Mon 12th Oct 2015Malta and Guards Polo Clubs team up to create historic match for CHOGM 2015Valletta Malta Saturday 28 November 2015
Guards Polo Club has been invited to participate in a four chukka polo match on Saturday 28 November as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2015) in Malta. An invited team of Guards patrons and players, representing several Commonwealth nations, will play a team from Malta Polo Club. HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall are all expected to attend CHOGM 15. Malta Polo Club is the second oldest polo club in the world (established in 1868), has special interest for members of Guards Polo Club as it is where Guards' President, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh learned to play polo. The Prince was stationed in Malta with The Royal Navy from 1949 - 1951 and so took the opportunity to take some lessons from his uncle, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who held the position of President of the Malta Polo Club for several years. As Prince Philip later recalled: “I had just got as far as wielding a stick in a polo pit and doing some stick and ball practice on a pony before the [Second World] war broke out. It was 12 years before I started again in Malta under the eye of my uncle, the great ‘Marco*’ himself.” Neil Hobday, CEO of Guards Polo Club, says of this impressive event: “We are honoured to be working with CHOGM 2015 and our friends at Malta Polo Club to be part of such a prestigious polo match in one of the sport’s most historic venues. We already feel a great affinity with the Malta Polo Club through our Founder and President, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, learning to play here.” Karl Galea, President of Malta Polo Club, added: “Malta has long served as a bridge between North Africa and Europe. Now, as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting host for 2015, this important island is providing a platform for Commonwealth countries to come together to build bridges of cooperation. This unique polo match is the last international match to be played on Malta Polo Club’s historic, packed earth ground; the same ground on which polo was played back in 1868. The Club is situated less than 2km from the island’s capital city Valletta – a baroque city built in 1566 by the Knights of the Order of St. John, a designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Due to the increasing popularity of polo on Malta, the Club is set to transform its historic ground into a grass field of play in time for the 2016 season. Photograph: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh is expected to attend. By ©www.imagesofpolo.com | | Other top stories Mon 18th Mar 2024 USPA Gold Cup Semi Finals Set Coca Cola vs Valiente & La Dolfina/Tonkawa vs Park Place
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