene and a super strong steel core), and also Hotcote – a horse-safe 8mm wire, which is a substitute for electrified ropes and tape, but has five times the life expectancy. ◗ Find out more at www.aesfencing.com, email info@aesfencing.com or call 01189 302135 76

Polo Times, September 2011

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Santa María de Lobos’s main mansion, built in a colonial style in 2006, is available for sale or rent

u terrace. Prices range from £765,000£918,000 for the Polo Villas and £1.2m to £1.6m for the Villas of Garden Hall. The magnificent colonial-style Casa de Lord Villa, part of the Santa María de Lobos Polo Ranch in Argentina, offers the weary polo crowd a sunny escape to Argentine luxury, with the main country mansion facing the

At Santa María de Lobos, you could have Agustin Merlos as your neighbour number one field available for purchase or rental, as well as other properties. However, as the existing clientele prove, it would also make a perfect permanent base for a polo player, breeder or aficionado based in Buenos Aires. Our featured villa includes all the expected luxuries, such as five-double bedrooms, all with beautiful en-suite marble bathrooms, each with a jacuzzi, a double-width living room, an open fireplace, state-of-the-art technology cinemas, study and library, swimming pool and wet bar, plus a couple of bonuses such as a 50-person party house and a 1,000-bottle wine cellar. The fun doesn’t end there though. The central courtyard boasts a fully functional built-in discotheque, with lasers and smoke machines. Other residents include Hollywood stars and

world-class polo players alike. Agustin Merlos could be your neighbour for $3.8m (approx £2.3m). Contact Andrew McCance of Mainline Security Estate Management at help@sos-prop.com If exotic is what you’re after, they don’t come with much more personality than the Authentic Thai House, available for rent at the Thai Polo and Equestrian Club, situated in the famous beach resort of Pattaya. The house is located right next to the Rege Ludwig Polo School and both a pool and the club’s “Chukka Bar” are also nearby. There are a wide range of activities on offer within 5km of the resort, including riding (equestrian and elephant!), go carting, a water park, the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden, a winery, crocodile farm and a world-class golf course. Raised above the ground, furnished with antique Thai furniture and with a surrounding verandah, the open-plan, singleroomed interior offers a unique living experience. Formerly owned by a Thai prince, this 200-year-old antique property is available for long-lease rent for just 120,000 baht (£2,455) per year. Interested parties should contact the manager at thaipoloclub@lbg.co.th F

Thai Polo and Equestrian Club has this unique “Authentic Thai House” available for long-lease rent

www.polotimes.co.uk

19/8/11 12:25:08

7518 - Polo Times_300mm x 230mm 17/08/2011 16:56 Page 1

01223 559352 bidwells.co.uk

For sale

169.043 hectares (417.71 acres) | A rare and prestigious private stud with an exquisite history and first class reputation Childwick Bury Hall. Hedges Farm. Stud Cottage. Two stud lodges

Main stud yard with trophy room and stallion unit. Yearling yard. Over 100 boxes in total with potential for more Pavilion tack and feed rooms. Indoor yards. Over 200 acres of exceptionally well maintained paddock land Superb location close to St Albans

Contact: Gemma Burtt t 01223 559352 e gemma.burtt@bidwells.co.uk

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18/8/11 13:23:28

Knowledge Review – Cowdray Park Centenary book

Celebrating a century Polo Times delves into the newest must-have polo book – Cowdray Park Polo Club: The Centenary – and finds it to be a goldmine of information about the West Sussex club and the history of British polo over the last 100 years

John O’Sullivan reports

o much has changed, both at Cowdray Park and in British polo in general, during the last century that the task of compiling a book that accurately depicts the first 100 years at the West Sussex club must be a daunting one. Influenced heavily by the effects of two World Wars, the control of British polo moved dramatically from London towards the country during that time, while Cowdray Park developed from a fledgling club into one of the most influential in the world. Over the years thousands of people, ranging from grooms to royalty, have made their mark on the club. And it is no mean feat that this excellent and informative book – co-written by Clare Milford Haven, Roger Chatterton Newman and Vanessa Taylor – gives recognition to so many people, and indeed animals (three-time Gold Cup best playing pony, Chesney, gets more than an honourable mention), that have helped make Cowdray Park Polo Club into what it is today. Top billing is rightly given to the third Viscount Cowdray, John Pearson, whose love for the sport was so great that, after losing

be overestimated.” His family and their legendary parties are well represented from the days of his father, Major Harold Pearson, who founded the club in 1910, right through to the role played by the present Viscount Cowdray, Michael, and John’s grandchildren Carinthia and George, who are now Pony Clubbers. The book starts with a helpful timeline of the main events throughout the century, which sets the scene and helps to illustrate the significance of the growth of the club. An anecdote-packed and extremely well illustrated history then ensues charting the Royal connection, the players, the ponies, the grounds and the work done behind the scenes, which so often goes unnoticed. Having looked back at the history of Cowdray Park so extensively, the book fittingly finishes by illustrating how the West Sussex

This excellent and informative books gives recognition to many people that have helped make Cowdray what it is today his left arm at Dunkirk in 1940, he enlisted Churchill gunmakers to make him a tailor-made prosthetic limb, which allowed him to carry on playing. The influential club and HPA chairman was the mastermind behind the Gold Cup, which changed the face of British polo after World War Two. As one of his many polo protégés, the Duke of Edinburgh, puts it in the foreword to this book: “His contribution to English polo cannot 78

Polo Times, September 2011

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club will help shape the future of the English game through its annual hosting of the Pony Club Championships. If I had to make one criticism of the book I would have to say that it is the number of uncaptioned photos, particularly in the collage in the centre of the book. Many of those faces will be familiar to those who follow the sport closely today. But one fears this will not be the case in 10 years’ time,

The front cover featuring The Viscount Cowdray, Lt Col Philip Tatham, Lord Patrick Beresford, Col John Lakin and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh in 1968

which is a great shame. That said, Cowdray Park Polo Club: The Centenary is an extensive history of the club and is full of fascinating stories and memorable photos. As well as providing an excellent adornment for the coffee table, the accompanying CD – with a full list of tournament winners from 1910-2010 – is a real gem for polo historians. The book is essential reading for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of the sport in England, while also offering a pleasant stroll down memory lane for the more well-informed polo aficionado. F Cowdray Park Polo Club: The Centenary 256 pages, available in hardback from Cowdray polo office for £100, plus delivery

