CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD

Brian Stein looks forward to a busy season of superb polo and excellent hospitality

As we begin our first season under the reign of HM King Charles lll, Guards Polo Club has probably never looked stronger. We are delighted that His Majesty has succeeded his father as Head Ranger of Windsor Great Park, so taking a keen interest in our activities here at Smith's Lawn, a location where His Majesty achieved so much polo success. We reflect on these achievements on page 32. Several new Home Elected Players (HEPs) have enrolled at the Club in time to play this season, no doubt hoping to add their names to some of our prestigious trophies too and we look forward to welcoming them and their teams to Smith’s Lawn this summer. Such depth of home talent can only increase the competitiveness of polo at the Club across all levels.

One of the main reasons that players are wanting to join Guards Polo Club is the successful implementation of our Grounds Development Plan. The redeveloped Princes’ Ground came into full play last season and received plenty of positive comments from the sport’s top players. Now, if the weather stays kind to us, the remodelled Grounds Six and Eight will be slowly introduced into the schedule this season.

On the back of this success the Club’s Chief Operating Officer, James Neighbour, and Director of Polo, Antony Fanshawe, are looking at starting the final phase of the grounds plan this summer. This involves redeveloping Ground Four, the culmination of a huge, £3million project that is creating some of the world’s finest polo fields.

Of course none of this work would have been possible without the unwavering support of Players and Social Members. Our Membership is the lifeblood of this Club and it is what makes us stand out head and shoulders from our peers. So thank you for the incredible support on and off the field of play.

A major change for this season is the arrival of Lush by Tom Kerridge and Searcys to Guards Polo Club. Lush will focus on the big event days while Searcys will manage the Clubhouse on a daily basis. Tom Kerridge already has two Michelin stars under his belt for his restaurant in Marlow and his experienced events catering team, headed by General Manager Tom Duffy and Executive Chef Kieran Reilly, have put together some stunning menus for our big days.

Searcys, the UK's oldest caterer, dating to 1847, already manage the dining establishments at several iconic locations including The Gherkin in the City and St Pancras International in London. Searcys new team includes Head Chef Grahame Wickham, a former National Chef of the Year finalist and Catering Manager for the Irish Guards and the Clubhouse General Manager Harry Wilson. With Champagne Laurent-

Perrier continuing as our official champagne partner we definitely have all the ingredients in place to make some delicious memories.

The Club is fortunate to continue to have a strong group of generous sponsors, creating a strong platform on which we can build and grow this Club. Heading up this enviable group is Laurent Feniou and his team at Cartier, sponsors of the Queen’s Cup for more than a decade.

Out-Sourcing Inc., the Royal Windsor Cup sponsors, have enhanced their sponsorship opportunities at the Club by again generously supporting HRH The Prince of Wales’s Royal Charity Polo Event. So I was especially delighted to welcome David Matsumoto in person to Flemish Farm to attend this wonderful day for the first time. Out-Sourcing’s generosity helped this event raise £1million for a range of charities chosen by TRH Prince and Princess of Wales. With John Collins’s Talacrest Classic Ferrari brand bringing a wonderful touch of Italian horsepower and great prizes to our August high-goal tournament and Clé de Peau Beauté offering gifts to all Clubhouse diners as well as the finalists in our Ladies Charity Polo tournament, the action very much continues all season.

We were delighted to welcome Access Bank back to Smith’s Lawn after an absence of two years, offering their unique blend of polo and fundraising. The 2022 event raised an impressive $1.7million dollars for UNICEF, substantially supporting an education project in the disadvantaged areas of Nigeria.

Fundraising was at the heart of our Charity Shoot, with some £55,000 raised for the Scots Guards Charity and the Household Cavalry Foundation. Even our dog show got into the fundraising spirit and for the first time our annual canine event raised funds for Battersea Dogs and Cats.

Meanwhile Coworth Park, Clinova, Martin Collins and La Martina continue as valued members of our partnership stable. The latter, in addition to sponsoring two tournaments here at Smith's Lawn, also focuses on ensuring we are always looking our best on and off the polo field, thanks to Becky Simpson and her team at the La Martina Store.

So with a packed schedule of matches and hospitality already confirmed your favourite polo club is ready for its 68th season. I hope to meet many of you during the months and would like to thank you once again for your continued support of this great Club. ✸

Brian Stein Chairman