Hurlingham Polo Magazine – Winter 2016 issue
Foreword
Roderick Vere Nicoll – Publisher
When most players hear the name Tommy Hitchcock, they think of his legendary polo career – he dominated the sport in the 1920s and 30s. So it came as a surprise to me, on reading Lynne Olson’s Citizens of London, to discover his true passion was not polo but flying fighter planes. In this issue, we include an extract from that fascinating book detailing Hitchcock’s World War II service, which had a profound influence on the outcome of the war.
Moving forward to the present day, in Talk, Ruki Baillieu writes about the formula that put La Indiana in the final of the Queen’s and Gold Cups. Those two tournaments were a turning point in polo worldwide and Peter Wright describes what a small group of umpires did
to make the game wide open and much more entertaining to watch. Also in Talk, the new owner of the International Polo Club, Mark Bellissimo, divulges his plans for 2017.
In Action, we concentrate on the major tournaments in Britain, on the Continent and in the United States. Continuing to dominate, Adolfo Cambiaso won the Queen’s and Facundo Pieres the Gold Cup. One of the best games this season was the Coronation Cup, in which the Commonwealth narrowly defeated England in extra time. The East Coast Open saw White Birch come from 7 goals down to win in extra time, similarly, against Audi.
The polo world now turns its sights to Argentina. On hurlinghampolo.com you’ll find the latest news and action from there as well as other places where the game of kings is played.