How can you keep the playing surfaces for polo, a dramatic, no- holes-barred sport, in pristine condition? Jim Wellbeloved finds that, Julian Russell-Hayes, Grounds Manager at Cowdray Park, is...
DIVOTED TO HIS JOB!
I
t’s hard to get lost when visiting Cowdray Park Polo Club. The distinctive mustard yellow signage, a trademark of the club since the first matches were played there in 1910, guides your way into the village of Easebourne, Midhurst, West Sussex, where the striking colour adorns the paintwork of houses and shops alike, proclaiming that these are tied properties of Lord Cowdray’s estate. Considered the home of British polo, Cowdray Park sits in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the peer’s 17,000-acre estate, and is renowned as one of the leading clubs in both the UK and abroad. Perhaps, more than any other club, it
proved pivotal in re-establishing polo in England following the Second World
War. In a sporting sphere seen as still the preserve of royalty and the affluent, Cowdray Park is a venue where even the grounds manager has a double-barrelled name.
And he is 33-year-old Julian Russell- Hayes. London born and bred and four years in the post, Julian came to the job after a varied early career. Raised in Wimbledon, opposite the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, he acquired an early taste for the racquet sport but relocated to Sussex after finishing his A Levels. After a short stint at Portsmouth University, he discovered, early on, that academe was not the route for him, so decided to move into agriculture after it was recommended to him. He went on to study at Brinsbury
College, near Billingshurst, West Sussex, before landing the assistant groundsman’s position at Middleton Sports Club near Chichester, where he worked for some five years. “Whilst there, I saw the job at Cowdray advertised in a local paper and thought I’d apply. They offered me the job and I haven’t looked back since,” he enthuses.
When I met Julian, he was busy
preparing the final touches for the semi finals of the Verve Clicquot Gold Cup, the highlight of the British polo season and one of the sport’s premier international open tournaments, drawing up to 20,000 spectators for the weekend final, including the occasional visit from Prince Charles, an avid player and supporter.
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