Veuve Clicquot at the Polo

A dramatic and close game of polo set the season alight when Prince Bahar Jefri of Brunei triumphantly won the Bronze Cup at the smart grounds in chic Sotogrande. Louise Cook Edwards reports.

The highlight of the polo season is now underway – with the three key tournaments of the season in August, the Bronze, Silver and Golf Cup. Majestically played out on the pristine polofields of the Santa Maria Polo Club in Sotogrande, the most exclusive private development in Southern Spain the Bronze Cup gave polo fans a thrilling final when the team of Bahar Jefri beat their opponents by 16 goals to 14.

The public were thrilled by the game between Ahmibah and Ellerston.  Aside from the son of the Prince of Brunei, the other players in the winning team were Argentinians, Pablo McDonough, Valerio Zubiarre and Englishman Fisher. Guest of honour, Nuria March presented the trophy to the winner, along with a Jeroboam of Veuve Cliquot one of the tournament’s gracious sponsors, and the official champagne of the tournament.

In 2008 the Santa Maria Polo Club inaugurated the Los Pinos Grounds, offering vast improvements to the facilities available to visitors and polo teams from around the world and increasing area of playing grounds by four fields. The shopping of all related to Polo is at hand and the VIPs have a superb view from high up in the air conditioned Club House Pavilion. Rio Sotogrande and Puente de Hierro make up the other grounds to total nine fields in all which are used for high, middle and low handicap tournaments and also training.

The winning team made a triumphant comeback having won all three tournaments in 2008. The Polo scene in Sotogrande is one exclusive place, populated by famous faces from the world’s of fashion, culture, business and sport, the creme de la creme of Spanish society and the international jet-set. When night falls, the discreet charm and sophistication of Sotogrande is extended to the After Polo, a designer space in which you can clink a glass of Veuve Cliqout while relaxing on a Balinese style bed,  or play Pentanca Chic, a game created by Veuve Cliqout to add a frisson of fun to the laid back summer evenings.

Enjoy more Polo Nights with Veuve Cliqout for the Silver Cup on 15th August and the Gold Cup on 29th August in Sotogrande.

Call the Santa Maria Polo Club for details about timetables and entrance tickets on  Tel: 956 610012.