An exciting new season of polo at Cowdray Park Polo Club
By Liz Higgins
Cowdray Park’s 2016 polo season opens on Saturday 23rd April with match play commencing in the 8 goal Barrett Cup and the 12 goal Tyro Cup.
With a massive 485 matches played in 2015, in order to satisfy increasing demand the Polo Club is introducing two new tournaments in 2016. The Petworth 12 goal trophy will be played between 4th and 12th June and the Heyshott 6 goal Cup will be played from 21st June to 3rd July.
Ranked alongside the Argentine and USA Opens, there will be four weeks of thrilling high goal action in the British Open Polo Championship for the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup when spectators can expect to see the majority of the world’s 10 goal players in action on Cowdray’s world-class pitches. The Gold Cup was launched in 1956 by the late John Cowdray, 3rd Viscount, and thirteen teams are predicted to be competing in the Diamond Jubilee year of the most coveted trophy in polo, including, for the first time since 2009, a Cowdray team. The Hon Charles and Lila Pearson are proud to be entering Cowdray Vikings led by their son George, grandson of John Cowdray, who is a talented young 2-goal player and currently a student at Oxford University.
The 2016 Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup tournament starts on 21st June with the King Power side of ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha returning to defend the title of British Open Champions which they won in 2015. Highlights of the tournament include The Midhurst Town Cup taking place on Sunday 26th June with entry at just £5 per person, under 12s free. The historic local Cup will be contested as the principal match of the afternoon. The following weekend sees the popular Argentine Ambassadors Cup being played on Sunday 3rd July also at just £5 for adult entry. The Semi Finals of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup will be played on Wednesday 13th July and the high octane Final will take place on Sunday 17th July.
The British Ladies Open Championship runs during the final week of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup with its Final on 16th July, the Saturday of Gold Cup weekend.
Six tournaments in the highly popular HPA Series, which are open to all-comers and attract large entries, are spread over the season and a full range of domestic tournaments at low and medium goal level complete the calendar with the season closing on 18th September. The total list of fixtures is available at HYPERLINK “http://www.cowdraypolo.co.uk” www.cowdraypolo.co.uk.
Non-playing (social) membership of Cowdray Park Polo Club costs just £175 per annum giving the badge holder and a guest free access to all Cowdray Park’s fixtures throughout the season. There is a one-off joining fee of £50. Junior membership for under 21s costs £50 per annum. For further details call the Polo Office on 01730 813257.