Scandinavian Beach Polo World Cup
Beach polo has come to Denmark with a bang! Polo enthusiasts and curious crowds made their way to one of the most beautiful and famous beaches in Denmark, the picturesque Hornbæk beach in North Sealand for the inaugural Scandinavian Beach Polo World Cup.
Hornbæk Beach – calm before the “polo” storm
The event was kick-started with a Players’ Dinner at Havreholm Slot, where a Veuve Clicquot champagne reception was in place followed by a mouth-watering and summery menu of barbecue and the best part was the dessert (yes I took two). I already knew a few of the players, but it was great to meet everyone before all the action next day.
Arriving at the players’ dinner
Arriving at the players’ dinner
We were welcomed with some lovely bubbly Veuve Clicquot
The polo players had fun meeting each other and some reuniting
Always happy when there is dessert in front of me
As Thursday the 23rd rolled in an amazing VIP tent had been set up inviting up to 300 guests per day to enjoy Veuve Clicquot champagne paired with decadent Rossini Caviar followed by lunch and lots of polo action!
The VIP Marquee filling up with guests
The table set for lunch
Eight teams from around the world competed for the coveted trophy in some tight battles on the sand field. Spectators came in by the thousands to see what polo is about and this especially warmed my little polo-heart. It was amazing to see how the local community was so extremely welcoming and interested in the sport. At any given match the sidelines were full of spectators, as apart from the VIP tent the event was open for all to see.
Spectators flocked to the beach to watch all the polo action
#ScandiBeachPolo Match between London and Copenhagen
#ScandiBeachPolo Match between London and Copenhagen
A few months ago I became part of the team organizing the event as I know Jacob and Louise very well and offered to help out with anything I could (which ended up being many things, but more on that later). I was thrilled to be able to help and I wanted to be as hands on as possible. It was truly amazing to see this event come together and knowing that it was a success is an extraordinary feeling.
The event was a three day affair and although the weather forecast kept telling us a storm was on the way, we were lucky and only got a little drizzle on the last day.
George Pearson and Steve Rose in a battle
My two best friends and ultimate polo buddies, Sophie and Cecilie, were there with me as well and we managed to catch up a little between polo matches and hashtag frames.
Sophie looking Veuve Clicquot polo perfect
Cecilie and Sophie arriving at #ScandiBeachPolo
Cecilie, Sophie and myself in the hashtag frame #ScandiBeachPolo
Cecilie being photo bombed in her frame
Stevie, Cecilie, myself and Fede are good frame buddies
And we got to drive around in some pretty awesome cars, made available to the #ScandiBeachPolo team by our sponsors Land Rover and Jaguar.
Part of the fleet
A full Polo team of Jags and Range Rovers
The patron of the team
The reliable back
And an excellent co-pilot kitted out in Veuve Clicquot accessories
One of our drives was from Hornbæk to Copenhagen for an early morning interview on one of the very popular morning radio shows. I must admit I was a little nervous as it was live, but then again I could talk about polo in my sleep (which is sort of what happened), Danish speakers can hear it here right after “Not Letting Go” and again after “Womanizer”
I had a great time talking about the sport I love on the morning radio show I always listen to in Denmark
The jag was pretty awesome as well
Then it was time to get back to Hornbæk for Ladies’ Day. One of my jobs during the event was to find the ‘Best Dressed Lady’ sponsored by Hildon. I walked around with Cecilie for a while spotting and debating different outfits and finally found one which in my opinion was ‘polo perfect’. Only after I saw the pictures did I realize that the lady was actually wearing an outfit VERY similar to mine, haha. I wonder if everyone else thought about that as well…
Photo credit Andre Gustafson
Best Dressed Lady presented by Hildon and team Hildon London
Another fun assignment I had (well actually it was my idea) was to do a throw-in from the sidelines, through the hashtag frame we had. It was really fun, but I definitely need to practice my throw.
#ScandiBeachPolo
The Rossini Caviar Dash was a great activity between matches and it was hilarious to watch everyone race from one end of the field to the other to grab the bag with a tub of fine caviar worth 500£ and there were a few falls, tackles and leaps along the way.
Tom Harris giving it all to win the caviar
Tom Harris giving it all to win the caviar
Tom Harris giving it all to win the caviar
Winner-Winner!! Tom Harris was the fastest of them all and could take home the tub f exquisite caviar
Girls can play dirty as well
#RossiniCaviarDash Winner!
#RossiniCaviarDash #ScandiBeachPolo
#RossiniCaviarDash Winner
I also bumped in to a few of my boarding school mates and made new friends, which for me is also a huge part of polo, the community. And we had quite a lot of fun with that hashtag frame.
The very talented equestrian photographer Philippa Davin check out her art, its incredible
Goofy polo players
They were very helpful with that frame though. People were also very keen to get their picture taken it it when the guys were holding it.
Sipping some more Veuve Clicquot with my boarding school friend Annemie
Two of the Team Zürich guys
Fede and I coordinated our outfits, but couldn’t hold the frame properly
Aside from the fun times on the sidelines there was also plenty to see within the sideboards. With so many good players out there it is hard to concentrate on only a few and even more dificcult to choose a team to root for.
The young Brits Tom Harris, Stevie McCraith and George Pearson, who is also half Danish, showed natural polo talent and the show-jumpers turned polo players like Daniel Zetterman and Jesper Brunander showed excellent horsemanship resulting in polo matches full of grace, power and lots of action to really satisfy the many spectators curious to see what polo is all about.
The very many spectators who showed up for each and every match, rain or shine
La Martina ambassador George Pearson and Stevie McCraith in battle
La Martina ambassador George Pearson and Stevie McCraith in battle
Fede Boudou showed some superior skills and I am pretty certain he could have won the entire tournament on his own by just juggling the ball in the air tapping it along as he likes to do. His team mate and patron Flemming Viktor also scored a few nice goals and did some great plays and blocked his opponent and fellow Danish polo player Christian Mellentin. The combination of skills in this dynamic duo was what gave them the trophy in the end with a 10-2 victory.
Fede Boudou tapping the ball along – Photo credit Harm-Jan Wjinholt polofotos.nl
It was great to watch Roy Prisk play and show his flair as he is my polo teacher at The Berkshire and also my friend.
Roy Prisk and Steve Rose in a race down the field
Roy Prisk setting up for a great hit
After 12 intense matches there was a winner, e3light team New York and the famous Danish show-jumper Tina Lund did the honors of handing over the trophies.
Tina Lund with the winners e3light team New York, Flemmin Viktor Andersen and Fede Boudou
Flemming Viktor’s nephews were also very happy with his win and the trophy
All the teams
At the end of those very hectic days it was time to have Matteo open up a bottle of Veuve and enjoy some bubbly.
Matteo didn’t need a saber to open the bottle
a glass could also do the trick
Those three days went by in a flash and I wish I could turn back time and do it all again, but I will just start looking forward to next year instead.
