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Book Review

COWDRAY PARK POLO CLUB: THE CENTENARY

With forewords from both HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Prince of Wales

With forewords from both HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Prince of Wales, Cowdray Park Polo Club: The Centenary is a remarkable book edited by Clare Milford Haven, Roger Chatterton-Newman and Vanessa Taylor, recognising the rich history of a polo club which developed from a family’s love of the game into one of the most important clubs in the world.

Founded in West Sussex in 1910 by the Hon. Harold Pearson, later 2nd Viscount Cowdray, the club blossomed during the 1920s and '30s when the highlight of polo at Cowdray Park was Goodwood Week - coinciding with the annual festival of racing at the nearby Goodwood Estate. However, the club became widely known as the 'home of British polo' following the Second World War, when Harold's son, John, spearheaded the UK renaissance of the sport. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that without John Cowdray there would almost certainly be no polo in this country, or certainly not at high-goal and international levels.

The Cowdray Park Gold Cup, which developed in time into the British Open Championship - second in prestige only to the Argentine Open - was inaugurated in 1956, since when it has seen most of the greatest polo players in the world ride onto the Cowdray 'Lawns' grounds. The book recalls highlights of the tournament, not least the debut in 1991 of a shy young 16 year old  Argentine called Adolfo Cambiaso. Today, he is the world's top player - and returns to Cowdray Park every year.

The long-established royal connection with the club is also covered - including the early influence of Lord Mountbatten, who ran Cowdray Park on a number of occasions, and the participation of Prince Philip, the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry. 

Recollections by members of the Cowdray family and anecdotes from players, grooms and staff merge together in a fascinating account of a century of polo. The book is illustrated extensively with photos showing Cowdray past and present, many of which have never been seen before outside private albums.  

Cowdray Park Polo Club: The Centenary, 256 pages, in hardback, can be obtained from the Polo Office for 100 pounds, plus delivery, tel: 01730 813257.

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