Packed polo season ahead at Cowdray Park

The first major fixture will be on Saturday, May 19, when England take on the USA in the St Regis International Cup, the first of the UK’s three senior home internationals of 2012.

The Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup for the British Open Polo Championship opens on June 19 and will feature more than 40 matches in the run-up to the final on Sunday, July 15. The fabulous golden trophy, played for at Cowdray Park since 1956, is the most coveted prize in polo and the tournament ranks alongside the Argentine and US Opens.

On the first weekend of the British Open, the club mark their location at the heart of the South Downs National Park with South Downs Polo Day and the Midhurst Town Cup – that’s on Sunday, June 24.

On Sunday, July 1, the Cooch Behar Cup is the feature presentation of the weekend. Four quarter-finals take place on July 7 and 8, with the Argentine Ambassadors’ Cup the feature match on July 8. Semi-finals of the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup, one of Cowdray’s top occasions, take place on Thursday, July 12. The final, normally watched by 15,000 spectators, takes place on July 15.

For most of the season, admission is free on weekday afternoons. At weekends or on bank holidays it’s £5 per person. Parking is free.

Admission is £5 per person for all weekday matches in the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup.

Spectators can check www.cowdraypolo.co.uk or call 01730 813257 for information on charges for the St Regis International Cup and Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup quarters, semis and the final, for which tickets can be booked.

Last season saw 515 matches played.