File:British Polo Day - Great Britain 2015.webm

British Polo Day Great Britain stirs up a storm, celebrating cross-Atlantic ties with Mexico in a blend of true horsemanship, culinary talent and philanthropy. In celebration of the Dual Year of Mexico and the UK, this year’s British Polo Day Great Britain - presented by Land Rover – had a decidedly Mexican twist, albeit with a British shower or two! Yesterday (Saturday 20th June), VIP and guests including host Urs Schwarzenbach, HH Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh, The Marquess of Blandford, Viscount Melville, The 13th Duke of Argyll, Lady Violet and Alice Manners, Ron Wahid, Nikki Mehta, Sir Jackie Stewart and Stephanie Powers marked the enduring legacy that exists between the two countries while raising almost £150,000 for charity. Travelling with Abercrombie & Kent, VIPs and guests marked the lead up to British Polo Day Great Britain with a series of exclusive events. These included a Hotel Matilda Dual Dinner by Martha Ortizin the vertiginous Royal Suite of The InterContinental – a fusion of the two hotels’ culinary creativity, a private Justerini & Brooks wine tasting at the newly-opened South Kensington Club and an official British Polo Day launch party at Tonteria – our very own Mexican corner of Chelsea! Exclusive behind the scenes tours of Harrods and the Brompton Bicycle factory also proved a hit with our Mexican guests. On the day itself, guests arrived at the prestigious Black Bears private estate in chauffeur-driven Range Rovers to a Champagne Taittinger reception and an opening game of Brompton Bicycle Polo, in which the InterContinental London Park Lane Rest of World team clinched a well-deserved 3 – 1 victory. At the Royal Salute ‘Neolithic’ bar designed by British architect Sally Mackareth - handcrafted out of 8,000 year old petrified oak - guests were treated to the time honoured and precious whisky. Meanwhile, the pitch-side ‘Harrods Garden Party’ was bustling with guests making their own ethereal midsummer floral crowns, playing croquet, enjoying ice creams with the resident Harrods Green Man and jumping on board the iconic Rosebery bus. Guests then sat down to an exclusive three-course lunch authored by InterContinental London Park Lane Chef, Theo Randall and accompanied by fine wines from Royal Warrant Holders, Justerini & Brooks. Among the culinary masterpieces dreamt-up by Randall was a one-off co-authored chocolate pudding with Paul A Young Fine Chocolates. Torquhil Campbell, The 13th Duke of Argyll then drew lunch to a close, with guests standing on their seats for a traditional Quaich experience with Royal Salute 21 Year Old whisky – a fitting way to toast the noble sport of polo and kick-off the eagerly-anticipated Live Auction. As part of an ongoing commitment to philanthropy - which has so far raised an impressive US$1.5 million – auctioneer Lord Harry Dalmeny soon had the gavel sounding, as a fierce half hour of bidding raised over £144,000 for the Born Free Foundation, Head Injury Through Sport (HITS), the Brooke, The Eve Branson Foundation, NSPCC and fittingly - and at the behest of our visiting Mexican friends - Doña en Vida. The afternoon’s polo soon had VIPs and guests braving the elements to stand pitchside as the Qatar Airways British Exiles took on the Royal Salute Commonwealth team in the opening Hackett Cronan Cup. These two very closely-matched teams - at 13 goals – battled hard. The Royal Salute Commonwealth team’s Tom Hunt and Simon Keyte left the Qatar Airways British Exiles adrift by 3-1 however magic by George Meyrick and Satnam Dhillon in particular changed the course of the match and a subsequent three goals resulted in a 5-5 draw. Then, following a quintessential British afternoon tea and the customary treading of the divots, the RJI Capital British Schools team took to the pitch against the Mexico Polo Team – our kind hosts of British Polo Day Mexico - in the Land Rover River Field Plate. Undeterred by the thunderstorm overhead, the Mexico Team drew first blood with Diego Solorozano scoring a penalty from the 40 yard spot. Thereafter the strong trio of Imelda de Alba. JJ de Alba and Luis Perez kept the Mexicans in the lead, emerging triumphant with a 3 – 2 victory.