Mark Tomlinson facts for kids
Mark Tomlinson, born on March 25, 1982, is a professional polo player. He plays for the England polo team. In Britain, he has a handicap of seven goals, and in Argentina, it's six goals. A handicap in polo shows how skilled a player is.
Mark Tomlinson's Polo Journey
Mark grew up in Gloucestershire, England. His parents, Simon and Claire, own the Beaufort Polo Club. Mark comes from a family of polo players. He went to Marlborough and then studied Spanish at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol.
Mark has an older brother and a sister. Both of them are also international polo players. His sister, Emma, is an amateur player with a two-goal handicap. His brother, Luke, was once the captain of the England team. Luke had a seven-goal handicap in Britain.
Playing for England
Mark first played for the England team in 2005. In 2008, he and his brother, along with James Beim and Malcolm Borwick, won the Cartier International. They played against Australia at Guards Polo Club, winning 10–9.
Mark also led the England team to victory in other important matches. He captained the team in the St. Regis International Test Match against Italy at Cowdray Park Polo Club. He also led the team to win the Williams De Broe Test Match against New Zealand at Beaufort Polo Club.
Other Polo Achievements
In 2008, Mark played for the Apes Hill Team in the Queen's Cup. His team won the Vivari Cup Subfinal against team Grayshurst. Mark also took part in the Argentina Polo Tour in 2008. He played for the team called Twelve Oaks.
He was also the team captain for the New Zealand Test Match. This game was played at Kihikihi Polo Club on February 9. Mark has competed in the International Polo Cup three times. These were in 2009, 2013, and 2023.
Family Life
On August 27, 2012, Mark got engaged to Laura Bechtolsheimer. Laura is a British dressage rider who was born in Germany. They got married on March 2, 2013, in Arosa, Switzerland. Mark and Laura have three children named Annalisa, Wilfred, and Hanni.
