The Royal Berkshire Polo Club in association with Tally Ho Farm
By Victoria Elsbury-Legg
It’s all been going on at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club in recent weeks as the qualifying matches have been taking place for The Polo Festival starting on 4th August, with the Finals to be held this Sunday 16th August, which several thousand spectators are anticipated to attend. With gates opening at 12 noon this will truly be an event for all the family featuring not only the three championship polo matches, but this year brings with it a new kids entertainment zone (featuring slides, bouncy castles, jousting and much more great family entertainment), alongside an international food court.
Now in its twenty-fifth year, the festival is an event for the whole family featuring three levels of polo tournaments -2 to 2 goal, 7 to 10 goal (which this year has been named the Jeff Thomas Tournament in memory of Jeff and all the support he and Tally Ho Farm have given to the Festival over many years) and an Open Ladies Tournament.
Intertwined in the history of the Polo Festival are close links with Tally Ho Farm – Europe’s largest polo supplier – who have been fantastic supporters of the event since the beginning, providing prizes, sponsorship, publicity and much more to the event. As Chris Adkins, Managing Director of Tally Ho Farm explained, ‘Jeff was an avid supporter of Polo for many years. The Polo Festival held a keen interest for Jeff, assisting him to support the sport and local professionals’ polo players – providing great prizes and more. He always said our prizes had a purpose for the players worth more than anything else plus a great way of introducing the players to something new which they may not have wanted to purchase themselves.
The relationship between The RCBPC and ourselves is a friendship started between Bryan Morrison and Jeff Thomas which continues with Jamie Morrison and myself. “The Berkshire” being our neighbours means it is a special relationship. After thirty years together we know each other very well and enjoy working together on a number of the Berkshire’s days.
This year Tally Ho Farm has a Polo team competing in the Jeff Thomas Trophy and a 5 a side football team competing in the Charity football tournament in aid of the Bobby Moore Fund.
Moving forward we as a family business are immensely excited about the Jeff Thomas 7-10 goal inaugural trophy and cannot wait to see who rises to the top after 2 weeks of tough competition.’
For more details and tickets visit: