England have won the Westchester Cup. On Friday 31 March, at the National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida, they beat the USA 12-9 in the 20th running of the historic international match.
The teams
Both sides played off a 25-goal handicap. England’s team was James Beim (6), Max Charlton (6), Mark Tomlinson (6) and Tommy Beresford (7), who captained the side. The USA fielded Matt Coppola (5), Nico Escobar (6), Jeffrey Hall (7) and Jared Zenni (7).
How it was won
Mark Tomlinson opened the scoring, set up by Max Charlton, and Matt Coppola quickly replied. Jared Zenni levelled late in the first chukka, then James Beim put England two goals clear, but the Americans fought back and the teams went into the break at 6-6. The second half belonged to England. They moved into a four-goal lead by the end of the fifth chukka and kept that cushion in the sixth. Jeffrey Hall scored in the final forty seconds, but it came too late to change anything. The USA also missed seven goals, which will sting.
The three-goal margin was the second biggest in the match since 1939, according to the HPA, behind England’s 12-6 win in 2018.
Awards and milestones
Tommy Beresford was named Most Valuable Player. At 26 he was the youngest man on the field. Best Playing Pony went to MC Adele, a mare played and owned by Matt Coppola, who also had two full brothers of hers in the same match.
James Beim made a record fourth England appearance in the Westchester Cup. He and Mark Tomlinson were looking for a third win together, having been part of the successful sides of 2009 and 2013. Preparation for the match included coaching from Hilario Ulloa and mindset support from Paul Stalker, and Beresford had identified playing unfamiliar ponies on American soil as the main challenge.
The result was a good one for English polo and for the Hurlingham Polo Association, which selects and manages the team. It also reverses the outcome of the previous meeting in 2019. The USA still lead the overall series, but England have narrowed the gap, and the match remains one of the proudest dates on the international calendar.
Sources: Hurlingham Polo Association
