OUPC in Review Hilary 2017


Note from the Chairman III As I write what will be my third and final note as Chairman, and with Easter just a short while away, it is an opportune moment to reflect not just on the past term but the past year at OUPC – one which has truly been record-breaking, from the very beginning with a historic win at the Varsity match down to the very end with a record 110 members voting to elect the 2017–18 Committee. In what has been a remarkably busy year, OUPC has seen significant growth with 161 members, many of whom had never played polo or even ridden before. Over the course of the year, I have been delighted to see these members immerse themselves fully in all that life at OUPC has to offer – regular lessons, competitive fixtures, and eventful socials and gatherings. The culmination of this has allowed OUPC to reach places it never thought possible – for the first time in history, Polo became a Discretionary Full Blue sport in Trinity. We are now also only months away from the Transformers 5 release, in which OUPC proudly features (hoping we make the cut)! The successes of the past year would not have been possible without the partnerships OUPC has developed and consolidated including our Official Kit & Equipment Suppliers, La Martina; Official Spirit Suppliers and our newest partners, British Polo Gin; and Official Event Partners, Varsity Events. Long-term relationships such as these are vital for the success of any initiative and OUPC is glad to have the backing of such great partners. Also crucial to the successes we have seen over the past year are the incredibly devoted outgoing Committee, who have worked tirelessly over the past year, really giving their all to the Club. It remains for me to say a huge thank you to all of them, for making this a historic year for OUPC and one full of great memories. OUPC, however, has never been one to rely on its history or legacy to carry it through and is always striving to build on its strong foundations. Plans are already in progress to forge new partnerships, deliver even greater success, and break more records, one of which will be to inaugurate the UK’s firstever university ladies grass polo tournament, which will be played at Kirtlington at the start of next term for the ‘Claire Lucas Cup’. With the above in mind, I wish the very best to the incoming Committee and look forward to seeing them take OUPC in a new and exciting direction.
Issa Dasu Patel Chairman 2016–17
Club Contact Details email: web: facebook: twitter: instagram:
polo.club@studentclubs.ox.ac.uk www.oxforduniversitypoloclub.com fb.com/oxforduniversitypoloclub @OUPoloClub @oxforduniversitypoloclub
Committee 2016–17 President Vice Presidents
David Walton Masters HRH Crown Prince Abdullah of Pahang, HRH Prince Hassan of Jordan, General Sir Redmond Watt, & John Tylor
Senior Member Coach
Jim Hall II, Said Business School David Ashby
Chairman Captain Secretary Treasurer Polo Manager Fixtures Officer Social Secretary External Relations Officer Membership & Alumni Officer Ball Presidents
Issa Dasu Patel, Lady Margaret Hall Louis Maddison, St Hugh’s College Martyna Zelek, Jesus College Aurelia Vandamme, Keble College James Coates, St Hugh’s College Charlie Hitchman, Magdalen College Heather Winsor, Brasenose College Sally Schwartz, St Catherine’s College Zihan Xu, Green Templeton College Sarah White, St Catherine’s College & Martyna Zelek, Jesus College
Winter Cuppers With 12 matches, 3 falls, and 2 sudden death penalty shoot-outs, this year’s Winter Cuppers on Saturday 18th February ended with a strong victory for the joint Magdalen and Christ Church team ‘Magdachurch’, led by Varsity Blues player and 2-goaler Charlie Hitchman, ending the 2-year St Peter’s reign. The annual event, at East End Farm in North Leigh, homeground of OUPC, saw 8 teams – Magdachurch, The Saints, Biology, A.C.E, Triple Js, LMH, SBS, and Green Templeton – with players of all abilities, battle it out for the Winter Cuppers title! After several qualifying rounds, the final between SBS and Magdachurch was the perfect action-packed and crowd-pleasing end to the tournament, with brilliant plays across the arena, impressive backhands, and strong ride-offs. Despite determined efforts and hooks by SBS to stop those goals from being scored, Magdachurch claimed the Winter Cuppers title after a 5-2 victory. The day was rounded off with great prizes for all players, thanks to OUPC’s recently announced Official Spirit Supplier, British Polo Gin. The winners each took home a great bottle of gin, as well as James Buchanan for ‘Most Valuable Player’, Jack Edwards for 'Best Goal', and Chairman, Issa Dasu Patel, for 'Best Fall’. It was also a chance for the Club to thank Coach David Ashby and his team at ‘Oxford Polo’ for all their hard-work and support. 1st: Magdachurch 2nd: Said Business School 3rd: Triple Js 4th: Biology 5th: Lady Margaret Hall 6th: A.C.E 7th: Green Templeton 8th: The Saints
Fixtures It’s been a busy term of fixtures, with players of all levels traveling across the country for matches! The term’s fixtures schedule was kicked off with OUPC’s top female players – Sally Schwartz, Aurelia Vandamme, and Heather Winsor – competing in and placing 2nd in the ‘Women in Polo’ University Ladies Tournament at Tidworth. After several weeks of solid training, with top-level coaching by David Ashby, 4 OUPC teams (Beginner, Lower Novice, Upper Novice, and Upper Intermediate) travelled to Rugby Polo Club for the annual 4-day SUPA Winter Nationals tournament. Fantastic weekend for Oxford, with both the Beginners and Upper Inters faring very well and just missing out on the top place, placing 2nd in their divisions! Both the lower and upper novice teams put up a tough fight in some very competitive divisions, winning 2 and 3 chukkas respectively. The end of term was even busier with several beginner and novice matches against Hartpury College and Varsity rivals, Cambridge, as well as a Squad vs Alumni Ball Exhibition match! Congratulations to all of our players and a big thank you to all hosting clubs and universities.
