Europe’s foremost African polo event graced London for the second time today at the prestigious Ham Polo Club, hosting a glamorous crowd of polo aficionados and those celebrating the style and grace of African culture.
A sea of well heeled guests, mostly head to toe in African inspired finery, proudly strutted one of the oldest polo clubs in the United Kingdom, to the soundtrack of Afrobeats and Fela Kuti, as Lux Afrique (LuxAfriquePolo.com) firmly marked its territory as the go-to annual African polo day.
Being so much more than a sporting event, but a celebration of African refinement and sense of occasion, the Lux Afrique Polo Day (LuxAfriquePolo.com) offered a myriad of attractions, all adding to the glamour and fun of the day. Fine dining of exquisite African cuisine was provided to guests courtesy of Waakye Leaf. The event also featured a shopping lounge in which deluxe brands, Backes & Strauss, Montegrappa and Yoko London, showcased their finest products.
The Polo itself was a thrilling affair with two opposing teams with similar handicaps battling it out in front of a captivated crowd, who paused their mingling and revelry to enjoy the spectacle.
The match was opened by Lux Afrique founder Alexander Amosu alongside the Director of The Sofa and Chair Company.
Team Africa was narrowly defeated by Team Rudo – aka The Rest of the World – 4/3. The honour of ‘Most Valued Player’ was awarded to British born Louise Brown, who plays polo both in the UK and Argentina, while the title of ‘Best Playing Pony’ was awarded to Illuminado.
After the match closing, and the prize giving – which of course involved the traditional spraying of champagne – the crowd voted on the pick for ‘Best Dressed’ at the event. While the competition was stiff, given the abundance of fashionably dressed attendees, a ‘best dressed man’ and a ‘best dressed woman’ were selected.
With the match game and set, the guests proceeded to enjoy themselves in true African spirit, as they danced the rest of the afternoon away to the live band, fronted by Nigerian legend Dele Sosimi.