LivingPolo: news & lifestyle

Cowdray Park all set for a new season

More than 500 matches planned, between low-, medium- and high-handicap tournaments

Photo: Polo Pictures.co.uk

The Cowdray Park Polo Club's 2012 season is due to kick off on April 28th, with the calendar including low-, medium- and high-handicap tournaments, and two newly-introduced tournaments.

The first important match will be played on Saturday, May 19th, when England faces the United States in the St. Regis International Cup, the first of three internationals that the United Kingdom will play this year.

The Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup, British Open, will start on June 19th, and the Sunday, July 15th finalists will emerge after more than 40 matches. The fantastic golden trophy, which dates back to 1956, is the most sought-after award, together with the Abierto Argentino and the US Open.

During the first weekend of the British Open, the club will celebrate its location in the centre of the South Downs National Park, by presenting the South Downs Polo Day and the Midhusrt Town Cup on Sunday, June 24th. The following Sunday, July 1st, the Cooch Behar Cup will be the main attraction.

Four quarter-finals will be played during Saturday, July 7th and Sunday, July 8th, with the Argentine Ambassador's Cup up for grabs. On Friday, July 12th, the semi-finals will be played, and the deciding match is scheduled for July 15th, with around 15,000 spectators expected to attend that day.

To watch polo being played at Cowdray Park is surprisingly affordable. During most of the season, access is free in the afternoons, from Monday to Friday. Weekends and holidays, tickets are worth five GBP per person, with free parking for cars. On week days, the tickets for watching the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup are worth five GBP.

Visitors are welcome to bring their picnics and to spend their day at the two complexes within Cowdray Park, that is Midhurst Cowdray or Ambersham.

There were a total of 515 matches played during the 2011 season, with the coming season looking as if it will equal or surpass that figure.