Three members of the Yale club polo team will compete in a match against rival Harvard on Saturday as part of a set of contests held at Guards Polo Club in Windsor, England.
Captain Graham Radman ’09, Adam Nelson ’08 and Michael Losak ’09 received invitations from Jack Wills University Outfitters, a London-based clothing company, to compete in the annual Varsity Games, which will also feature matches between English preparatory schools Eton and Harrow as well as Oxford University and Cambridge University.
The Bulldog trio was supposed to be joined by Robert Burk ’05, but the former captain of the Yale club polo team in 2004-05 recently sustained an injury in an automobile accident that will prevent him from competing. Burk likely would have been the Elis’ strongest player, carrying a 1 handicap, and as of Friday night the team had planned to replace him with a similarly skilled local player. Women’s captain Yasmine Moezinia ’09 will also be available to step in for the team if necessary.
Jack Wills sponsors the all-day affair as a way to promote the sport and to help develop a brand identity for the burgeoning company. Jack Wills hosted two events on Yale’s campus – one in the fall and one this spring – in the hopes of spreading the brand and establishing itself as a player in a U.S. clothing market currently dominated by the likes of Abercrombie and Fitch, Ralph Lauren, J. Crew and others.
Most members of the Yale and Harvard teams arrived in England on Thursday and have had some time to explore the city’s capital. On Saturday, however, the focus will be entirely on polo. The Elis said they expect strong competition from the Cantabs, who boast arguably the best collegiate player in the United States, Nick Snow. Snow, whose older brother Adam carries a 10 handicap, has plans to pursue the game professionally once graduating from Harvard next year. The Crimson captain will lead three others – Pablo Botero, Roy Willey and Alex Rene – in the nightcap against the Bulldogs.
The day at Guards Polo Club begins with exhibition matches between alumni of Eton and Harrow, followed by a similar game featuring alumni of Oxford and Cambridge. The Eton-Harrow match and Oxford-Cambridge match will commence after a lunch break, with the Yale-Harvard finale scheduled for a 5 p.m. start. Tickets to the event were made available for 10 pounds.