Player's leather riding boots got a soaking at the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup final

The Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup is supposed to signal the height of summer with overflowing jugs of Pimms and champagne bottles lined up by the dozen, alongside merry picnic-ers sprawled across Cowdray's vast green fields enjoying the warmth of the elusive British summer. Sultry South American polo players career up and down the pitch showing off their riding finesse atop the finest Argentinian ponies money can buy, the sun gleaming off their heavily polished leather riding boots attracting the admiration of the 'glitterati' dressed in skimpy summer dresses and killer high heels. This year however, things were slightly different.

Yes, there was lots of Pimms, and of course there was champagne, yes the 'glitterati' were there decked out in their finest designer dresses and the polo players were certainly as sultry and handsome as ever. However, the sun was very noticeably absent. With strong winds and regular intervals of showers, unfortunately it was rain rather than sun that gleamed off the player's riding boots.

In true British fashion, the bad weather made the spectators only more determined to carry on with their picnicking. Having been brought up with strong scouting and guiding mentality, the ever prepared Brits soon had their gilets, cashmere scarves, wax jackets and brollies out so that feasts of coronation pheasant, mango rice salad, smoked salmon and strawberry and meringue desserts could be resumed, albeit under the cover of make shift tents and shelters.

The match itself, unlike the weather, certainly did not disappoint as Dubai and La Bamba De Areco battled it out against each other to reach a final score of 13-10 to La Bamba De Areco. Cries of "And the whistle blows" and "Veuve, Veuve Clicquot" filled the air as the commentator's enthusiastic voice boomed round the pitch's PA system. The succession of goal after goal helped the crowds forget the cold rain and biting winds that sent picnic chairs flying and had ladies clinging desperately to their dresses to avoid the inevitable 'Marilyn Monroe moment'.

When play became too much for some, the rows of fancy stands selling all sorts of delights from Ferraris to riding boots and polo mallets were ready to lure the spectators away from the game. Although the weather wasn't quite fitting for the Caribbean cocktail bar that was optimistically parked at the forefront of the stands, sales of hot chocolate and coffee from another outlet definitely benefited from the somewhat autumnal weather.

After the match had drawn to a close, the last mouthfuls of champers and Pimms had been sipped and all leather riding boots had been swapped for Brogues, the fleet of Aston Martins, Range Rovers and Porsches that had filled the car park slowly drifted off home leaving a wake of broken brollies and Clicquot corks in their stead.

[Image © Darren Triggs]