PT Rating

D D D D D www.polotimes.co.uk

18/8/11 12:52:32

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Products

Knowledge

Cane that’s able Amy Lodowski selects some of the most popular polo mallets on the market, suitable for those playing at all levels of the game Baby mallet by Pampeano, £20, one size

www.pampeano.co.uk Polo Splice foot mallet, £30, varying sizes

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Argentine cane from SATS, £85, sizes 48-54 inches

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Fibercane “Wood Mallet” from SATS, £99, sizes 50-53 inches

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Nano from La Martina, £90, sizes 50-54 inches

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18/8/11 13:14:35

Knowledge What’s on

What’s on in September 2011 UK highlights Medium Goal Cirencester – Cheltenham Cup (8-12): 23 August – 4 September Guards – Autumn Nations-Kerry Packer (10-11): 27 August – 11 September Cowdray – Autumn League (8-12): 5-18 September RCBPC – The Lambourne Trophy (7-10): 12-18 September Low 4-8 Goal Cirencester – The Kingscote Cup (0-6): 16 August – 3 September Kirtlington Park – Chairman’s Trophy (-2-4): 31 August – 4 September Ascot – Pro-Am City Polo Championships (-8-8): 10 September Leadenham – End of Season Tournament (-2-4): 17-18 September Low 3 Goal and below Lynt – Polo Times tournament (-2-2): 3-4 September Edgeworth – The Last Chance (-2-0): 10-11 September Rutland – Ranksboro Cup (-2-2): 10-11 September Dundee – Autumn Tournament (-6 to -2): 17-18 September Frolic – The Farewell Tournament (-4-0): 17-18 September Rugby – The Otono Cup (-2): 24-25 September

Overseas highlights Australia Beaudesert and Doomben, QPA – Australian Open (Open): 17-25 September Sydney Polo Club – Gold Cup (Open): 24-25 September TBC – James Ashton Memorial Ambassadors Cup (Open): 26 September – 2 October France St Tropez – Silver Cup (12-15 & 0-6): 1-4 September St Tropez – Gold Cup (12-15 & 0-6): 7-11 September Polo Club de Chantilly – Open de France (14): 3-18 September

Open Tidworth – Grooms Tournament (Open): 2 September Fifield – Run 4 The Sun (Open): 3-4 September White Rose – Junior Tournament (Open): 25 September Combined Services Guards – Major Generals Cup (0-2): 2-4 September Guards – Grenadier Past vs Present Polo Challenge (Open): 4 September Taunton – Faulkner Cup (RN v Taunton) (Open): 4 September Ladies Tidworth – Ladies Tournament (-6-2): 1-4 September Vale of York – Granger Appleyard Ladies Tournament (-6- -2): 24 September Special Events Watergate Bay, Cornwall – Polo on the Beach (Open): 6 September (pictured above right) Beaufort – Hospitality Action Polo Day (Open): 11 September South Point Casino and Equestrian Centre, Las Vegas USA – Polo America Expo (polo convention): 30 September – 2 October For a full list of all the tournaments see www.polotimes.co.uk

Germany Hamburg – Idee Polo Derby (Open): 26-28 September Italy Villa a Sesta – FIP World Cup Qualifiers-Zone C (14): 22 September – 2 October Singapore Singapore Polo Club – Singapore International Polo Tournament (Open): 14-18 September USA 302 Polo Club – Heritage Cup (12-16): 18 September – 21 October

Other dates Doncaster – Premier Yearling Sales: 31 August – 1 September Doncaster – St Leger Festival Sales: 8 September Doncaster – Eve of St. Leger Sale (Joint Goffs and DBS flat horses in training sale): 9 September

TV highlights on Horse & Country (Sky 580) 3 September, 7pm – Coronation Cup 2011 4 September, 7pm – Coronation Cup 2011 17 September, 5pm – Sotogrande Gold Cup 2011, Spain 21 September, 7pm – Sotogrande Gold Cup 2011, Spain 82

Polo Times, September 2011

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www.polotimes.co.uk

19/8/11 12:17:00

What’s on

Knowledge

Club contacts UK and Ireland

Left and above: Polo on the Beach at Watergate Bay in Cornwall last year, which takes place again this month on Tuesday 6 September. The match between two three-a-side teams, Joules and First Great Western, will commence at 6.30pm

TOP

of total team numbers at Pony Club Polo Championships at Cowdray finals in last 10 years

We delved into the Polo Times archives to ﬁnd this photograph of the Gannon I winners (Ed Magor, Edward Nicholson, Bobby Dundas and Sean Wilson Smith) in 2003, when the total numbers of teams entered into the Pony Club Polo Championships reached their peak so far this millennium

2003

(66)

2004

(62)

2009 2007 2006

(58) (58) (58)

2008

(55)

2005 2002

(54) (54)

2010

(53)

2011

(52)

www.polotimes.co.uk

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South East AEPC, Hickstead – 01273 834315 * Ascot Park – 01276 858545 * Ash Farm – 01932 872521 * Belmont, Mill Hill – 01344 829955 * Binfield Heath – 01491 411969 Barcombe – 01273 400179 Burningfold – 01483 200722 Cowdray Park – 01730 813257 Coworth Park – 01344 875155 Epsom – 01372 748200 * FHM – 07778 436468 * Fifield – 01628 620061 * Guards – 01784 434212 Ham – 020 8334 0000 Hurtwood Park – 01483 272828 Kirtlington – 01869 350138 Knepp Castle – 01403 741007 Lacey Green – 07946 360569 Park Lane – 01491 411969 RMAS – 01276 412276 Royal County of Berkshire – 01344 890060 * Sussex Polo – 01342 714920 * West Wycombe – 01865 858475 * East Apsley End – 01462 712444 * Cambridge & Newmarket – 07769 976781 Carlton House – 01986 892231 Frolic Farm – 01223 812922 Haggis Farm – 01223 460353 * Hertfordshire – 01707 256023 Little Bentley – 01206 250435 Silver Leys – 01279 652652 St Albans – 07879 866647 Suffolk Polo – 07990 576974 South West Asthall Farm – 01367 860207 Beaufort – 01666 880510 Cirencester Park – 01285 653225 Druids Lodge – 01722 782597 * Edgeworth – 01285 821695 Ladyswood – 01666 840880 Longdole – 01452 864544 * Lynt – 07957 468220 * Maywood – 01962 885500 * New Forest – 02380 811818 Orchard – 01258 471000 Taunton – 01823 480460 Tidworth – 01980 846705 * Vaux Park – 01460 242684 * West Somerset – 01844 820432 Midlands Foxhill – 0115 9651790 Offchurch Bury – 07816 830887 Leadenham – 07816 216356 Ranksboro – 01572 720046 RLS – 01926 812409 Rugby – 01788 817724 * Rutland – 01572 724568 North Beverley – 01964 544455 * Toulston – 01422 372529 Vale of York – 07788 426968 * White Rose – 01430 875767 * Cheshire – 01270 611100 Chester Racecourse – 01244 304602 Scotland Borders Reivers – 01890 840777 Dundee & Perth – 07879 895780 Edinburgh – 0131 449 6696 * Kinross – 07831 365194 * Stewarton – 07974 706045 Ireland All Ireland – +353 (0) 1 6896732 Bunclody – +353 87 6605917 Curraghmore – +353 51 387102 Donaghadee – 02891 882521 Limerick – +353 (0) 87 2231690 Moyne – +353 85 1313224 Northern Ireland – 02890 727905 Wicklow – +353 (0) 404 67164 * Waterford – +353 51 595280 * denotes winter arena polo venue hTo contact the HPA, tel: 01367 242828

Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 12:16:54

Tell us yours at gossip@polotimes.co.uk Anonymity guaranteed if you want it...

A busy month of weddings, injuries and legal wranglings

Garth makes great progress As promised, a quick update on Grenadier Guardsman Garth Banks, who we featured in our last issue. The injured serviceman, who has been encouraged to take up polo after loosing both legs in an explosion in Afghanistan last year, is up and in the saddle. “With the aid of some £30k-a-piece specialist prosthetic riding limbs, Garth is doing incredibly well, even managing to stick and ball better than anyone could have imagined,” explained his plucky coach, Caroline Smail.

Former Cowdray zero-goaler Tim Attias, once the boyfriend of Mick Jagger’s ex Jerry Hall, is currently defending himself from legal proceedings brought by one of London’s leading fund managers, Rubicon Fund Management. Attias is being sued for the alleged breach of fiduciary duty after he and colleague Santiago Alarco left the company to set up a rival fund, SATA Partners. On a much happier note, Oxford Polo School coach and Kirtlington Park Polo Club three-goaler David Ashby has wed his partner Clare Eeley, pictured right. We announced their engagement in a previous issue and the pair were married on Saturday 23 July, the same weekend as he presided over a stall at the CLA Game Fair!

Congratulations of a different sort are in order for The First Group Polo Team. Readers have been known to complain to Polo Times about the Also at Kirtlington, and on the marriage front, lack of medium and intermediate-goal coverage, two-goaler Eric Asker will marry fellow Kirtlington so we must note the excellent achievement of Park Polo Club member Lucy Fields (-1), on Ollie Browne’s team, who won not only the Duke 18 November. Eric proposed to a heavily of Wellington Trophy (6-12 goal) on 14 pregnant Lucy during a weekend August, but also the Town and away in Bath almost a year ago, County Championship (4-8 several months before Lucy goal) the day before. The First gave birth to their baby boy Group fought off a total of 24 Otto in December. other teams over the course of both tournaments held “Our diffi cult beautiful summer Love has also been in at Guards – to lift two game [cricket]…is not as good the air at Leadenham prestigious trophies in as a game as polo” Polo Club, where Miles many days. Well done All-round sportsman CB Fry, Davey, a low-goal partquoted in the newly released indeed chaps. time player, and fellow

Quote of the month

volume Not In My Day, Sir:

Leadenham member Kerry Cricket Letters to the Daily Meanwhile, there’s been a Telegraph Dunford are also recently few thrills and spills on the polo emerged in newly wed bliss, a fields recently. A rather unlucky Josh union that has delighted polo manager Woolley of Cheshire Polo Club took a blow James Reeve. The pair tied the knot on to the nose from an opponent’s horse’s head Thursday 9 June and, given it was right in the on Saturday 13 August. The brave zero-goaler middle of the polo season, declined to have a continued to play, but left the field covered in honeymoon. Many congratulations to them. blood. His bad luck didn’t stop there, though, as a misplaced mallet struck him on the chin the following day during the final of the Canada Cup. The 22-year-old headed to A&E for stitches and had to start his work experience the next day looking more like a rioter, inset, than a talented young polo player! Poor Josh had gone five years without injury prior to that unfortunate weekend.

Look-a-likes

Michael Amoore and Roberto Mancini 84

Polo Times, September 2011

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Polo player Christabel Webb also suffered an injury recently when an over-exuberant reveller

knocked her to the floor in the celebrations after the Cartier International, fracturing her arm. One man who would be more put out than most by a broken arm is Hurtwood Park owner and famed rock drummer Kenney Jones. He has been speaking recently to the Daily Mail about his friendship with Prince Charles, with whom it seems he has more in common than you’d think. The former drummer with the Small Faces and The Who said: “Honestly, I never dreamed I’d own a polo club and play with the hoity-toity. Prince Charles and I are both fans of The Goon Show and it turns out we both used to sit there as kids, separately of course, tuning into our wirelesses.” www.polotimes.co.uk

19/8/11 12:15:10

Sent in to sort out the rioters? Viewing this picture of members of the England polo squad trotting through the streets of London on horseback, right, you could be forgiven for thinking that they had been sent by the government as part of their “robust measures” to quell the rioting in England’s capital city. In fact they were taking part in a “pop-up” polo match the day after England’s Cartier International win over Brazil to mark the end of the polo season. Onlookers were delighted to see James Beim, Malcolm Borwick and captain Luke Tomlinson, wearing tailored “Made in England” Lutwyche blazers over their England whites. The boys put on a display outside the Lutwyche store in Mayfair’s Clifford Street before moving on to Old Bond Street and Savile Row.

www.polotimes.co.uk

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Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 14:16:58

Sidelines Herbert Spencer accepts life membership of the HPA from the association’s chairman, Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers

