Castle Ground – a field with a view
By Victoria Elsbury-Legg
There can be few sports in the world which have pitches with such a variety of spectacular backdrops and locations as Polo. From the cityscape of Buenos Aires and the mountains of Chile, to the ruins at Cowdray, peaks in St Moritz and Shandur, Pakistan , which at 12,200 feet above sea-level it is the highest polo field on earth, described as playing on ‘the roof of the world.’ In so many global locations there are different, yet equally stunning club and private grounds and this weekend another one was added to the worldwide list.
On Saturday 6th September 2014, Guards Polo Club unveiled to the world its new high goal pitch, to be known as The Castle Ground. Situated on the other side of Windsor Great Park from Smith’s Lawn at Flemish Farm, this location, like the rest of the Guards Polo Club is steeped in military history. Originally a Victorian brickworks which produced the bricks for the houses built within the Great Park, Flemish Farm later stabled all the military polo ponies when Guards was founded as a military polo club. Now there are 100 patron and pro ponies and 25 grooms accommodated at Flemish Farm equestrian facility, alongside horses from the Honourable Artillery Company.
When I worked at Guards I remember clearly the excitement surrounding ‘The Vision of the Future’ project and the drawings of how the grounds at Flemish would eventually look. With the drive and determination of the late CEO Charlie Stisted and Ian Wooldridge (Wooldridge Group) and much input from the Board of Directors, Lt Colonel George Cooper (the then Manager of Flemish Farm) and the Club President, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, five years ago this vision began to become a reality.
This was never going to be a small project for the Wooldridge Group who had to organise the delivery of 400,000 cubic meters of inert soil to create two full size polo pitches (high & medium goal), a stick & ball pitch, Martin Collins all-weather exercise track, Irrigation Lake, access roads and car parking. There was also its location on the Crown Estate to consider and the preservation of the ancient trees and hedgerows, to which end an arboriculture specialist was consulted, who drew up one of the largest tree protection schemes in the country to ensure the preservation of nature at this historic site.
It seemed very fitting with the tradition of Guards Polo Club that CEO Neil Hobday asked Lord Patrick Beresford (Guards first Polo Manager in 1955) to cut the tape strung between the two goal posts on Saturday and declare the newest high goal ground in the world, complete with its most spectacular view of Windsor Castle, ‘open’. The inaugural game was watched by many familiar faces at Smith’s Lawn, Chairman Jock Green-Armytage and his wife Susie, CFO James Neighbour, Colonel Paul Belcher and Sanda, Melissa, Freddie and Allegra Stisted, Colonel Stuart Cowen, Brian Stein, Jon Zammett and many other members of Guards players and staff, past and present, whose input has contributed to the realisation of this project.
The match (which ended 7 all) was played for the Board Director’s Cup, with members of the Board and other players, including Charlie Wooldridge (who was named MVP) and Alan Fall (whose pony ‘Because’ was BPP) being the first to enjoy the view when scoring at the Castle end of the ground.
Post-match, Neil Hobday made a presentation to members of three families whose contribution to the ‘Vision of the Future’ of Guards Polo Club has been immeasurable. Lord Patrick, for his 59 years support of the Club, Graham Wooldridge for his family’s enormous involvement in the success of the project, and Freddie Stisted, son of the late Charlie Stisted, who alongside Ian Wooldridge instigated the turning of a vision into a most spectacular reality.