Westchester Cup
The Westchester Cup , also known as the International Polo Cup or Newport Cup , is an international polo tournament between the USA and Great Britain . It bears its name after the original venue in the Westchester Polo Club , New York State, USA. The tournament consists of up to 3 games. If a country has won the first two, the third game is foregone.
history
1886
The Westchester Cup was played for the first time in 1886. Back then, it caused so little fuss that a British cricket team that was playing a match only found out about it when they got home. The rules also differed from today's rules. So were z. B. played three sections of 20 minutes each, with a break of 10 minutes between each section. The American team included Foxhall Keene , who later also became the USA's first 10goal. The tournament was won by the British team.
1900 and 1902
In 1900 there was an informal edition of the Cup in England. W. McCreery, FJ Mackey, Foxhall Keene and L. McCreery played for the USA and JGHH Beresford, FM Freake, WS Buckmaster and John Watson for England. England won 8-2.
The next official tournament took place in 1902 at the Rockaway Club in the USA. This time six sections of 10 minutes each were played. The American team won the first game 2-1, but the British won 6-1 and 7-1 in the second and third games.
1909
Four years before the tournament, the American Harry Payne Whitney started buying polo horses for the next Westchester Cup. He also traveled to England and offered so much money that even top English players couldn't resist selling. However, they didn't think that you couldn't play with banknotes and were accordingly poorly equipped for the tournament. In addition, the American players had learned something new and improved their team play and backhand play. So they won 9-5 and 8-2 and brought the trophy home for the first time.
1911
The division of matches has been changed again. 8 sections of 7.5 minutes each were played, a rule that, apart from the number of sections, still applies today. Six English players and 35 horses traveled to the USA for the cup. The British just won both matches.
1913
The 1913 Cup took place again in the USA. Four days before the first match, Foxhall Keene broke his collarbone and had to be replaced by Harry P. Whitney. Together with Malcolm Stevenson, Louis Stoddard and Devereux Milburn, he narrowly defeated the English team with 5.5-3 and 4.5-4.25.
1914
At first there were difficulties in putting together a British team. Players made cancellations for private reasons or simply declined to participate. Finally, Cheape, Barrett , HA Tomkinson, V. Lockett, and John A. Traill attended. The Americans had trouble too. Their team then consisted of Devereux Milburn, Rene LaMontagne, Monte Waterbury and Lawrence Waterbury. The first game, England won 8.5-3. For the second game the Americans changed the player positions, albeit unsuccessfully, because they lost again, this time 2.75-4.
1921
Due to the First World War, the next cup did not take place until 1921. Both countries rely on experienced players, including Tommy Hitchcock Jr. for the USA. The Americans clearly won 11-4 and 10-6.
1924
In 1924 the English Polo Association called for revenge. The English team that year consisted of TW Kirkwood, FB Hurndall, EG Atkinson and Lewis Lacey. J. Watson Webb, Tommy Hitchcock Jr., Malcolm Stevenson and Devereux Milburn played on the American team. Like three years earlier, the American players were too strong for the British who lost 5-16 and 5-14.
1927
The next challenge came three years later, again in 1927, from the British. The Army in India Association was responsible for collecting donations, procuring horses and organizing the team. At the time, polo was being played in India at the highest level in the British Empire. Thanks to the support of the Maharajas of Jodhpur and Ratlam, a team was set up and equipped. Even so, the Westchester Cup went to the US for the third year in a row, thanks to wins of 13-3 and 8-5 scored by the American team in the same line-up as in 1924.
1930
In 1930 the Westchester Cup was one of the most popular sporting events in the United States. For the first match that year, 45,000 spectators came to the Meadow Brook Polo Club, the second 40,000. Tommy Hitchcock Jr. played again for the USA and Lewis Lacey for England. England lost again 10-5 and 14-9. The only bright spot for England was the game by Lacey, who was responsible for half of England's goals.