Brazilian Ambassador, Roberto Jaguaribe

Colonel Paul Belcher and wife Sanda

Lavinia Black

Maureen Moseley

HPA lunch at Cartier International Day Guards Polo Club – 24 July 2011

Honours and bonhomie There was a bouyant atmosphere inside the HPA’s usual marquee on the association’s International Day this year, with the 240 guests enjoying fine food, wine and company – as well as the chance to sit in the shade on what was a very hot day. Following downpours at the Queen’s and Gold Cups, the relief that Mother Nature had smiled on them was etched across the faces of Millie Hodges, Lucy Lewis and Amanda Eaton as their table sat down to lunch. Their work was done and, once chief executive David Woodd had presented Prince Philip with a commemorative gift and chairman Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers had said a few well-chosen words, the HPA’s staff could relax and enjoy England’s victory on the Queen’s Ground. w Photographs by Zahra Hanbury, Tony Ramirez and Centaur Photographic

Chris and Nicci Bethell

Christie Brinkley

w Read about Herbert Spencer’s own award from the HPA on page 14

Casper Helmore and Princess Augusta van Preussen

Sue xxx Ferguson and Victor Law

The beautiful Cartier marquee

Susan Harriet and Dan Stevens

Cartier lunch at Cartier International Day Guards Polo Club – 24 July 2011

Celebs provide fine send off

Margo Stilley

In the 27th and final year of Cartier UK’s long and successful headline sponsorship of the HPA’s International Day, dating back to 1984, the luxury jewellers welcomed some 600 guests from the worlds of literature, stage, sport and society. Longtime polo fanatic Arnaud Bamberger, executive chairman of Cartier UK, was as ever the day’s host and spoke eloquently of Cartier’s commitment to the game, with their support next year moving to the Queen’s Cup, also at Guards. w Read the match report on page 34

Cartier’s lunch menu, created by Anton Mosimann

Cartier logos emblazoned the boards around the ground

Lord Charles and Lady Beresford

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Mr and Mrs Arnaud Bamberger

18/8/11 14:30:52

David Woodd presents a commemorative frame, featuring the photograph to the left, to Prince Philip

Windsor Park’s winning Gold Cup team from 1969 reunited (l-r: Lord Patrick Beresford, the Marquis of Waterford, Prince Philip and Paul Withers)

Flora Richardson and Richard Le Poer

Livia Torres (girlfriend of Brazil’s Joao Paulo Ganon) and Cata Huidobro

The victorious English show off their matching new timepieces

Chinawhite party at Cartier International Day Guards Polo Club – 24 July 2011

Rocking, even without Ronson

Bella Heathcote

The untimely death of singer-songwriting sensation Amy Winehouse the day before England met Brazil on 24 July meant few were surprised when headline act Mark Ronson, a good friend of Winehouse, withdrew from the now world-famous Chinawhite after-party. However, Swedish House Mafia’s Axwell left the revellers more than satisfied with a powerful DJ set that made for a memorable night, as ever.

Andy Wong and Lady Victoria Hervey

Made in Chelsea’s Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor

w Pics by Rex Features and Paul Froud

Amber Le Bon and Tamsin Egerton

Poppy and Cloe Delevingne Leon Max and Katya Elizarova Brazilian Samba dancers DJ Axwell

Christopher Biggins

Ready to party Freddie, Melissa and Allegra Stisted release a Chinese lantern in memory of Charlie

Rhianydd Lee-Jones

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18/8/11 14:30:33

Max Dodd-Noble (centre) of Avon Vale Hunt relaxing after winning the Rendell final with friends Oliver Clark and Cosima Baring

Sidelines

PT columnist Arthur Douglas-Nugent

Clare and George Milford Haven

The Pony Club Polo Championships Cowdray Park, West Sussex – 7 August 2011

Britain’s got talent The Pony Club Polo Championships attracted a wealth of familiar faces on finals day, to watch and support the next generation of promising British players. The Pony Club Polo Committee’s VIP guests – including the HPA’s David Woodd and Simon Tomlinson, Clare and George Milford Haven and club chairmen Robert Vaux and Justin Stanhope-White – tucked into a delicious banquet before the iconic parade and exciting final. Joan and Robert Vaux

Inside the tent

w See pages 52-61 for a full report from the championships

Justin Stanhope-White and David Woodd

Mike Williams and guests

Polo For Heroes St Albans Polo Club – 23 July 2011

Sweet charity Lance Corporal McGee pipes in the teams

Top-end food met high-octane polo as St Albans Polo Club hosted the second annual Polo for Heroes charity event in aid of Help for Heroes. Club chairman Steve Collins was among the players who took part, while Tristan Welch, head chef at Launceston Place, cooked a delicious dinner. Money can be donated to the cause at www.bmycharity.com/poloforheroes w Photographs by SA Images Claudia Willmore and Francesca Dingwall

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w See more in Home and abroad, pages 46-51

Graham Hall and guests

Steve Collins

18/8/11 14:33:22

Sidelines

Many families enjoyed dining in the comfort of the marquee

Pony Club Polo Championships organiser, Alicia Wright, and Theresa Hodges, chairman of Pony Club Polo (see page 61) There was plenty of action off the field at Sussex

The delicious lunch

Ben Sim and Terence Lent

Brolley Charity Cup Sussex Polo Club – 31 July 2011 Ponies unwinding at the vast temporary-stable complex

Shandur Polo Festival, 7-9 July 2011 Shandur Pass, Pakistan

No sign of HPA rules These amazing shots are from the Shandur Polo Festival in Pakistan, which takes place annually on the world’s highest polo ground at the Shandur Pass. Located between the mountain towns of Chitral and Gilgit, the field is 3,738 metres above sea level. Spectators were treated to stunning views as they watched the furious, no-holds-barred polo matches unfold.

Voulez vous? Two-goal side VOUS2 triumphed in the second annual Brolley Charity Cup this July, beating Aquila – a side featuring Sussex Polo Club owner and chairman Duane Lent – 10-7. The day, which included other entertainment in the form of sumo wrestlers, face painters, stilt walkers, jugglers and an assault course, raised more than £1,500 in aid of Kent’s Hospice in the Weald and local Help for Heroes. Several hundred watched from the comfort of their picnics, but there was also hospitality for VIP guests in a private marquee, complete with a Laurent Perrier champagne reception and gourmet lunch.

