Cowdray Park has hosted some of the best polo in the world this summer, but this past week it belonged to the youngest players in the sport. The Pony Club Polo Championships took place there from 7 to 10 August, with 63 teams competing over four days.
Britain’s biggest youth polo event
The Pony Club describes the championships as the largest youth polo event in Great Britain. The event was supported this year by Hurlingham Polo 1875, a fashion and lifestyle brand with a connection to the HPA, and it falls in the HPA’s 150th anniversary year. Polo at Pony Club level is a real community, with teams drawn from branches across the country.
Why it matters
The championships are where many future professionals first get a taste of competition. The HPA’s chairman highlighted in December that the Pony Club championships at Cowdray, along with the Colts Cup and the Stagshead Trophy, are among the key junior events on the calendar, and that a Performance Pathway is being built to link them with elite polo.
- The HPA now stops under-16s from playing at 12 Goal Victor Ludorum and above.
- The new Victor Futurum series gives young players a friendly place to compete.
- The Performance Pathway aims to identify and develop the best British youngsters.
Seeing the next England team
If the England polo team looks young at the moment, it is no accident. The Whitbread Tankard on International Day has become a showcase for the best of the next generation. Young England lost this year’s contest 7-5.5 to Young Argentina, but they put up a good fight.
How to follow it
Youth polo does not attract the crowds that Guards or Cowdray’s Gold Cup do, but it is some of the most enjoyable polo to watch. The riders are enthusiastic, the matches are often close and the atmosphere is friendly. If you have a child who rides, the Pony Club branch in your area is a good place to start, and the championships are a goal to aim at.
We will bring you more on youth and grassroots polo as the season goes on.
Sources: Pony Club, HPA, Chairman’s vision
