Beaufort
and it was this international flavour that continued throughout
the decade.
The celebrated Australian Ashton brothers made Down
Farm their headquarters and stormed the UK season, winning
no less than 15 of their 21 games, including the prestigious
Ranelagh Handicap.
With so much polo happening, usually outside of London,
many spectators made the trip up from town and a grandstand
was erected and the spring and autumn tournaments were
extended by two weeks each to accommodate demand.
In 1933, the Maharajah of Jaipur brought his team, 39 ponies
and 51 syces and arrived in England, and the grounds at Down
Farm were placed at his disposal. He and his men either stayed
at Pinkney Court and Pinkney Park or at the Hare and Hounds
Hotel where a suite was specially built to accommodate the
Maharajah – complete with guards on duty at his door.
In the spring and summer of ’36 Mr Cox built an extra
ten stables to accommodate the Aston brothers as well as
Mr C.B. Wrightsman’s Texas Rangers Team. He came over
from California and brought with him Mr Cecil Smith –
acknowledged to be one of the finest polo players in the world.
Another American side, the Jaguars also took residence
near the Club at Malmesbury and 30 ponies and the team
consisting of the Hon W.K. Rouse, Mr T Mather, Mr T Guy and
Mr Gerald Balding played out of Down Farm for the season.
To add to this cosmopolitan mix of players from all corners
of the globe, Rao Rajah Hanut Singh arrived from India with
16 ponies for himself and the Maharajah and play ensued at the
beginning of April.
Exhibition matches were arranged between US and English
teams and there was so much polo that on some days three
grounds were being used in one day. Spectators were treated
to some of the world’s best polo as there had never been so
many high handicapped players collected together before.
Unfortunately, due the outbreak of the Second World War,
and the end to polo in England meant Beaufort, like many
provincial Clubs did not reopen after hostilities ceased. It
wasn’t until new blood in the form of the Tomlinsons arrived
in 1977 that polo restarted at Down Farm.
Since then, Claire Tomlinson went on to become the
world’s greatest lady player at 5 goals; her two sons Mark and
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