Guests arriving at the charity day

The Brolley Charity Cup finalists with representatives of the Hospice in the Weald and Help for Heroes Nick Clague and Doug Ross chat to spectators

w Photographs by Christopher Pollard Picnics proved extremely popular on the sidelines

The day’s programme

w Photographs by Baba Dody

Jimmy Mulligan, Richard Buckfield, Hector Worsley and Nick Clague

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18/8/11 14:33:53

Sidelines

Jane Seymour

Andrea Vianini in action

Roger Taylor and Sarina Potgieter

Rock n’ high-goal

Martin Brown, Lynda Mariano and Kenney Jones

Black Bears patron Urs Schwarzenbach gives his son Guy a helping hand

Kenney Jones and Ronnie Wood perform

PoloRocks and Chakravarty Cup Hurtwood Park, 23 July 2011

Rock royalty rubbed shoulders with some of the world’s top players as Hurtwood Park hosted its PoloRocks event on the same day as the Chakravarty Cup. Club chairman Kenney Jones was joined by Ronnie Wood as his old band The Faces played a rare gig in front of the 2,500-strong crowd, dedicated to the late Amy Winehouse. The music followed an entertaining high-goal match, in which Symbol M – Guy Higginson, Max Routledge, Andrea Vianini and Memo Gracida – beat Team Gaucho featuring Andrew Hine, Tonno Iturrate, Jorge Tassara and Carlos Gracida after an extra chukka, 7-6. Kenney Jones said: “I think we have proven that polo really does rock!” w Photographs by Mark Beaumont

Nick and Eimear Cook

Fearne Cotton and Jesse Wood

Andrea Vianini and Jodie Kidd

Warwickshire Cup Final Cirencester Park, 7 August 2011

Winning patron Nick Britten-Long

Family full house

Nick BrittenLong and Henry Brett

The grandstands were packed as hundreds of spectators flocked to the Warwickshire Cup final last month. Showery weather didn’t stop picnics and pleasingly held off to allow those in attendance to enjoy what was one of the most exhilarating games of the season. The Vestey family turned up in force, including their latest additions, threemonth-old Sophia and three-week-old Elizabeth, all supporting John Paul Clarkin of finalists Black Bears. Spectators filled the grandstands at Cirencester Park

w Read what happened on page 40

w Photographs by Tom Reynolds and Cheryl Miller Richard Britten-Long congratulates Henry Brett Black Bears manager Doug McGregor

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19/8/11 12:10:38

Sidelines

Anse Van Gestel and Michael Redding

The sponsors and special guests joined both teams for the post-match celebrations

Maria Vitoria Marchiorello and Nachi Duplessis George Milford Haven Nico Pieres

Pablo Mora and Marcos di Paola

Jay Jones and Harriet Robson

Sarah-Jayne Read and Casey Jones

Erica Packer and son Jackson

Silver Cup after party, 13 August Santa Marîa Polo Club – Spain

Olé for Ollie! A high-flyer drops in

The trophy

Using a duster as a yellow card!

People watching from their picnics on the sidelines

Santa María Polo Club in Sotogrande provided a wonderful backdrop to the Silver Cup after party held on Saturday 13 August. Sponsored by the prestigious watch brand Hublot, 150 guests graced the cocktail reception and dinner, including Hublot ambassador Facundo Pieres. Pieres sent tongues wagging when he attended with Spanish model Ariadne Artiles. After celebrating their High Goal Silver Cup victory, the Richard Mille boys – including England’s Ollie Cudmore – began their campaign for the Gold Cup less than 48 hours later on the Monday afternoon.

Diogo Gallego, Joao Leitao, Pedro Parames and Nick Johnson

Scrummy Beautiful waitress snacks

w Photographs by Tony Ramirez w See next month’s Polo Times for more coverage from Sotogrande

Richard Mille team winners of the high goal Silver Cup (l-r Pablo MacDonough, Prince Bahar Jefri, Valerio Zubiaurre and Ollie Cudmore)

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Facundo Pieres and Ariadne Artiles

Robert Hissom and Miriam Armstrong

James Packer

19/8/11 12:11:51

The polo directory

Rob Cudmore England Coach, 2 HPA Instructors • International Equitrack Polo Arena • Fantastic clubhouse with licensed bar & excellent viewing of the arena • Polo Pony Hire, School Ponies • Chukkas and Matches - call the office for Info • Individual Coaching, Group Lessons, Social & Corporate Events For information on membership, polo lessons and general enquiries please call: Tel: (office) 01452 864 544 Mobile: 07974 532 841 email: rob@longdolepolo.com Longdole Polo Club, Birdlip, Gloucestershire, GL4 8LH

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19/8/11 12:38:01

The polo directory

Special occasion polo cards for birthdays, anniversaries, get well soon, weddings, & baby congratulations; from £2.99 plus p&p Visit www.Katesart.com or txt/tel 07887 678421 or email: enquiries@Katesart.com image copyright protected by Katesart.com 2007

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Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 12:38:07

The polo directory

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2001 VOLVO FM7 290 12 horse, day cabs, tack lockers, 26 ton, on air.

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Polo Times, September 2011

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7 horse: 2005 IVECO EUROCARGE 75E17 With new 20ft alloy body, 6 partitions, kick board, alloy floor, rubber matted, tow bar. Full test.

To view our stock visit our website www.tandsharkerhorseboxes.co.uk Email: enquires@tandsharkerhorseboxes.co.uk Tel: 01325 332 649 Mobile: 07901 857960 Fax: 01325 333554 Eddlethorpe Farm, Stockton Road, Sadberge, Darlington, Co Durham DL2 1TB ALL VEHICLES ARE PLUS VAT FINANCE AVAILABLE

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19/8/11 12:38:18

The polo directory

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PT p92-97 Polo directory and Classified.indd 5

Tel: 01598 740 685

Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 12:38:26

Classifieds Ponies LOVELY 15.2HH ENGLISH THOROUGHBRED/ROR REG. Bay 8 years old. Uncomplicated mare with no vices. Suit any rider seeking a quicker pony. Played up to 4-goal with patron and high-goal practices with pros. Open to vet. £10,000. West Sussex. Tel. 07824 807244/ 07951 753308 EXCEPTIONALLY EASY 15.1HH GELDING 8 YEARS OLD 15.1hh 8 year old bay gelding, played from 0 - 12 goal this season, suit Pony Club to up and coming player, super handy with light mouth. Perfect hitting platform. Won’t find an easier pony. Nice type, would double chukka easily, no vices and never been lame. Ready to be tried, Hants/Berks boarder. Be quick and grab a bargain! £6,500 ono. Hants. Contact 07906 376266 PERFECT LOW GOAL PONIES Rosina (17): Excellent all-rounder, played six seasons as favourite of three-goal pro, now looking for a quieter five star home. Eric (14): Fantastic to handle, played from Gannon to 15 goal. Both an asset to any low goal string. £4,000. Hampshire. Tel Nick Pepper on 07939 935076 LOW - MEDIUM GOAL PONIES Sultan and Ben, 11 year old geldings. 15.2hh. Played up to 18-goal with three-goal pro this season. Suitable for low-goal pros/ ambitious young riders. Both £6,000. Alton, Hampshire. Tel Nick Pepper on 07939 935076 EXCEPTIONAL 16HH GELDING 14 years old, he is a machine! Suit experienced rider for polo and hunts all day, £4,500. Also, Simon, 15hh Argentine, 13 years old and a brilliant playing pony £3,500. St Albans. Tel: 07971 691160 HANDSOME 11 YEAR OLD ARGENTINE 15.1HH GELDING FOR SALE Would suit up-and-coming pro or regular playing patron. Very handy in short play and

