Seb Petragallo begins the Newport Story of the
Travelling Team
Wednesday and Thursday The trip to Newport Rhode Island has to be one of the best trips I’ve been on, not only was it my first time in the US but also a welcome break from being the groom-player, offering a small taste of what the ‘other side’ of polo is like.
They say you shouldn’t answer your phone whilst driving, especially on the winding country lanes of Oxfordshire, but I feel if I hadn’t I would have missed out on the polo experience of a lifetime. After putting the phone down on Charlie and narrowly avoiding a head on collision, I put my foot down to go and convince my parents that it was a fantastic idea. In the year that I had been playing competitive polo it was hard to believe that a lowly -1 was being invited play on the other side of the Atlantic. And so I got to work on growing my feeble stubble in order to pass as a 21 year old who could most certainly (and legally) handle his drink.
Upon arriving in Newport I was immediately swept up into an atmosphere of enjoyment and generosity, the first night we took a trip to Boston to see ‘Cavalia’, an equestrian arts show that put on an amazing display of horsemanship and acrobatics, unfortunately the eight hour plane journey had put me in a state of doziness that meant I missed parts of the show without realising, but I would otherwise highly recommend it. On the way back to Newport we sampled some of Boston’s finest Chinese cuisine whilst sat in the comfort of the executive minibus that had been hired to cart us around for the evening.
Charlie and Omar were to join us the next day, Charlie, who I hadn’t seen since my five-month baptism of fire at the Wood family farm in New Zealand, was exhausted from his non-stop three day extravaganza in New York but of course, as ever, was in very good spirits. Accompanying them was Matthew Kibble a friend of Omar’s from New York whose company was to be thoroughly enjoyed over our stay.
Unfortunately the weather was overcast (as the chairman would put it) seldom ‘burned through’; luckily it did when we spent the afternoon on board an Americas Cup Yacht, a truly enjoyable experience in which even I was briefly trusted to take command of the helm. This was followed by lounging in the sun on the dock drinking vodka lime and sodas, a drink that Omar advised as the ‘hangover free’ tipple.
A large part of the trip was spent appreciating the exquisite seafood that Newport has to offer; my favourite restaurant being The Clarke Cooke House on Bannisters Wharf where the players’ dinner was held the night before the match. The meal was followed by drinks in the ‘Sky Bar’; the only place I’ve been where a spread of tables gets swept aside to make way for a dance floor.
26 Charlie Wood’s Story:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday I was in New York and it cannot be described or elucidated upon.
Thursday After a tiring and educational 3 days in NYC with Omar, we made the drive up to Newport with unofficial team manager and lingerie enthusiast, Matt Kibble. It appeared Sebastian the youngster had already settled into Newport life at William and Lowie’s well with a liquid lunch and cigars before we headed off for practice.
As this was my second time to Newport, I knew we had to go off for practices and horse try outs. All those who were watching saw Seb actually letting go of his stick in the middle of what could only be described as a “spastic” swing. Was he going to let the team down? It appeared the unofficial team organiser Aussie/New Yorker; Matt was getting anxious watching the practice so we sent him off to be our PR in the clubhouse and to get in the champagne.
After a classic feast at Zelda’s, we watched Seb walk off into the town with some local tour guides and that was the last we saw of him for the night while Omar, Matt and I finished off with a few drinks.
Friday The club had organised for us to go paddle boarding although lead by Matt, we decided it was far too cold and windy to paddle board. As the weather changed in the afternoon we had a beautiful lunch down by the water front and then we once again got to go on the fantastic Americas Cup yacht ride which gives you the most fantastic view of Newport. We finished up the night with a big dinner at the Cook House. And a few cocktails and Mind Erasers up on the top. All tactics to tire the team out before the Big Match on Saturday.
Omar Mangalji’s Story:
Saturday Game day had finally arrived. Everything the team had been looking forward to, getting ready for, and feeling tinges of nerves about was about to unfold. The weather had been quite overcast the previous few days and the looming fear of rain was only adding to the teams nerves. Omar and Seb arose and joined the Chairman, Annie, William and Lowie for coffee on the patio while Charlie enjoyed a lay in. He certainly deserved a bit of rest after his long travels and New York adventures. No one objected – they all wanted him sharp and ready for
HAM POLO CLUB
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