1936
In 1936 the rule was introduced that the two countries played alternately, regardless of who won the last tournament. So the Westchester Cup took place in England that year. Hanut Singh, the best Indian player, was set up for England. However, he suffered a shoulder injury and could not compete. The American team, in turn, had to do without Tommy Hitchcock Jr., who was unable to attend. Stewart Iglehart stood in for him . In contrast to the previous tournaments, only seven sections were played this time. The Americans took the lead early in the two games and won both matches, although not as clearly as in previous years (10-9 and 8-6).
1939
When the tournament was up for the twelfth time in 1939, the British team prepared well after five defeats in a row: The whole British Empire was searched for good ponies (the Nawab of Bhopal and the Maharajah of Kashmir alone donated eleven horses) and these already six Shipped to the US months before the appointment so the animals can acclimate. In addition, the best polo players on the island went to California for four months to play training games against American players. The expedition consisted of 36 men and 64 horses and cost the Hurlingham Polo Association a total of $ 250,000.
Nevertheless, the British team, consisting of Bob Skene, Aidan Roark, Gerald Balding, Eric Tyrrell-Martin, lost the first of three matches 11-7 against the USA (Mike Phipps, Tommy Hitchcock, Stewart Iglehart, Winston Guest). The second they lost 9-4. The US has remained undefeated since 1921.
1992
After a long break of 53 years, a small edition was held in 1992 at the Guards Polo Club , England. 25,000 spectators followed the tournament in Windsor Park. It consisted of just one match, which the US team won 8-7 in overtime. The better known players for the US were Adam Snow and Owen Rinehart . Howard Hipwood played for England .
1997
In 1997 the Westchester Cup took place again at the Guards Polo Club, along with the Cartier International Day. This time the British put an end to the series of defeats and claimed their first win since 1914 (12-9) in a single game.
2009
The tournament took place on February 21, 2009 at the Palm Beach International Polo Club , Wellington, Florida and was the first on American soil in 70 years. It was meant to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the American team's first victory in 1909.
The British team consisted of Luke Tomlinson (handicap 7), Mark Tomlinson (6), Henry Beim (7) and Eduardo Novillo Astrada (9). The US team consisted of Adam Snow (8), Mike Azzaro (9), Nicolas Roldan (8) and Jeff Blake (6). England won just under 10-9, their sixth victory (not counting the 1900 semi-official tournament).
Official events
The Westchester Cup has been won ten times by the United States and six times by England. In the 1940s it was not held because of the Second World War and was only held again in the 1990s.
|
year |
winner |
English team |
American team |
Result |
Venue / date |
| 1876 | England | Newport | |||
| 1886 | England | Thomas Hone, Richard Lawley (4th Baron von Wenlock), Malcolm Orme Little and John Henry Watson | William Knapp Thorn, Raymond Rodgers Belmont, Foxhall Parker Keene and Thomas Hitchcock Senior | 10-4 14-2 |
Newport |
| 1902 | England | Cecil Patteson Nickalls, Patteson Womersley Nickalls, Frederick Maitland Freake, Walter Selby Buckmaster, George Arthur Miller and Charles Darley Miller | Rodolphe Louis Agassiz, James Montaudevert Waterbury Junior, John Elliott Cowdin, Lawrence Waterbury and Foxhall Parker Keene | 1-2 6-1 7-1 |
Hurlingham , May 31 to June 21, 1902. |
