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The Guards Polo Club was founded on 25th January 1955 with HRH
the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as President. Originally
named the Household Brigade Polo Club, the name was changed to
its present form in 1969. Since inception the Club has grown
considerably and it is now the largest polo club in Europe in
terms of membership and number of grounds. Nowadays there are
around 1,000 non-playing members and about 160 playing members,
including some of the best players in the world. Approximately a
quarter of the players are overseas visitors, from Europe, the
Middle and Far East, and as far away as North and South America,
Australia and New Zealand.
The Royal Windsor Cup, historically presented by HM The Queen,
is the premier medium-goal tournament in the English calendar
and is one of the most competitive polo tournaments with over 25
of the best national teams entering each year. In fact many
players consider winning the Royal Windsor as the pinnacle of
their career due to strength of the competition.
This year was the beginning of The Al Habtoor Royal Windsor Cup
made possible through the partnership of Guards Polo Club and Al
Habtoor Group. There to inaugurate the occasion was Chairman
Khalaf Al Habtoor, who joined Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in
watching his two sons Rashid and Mohammed lead their teams
through an exciting and historic exhibition match. Among the
players present were HRH Crown Prince Abdulla of Pehang, one of
Malaysia’s finest exponents of the sport.
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| HABTOOR MOHAMMED AL
HABTOOR RECEOVES THE PRIZE FROM HER MAJESTY AND KHALAF AL
HABTOOR |
The final proved to be an enjoyable display of high quality polo
set in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. This is followed by an
elegant carriage driving procession, historically performed in
front of HM The Queen and HRH Prince Philip. The day ended with
a delightful supper at the Dorchester where guests renowned
entertainer, toasted the forthcoming beach polo tournament in
Dubai – the world’s only event on this surface.
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QUEEN ELIZABITH AND
KHALAF AL HABTOOR |
KHALAF AL HABTOOR,
QUEEN ELIZABITH AND MOHAMMED AL HABTOOR |
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THE AL HABTOOR TEAMS |
HM Queen expressed her thanks to Chairman Khalaf Al Habtoor for
his full support and association to the Royal Windsor Cup and
the Guards Polo Club for continuous success.
HM Queen Elizabeth II and Mr. Khalaf Al Habtoor, Chairman of Al
Habtoor Group attended the friendly polo exhibition match
between Rashid Al Habtoor team and Mohammed Al Habtoor team at
Royal Windsor grounds during the Royal Windsor Cup last Sunday,
22 June, 2008. At the end of the competition, HM Queen II and
Mr. Khalaf Al Habtoor presented the Royal Windsor Cup to the
winning team.
After watching the games over two and a half hours, HM Queen II
praised the high skill level of Rashid Al Habtoor Team and
Mohammed Al Habtoor Team and the promising performance and
skills of Habtoor Bin Mohammad Al Habtoor. HM The Queen thanked
the Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group for their generosity for
the sponsorship Royal Windsor Cup and her admiration for the
skills and performance of the two Al Habtoor teams.
Established several years ago, Dubai-based Al Habtoor polo teams
have so far won many local polo competitions. Their
participation in Al Habtoor Royal Windsor Cup was meant to
develop their players’ technical and physical levels to attract
more of their compatriots for this noble sport.
Al Habtoor teams agreed with some participant teams of staging
similar competition in the UAE. The date and details of the
expected event will be announced in the near future.
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HM QUEEN
ELIZABETH, KHALAF AL HABTOOR AND AL HABTOOR TEAM |
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RASHID AL
HABTOOR RECEIVES THE PRIZE FROM HER MAJESTY AND KHALAF
AL HABTOOR |
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AL HABTOOR
TEAM |
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