Polo Times, September 2011

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great top speed. No vices, easy to look after. Good home a must. £6,000 ono. Gloucestershire. Call 07745 370530

professional. Would suit low goal player or medium goal patron. Able to be tried when ever. Trippets Farm, West Sussex. £6,000. Tel: 07951 587789

15.3HH SIX YEAR OLD POLO MARE, FIT AND PLAYING Fast, tough, agile and easy in every way. Playing polocrosse this season. Men’s pool horse in UK vs. IRE open test series and World Cup. Also UK U21 ladies tests 2011. Great looking mare, suit competitive player in polo, will only improve. Quick sale due to uni, £6,500 ono. Kent. Tel: 07773 379972

BEAUTIFUL 15HH 13 YEAR OLD ARGENTINE CHESTNUT MARE FOR SALE Totally sound, good box, shoe, clip. Perfect schoolmistress, quiet and easy to handle. Great hitting platform. Double chukkas, hacks out, ideal Pony Club pony, sad sale due to upgrade. Near Billinghurst. £4,000. Call 07802 432769.

STUNNING BLACK 15.2HH GELDING 12 YEARS OLD Phanton has played 0-12 goal polo since he was six with same three-goal player. Great pony to hit from absolutely no vices would suit -1 up. Chris 07762 069420 PATRON PONIES Three lovely ponies for sale as owner giving up. Dark bay gelding 11 years old, 15.2hh gentle, easy, played up to 12-goal. Bay gelding 10 years old, 15.3hh safe as houses, played up to 8-goal but capable of more. Chestnut gelding 15hh 10 years old, cheeky chappy, but lovely with it! Some tack available. Near Hurtwood Park Polo Club. From £4,000. Call Linda 01306 627255 or Tracy 07526 500923 PONY WANTED, KNOWLEDGABLE HOME AWAITS careful lady ‘mum’ rider starting polo seeks kind pony for gentle polo. Knowledgeable five star home with own facilities, refs available BUT very limited funds. No oldies please as we have lots. Minimal please! Cambridge. Tel 01692 651787 THREE PONIES AND A HORSEBOX Three ponies and a 7.5 tonne horsebox which takes five. Two ponies are 16 years old and one pony is seven years old. All sound, playing regularly, double chukka and up to weight. Good home only. £9,000. Lincolnshire. Tel: 07739 569491 15.1HH ARGENTINE MARE Good strong, agile pony, never sick or sorry, 11 years old. A real “players” pony. Played by male patron for the last three years but owner now giving up polo. Also played by a lady. An honest, hard working pony. Easy catch, shoe, clip. Near RLS Polo Club, Warwickshire. £6,000. Tel: 07774 164277 SAFE AND STEADY POLO GELDING 16.1 TB gelding. 9 years old. Uncomplicated, well-mannered, safe, steady ride. Good brakes. Suit new player. Easy to hit off. Easy to do. Fit for double chukka matches. Lincolnshire. Windsucks hence £2,100. Phone 07725 267837.

STUNNING EASY ARGENTINE GREY MARE Fast and easy, with lovely light mouth, very lateral. Played up to 8-goal with ease. 12 years old and always sound. Owner going to university. Surrey. £6,500. Call Kay on 07860 909394. NINE YEAR OLD 15.1HH ARGENTINE MARE pretty, agile, soft mouth, played up to 8 goal. Fit and playing now. Wilts/Glos. £5,000. Tel: 07958 639749 RETIRING YOUR PONY? FAMILY HACK WANTED Mum looking for retired/retiring polo pony as hack to accompany children and for eldest child to use to stick and ball occasionally. To be kept at home with children’s ponies and 5* facilities. Must be bomb-proof, easy to do in all aspects and have good breaks! Loving long term home offered. Please call 07836 646060 (Berkshire) NEW ZEALAND BRED PALOMINO FILLY Professionally broken 3.5 year old filly. Broken end of last year and now stick and balling, riding/leading out in company and on her own. Balanced with a lovely mouth. £3,500. Tetbury. Tel: 07894 166007 Transport 7.5 TONNE SIX HORSE MERCEDES LORRY 7.5 tonne. Six horse lorry with tack area. Great condition, 261,000 miles. MOT July 2012. Tax May 2012. Four new tyres. Lovely lorry to drive. Hampshire. £7,750 ono. Tel: 07827 295601. Email: mogaly_dogaly_ doo@hotmail.com FORD IVECO HORSEBOX Horsebox Ford Iveco N723 DKJ 1996. Gross Weight 14500kg, six horse horsebox VGC. Excellent suspension and runs perfectly. Fully partitioned with Ssparate tack room, will convert to carry eight legally. Hydraulic ramp, rubber floor, plated June 2012. Taxed Dec 2011. Fully serviced. Four brand new tyres on the rear. (not remoulds) Newmarket. £7,500ono (no VAT) Call Tony C. 07765 254652

15.1HH ARGENTINE CHESTNUT MARE 17 YEARS OLD Played last five seasons with 2-goal pro and 0-goal lady. Fantastic pony. Good home essential. Hertfordshire. £2,500. Tel: 07985 500118.

