Sport and Life join the sensational summer scene at the Cheltonian Society Polo Day 2026.
Sunday June 21st was a gorgeous summer day and The Sport and Life team were lucky to spend it at The Cheltonian Society’s Polo Day 2026.
The event took place on the beautiful never-ending green fields of the Cirencester Park Polo Club – we had a Sport and Life stand between the field of play and the clubhouse.
Our main goal was to spread the word about what we’re trying to achieve with S&L – elevate and promote sport and health and fitness in the area – and we had a great time handing out mini newspapers and chatting with the attendees.
A serene scene
It was a serene scene – until the polo players and ponies kicked into action. It was my first experience of the sport up close. I was blown away by the speed, energy and agility of the ponies and the poise, skill and bravery of the players.
Both young talents and old Cheltonians bedazzled with their ability to hit the ball whilst traveling at 40mph hanging out of the saddle.
Thanks to the highly-skilled and entertaining commentator Peter Morris it was a great learning experience. We discovered what chukkas are – a 7-minute period of play – and that polo players hit the balls with mallet-shaped ‘sticks’.
But polo players strike the ball with the sides not ends of their sticks – in contrast to croquet. Polo players also carry a handicap score to illustrate their skill level – but this is a very different system to golf!
Three hard-fought contests
We took in three absorbing and hard-fought contests. The Next Gen game saw a Cotswold team of youngsters take on Beaufort.
Match 1 saw a Cheltenham College team, bedecked in the trademark pink, face off with an amalgamated Cotswold Schools quartet.
Match 2 saw Old Cheltonians, including the impressive Chloe Vesty, lock horns with a Cheltenham College side revolving around the power and energy of Valentine McPherson.
There were winners and losers the scoreboard. But just being there on such a beautiful day felt like a victory. The club opened the bar and a fantastic food outlet – and there was a eclectic mix of stands offering anything from holiday planning to chemical-free cosmetics.
Sun dappled ponies
We were chuffed to have our Sport and Life gazebo nestled in the heart of a captivating image of English summer.
And it was very stirring as we wound our way out of Cirecenter Park at the end of the day to see the stars of the show cooling off and refuelling in the shade of a grove: rows and rows of beautiful ponies glistening in the dappled sunlight.
