Summer finally arrives in time for the inaugural british polo day charity cup on the river ground at Black Bears
“If you miss the ball on this ground, there is something wrong in you.”
These were 1-goaler Dhananjay Singh Rathore’s first words on laying eyes on The River Field, in all its glory, at Black Bears.
He had just arrived on the morning of Saturday 29th June, with His Highness Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur and the other players from The Jodhpur Team, for the culmination of The British Polo Day Tour with The Royal House of Jodhpur.
The week leading up to The British Polo Day Charity Cup began with overnight stays with The Master of the Horse at Stowell Park and then with The Duchess of Rutland at Belvoir Castle. This led on to a few days in London that included The Old Etonian Polo Society Dinner at White’s hosted by The Marquess of Waterford, a private tour of The Royal Mews and an Anglo-Indian lunch at The House of Lords with Field Marshall The Lord Guthrie.
So by the time Dhananjay – or DJ to his friends – was gazing in wonder at the impeccable turf and tramlines on The River Ground, it was clear that The British Polo Day Team had delivered something befitting of the first official Jodhpur tour in a while.
Guests arrived soon after, many of them chauffeur-driven in Land Rovers from the InterContinental Park Lane, where they were greeted with a Taittinger Champagne welcome reception in the Gavin Jones landscaped marquee. An authored lunch by the legendary British chef Theo Randall was served to nearly 400 people, with paired wines generously provided by Justerini & Brooks.
The main match of the day was a high-goal encounter between British Exiles and The Commonwealth. This was a very competitive affair with the British Exiles starting strongly in the first period with some excellent runs by George Meyrick ably backed up by Max Charlton. Some tight marking by Simon Keyte for the Commonwealth kept them out until the last minute when a fine run to get into position by James Harper to latch onto a fine pass by Meyrick to score. The pace picked up the second chukka with both teams playing some superlative polo in great spirit, 2 penalties by Max Charlton from the 60 and the 40 yard spot though put the Exiles at 3 gaols to the good despite a great field goal by Tom Hunt. So into the 3rd where the pace intensified another level for both teams and Simon Keyte brought the score back to 3 to 2 and the Commonwealth beginning to find their range with Aron Harilela particularly effective. Into the 4th then at 4 to the Exiles but then a penalty executed in soaring style by Simon Keyte from the 60 yard spot and a fine run by Aron Harilela brought the score at 4 all. 2 quick field goals by both sides seemed to indicate a draw was on hand but the Commonwealth pushed hard and with 15 seconds to go Rob Archibald despite some fine marking by Max Gottschalk found the flags and the Commonwealth ran out winners by 6 goals to 5.
Then came the heritage match of Eton vs. Jodhpur. An Eton side that tends to take three and a half chukkas to warm-up started with uncharacteristic purpose and resolve to establish a commanding lead. With the Jodhpur team galvanized and pushing hard, Tristan Phillimore had a tooth knocked out and a blood spurting hole put under his chin. Black Bears horseman and player Dave Baxter, holding a spare on the side-line, was ready with some words of reassurance, “Well at least you got married last weekend mate!”. 1-goaler Nick Dann then replaced Tristan and some squandered penalties by the visitors ensured that a slim 5-4 win went Eton’s way.
The Cresta Tower was laden with spectators throughout and they descended for the Prize Giving. As the sun set, the Abercrombie & Kent hot air balloon filled the sky as guests moved back into the marquee for a gin & jazz inspired Zaeem Jamal fashion show-case on the dance floor and a traditional Argentine asado by the grooms.
Just shy of £60,000 was raised for the four chosen Charities: Head Injuries Through Sport, The Indian Head Injury Foundation, The James Wentworth-Stanley Memorial Fund and WheelPower.
IHIF and HITS are the joint recipients of the loud auction at BPD India each year and His Highness The Maharaja said of the amounts raised at The British Polo Day Charity Cup:
“The British Polo Day celebrates friendships, be it among old school friends or between countries. British Polo Days have an extraordinary track record of raising significant funds that mean something to the founders, their patrons and the players.”
With The Gulf States looking likely to be the visiting “country” next year, all signs point to breaching the six-figure fundraising target for 2014.
British Polo Days are now held annually in 10 different countries: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Germany, France, Singapore, China, Mexico, India, Russia and, of course, now Great Britain. A special niche has been forged that is far more than just a polo day, it is a cultural bridge built on a foundation of common heritage and shared values.