1909 British Team for the International Polo Cup

The International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup, is a trophy in

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 ...

that was created in 1876 and was played for by teams from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The match has varied in length over the years from a single game to the best of three games. In 1886 the two nations decided to make the polo match a continuing competition. A total of 12 matches were conducted between 1886 and 1939 between the two countries. The tournament was suspended during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and, due to changing times and interests, not revived until 1992. The last match was held on July 28, 2013 at

Guards Polo Club The Guards Polo Club is an English polo club in Windsor, Berkshire. It was most closely associated with the British Royal Family. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was President of the club from its formation on 25 January 1955 until his death i ...

History

The cup was first awarded to the team of Capt.John Henry Watson in 1876* in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

. The cup was later purchased by a

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and presented to the

Westchester Polo Club The Westchester Polo Club was the first formal American polo club. It was established in the spring of 1876. Events were held at the Jerome Park Racetrack in New York. The club was responsible for the International Polo Cup. The club moved to Newpo ...

in 1886. It was won again in 1886 and 1902 by English teams from the

Hurlingham Club The Hurlingham Club is an exclusive private social and athletic club located in the Fulham area of London, England. Founded in 1869, it has a Georgian-style clubhouse set in of grounds. It is a member of the Association of London Clubs. Histo ...

. *This is unlikely. Capt. Watson served with the 13th Huzzars in India from 1874 to 1882. He is documented as winning the Grand Military Steeplechase of India in 1878. (British Newspapers 19.03.1878). In 1909

James Montaudevert Waterbury, Jr. James Montaudevert "Monte" Waterbury, Jr. (April 24, 1876 – August 28, 1920) was an American businessman and a 10-goal polo handicap player. Together with his brother Lawrence Waterbury, Harry Payne Whitney and Devereaux Milburn, known ...

Lawrence Waterbury Lawrence Waterbury II (March 31, 1877 – May 25, 1943) was an American champion polo player and society figure. Early life Larry, as he was referred to by friends, was born on March 31, 1877 in New York City. He was one of seven children born t ...

Harry Payne Whitney Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family. Early years Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872, as the eldest son ...

and

Devereaux Milburn Devereux Milburn (September 19, 1881 – August 15, 1942) was an American champion polo player in the early to mid twentieth century. He was one of a group of Americans known as the Big Four in international polo, winning the Westchester Cup six ...

formed a team, dubbed the

Big Four Big Four or Big 4 may refer to: Groups of companies * Big Four accounting firms: Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PwC * Big Four (airlines) in the U.S. in the 20th century: American, Eastern, TWA, United * Big Four (banking), several groupings ...

, that won the cup from the English. The same team was successful in 1911 and 1913, but lost the cup to England in 1914. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Westchester Cup was the most anticipated event on the sporting calendar in the United States.

Winner

The cup has been won a total of 10 times by the United States and 6 times by England, including the initial 1876 match. The match was suspended in the 1940s due to

and was not revived until the 1990s.

External links

International Polo Cup
team photographs

References

{{commons category, International Polo Cup Recurring sporting events established in 1876