The Roehampton trophy is the oldest
polo
Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...
trophy in the United Kingdom. The trophy was first played for at the
Roehampton Club
The Roehampton Club is a private members’ sports club in Roehampton in southwest London, England. It is set in of parkland, close to Richmond Park. Originally established in 1901 as an officers’ polo club, the Roehampton Club has sporting and ...
in 1902 and was won by Buccaneers. Today it is played for at the
Ham Polo Club
Ham Polo Club is a Hurlingham Polo Association polo club situated in Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is one of the oldest polo clubs in the United Kingdom and the last surviving club in Lond ...
, the tournament is played for at an 6-goal level and the finals are held in August.
History
The Roehampton Cup is the oldest cup still played for in the United Kingdom, the earliest date on its plinth is the season of 1902 and it was the premier trophy at the
Roehampton Polo Club until its demise in 1955. The Trophy itself was donated by Mrs Alison Cunninghame of Craigends upon the opening of the Roehampton Club in 1902.
Roehampton
Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...
, before the great war, was one of eight metropolitan clubs and the third largest, with over 300 playing members and 550 non-playing members. Those were the days in which an estimated 10,000
polo ponies were stabled in and around London during the season and
Roehampton
Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...
, with
Hurlingham and Ranelagh, was the base for one of the three Open Championships of the time.
The Roehampton Cup has seen some notable holders. In 1911, for example, the trophy was won by
Comte Johnnie de Madre's Tigers Team, who wore pure silk shirts, hand embroidered with gold thread.
Lord Rocksavage
George Horatio Charles Cholmondeley, 5th Marquess of Cholmondeley (; 19 May 1883 – 16 September 1968), styled Earl of Rocksavage from birth until 1923, was a British peer. He was the Lord Great Chamberlain of England in 1936 and also between ...
and Captain J. F. Harrison (after whom the Harrison Cup at
Cowdray was later named) were among the
old Etonian
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
winners in 1914, while in 1925 a high powered Argentine team, La Pampa, led by
Jack Nelson was victorious.
Eric Horace Tyrrell-Martin
Eric Horace Tyrrell-Martin (30 April 1905 – 21 April 1953) was an English international polo player. At the height of his career, he held a nine goal handicap.
Biography
Tyrrel-Martin played for England in the 1936 and 1939 International Polo ...
, who was to play in the
International Polo Cup
The International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup, is a trophy in polo that was created in 1876 and was played for by teams from the United States and United Kingdom. The match has varied in length over the years ...
final 1939, was in the winning team in 1934 and 1935; whilst J. F. Harrison, by then a Major, won the Cup for a second time for 'The Pandas' in the last pre war tournament at the club.
Suitably, as it was to turn out, Ham Polo Club newly revived by
Billy Walsh, won the cup in the first post-war tournament of 1947. Later names engraved on the trophy include some of the leading players of their day; among them Peter W. Dollar,
Alec Harper,
Haunut Sing, Heskie Baig,
Charles Smith-Ryland
Sir Charles Mortimer Tollemache Smith-Ryland KCVO (May 24, 1927 – 1989) was Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire from 1968 to 1989.
The son of Captain Charles Ivor Phipson Smith-Ryland, he was educated at Eton College and married Jeryl Marcia Sarah ...
, John Lankin and
Humphrey Patrick Guinness
Humphrey Patrick Guinness (March 24, 1902 – February 10, 1986) was a British polo player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Biography
He was born on 24 March 1902, and was educated at Eton College and the Royal Military College, S ...
.
Following the closure of the
Roehampton Polo Club, Edward Tauchert, then player at
Ham Polo Club
Ham Polo Club is a Hurlingham Polo Association polo club situated in Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is one of the oldest polo clubs in the United Kingdom and the last surviving club in Lond ...
arranged for the Roehampton Golf Club to kindly donate the trophy to
Ham Polo Club
Ham Polo Club is a Hurlingham Polo Association polo club situated in Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is one of the oldest polo clubs in the United Kingdom and the last surviving club in Lond ...
where it has remained ever since. It became a popular trophy at Ham and in the 1990s through the efforts of John O'Driscoll the Roehampton was reintroduced as a Tournament.
The Tournament Today
From 2008 until 2015 the League stages of the tournament were being played at Ali Albwardy's private polo grounds in Windsor, the base of
Dubai Polo Team
The Dubai Polo Team is one of the most successful polo teams of all time, playing at the highest level globally. The Dubai Polo Team has bases in UK, Spain, USA, Argentina and Dubai.
The Dubai Polo Team have won the British Open for the Gold Cup ...
. The finals though were still held at Ham Polo Club on the Number One ground. From 2016 onwards the early games have been held at the Black Bears grounds in Henley-upon-Thames with the finals day still taking place at
Ham Polo Club
Ham Polo Club is a Hurlingham Polo Association polo club situated in Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is one of the oldest polo clubs in the United Kingdom and the last surviving club in Lond ...
In 2012, the 110th year of the competition, a sponsorship deal was signed with
Bang and Olufsen of Kingston with the tournament becoming known as the 'Roehampton Trophy brought to you by
Bang and Olufsen of Kingston'. In 2015, 2016 and 2017 sponsorship was taken on by London Square, the developers behind the restoration of the
Royal Star and Garter Home, Richmond. In 2020 the title sponsorship was taken by
Fabergé.
The Roehampton takes place in late August to avoid overlapping with HPA Victor Ludorum tournaments played at the same handicap.
Winners
Not counting the years of the two world wars when polo ceased in England, there are 35 years missing from the commemorative plinth. The recorded winners are as follows.
The Trophy
The Silver Trophy itself, donated by Mrs Alison Cunninghame of Craigends, stands 53 cm high. The cup is detachable from the base section, this has caused trouble with over excited winning teams at presentations and as a result the trophy has a slight lean. The trophy also has a detachable lid though it has not been traditional in recent years to drink
champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
from the trophy as a celebration.
Under the handles of the Trophy are the faces of two
polo
Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...
players wearing polo hats with wings, the trophy also bears an unhidden
Hallmark
A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term '' hallmark'' can a ...
on its front.
Not including the years that Britain was at war and the trophy was not played for, there are 35 years missing from the base including 1947, the first year it was won by
Ham Polo Club
Ham Polo Club is a Hurlingham Polo Association polo club situated in Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is one of the oldest polo clubs in the United Kingdom and the last surviving club in Lond ...
.
References
{{Reflist
1902 establishments in England
1902 in London
Polo in the United Kingdom
Roehampton
Sport in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames