Report Mint Polo In The Park, Hurlingham
Jack Kidd celebrates New York’s victory in typically exuberant fashion after last month’s dramatic final
Fulham’s fiesta finds E
True competitive spirit, expert new management and a fine performance by England’s former captain made the second running of polo’s radical new London event an eye-catching success. By James Mullan and Leah Ludlow
ight teams, three days, nine games, almost 32,000 spectators, dozens of trade stands, numerous bars, equestrian displays, a massage bus, cheerleaders, face painting and a
classical boy band. Love it or hate it, Polo In The Park at the historic Hurlingham venue in west London can’t be ignored. And, in terms of its scale, if not its importance, the inner-city event now rates amongst the three biggest showcases for the game in Europe, though many will argue that the banner of “polo” is becoming an increasingly broad one.
40 July 2010
www.polotimes.co.uk
Jack Kidd, Henry Brett and Jamie Morrison once again scooped the main honours, this year securing the trophy for Team New York with a goal in the final 20 seconds of the final to beat Team Paris 11-10.
Kidd scored the winner but it was a revitalised Henry Brett who was the standout performer of the entire weekend, earning himself an International trial and a potential recall to the England side. He brought a selection of mounts, including some from Andrew Hine, and even when his string was depleted after an injury left
one pony lame before the final, Brett dominated in midfield and displayed the sort of form and determination that once saw him rated at eight goals. Yet it was also a measured and mature performance at times, fittingly illustrated by a conspicuous patch of grey in his beard. Aside from the odd wayward shot, Brett’s only real recognisable slip-up was made off the field, when after victory in the semi-final he told interviewer Karl Ude-Martinez live on the big screen that he was “pleased to reach the final and have the opportunity to defend the team’s title”.
Photographs by Andrew Tobin and Polo In The Park
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100