SCANIA HGV HORSEBOX 1996 Scania horsebox, takes 10 ponies plus tack, Mot until 31st May 2012, good condition. A really powerful and reliable truck. Cirencester. £5,500 plus VAT. Contact mandykeegan222@gmail.com or ring 07976 867313

PERFECT PONY CLUB OR PATRON PONY Beautiful chestnut mare. 14 years old. Played from 6 to 12 goal this season at Cowdray with 2-goal

DAF NON HGV 7 HORSE DAF 45 170. 52 reg. 167,000 miles. For seven horses. Big engine. Very good working order, nice box, converted one year

www.polotimes.co.uk

19/8/11 12:38:33

Classifieds

ago. 11 months mot, 5 months tax. Cambridge. £9,200. Tel: 07846562295 DAF 62.220 Y reg, taxed 09/11 tested until 02/12. In very good condition, has done 450800km, CCTV, Partitioned for 11 ponies, has storage in the side and underneath. Ponies travel very well in this truck. Gloucestershire. £25,000. Tel: 07803 010162 IFOR WILLIAMS HB610 Fits four ponies and includes saddle racks for four. Centenary addition, special order in black. 2008 manufacture. In very good condition. Epping. £7,495 ono. Epping. Tel: 07710 330840. PROFESSIONAL HORSE TRANSPORT DEFRA approved. Hants/Wilts based. 20+ years horse and transport experience in UK and Europe. Also freelance drivers/grooms. 01794 323195 or 07786 475123/07786 255538 Situations UK BASED ARGENTINE GROOM LOOKING FOR WORK Experienced Argentine groom looking for work in the UK for the winter and possibly beyond. Doesn’t require visa/work permit, accommodation or transport. Berkshire/Surrey/Sussex. References on request. Contact 07703 476742 Livery WINTER LIVERY Grazing available as from now. Field shelters, hard standing, checked 2 x daily, rugs removed daily if hot / weekly in winter, ad lib haulage, stables if required. Lorry park if needed. Price dependent on numbers. South Northants. Tel 01327 860735. Equipment SCOREBOARDS AND CLOCKS ESPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR POLO Outdoor and arena sizes. Fully electronic, displaying the time counting down, both scores and chukka number. Automatic bell/ horn. Controlled wirelessly by a remote control you can even wear on your arm. Visit www. SportingDesigns.co.uk or call +44 (0)7860 303217

Designed by www.nickiaverilldesign.co.uk Printed by The Manson Group Contact details Holbrook Farm, North Leigh Oxfordshire OX29 6PX Tel: 01993 886 885 Fax: 01993 882 660 email: admin@polotimes.co.uk

Advertisers in September 2011 1870 Mixers www.1870mixers.co.uk Abercrombie & Kent 0845 688 7735 www.abercrombiekent.co.uk Apes Hill Club, Barbados +1 246 262 3286 www.apeshillclub.com Baileys Horse Feeds 01371 850247 www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk BA Stay 020 8133 3931 or +54 1 1 4807 9046 www.bstay.com Berney Brothers Saddlery +35 3 4548 1228 www.berneybrossaddles.com Bidwells 01223 841841 www.bidwells.co.uk Blake Lapthorn 023 8090 8090 www.bllaw.co.uk Cartier www.cartier.com Classic & Sports Finance 0845 026 4242 www.classicandsports finance.co.uk Cool Ice Box 01598 740685 www.coolicebox.co.uk Desert Palm +971 4 323 8888 www.desertpalm.ae

PT p92-97 Polo directory and Classified.indd 7

Rossoto Art +1 678 887 8969 www.rossotoart.com

Embraer 07771523677 www.embraerexecutivejets.com

Kestrel Ltd 01256 880488 www.kestrelcontractors.co.uk

Santa Margarita +54 911 3337 6535 www.harassantamargarita.com

Equine Logistics Company 01264 810782 www.equine-logisticscompany.com

La Tarde Polo Club +54 1 1 4798 9231 www.latardepolo.com

Saracen Horse Feeds www.saracen-horse-feeds.co.uk

Equine Management Limited 01825 841303 www.worldwidetack.com Greenheath 01638 507785 www.greenheath.co.uk Heli Air Wellesbourne 01789 470476 www.heliair.com Hickstead Ltd 01273 834315 www.hickstead.co.uk Horserail 0118 930 2135 www.aesfencing.com HPA 01367 242828 www.hpa-polo.co.uk Images of Polo www.imagesofpolo.com Jeremy Curling Fencing 01483 894888 www.jcfc.co.uk Joules www.joules.com Julius Baer & Co Ltd www.juliusbaer.com

Michael Amoore, Miranda Banks, Linda Byrne, James de Mountfort, Piero Dillier, Andrew Dent, Arthur Douglas-Nugent, Mark Emerson, Tony Emerson, Theresa Hodges, Elisabeth Gansterer, Nicola Jagger, Lorna Jowett, Michael Lou, Clare Milford Haven, Jamie Peel, Mia Randall-Coath, Caroline Smail, Herbert Spencer, Carlie Trotter, Alex Webbe

www.polotimes.co.uk

Kate’s Art 07887 678421 www.katesart.com

Contributors – September 2011

www.polotimes.co.uk Polo Times Limited holds the copyright & database right to the information it publishes in Polo Times and on the Polo Times website. No content may be reproduced or distributed without the consent of the Editor. ‘Polo Times’ is the trade mark of Polo Times Limited. ISSN 1461-4685

Druids Lodge Polo Club 01722 782597 www.druidspolo.co.uk

Intern – Amy Lodowski (right)

Lindsay Robertson Fine Art Photography 07850 240037 www.horsestudios.com Logic www.logictoday.co.uk Longdole Polo Club 01452 864544 rob@longdolepolo.com

SATS 01285 841542 www.satsfaction.com SquareCircle Designs 07811 140295 www.squarecircle-designs.com Sue Westwood-Ruttledge 07870 619705 www.horsephotographeruk.co.uk Sussex Polo Club 01342 714920 www.sussexpolo.co.uk

Lycetts 01672 512512 www.lycetts.co.uk Metropolitan Polo Club +86 22 8372 8888 www.metropolitanpoloclub.com Morgain Motor Co. www.morgan-motor.co.uk Octagon www.octagon.co.uk Pampeano 08712 001272 www.pampeano.co.uk

Symes 013868 41060 www.symesonline.co.uk T&S Harker Horse Boxes 01325 332649 www.tandsharkerhorse boxes.co.uk The New Muscovy Company www.newmuscovy.co.uk