Socials OUPC prides itself on being one of the most social sports clubs in Oxford and this term has certainly lived up to all expectations! The new year and Hilary term was kicked off with a bang at the joint Polo, Riding, Beagling, and Ski & Snowboarding New Year’s drinks at The Varsity Club, with a great turnout of over 60 people! As always, drinks were plentiful and the evening was well enjoye. Members have enjoyed a packed term of crewdates, including a sconce-filled Internal OUPC crewdate towards the end of term! The term ended in the same great way it started – with more champagne – at the end-ofterm drinks reception. We hope everyone is excited to return to an even busier and eventful term of socials and gatherings in Trinity!
OUPC Annual White-Tie Ball What a way to end the term… The Annual White-Tie Ball at Blenheim Palace was certainly the highlight of this year’s polo social calendar, with distinguished guests from across the polo world – OUPC members, alumni, partners, and other university polo clubs – enjoying a fine evening at Winston Churchill’s ancestral home. Guests were welcomed with ponies, champagne, and a gin luge kindly provided by The Polo Cafe and British Polo Gin, followed by a delicious 3-course dinner, and then an evening of dancing! Special thanks to all partners and the Ball Committee, led by Martyna Zelek and Sarah White, for putting on a wonderful evening. Take a look at the many photos from the evening: César Manivet, JMPW Photography, Masterstroke, Nasir Hamid.
2017–18 Committee After a hotly contested election and well-attended Annual General Meeting, with the highest electoral turnout in history of 110 votes, OUPC is delighted to introduce its new Committee for 2017–18: Chairman – Aurelia Vandamme Captain – Charlie Hitchman Secretary – Lily Latimer Smith Treasurer – Munirah Dasu Patel Polo Manager – James Coates Fixtures Officer – Jack Bowen Social Secretaries – Alex Santema & Wilhelmina Von Blumenthal Alumni & Sponsorship Officer – Phoebe Toyne-Bridges External Relations Officer – Heather Winsor Ball President – Natasha Salonen Congratulations to all that competed in a very close election and wishing the 2017–18 Committee all the very best – looking forward to another record-breaking year!
British Polo Gin This term, OUPC is delighted to welcome British Polo Gin as our newest partners and Official Spirit Supplier! Members can expect lots of amazing gin at socials and prizes in matches. Watch this space too for the upcoming BPG Garden Party… The Club looks forward to working with BPG on some exciting initiatives this season. The first of these was a chance to celebrate the new partnership at the OUPC Annual WhiteTie Ball at Blenheim Palace in early March, where all the guests were able to taste some of the very fine gin. As well as becoming Official Spirit Supplier, BPG will be shirt sponsors for the upcoming season, including the La Martina Varsity Polo team. Read more here and also in the April edition of Polo Times!
Our Partners
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La Martina British Polo Gin Oxford Polo Guards Polo Club Kirtlington Park Polo Club Calcutta Polo Club Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Club University of London Polo Club Cambridge University Polo Club Polo Times Tatler Polo Images Photography Masterstroke by Bertie Beor-Roberts Varsity Events Zipcar Tilt Cashew