The cream of the world’s polo elite descend upon Ham

The four-team competition final is the highlight of the club’s calendar and the organisers are expecting a big turn-out from fans – as well as a big turn-out of the simply curious.

Each team consists of three professional players and a sponsor, who has paid up to £3,000 for the privilege of taking to the field.

The teams taking part are King Power, Ashbert Raiders, Las Marias and Harum Scarum, and the competition started in Maidenhead on Thursday.

Among the professionals taking part are Hissam Ali Haider – the highest ranked Pakistani player for 30 years – and Pancho Marin-Moreno, of Argentina.

The popular impression in England is that polo is an elitist sport, serving to satisfy the whims of the rich and well-heeled.

However, Ham’s polo manager Will Healy believes it is a fully inclusive sport.

Horseback: Charlie Wood of Ham Polo Club          Picture: Mark Beaumont

“At Ham, we try to make it relaxed and friendly. We play regular inter-club games on Sundays and, if the weather is nice, we find a lot of people just like to come in, bring a picnic and watch the action,” he said.

“There can be a lot of people, and there is a really relaxed family atmosphere and we encourage it.

“Polo does have an elitist reputation – it is not cheap to learn or set yourself up to play.

“But we do encourage people to get involved, and we’ve had people from all walks of life come and take part.”

Charlie Wood, an instructor at the club from Christchurch in New Zealand, said: “Polo is a fast, glamorous and exciting sporting spectacle.

“If you go to any other club, you’ll find Ham is much more down to earth and everyone is welcomed. You don’t have to be a member and drive a Range Rover to come and watch the game.”

For ticket details for August 10, and more about the club, go to hampoloclub.com.

Right-handed: Polo must be played right-handed     Picture: Mark Beaumont

The game

At the Dubai Trophy 12-goal level, the game is divided into four periods, known as chukkers, of seven-and-a-half minutes each.

The game takes much longer than that as the clock is stopped at regular intervals as the riders change their mounts.

There are four players in each team, one and two form the defensive partnership, while three and four are out for the goals.

Players are rated from -2 to 10 at the high end, and to play in the Dubai 12-goal event, the team must have a combined rating no higher than 12.

It must be played right-handed and, barring injury replacement, there are no rider substitutions in a match.

Points are scored by knocking the ball into the opponent’s goal using a long-handled mallet.

The way it was: A polo instruction session at Ham Polo Club in 1934

History

The true origins of polo have become obscured over the centuries, but it is believed that the game started life sometime between 500BC and AD100.

The earliest known records of polo are from Persia, and by AD900 the game was well established in China.

It evolved into a training game for cavalry units, a sport for the nobles of the Far East and the Iranian national sport.

Its popularity spread west to India, where a modernised version was developed by the British and the first polo club – the Calcutta Polo Club – was established in 1862.

The first rules of polo in England were drawn up by the Hurlingham Polo Association in 1874 – and, the rest, as they say...