| 1909 | United States | Herbert Haydon Wilson, Harry Rich, Frederick Maitland Freake, Patteson Womersley Nickalls, John Wodehouse, 3rd Earl of Kimberley and John Hardress Lloyd | Lawrence Waterbury, James Montaudevert Waterbury Junior, Harry Payne Whitney and Devereaux Milburn | 9-5 8-2 |
Hurlingham |
| 1911 | United States | Leslie St. Clair Cheape, Arthur Noel Edwards, John Hardress Lloyd and Herbert Haydon Wilson with Arthur Noel Edwards as substitutes. | Lawrence Waterbury, James Montaudevert Waterbury Junior, Harry Payne Whitney and Devereaux Milburn | 4.5-2.75 4.5-3.5 |
Meadow Brook , May to June 9, 1911. |
| 1913 | United States | Leslie St. Clair Cheape, Ralph Gerald Ritson and Vivian Noverre Lockett. | Lawrence Waterbury, Louis Ezekiel Stoddard, James Montaudevert Waterbury Junior, Harry Payne Whitney and Devereaux Milburn | 5.5-3 4.5-4.25 |
Meadow Brook June 14, 1913 |
| 1914 | England | Henry Archdale Tomkinson, Leslie St. Clair Cheape, Frederick W. Barrett and Vivian Noverre Lockett | Rene Morgan La Montagne Junior, James Montaudevert Waterbury Junior, Devereaux Milburn and Lawrence Waterbury | 8.5-3 4-2.75 |
Meadow Brook June 15, 1914 |
| 1921 | United States | Henry Archdale Tomkinson, Frederick W. Barrett , John Wodehouse, 3rd Earl of Kimberley and Vivian Noverre Lockett | Louis Ezekiel Stoddard, Thomas Hitchcock Junior, James Watson Webb Senior and Devereaux Milburn | 16-5 14-5 |
Meadow Brook |
| 1924 | United States | Thomas William Kirkwood, Teignmouth Philip Melvill, Frank Brereton Hurndall, Geoffrey H. Phipps-Hornby Sr., Eric Garnett Atkinson, and Lewis Lawrence Lacey | James Watson Webb Sr., Thomas Hitchcock Jr., Malcolm Stevenson, Robert Early Strawbridge Jr., and Devereaux Milburn | 16-5 14-5 |
Meadow Brook |
| 1927 | United States | Claude Ernest Pert, Richard George, Austin Henry Williams, John Pitt Dening, Charles Thomas Irvine Roark and Eric Garnett Atkinson | James Watson Webb Sr., Thomas Hitchcock Jr., Malcolm Stevenson, and Devereaux Milburn | 13-3 8-5 |
Meadow Brook |
| 1930 | United States | Gerald Barnard Balding Senior, Lewis Lawrence Lacey, Charles Thomas Irvine Roark and Humphrey Patrick Guinness. | Eric Leader Pedley, Earle Hopping, Thomas Hitchcock Junior and Winston Frederick Churchill Guest | 10-5 14-9 |
Meadow Brook September 15, 1930. |
| 1936 | United States | Hugh Hesketh Hughes, Gerald Barnard Balding Senior, Eric Horace Tyrrell-Martin and Humphrey Patrick Guinness. | Eric Leader Pedley, Michael Grace Phipps, Stewart Birrell Iglehart and Winston Frederick Churchill Guest. | 10-9 8-6 |
Hurlingham |
| 1939 | United States | Robert Skene, Aiden Roark, Gerald Barnard Balding Senior, and Eric Horace Tyrrell-Martin | Michael Grace Phipps, Thomas Hitchcock Junior, Stewart Birrell Iglehart and Winston Frederick Churchill Guest | 11-7 9-4 |
Meadow Brook |
| 1992 | United States | William Lucas, Cody Forsyth, Alan Kent and Howard Hipwood | John Gobin, Adam Snow, Owen Rinehart, and Robert E. Walton | 8-7 | Guards |
| 1997 | England | William Lucas, Cody Forsyth, Howard Hipwood and Andrew Hine | Julio Arellano, Michael Azzaro, Guillermo Gracida Junior and John B. Goodman | 12-9 | Guards |
| 2009 | England | Luke Tomlinson , Mark Tomlinson , James Beim and Eduardo Novillo Astrada | Adam Snow, Mike Azzaro, Nicolas Roldan , Jeff Blake and Jeff Hall | 10-9 | International |
| 2013 | England | Luke Tomlinson , James Beim, Mark Tomlinson and John Paul Clarkin | Marc Ganzi, Polito Pieres, Nicolas Roldan , Mike Azzaro, Jeff Blake | 12-11 | Guards |
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Time online from June 19, 1939: “Westchester Cup”
- ↑ USPA News Westchester Cup ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ The New York Times of February 20, 2009: "Back in America After 70 Years ..."
- ↑ America Wins, Polo Cup Stays (PDF). In: New York Times , June 14, 1913. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
- ↑ Facts: Westchester Cup, International Polo, Great Britain vs. United States . 2009 Westchester Cup. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ↑ Polo Ponies Sail To-Day. Will Be Used in the International Match at Hurlingham. The Pick Of Six Stables. Twenty-four in All, Furnished by Gould, Mackay, Cowdin, Agassiz, and "Larry" Waterbury . In: New York Times , January 11, 1902. Retrieved April 5, 2011. "Twenty-four of the most valuable and thoroughly tried-out polo ponies to be found in the United States will sail early this morning for England on the steamship Minneapolis. They represent the string which, with the addition of Foxhall Keene's ponies, already in England, will be used by the American players in the coming international match with the crack players of the Hurlingham Club. "
- ^ The Coming International Polo Contest . In: New York Times , March 2, 1902. Retrieved April 7, 2011. “International athletic contests have become so numerous lately that they have almost ceased to be a novelty. Their interest, however, has not diminished, and if one looks at the yacht racing rivalry between England and America for an example, it would seem as though popular enthusiasm increased with each new contest. ... "
- ↑ American Polo Victory. Englishmen Beaten in the First International Cup Match . In: New York Times , June 1, 1902. Retrieved February 20, 2015. "The first test polo match for the American Cup was played at Hurlingham to-day between the English and American teams, the latter winning by a score of 2 goals to 1. The weather was fine and the ground was good, but soft. An enormous crowd, including many ladies, was present. "
- ↑ German Polo Team Wins. Americans Beaten at Hurlingham by Six Goals to One. Second Contest For The Cup. Honors Are Now Even, and the Deciding Match Will Be Played on Saturday . In: New York Times , June 10, 1902. Retrieved February 20, 2015. "The second game of polo for the international cup was played to-day at the Hurlingham Club , and the English team won by six goals to one. The Americans have the satisfaction of knowing that the game was one of the most brilliant ever played at Hurlingham. "
- ↑ German Polo Team Wins. Americans Beaten in Deciding Game for International Cup. Score was 7 Goals to 1. Splendid Plays by Keene, but the Defense of the Losers Was Weak. Muddy Field at Hurlingham . In: New York Times , June 22, 1902. Retrieved February 20, 2015. "England won the third and decisive polo game to-day at Hurlingham in the series of international competitions for the American Cup and the trophy, which has been in possession of the English poloists since 1886, will remain in this country, probably for a number of years to come. "
- ^ Polo in the United States . McFarland & Company, September 1, 2016, ISBN 9780786480074 , p. 66: "John Hardress Lloyd was joined by four Army captains, Frederick Barrett, Leslie St. C. Cheape and Eustace 'Bill' Palmes, all 10-goalers in India, and Herbert Wilson, a 9-goal handicap player. Lt. Arthur Noel Edwards was the designated spare ... "
- ↑ Polo Match to Be Played To-morrow. Sunshine and Wind Needed to Dry Out Field. Rainstorm Passes Away . In: New York Times , June 8, 1911. Retrieved December 31, 2013. "The international polo teams received another day of enforced, rest yesterday, made necessary through unfavorable weather conditions for the playing of the second match of the cup series, which will be decided to-morrow, weather permitting. The rainstorm passed away late yesterday afternoon and fair weather is predicted for to-morrow. ... "
- ^ At Meadow Brook . In: Time magazine , September 15, 1930. Retrieved April 5, 2011. “Critics had predicted a runaway for the Americans. This did not happen. Through the first half, and until the seventh chukker. the Englishmen made it hard. Lacey's Argentine ponies outran the bigger US mounts for a while; first guest, then Roark and Hitchcock broke mallets. Lacey stole the ball from Hopping and Hitchcock for beautiful shots. What the English team lacked most was an accurate goal shooter like Pedley. Consistently the ball was fed to Balding at No. 1, but under pressure, Balding's shots were sliced, sometimes missed entirely. "
