Chukkas and champagne: a summer at Cheshire Polo Club

Tucked away among the woods and fields between Little Budworth and Tarporley, Cheshire Polo Club is one of the county's quieter sporting treasures. Yet each summer it plays host to some of the most stylish days out in the Cheshire calendar, and 2026 was no exception.

The club's story is a long one. The present Cheshire Polo Club dates from 1952, but it is the successor to a number of clubs that played polo in the North West for more than a century. Today it boasts a membership of more than 90 players and five well-maintained grounds, giving it the scale to stage everything from club chukkas to high-profile fixtures.

One of those came in June, when Great British Polo brought its summer fixture to the club on Friday 26 June. Billed as a day of sport, hospitality and connection, it brought together brands, business leaders and tastemakers for an international polo match, lunch, prize giving and post-match celebrations.

A few weeks later the gates were opened wide for the Cheshire Polo Club Summer Festival on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July. Designed very much with families in mind, it combined polo with a dog show, falconry, a children's zone, a market of local producers and plenty of food and drink, with dogs and children all welcome. Adult entry was £10, with under-16s free, and the more adventurous could even book a helicopter ride to see the grounds from above.

That accessibility is part of the club's charm. Polo can seem an exclusive world, but watching a match on a sunny afternoon requires no expertise at all. The speed of the ponies, the thunder of hooves as they turn and the skill of riders striking the ball at full gallop make for compelling viewing, and the half-time tradition of treading in the divots is a ritual that children in particular adore.

For players, the club offers a welcoming home for the sport in the heart of Cheshire's horse country, with rural surroundings that make it feel a world away from everyday life, even though it is only a short drive from Chester, Northwich and Tarporley.

Fixtures, events and membership information are published at cheshirepoloclub.com. The club is based at Longstone Lane, Forest Road, near Tarporley.