Mint Polo in the Park- A breath of fresh air on a scorching afternoon in London

Lots of jobs have perks.

Some companies will pay for your mobile phone, others may pay for your car. But when you get to sit outside in the glorious sunshine, amongst hoards of beautifully dressed people sipping Pimms and watching some of the worlds finest polo playing, I'm pretty certain I won´t be handing in my resignation any time soon.

It does also help that I´m a polo fanatic.
Seeing the huge crowds of people from all walks of life queuing up to watch the two qualifying semi finals of the weekend, it confirmed my belief that polo is finally being realised as a sport for everyone.

The first woman I spoke to was a makeup artist from Poland who had never even so much as heard of a chukka, and her enthusiasm for the whole event reminded me of my first polo match.

She wasn´t the only person I spoke to whos first time it was at a game, and I am certain that not even the newbies were left disappointed.

Nicholas Colquhoun-Denver, chairman of the HPA (Governing body of UK and European polo) once referred to polo as the godfather of extreme sports and i don´t know if it was the new rules that came into play this year or the scorching sun that beamed down on the pitch, but the players were literally on fire.

Having missed yesterdays match, it had been a long time since i´ve seen polo being played with quite the same energy.

With three players on each team, it made individuals playing much easier to follow and it meant teamwork had to be absolutely fine tuned.

As the two opposing ponies galloped towards the ball in the centre of the pitch to kick off the match, roars of cheer could be heard from the crowds and the ball was struck so hard that a mallet was snaped in half and went flying towards the unprepared spectators.

The relationship between Jamie Morrison, the four goal handicap player for team New York (sponsored by City AM) and Jack Kidd, also a four goal player, was electric.

The two British players were often faultless in their passes to one another and Henry Brett, the other 6 goal player for NY was able to maximise their quality passing by rigorously defending the boys against team Geneva (sponsored by Thompson Reuters).

It would be unfair to say Piki Diaz Alberdi outshone those playing for the Geneva team, but leading with a huge 9 goal handicap, his talents on the pitch were undeniable.

He was so controlling of the ball at times, Morrison and Kidd often had to pick at him, riding off hard and often beating into Diaz Alberdi´s side to try and knock his confidence.

With 3 goals scored by NY in the first Chukka, it was clear that regardless of Diaz Alberdis ability, it was going to be a real battle for Geneva if they wanted to win this game.

The game did not fall short of spot hits and penalties, and an own goal as nearly scored by Morrison in the third chukka.

Sacha Pictet and Martin Luginbuhl, a three and a two goal player wasted no time in defending their champion player but unfortunately Kidd and Morrison were only too eager to do the same for Brett, and often it became a ride off for the two leading handicap team players- Brett and Diaz Alberdi.

Scores now at 14 for NY and 5 for Geneva, with seconds left to go before the game was called, it was clear that the City AM boys had outshone the Thompson team and surpassed even their own game objectives and ambitions.

The Semi Finals were ended and the crowd, in a frenzy of delight, screamed and cheered the teams off the pitch.

Standing only feet away from the riders and their ponies, you could see the affect the 30oC heat was having, and in conversations with Jodie Kidd (sister of Jack Kidd and Polo in the Park Ambassador), she explained how much of a priority it had been today to keep the horses from dehydrating.

Jamie Morrison was also around for a quick ´hello´ as we had met the week before at a Russia vs England match and I was eager to congratulate him on New York´s victory. He seemed to be having a great afternoon and didn't hesitate to get out of his sweaty kit and into his stylish Holland Cooper Brett gear, a clothing collaboration by team mate Henry Brett and Jade Holland Cooper.

The rest of the day was spent listening to Blake, a classical boy band who gave an outstanding performance on the pitch and attempting to stop my makeup from sliding down my face from the heat.

The second Semi Final was held at 4.30pm, Team IG Index Paris vs Invisible Zinc Team Sydney, Winners of the 4th Quarter final.

It was a fun and fast paced match with no injuries and plenty of entertainment from the commentators, which is often the most entertaining part of a game.


For more info visit www.livingpolo.com