Guards Polo Club develops ladies’ charity day into competitive, 18-goal tournament for 2017 season
Lord Beresford Cup/Ladies Charity Polo Trophy 22 August – 2 September
Guards Polo Club is to expand its one day ladies’ polo day into a 12 – 18 goal tournament from 2017. Scheduled to be played from 22 August – 2 September, this addition to Club’s already impressive fixtures list reflects the growing popularity of ladies’ polo. With the introduction of ladies’ handicaps in 2015, there is an increasingly talented pool of lady players who are looking for a dedicated number of competitive fixtures to support their desire to continually play good polo.
Guards Polo Club is delighted to be at the forefront of this new development of the game. Neil Hobday, CEO of Guards Polo Club, who was instrumental in creating the Club’s ladies’ day in 2013, said of this new initiative: “We have an increasing number of lady playing patrons and members at Guards Polo Club who are seeking opportunities to play as much competitive polo as possible. By developing our one day event into a 10-day tournament creates competitive chances for our players to play alongside and against some of the sport’s top female players on great grounds. This will not only help ladies’ polo grow and develop, but will benefit the sport as a whole too.”
The winners of this inaugural event will receive the Lord Beresford Cup, named after one of the Club’s Vice Presidents, and our first Polo Manager, Lord Patrick Beresford. In addition to this main final, Guards Polo Club will also host an invitational Guards Ladies Charity Trophy match, highlighting our longstanding association Breast Cancer Haven, a leading support charity for those with breast cancer. The Club has raised thousands for the charity on ladies’ day over the past four years and aims to make this year’s final on Saturday 2 September even more memorable in terms of both sport and fundraising.
In addition to expanding the ladies’ day into a tournament, the Polo Office is also listing it as an open competition, so enabling lady players to enter teams from other clubs. Entries will close on 6th August and the draw will take place on the 11 August. A charity lunch and auction, offering an array of money-cannot-buy lots, will be held in the Clubhouse before the matches and the day will conclude with a ladylike afternoon tea.
Tickets for this event will go on sale to the public in early May. To enter a team in the 18-goal tournament please email kym.lake@guardspoloclub.com or call 01784 470009. To enquire about tickets or hospitality packages for finals day on Saturday 2 September please call the Sales & Events Team on 01784 434212 or email events@guardspoloclub.com