Treading the Divots

On hearing the news that we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Club becoming the Headquarters of Polo in England, when the Hurlingham Polo Committee drew up the first English rules, this brought back memories of my childhood and youth spent treading the divots in between chukkas, mingling with Royals, Maharajas, hot Argentinian players and the Polo crowd at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park.

My father, Hurlingham member, Harold Sebag-Montefiore, was very involved with the Polo scene, not as a player, but because he loved the sport. His weekdays were spent as a barrister, circuit judge and duties on the Greater London Council as Chairman of the Arts and Recreation committee, but every weekend during the polo season, he could be found in the Commentators Box, sharing all the fast-paced thrills of the game. Hence my presence watching in the stand, when I wasn’t treading those divots or roaming around admiring the ponies, watching the grooms go about their work and the players putting on their helmets and boots and preparing their mallets for their match or cooling down afterwards before they headed to the bar. My mother, a Hurlingham Spouse Member, was much more interested in the arts than in horses, but brought along her visiting American family and friends, and enjoyed the socialising and the ambience, especially when it was warm and sunny.

Chukka / Chukker – a period of play, typically lasting seven minutes. Four to six chukkas in a match. Short break between each chukka and a longer break at half time. Gives time for players to change their mounts and rest the ponies.

Treading the Divots – between chukkas, stomping the ground to repair the field for play to continue. The spectators pressing the divots into the ground reduces risk of falls and injury during play and allows the ball to travel further, and with more accuracy.

Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was often there supporting her husband and son, and presenting Cups (sometimes bringing those back to the family shelves). It was easy to see that she enjoyed the game, as she sat in the unpretentious Royal Box, which consisted of two rows of chairs surrounded by a low wooden fence. It was not unusual for me to come face to face with HRH Princess Anne who would stop for a quick chat, and even, on occasion, tread by my side. Just like the Royal Box, everything was much more low key in those days, no Hello spreads or D-list celebrity Cartier bling. But, as gossip and history tell us, apparently it really was as racy as a Jilly Cooper novel!

On learning of the Polo anniversary, I went to the boxes full of photos, books, letters and memorabilia, packed up from my childhood home, and retrieved The Hurlingham Polo Association 1964 Yearbook, with my father’s pencilled initial on the opening page and his slightly illegible notes about a Polo match he was commentating on.

I am now looking forward to Club Archivist, Clare Button's talk, '125 years of Hurlingham's Polo Heritage', on 20 May, and the four week display of archive material in the Oval Room.

JENNY MONTEFIORE

EXPERIENCE POLO THIS SUMMER

Polo in the Park, Hurlingham Park
Friday 6 June – Sunday 8 June. Details for Hurlingham
members to be confirmed.

Hurlingham Polo Association International Day, Guards Polo Club, Windsor
Saturday 26 July Coronation Cup: England v Brazil. An afternoon of Clubhouse hospitality for Hurlingham members
(champagne reception, 3 course lunch, grandstand tickets and
allocated parking) £200pp

Hurlingham Cup Match at Ham Polo Club
Saturday 3 August. Details of exclusive offer still to be confirmed.