Calcutta Polo Club is a polo club located in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Establishment of Calcutta Polo Club
Calcutta Polo Club was established in the year 1862. It is considered as the oldest polo club of the world which is still in existence.
History of Polo
The modern game of polo was formalized and popularized by the British people in India. It is derived from Manipur who played the game known as `Sagol Kangjei`, `Kanjai-bazee`, or `Pulu`. It was the anglicised form of the latter, referring to the wooden ball which was used, that was adopted by the sport in its slow spread to the west. In the year 1862 the Calcutta Polo Club was established by two British soldiers, Captain Robert Stewart and (later Major General) Joe Sherer. They were inspired by the game in Manipur and later they spread the game to their peers in England.
Management of Calcutta Polo Club
Calcutta Polo Club runs the oldest and first ever Polo Trophy, the Ezra Cup (1880), besides other old ones such as the Carmichael Cup (1910) and the Stewarts Cup (1932). In earlier days matches were played between various royal dynasties of India. After a period of inactivity, the club was rejuvenated, hosting a two-week polo tournament, the "BFL Corporation Polo Season", in December 2006.
Objectives of Calcutta Polo Club
Calcutta Polo Club provides advanced professional training in polo to aspiring professionals and amateurs. The members of Calcutta Polo Club can keep their own horses in the club stables, or can book or use any of the horses available in the club.
Training of Calcutta Polo Club
The students of Calcutta Polo Club can enroll in a special subsidised student training programme in polo. Apart from training, the club organises various polo tournaments, which are mostly held in December in the Pat Williamson Ground, popularly known as Polo Grounds in Kolkata.
Tournaments won by Calcutta Polo Club
Ezra Cup, the first ever polo trophy in the world, is named after Sir David Ezra, a leading Jewish business tycoon in Calcutta who patronized the sport in the city. The first Ezra Cup was held in 1880. As part of its 150 years celebration, the Calcutta Polo Club organized Ezra World Cup at the Pat Williamson Ground, Kolkata from 18th–25th December 2011. It has been doing so since 2006 when the game was revived in Kolkata by Calcutta Polo Club president Keshav Bangur.
Ezra Cup in Kolkata
Calcutta Polo Club is in its 150th year making it the oldest polo club in the world still in existence, and the hosts made the 2011 season a treat to remember. Kolkata is also home to the oldest polo ground in the world still in use Pat Williamson, most suited for the Ezra Cup- also the oldest polo trophy in the world. After years of negligence, the Calcutta Polo Club was put in cold storage by the army in 1998 through a resolution and the season was revived in 2006, at the initiative of Keshav Bangur.
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