It was an unforgettable day at Guards Polo Club for the Hurlingham Polo Association’s (HPA) 54th International Day. The sun shone as guests arrived at one of polo’s most iconic locations for a vintage day of world-class sport and superb entertainment.
Kicking off with the Whitbread Tankard, Young England took on Young Argentina for a hotly-anticipated contest showcasing some of the best young players on the circuit. Gold Cup winner Paco de Narvaez (8) led his Young Argentine side with confidence and maturity to take a commanding 9-3 win over Young England on The Princes’ Ground. The first half of the game was a close contest, but the visiting side, completed by Cata Lavinia (2), Floro Lanusse (2), and Miki Novillo Astrada (4) drew away in the second half to widen the gap and take the win.
Young England captain Will Harper (5) was joined by regular England players Luke Wiles (4), Zac Beim (4), and first-timer Segundo Darritchon (4), who put on a fantastic show under coach Glen Gilmore in what was always expected to be a tough match. There was plenty of exciting talent on show on both sides, with 17-year-old Lanusse later being awarded the MVP prize having made an incredible neck-shot goal early on in the game. This fixture is made possible by the generous support of the Whitbread family, with Harry Whitbread and daughter Eliza presenting the winners with their well-earned trophy.
The Bendicks Best Play Pony was awarded to Zac Beim’s Glitter, the star of many England games, while Cata Lavinia’s Hemmsa took the Emerson & Watson Retraining of Racehorses Award.
A charming addition to the day was the return of the Pony Club, with sixteen under-11 players putting on a great show on The Queen’s Ground in two matches, one each for the Jorrocks and JOPPs sections. The start list was awash with familiar names – Clarkin, Vestey, Otamendi, and Hanbury to name a few – plus some new faces all getting their first spin on one of the world’s best polo fields. The HPA’s CEO Anna Hall and Chairman Will Lucas were joined by Rivals star Catriona Chandler to present prizes to all, before guests were welcomed to the field to meet the ponies and players.
At 3pm it was time for the main event, as England and Uruguay were led out by Pony Club members Cruz Otamendi and Florence Ashby for the Coronation Cup, now in its 115th year. Opera singer Naomi Rogers made her own debut on The Queen’s Ground, with a mesmerising rendition of both national anthems to open the match. The visiting side of Santiago Stirling (5), Ignacio Viana (7), and Alejo Taranco (7) were captained by the legendary Pelón Stirling (8), a 10x Argentine Open winner and driving force of Uruguayan polo. Uruguay were gunning for victory at their second attempt, having left empty-handed in their 2022 debut. England captain Tommy Beresford (7) was joined by Ollie Cudmore (5) and brothers Louis Hine (6) and Ned Hine (5) to form a strong England side for a total of 23 goals against Uruguay’s 27 – a tall order, but these players have racked up plenty of time on the field together and came out strongly from the start.
Both teams came out attacking, but Uruguay were first to score with a penalty sent home by Nachi Viana. England started with two goals on the board owing to the handicap difference, but it was Louis Hine who made the first field goal for England, picking up a massive hit from Beresford and making a superb angled shot to bring the score to 3-1. After a flawless penalty from Beresford, it was a Ned-Louis combination that saw England finish the first chukka firmly ahead for 5-1. By the end of the second chukka Uruguay had closed the gap to 6-4, but England drew away again in the third, heading into half-time at 8-5.
By the end of the fourth chukka, the score was 10-7; with only two field goals from Uruguay and most coming from penalties, the England team looked increasingly confident but needed to keep their cool to stay ahead. Heading into the final chukka, England surged ahead to leave the scoreboard at 12-7 in favour of the home side. The possibility of victory was slipping away for the visitors.
Uruguay were in fighting form for the final chukka, but England were not prepared to let the visitors get ahead. An intense final seven minutes saw Louis Hine score his fifth goal of the match and make it 14-7 with a stunning run down almost the entire length of the field, before Uruguay answered with a final goal chipped over the line from Viana before the buzzer blew 14-8 for the final score. There was never any doubt that Louis Hine would pick up the MVP prize, being awarded the Rufino Laulhé Trophy for the second consecutive year. The Bendicks Best Playing Pony prize, presented by Georgina Martin, went to Louis’ outstanding grey mare Guri Espanola, sourced from team coach Hilario Ulloa, while the Emerson & Watson Retraining of Racehorses award went to Cudmore’s Bockos Amber, who ran seven times on the flat for trainer Roger Teal before switching careers to polo.
The prizes were presented by Will Lucas alongside Rivals actress Katherine Parkinson. England's captain Beresford stepped back to allow Cudmore, winning his third Coronation Cup, to lift the trophy, closing out an exceptional day of polo.
Images copyright Art of Polo
