Ham Polo Club facts for kids

The Ham Polo Club is a famous polo club located in Richmond, in south-west London, England. It's one of the oldest polo clubs in the United Kingdom and the only one left in London!

The club is nestled between Richmond Park and the River Thames, with views of the historic Ham House. It's about eight miles from the center of London. At the club, you'll find three polo fields, a special field for practicing, and a track for horses. There's also a place to keep horses, coaching, and a clubhouse for members. The clubhouse has a restaurant and a bar. Polo games happen at Ham Polo Club from May to September each year. The club has about 70 players and hundreds of social members who enjoy the events.

History of Ham Polo Club

Ham Polo Club is the last of many smaller clubs that used to be around London's three biggest polo clubs: Ranelagh, Hurlingham, and Roehampton. The club started in 1926 as the Ham Common Polo Club. It had one large polo field and two smaller ones. The first chairman, Loftus Storey, lived next to the first field.

A famous polo player named Johnny Traill, who was the first Argentine player to reach a "10-goal" handicap (the highest skill level), often coached here. Ham Common Polo Club was perfect for Londoners who loved playing polo for fun, even if they didn't compete in the biggest tournaments. Polo stopped during World War II from 1939 to 1945.

Bringing Polo Back After the War

After the war, in 1946, William "Billy" Francis Walsh helped bring the club back to life. He bought the stables where he used to work and offered horse care services to club members. Loftus Storey became chairman again, and Billy became the Polo Manager. The club started playing under the rules of the HPA. Many people believe that Lord Cowdray, Arthur Lucas, and Billy Walsh were the heroes who saved polo in the UK after the war.

The first polo tournament in England after the war was held in 1947. The Ham Polo Club team won the main prize, the Roehampton Cup! This cup is still played for at Ham today. A few years later, the club started using a field near Ham House for matches. In 1954, a farmer named George Stevens allowed the club to turn the Ham House orchard into a polo field.

Major Archie David, who led the Friars Park team, was the club's first president. He gave the club the Autumn Cup, which is still played for every year. In 1970, thanks to the efforts of Sir David Brown, the club bought the land it was on. Sixteen years later, they bought more land and added another polo field. In 1982, Billy Walsh retired as manager and became president. His daughter Peggy and grandson Tim continued to manage the club after him.

Today, the club still plays polo from May to September. Antonino Menard manages the polo activities. Col. Geoffrey Godbold OBE TD DL is the current president, and Simon Chamberlain is the club's Chairman.

Main Polo Tournaments

Ham Polo Club hosts several exciting tournaments throughout its season. The most important ones are:

• The Summer tournament (for players with a 0–4 goal handicap)
• The Roehampton Trophy (for players with a 6 goal handicap)
• The Billy Walsh Tournament (for players with a 0–2 goal handicap)

Images for kids

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  England back Eden Ormerod at the Toast New Zealand International match

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  Hissam Ali Haider and Marco Forcaccia in The Dubai Trophy final

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  Honourable Artillery Company corps of drums at the HAC polo day

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  Display of Austin Healey classic British Sports Cars at Roehampton Trophy finals day

Joining the Club

The number of playing members at Ham Polo Club is limited. People who want to play must have an interview with the club committee. If you become a social member, you and your family can use the clubhouse on match days. You also get invited to the club's social events. There's also an Academy membership for learning polo and a Junior category for young players.

Helping Charities

Laureus Sporting Foundation Presentation with Boris Becker

Chakravarty Cup Presentation: Paul Barry, Vichai Raksriaksorn, HRH Prince William, Adolfo Cambiaso and Martin Valent

Ham Polo Club has helped raise almost £2 million for charity in recent years! They hold several big charity events every year.

ChildLine Sundown Polo Challenge

Every June, on a Saturday evening, the club hosts a polo match, dinner, and charity auction. This event raises money for the ChildLine organization, which helps children. Esther Rantzen, a supporter of the charity, is always there with many famous guests.

Laureus Sport for Good Foundation

The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation helps millions of children around the world who are not as lucky as others. An event happens every year at the club. Many famous athletes, called Laureus ambassadors, have attended, including Edwin Moses, Hugo Porta, Sean Fitzpatrick, Daley Thompson, and Boris Becker.

Chakravarty Cup

For many years, the Chakravarty Cup was held at Ham Polo Club. This event started in 1997 and raises money for charities supported by The Royal Family. The Prince of Wales played in the match for nine years. Now that he has retired, his sons, The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex, take part.

Famous People Connected to the Club

Some well-known people have been members of Ham Polo Club:

• Elle Macpherson, an Australian model and businesswoman
• Ali Albwardy, who supports the Dubai Polo Team
• Adolfo Cambiaso, a top professional polo player
• Lolo Castagnola, another skilled professional polo player

Club Leaders: Chairmen

Here are the people who have led the club as Chairman:

• Loftus Storey 1937–1938
• Polo stopped during World War II 1939–1945
• Loftus Storey 1947–1950
• Major S.C. Deed 1950–1954
• Edward Tauchert 1955–56
• C.J. Busby 1957–1965
• R.W.Addie 1966
• C.J. Busby 1967
• C.J.Harrison 1968–1971
• Col Gerald Critchley 1972–1979
• P.Adams/G.Godbold 1979–1984
• G.E.Godbold OBE TD 1979–1995
• N.Colquhoun-Denvers 1995–2018
• H. Davis 2018–2024
• S. N. Chamberlain 2024-

Club Leaders: Presidents

These are the Presidents who have guided the club:

• Major Archie David 1957–1970
• Sir David Brown 1971–1979
• Doug Riley-Smith 1980
• post vacant 1981–1982
• Geoffrey Lawson 1983–1986
• Billy Walsh 1987–1992
• Bryan Morrison 1993–1996
• Douglas Brown DFC 1997–2000
• J.W.M. (Buff) Crisp 2001–2003
• Saeed Ali Albwardy 2004–2007
• Vichai Raksriaksorn 2008–2012
• Steven Lamprell 2013–2016
• Mohammed S Almarzooqi 2017–2020
• Col. Geoffrey Godbold OBE TD DL 2021-

Polo Managers

These individuals have managed the polo activities at the club:

• Billy Walsh 1946–1986
• Peggy Healy 1987–2000
• Tim Healy 2001
• James Lange 2002–2003
• Tom Benson 2004–2005
• David Leach 2006
• Daniel Devrient Kidd 2007
• Adolfo Casabal 2008–2011
• William Healy 2011–2021
• Gaston Devrient 2022- January–June
• Lucy Dowie/Manuel Perez (Joint Interim) 2022- June–September
• Marcus Hancock 2022 - 2023
• Antonino Menard 2024 -

Club Trophies

The Ham Polo Club has many special trophies that are awarded during its tournaments: