Broome to host top polo players

On Sunday, May 15, the tide, the season and some of the world’s top polo players and ponies will combine to deliver a unique sporting event — Australia’s first international beach polo contest.

Against the spectacular backdrop of the Kimberley coast, Australian and New Zealand players will battle for glory on the sweeping sands of Broome’s iconic Cable Beach.

The international beach polo match, which will feature top professional polo players from Australia and New Zealand, will be the culmination of the inaugural Broome Beach Polo Festival.

Beach polo made its Australian debut last year with a one-day Paspaley Beach Polo tournament that saw Cable Beach become just the fifth location in the world to host the exciting new form of the traditional field sport, joining Miami in the US, Poole in the UK, Dubai in the UAE and Goa in India.

The 2011 Broome Beach Polo Festival, from May 8–15, marks the first stage of the development of last year’s one-day event into a weeklong festival featuring a calendar of polo-themed events.

This year’s calendar also includes four world-class beach polo matches played at the Paspaley Beach Polo event on the weekend of May 14–15.

Glen Gilmore, who has captained Australia’s field polo team for the past decade, headed last year’s line-up of top professional players and will be returning to the Cable Beach sand again this year.

“The international beach polo match is a sporting first for Australia and I am honoured to be invited to captain the Aussies in this historic event,” he said.

“Trans-Tasman rivalry is one of the cornerstones of our sporting culture and I think every Australian athlete relishes an opportunity to take on the Kiwis, be it in a rugby, cricket, netball or polo contest."

The weekend action is free for the general public to enjoy from the beach or tickets can be purchased to the Paspaley VIP Marquee.

More information is available at www.pinctada.com.au or www.beachpolo.com.au.