The 2022 polo season at Cowdray Park Polo Club will run from Tuesday 26th April through to Sunday 18th September, during which time the Club will host an impressive 34 tournaments equating to over 500 matches across the five months.
Highlights in May will include The Trippetts Challenge, played for the James Wentworth Stanley Cup, and the first ‘high goal’ fixture of the UK season where spectators will be able to get their first glimpse of the international stars of the game in action.
The British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup will commence on Tuesday 21st June running through to the Final on Sunday 17th July. Ranked alongside the Argentine and U.S Opens, the tournament has been played at Cowdray Park since 1956 and is regarded as the premier competition in Europe. It will feature around 40 matches over the three-week period to include numerous prestigious trophies. The Final is held on the picturesque Lawns grounds set against the iconic backdrop of the Cowdray Ruins.
This year Gold Cup celebrations will kick off with the glamorous Gold Cup Party held on Saturday 18th June, and after a two-year break, the much-loved Midhurst Town Cup will return on Sunday 26th June, offering high goal polo and family fun. The action continues with a multitude of league matches up to Quarter Finals, which includes the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Cup, over the weekend of 9th & 10th July, closely followed by the Semi Finals on Wednesday 13th July to which polo fans flock to witness two thrilling matches played to decide the Final.
the Club will host an impressive 34 tournaments equating to over 500 matches across the five months
The start of the Final weekend will be marked with the inaugural No.3 Gin & Jazz Evening on Friday 15th July at Lawns. As the ‘Official Gin Partner of Cowdray Park Polo Club’, No.3 Gin will be serving a selection of exclusively curated cocktails for guests to enjoy whilst dancing to live jazz as the sun sets behind the Cowdray Ruins. The Finals of the British Ladies Open Championships, which runs concurrent to the Gold Cup, will take place on Saturday 16th July, and polo fever continues into the night as the Club hosts its second ‘Ibiza Night’. Party goers will be transported back to the 90s and 00s as the most iconic sounds of the decades are spun from vinyl decks across Lawns. The following day, Sunday 17th July, welcomes the much-anticipated Cowdray Gold Cup Final when thousands of spectators will flood back to Lawns to grab the best pitch-side picnic spots or meet friends in the exclusive pitch-side EFG Lawns Enclosure. This quintessentially British event boasts a luxury retail village where shoppers will find the Club’s ‘Official Apparel Partner’ U.S Polo Assn., live music, pop up bars including the beautiful Nyetimber routemaster bus serving locally produced English Sparkling Wine and the No.3 Gin cocktail bar, as well as artisan food, and of course the most coveted polo match in the Northern Hemisphere. Cowdray Park Polo Club is proud to support West Sussex Mind who will be the official charity of the day.
Exciting polo continues through to the end of July with some of the most competitive matches taking place over ‘Goodwood weekend’ (30th & 31st July), when three Finals and six subsidiary Finals in the Harrison, Holden White and Challenge Cups are played. Matches are played during the week and at the weekends through August and into September. Visitors are welcome to watch polo in the Club’s stunning South Downs setting up until Sunday 18th September when the season closes with Autumn and Farewell Cups and the much-loved Cowdray dog show. Outside of the Gold Cup tournament entry is free during the week and just £7.50 – £10 at weekends. Parking is free and U12s are admitted free of charge.
The Club is delighted to be partnering with The Naked Food Company who will be running the Clubhouse which will be open to all visitors at weekends and at selected events throughout the season. Founder and Executive Chef, Carole Lindsay, and her brilliant team will be offering exceptional food to include light bites, lunches, and afternoon teas, all created using the very best locally sourced ingredients.
The Club warmly welcomes new adult and junior members. Adult membership costs £225 and Junior Membership just £75. For further information regarding the season, events and membership visit www.cowdraypolo.co.uk