Polo Permits 01798 869496 www.polopermits.co.uk

The Thai Polo and Equestrian Club + 66 2 650 3055 www.thai-polo-club.com

Retraining of Racehorses 01488 648998 www.ror.org.uk

William Rossoto +1 678 887 8969 www.rossotoart.com

Subscriptions UK: £55 for one year – £99 for two years Europe: £65 for one year – £115 for two years Rest of the World: £75 for one year – £135 for two years

Call Sarah Foster on +44 (0)1993 886885 Subscribe online: www.polotimes.co.uk Polo Times, September 2011

19/8/11 14:40:27

Final bell

In association with Aprés Polo

Soon-to-be-wed English two-goaler Tamara Vestey’s…

Passions

James Mullan speaks to the 35-year-old Cirencester Park member as she prepares to tie the knot with fiancé George Fox on 3 September, with a specially-themed wedding What are your favourite polo memories? There have been some great experiences playing with the girls, being the first all-ladies side to win the Gerald Balding in 2007 and also the first entirely female side to compete at the FIP European Championships last year in Vienna. Another highlight was winning the Ellerston 16-goal in 1999 for Garangula. Who has been your best ever teammate? My sis, Nina Clarkin. Sad I know, but it’s true! And who’s been your hardest opponent? I’ve still never played Cambiaso, but to date I’d say Kelvin Johnson can be very hard to play against when he’s on fire. And the anticipation and speed of James Harper and Luke and Mark Tomlinson makes them hard to mark. I’m always two plays behind! Where is your favourite venue to play at? I love playing on Ivy Lodge at Cirencester Park, though I’d have to say that the best surface I’ve ever played on is the Ellerston number one ground. It’s like a billiard table or a golf green. What would you be if not a polo player? I’d be a chef. I already manage my own catering firm, Foxy Ladies, based at home in Gloucestershire, and do the lion’s share of the cooking myself. I love the challenge of having to think on your feet, especially when you get the surprise of extra numbers of vegetarians (don’t ask!), and we are kept busy all-year-round with lots of shoots in winter and weddings, drinks parties and polo events in summer. Who would you most like to meet? I’d love the chance to meet Eduardo Moore or 98

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Héctor Barrantes for the chance of just one more conversation. My dad has so many great stories from when they were alive, and I’d love to hear some of them for myself. Otherwise, from an historical perspective, I’d be fascinated to have the chance to meet Henry VIII. What is your most annoying habit? As my grooms will tell you, I can be frustratingly indecisive at times… What was the first CD you ever bought? Oh, how embarrassing – it was “We’re in the Army Now” by Status Quo. I was brought up in the 80s, so it’s hardly my fault. Who was your biggest crush growing up? I loved Spandau Ballet. All of them! And who didn’t like a bit of Bon Jovi?! The eventer Ian Stark was also always a bit of a crush too. What is your favourite book or author? I don’t read as much as I’d like to, but I still love to bury my head in a Jilly Cooper. It’s trashy. But brilliant. What is your guilty pleasure? White wine! And, on the odd occasion, I still sometimes find myself sneaking off to play polo when really I should be prepping the food for a job. I feel very guilty about that! Could you win the Apprentice? Not a chance. I’m not nearly savvy enough and I hate being shouted at. Who has been your biggest influence? We are a very close family, so I’d have to say my sister Nina and my parents. Radio 1 or Radio 4? Radio 4. One is too cool for me!

Pub or Gym? Pub. Every time. A day at the races or a day at the sales? I’m not really an expert when it comes to breeding, so it would have to be the races. I love it and my aunt and uncle [Lord (Sam) and Lady Vestey] are very much involved in it, so I wish I could go more. New car or new horse? Always a new horse. New whites or a new dress? I stocked up on 10 pairs of whites from Oasis at the beginning of the season, so a new dress. Talking of dresses, are you ready for the big day? I am, though I’m not sure George is! He struggles to decide on his tie and socks for the day so I’ve done most of the planning. We’re having some 250 guests (mum has a big family!) and, having had a polo-theme at my 21st and 30th, we’ve decided on a Fox theme for the wedding. George’s surname is Fox, I grew up in Foxcote, and my catering company is called Foxy Ladies. Also, Nina had a polo theme, so its definitely been done before. Time for a change! How are you enjoying being an aunt this year? Yes, it’s wonderful. [Brother] Ben and Chloe have Sophia, and Nina and JP now have Elizabeth. They are gorgeous. Has it made you think it might be something you could do yourself? Ha! Well, I’m staying very much on the fence with that one for now. I love the children, but it’s also nice to be able to give them back when they start crying! Let’s just get the wedding out of the way first! www.polotimes.co.uk

17/8/11 16:16:03

T H E

M O R G A N

P L U S

C L A S S I C

S U P E R S P O R T S

Re-launched to celebrate 60 years of the iconic Morgan Plus 4 Sports car, the 201 1 Plus 4 SuperSports features a carefully considered specification. This includes an array of performance upgrades, track ready accessories and fashionable racing inspired aesthetics. This truly versatile car contains all the reliability of the modern Morgan but with a large injection of legendary sixties racing spirit. In 1962, the original Plus 4 SuperSports took Morgan to Le Mans victory. Only 60 of these re-launched classics will be built. Individually numbered and hand crafted to your specification; offering you the chance to own a truly unique piece of British motoring history. For more information about the Plus 4 or any Morgan Sports car please contact nick.baker@morgan-motor.co.uk or visit www.morgan-motor.co.uk Car shown: Morgan Plus 4 SuperSport: Power: 200+bhp (Car is an Aero Racing aftermarket specification) Available from £49,995 + OTR costs. Morgan range from £29,535 ex factory OTR. Official Fuel consumption in mpg (litres/100km) for the Morgan range; Urban 15.5 (18.2) – 33.63 (8.4) Extra Urban 32.47 (8.7) – 54.32 (5.2). Combined 23.35 (12.1) – 44.14 (6.4) CO2 emissions 282 – 143 gr/km

WWW.MORGAN-MOTOR.CO.UK

Morgan Advert.indd 1 PT p98-99 Passions JM MB PJ.indd 3

8/18/2011 2:46:34 PM 18/8/11 16:10:45

Abercrombie & Kent has been perfecting the art of tailor-made travel for 50 years and is delighted to be partnering British Polo Day in Jodhpur this December. For more information please call

0 8 45 61 8 2219 or visit us in Harrods abercrombiekent.co.uk

the Maharana of Udaipur’s powder blue Rolls Royce awaited us. With matching chauffeur.

PT p100 OB cover.indd 1

18/8/11 14:08:09