Polo is a sport that has generated many legends and while countries like Argentina are famous for producing the most superstars, there have been many notable figures from these shores too.
Among them was Howard Hipwood, a captain of the England horse polo team, who died in early June at the age of 73. The Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) has paid tribute to him by highlighting his long devotion to the sport.
Having learned the sport at the VWH branch of the Pony Club and developing his skills alongside his brother Julian in Chichester, he was one of the players who took part in the revival of the Coronation Cup in 1971, one of 21 occasions he featured at the event.
Mr Hipwood became England captain in 1992 and perhaps his finest hour came when the side won the Westchester Cup in 1997.
Further honours came after his playing career ended when he turned to umpiring and was voted England’s best professional umpire in 2006. Two years later, both he and Julian were given the HPA lifetime achievement award at the Audi Polo Awards to recognise their contributions to the sport.
Describing him as “an enormous presence on the polo field,” an HPA Spokesperson said: “Howard Hipwood played off a handicap of nine goals for more than ten successive years and was regarded as one of the best backs in the world.”
The Daily Telegraph’s tribute to the former England captain did more than just list his career achievement; it even contained a quote about Mr Hipwood from the novelist Jilly Cooper, who described him as a man with a “bionic arm”.
She once said of him: “He storms on to the field like a god and thunders down the pitch taking no prisoners.”
Howard Hopwood will never again make such a dramatic entry to a polo field. But the memories will live on of a legend of the sport.