Founded in 1868, the Malta Polo Club is the second oldest club in the world behind the Calcutta Polo Club of India, founded only six years previously, and still in existence.
However, Malta wins the European title as the oldest club and is even older than the famous Hurlingham Polo Association in England.
Polo was first introduced in Malta through the efforts of British Army officers stationed on the island and by officers who were either on their way to, or returning home from, India.
The Cavalry regiments, together with the officers in the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean fleet, were the first teams to play on the island.
One of the many famous past presidents of the Malta Polo Club was Prince Louis von Battenberg, who served in Malta in the Royal Navy. His son, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was also a keen supporter of the sport and, later, also became president of the Malta Polo Club.
It was the Earl who introduced several Maltese players to the game of polo and personally taught the game to many who were interested in this novel sport. It was during this period that the Maltese Cats team was formed.
The Maltese Cats were a very strong team who regularly played against the Royal Navy and British Army teams, winning the Cawnpore Cup for seven consecutive seasons. The Cawnpore Cup is still, decades later, the most prestigious match – this year, it was won by Team Cono Sur in one of the most thrilling matches seen at the club this season.
Several members of the British royal family have played polo in Malta too, with Edward VIII – while he was still the Prince of Wales – the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles among them. King Alfonso of Spain was also a famous player at the Malta Polo Club and, in 1928, presented the club with the King of Spain Cup, which is still played for annually.
Over the years, the Malta Polo Club has also participated in tournaments abroad, most notably in England, France, Ghana, Scotland, Ireland, Spain and Italy.
The club endeavours to host foreign teams with the aim of improving the level of the game in Malta. Among them, the Berlin Brandenberg Polo Club, the French Aix en Provence Polo Club, Rome Polo Club and the Royal Madrid Polo Club have all visited the island and played here.
The Malta club currently relies on membership participation to promote and run the sport. The committee is elected during an annual general meeting and the committee also meets frequently throughout the year to discuss current issues, future projects and the general day-to-day running of the club.
The highlight of the club’s playing season is the Cawnpore Cup, which is contested by the eight highest handicapped players, and has (with the exception of the war years) been held in June of each year since 1901. The Cawnpore Cup is one of the oldest trophies in the world, having been manufactured in India in 1901.
It is during this event that the Malta Polo Club is able to showcase the very best of the sport, since it is played on the historic earth ground, the very same ground where in 1868 the first polo match was played.
A milestone for the club’s recent history took place last year when in November, the Malta club hosted a team from the Guards Polo Club – the world’s most prestigious polo club – on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Malta as Head of the Commonwealth.
This event was attended by the Queen and her husband Prince Philip, President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and most of the heads of state of the Commonwealth countries who were in Malta for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The Malta club’s playing season runs from the end of October up to mid-June.
The club also frequently hosts top European players who wish to experience playing on its historic ground, with chukkas being played three times a week throughout the season, with monthly tournaments and cup matches.
The academy runs alongside regular matches and chukkas during the season and caters to novice players as well as beginners who wish to try their hand at polo for the first time. The academy offers private groups or individual lessons, with experienced HPA-accredited instructors who are qualified to coach at all levels of the game.
Coaching is available in half or one hour lessons or as intensive one to four-day sessions throughout the season.
The committee’s future plans include a project to convert the earth grounds into grass; this also includes an upgrade of the club’s overall facilities.
During the off season, stabling and livery services are available for patrons’ ponies since the club committee has sound experience in transport of polo ponies to and from mainland Europe and the UK.
The club will provide full details of this service to any interested parties.
Basic rules
• A polo pitch is 300 yards (274 metres) long by 160 yards (146 metres) wide and the two goal posts at each end are eight yards apart.
• The match is divided into chukkas, with each chukka lasting seven minutes to seven-and-a-half minutes.
• Ponies must be changed after each chukka.
• Polo matches are divided into the following:
• Low goal can last approximately one hour (four chukkas);
• Medium goal lasts approximately 75 minutes (five chukkas);
• High goal lasts approximately 90 minutes (six chukkas).
• The bell is rung at the end of each seven-minute period, and play will continue for another 30 seconds or until the ball runs out of play at which point the chukka is ended.
• Ends are changed after each goal is scored, or at half-time if no score by then.
• Teams have four players each:
• No. 1 and No. 2 are forwards;
• No. 3 is the pivot position (usually the best player in the team);
• No. 4 (or back) is the goal defender.
• There are two mounted umpires on the field during play, with a third man referee viewing the match from the sidelines.
Facts about the game
• Polo started in Iran as a war game over 2,500 years ago.
• Horses used for polo are always called ‘ponies’ since, when the game was first played in India, the horses used were small Indian ponies.
• Polo ponies measure between 14.2 – 16 hands (1 hand = 10.16cm).
• Ponies are aged between six and 20 years old.
• Polo ponies are trained to move and turn quickly with a top speed of up to 60km/hour.
• A well-trained pony will look for the polo ball as it is hit past them and will turn towards it without any command from its rider.
• Polo ponies wear thick felt ‘bandages’ on all four legs for support and protection from injury.
• A polo pony’s tail is always tied up neatly to avoid any tangling with mallets, or other ponies’ tack.
• The polo mallet measures between 127-134cm, and is made of a cane shaft with a hardwood head.
• The polo ball was originally made from the root of bamboo trees – it is now made of hard plastic composite. It can travel at a speed of 160km/hour.
• Players must always play right-handed (holding the mallet in their right hand) – any left-handed player must learn to play with his right hand.
• Players must always wear protective knee-pads, helmets and leather boots.
• Polo is played in over 77 countries throughout the world.