Polo at Wellington College – player profiles Izzy McGregor, Sascha Bahlsen & Alex Stone
By Victoria Elsbury-Legg
Click here for details of the Copenhagen Cup Tournament 2015
First started at Wellington College by Alice Francis in 1991, polo is continuing to gain some great young up-and-coming players from amongst the Wellington ranks. Past school players who, off the pitch, have spent their time in the class rooms at Wellington include: Tommy Beresford, Tom Brodie, Karim Sheikh, Garv, Chevy and Jovey Beh, Jasmine Pidgley (and although it was not formally a team sport at the school at the time) Deputy Chief Executive at Hurlingham Polo Association, Olly Hughes is also a past pupil.
Practises take place at Fifield Polo Club and Emsworth Polo Grounds under the watchful eye of coaches Ryan Pemble and Andrew Murray, who certainly got the team into good shape for the recent Copenhagen Cup Tournament held at Guards Polo Club, which Wellington only narrowly missed wining by half a goal. Master in Charge of Polo is normally Martha Owen, but as she is currently away on sabbatical for a year Clare Edwards has taken up the reins, alongside her role which she has held since 2008 of organising weekly polo training sessions for the team and keeping on top of admin!
Wellington College Player Profiles:
Izzy McGregor (1)
How did you get into polo? I started polo at the age of 5, playing in the Pony Club, however this really just consisted of me standing in the middle of the pitch chatting to the umpire for the entire chukka.
Does anyone else in your family play? At one point both my parents and my two sisters played, which proved to be interesting when it came to horse line ups for games, however now it’s just dad who plays the occasional chukka.
What’s the name of your favourite pony? A seven-year-old mare called Uma, who we were given out of a racing yard when she was four years old. For me, she’s the perfect horse; agile but with explosive power.
Where would you most like to play in the world? If I could play anywhere in the world it would have to be Palermo!
Who would you most like to play with? I would love to have played on a team with the late great Carlos Gracida, having won more major tournaments than any other player, he is one of the greats.
Sascha Bahlsen (0)
Why polo? My family got into polo through living close to Guards, and I naturally followed my siblings.
Which is your favourite pony in your string? Pedrito, a gelding which I got him from Nico Roberts who brought him over from Argentina. He is my favourite pony because he is my best horse, and although he is fairly small, he can outrun anything else.
Which top polo player or team would you like to play with? Dell Park. It’s our team
Place you would most like to play? Argentina
Alex Stone (-2)
Where did your interest in polo come from? I got into polo through playing it as part of my sport at school
Does anyone else in your family play? No, I am the only one!*
Do you have a favourite amongst your polo string? Buddha – an 8 year old English Thoroughbred x Connemara mare.
Why? She always gives 100% and I have never lost a ride off with her, plus she has a great stable personality!
Dream team you would like to play with? Ellerston, because they’ve always been my favourite team!
Where in the world would you play with them? Sotogrande
*Despite Alex being the only member of her family to play polo, it truly is an equine family as in recent weeks her parents had a win at Badminton Horse Trials with their stallion Chilly Morning ridden by William Fox-Pitt, and after her Saturday win at Guards playing for Wellington against Eton in the league matches of the Copenhagen Cup, Alex headed to Cowdray where she went on to win the May 4-Goal Spring Cup with team DJ Cats.