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A T L A N T I C C U P F I N A L S , C A M B R I D G E C O U N T R Y P O L O C L U B , C A M B R I D G E , U K , J U N E , 2 0 1 7
A C T I O N
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A T L A N T I C C U P
Oxford was victorious over Cambridge, Harvard, and Yale
in the annual battle for the Atlantic Cup, Jacqui Gilbert reports
On a blustery afternoon at Cambridge
County Polo Club in June, the atmosphere
was buzzing as the battle to become the
Atlantic Cup polo champions took place.
The teams of Harvard and Yale had crossed
the ocean to take on Oxford and Cambridge.
They played a fast, furious game of polo
demonstrating the impressive alliance
between human, horse, athleticism and
competition that underpins the sport.
The beaming, hundreds-strong crowd was
attracted not only by the combined 535 years
of club polo history, but also by the garden-
party atmosphere of the day, which
celebrated polo, transatlantic friendship
and the talented students bringing their
A-game to the sport and life.
It is this notion that makes the
tournament significant. The ties of world-
leading universities to a luxurious sport may
not seem surprising, but the changing
demographic of student teams and the
growth reported in all of the clubs makes
the success of the tournament all the
more important. These students who are
positioning themselves for success,
through academic endeavours, will also be
agents for the sustained growth of polo
in the future. And that narrative will now
include friendships formed on the fields
