Newport, RI (September 2, 2021) …. Yet another spirited battle looms on the horizon as England make their way to Newport to take on the patriot, Team USA, in a major highlight of the Newport International Polo Series’ 30th Anniversary Season.
Scheduled to take place on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 4PM at Glen Farm, minutes from the Newport waterfront where the British landed, the Labor Day weekend rivalry between the two nations has, since the Polo Series’ inaugural season, reconstructed the overseas power’s 1778 assault on the locals on this very week.
“The English have long held the upper hand over its colonies by going to battle well prepared, and likewise are bringing a crack team to challenge us this year,” evaluates Dan Keating, USA Captain and Polo Series Founder, “but defending our turf has its advantages, as we are nearly tied at 10 wins to 8.”
The history of the Anglo-American sporting matchup dates back over one hundred years ago, when a newspaper publisher, James Gordon Bennett Jr., viewed a Polo match in London and gathered his fellow American sports enthusiasts to try out the game at home. His ardor for Polo was indeed shared by his peers and thus was founded the first Polo Club in America, in Newport, RI. An international challenge was made in 1886, inviting the English to compete in Newport in the Westchester Cup, predating the modern Olympic games. The Westchester Cup continues to this day, as does its sailing counterpart, the America’s Cup, tennis’s Davis Cup, and golf counterpart, the Rider Cup.
Polo Match Lawn tickets are available online at www.nptpolo.com and at the gates. Pavilion seating upgrades will be available after the first chukker, with an admission purchase for Lawn seating. Standby seating options including Tailgates & Chalets at Gametime, 4PM at the Main Gate, first come first serve.
America’s oldest polo club hosts the 30th season of the Newport International Polo, with matches every Saturday, in June through September. As one of the most unique and popular attractions in New England, the matches feature the home team competing against different international and US rivals each week, and a host of associated events.
This Saturday’s match will include a special holiday seafood celebration menu, by advanced reservation, as well as a Silent Auction at the Pro Shop, located in the polo grounds’ Vendor Village, which will feature vintage New England sports and British music memorabilia, and a stunning equine photographic work of fine art by internationally acclaimed international artist. Auction proceeds will bolster the record-breaking results of Newport Polo’s annual charity gala, benefitting the Jeffrey Osborne Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports music and arts in Rhode Island schools as well as partners like the Amos House, St. Mary’s Home for Children & Family Services, The Boys & Girls Clubs of Providence, and Button Hole. Items can be previewed here.
The International Polo Grounds are located on the acreage of Glen Farm, 250 Linden Lane (off Route 138) in Portsmouth, RI, minutes from Newport’s bustling harbor. This bucolic setting along the East passage of Aquidneck Island, enjoys a moderating coastal effect in summer for pleasurable afternoon polo spectating throughout the summer. The property is the last 100 acres of a pre-colonial settlement from the 1600’s that became the Town of Portsmouth’s original gentlemen’s farm, an 800-acre manorial estate established during a Gilded Age movement of retreat from the high life into pastoral country acres.
Its classical 19th century stone barns and its park-like grounds were rehabilitated by Polo Series founder, Dan Keating in the early ‘90’s and continue to thrive as an equestrian and community recreational property, and home of the Polo Series. Read about its restoration.
The Newport International Polo Series is proud to roll out its 2021 sponsors including Brenton Hotel, Davitt Inc., TD Bank, Turkish Airlines, Modern Luxury Boston, Herb Chambers Exotics, Vanderbilt International Properties, Hotel Viking, Veuve Clicquot, Polo House Privé, Clarke Cooke House, Stella Artois, US Polo Association, Goslings, ROCKSTAR Limo, McGrath Clambakes and Catering, Classical 95.9 WCRI, and promotional partners including Newport Helicopter Tours, The Cocktail Guru, Hannoush Jewelers, Newport Jaguar Tours, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport Mansions, Newport Music Festival, Island Surf and Sport, Northeast Equestrian Life and Audrain Automobile Museum.
“Our sponsors have been with us since the beginning. Without their support, the Series would not be as extensive as it is,” explains Keating.
About Newport Polo: Newport Polo, home of America’s First Polo Club, celebrates the 30th Anniversary season of the Newport International Polo Series, featuring public exhibition polo matches every Saturday, June – September. Founded in 1876, charter member of the United States Polo Association, Newport Polo offers year-round polo club membership and polo instruction.
