Stunning Fife coast to host first beach polo tournament

Hopes free event at Elie will become ‘a legacy’ for community

A Fife beach is to provide a picturesque setting for a major polo tournament next weekend.

Elie beach will play host to the inaugural Scotland’s Cavalry Polo Tournament on Saturday October 19.

The free event, hosted by the Ship Inn, will see the polo clubs from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards pitted against the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry and St Andrews University on the East Neuk’s stunning shoreline.

Three players per team will play a triangular tournament for the coveted Scotland’s Cavalry Polo Trophy. Each team will play two games with two chukkas in each game.

Graham Bucknall, co-owner of the Ship Inn, said: “We are truly delighted to be hosting the first ever polo tournament on Elie beach.

“We hope that the tournament will create a legacy for the community and become an annual event in Elie. I know the crowds will create an exhilarating and unforgettable atmosphere.”

The polo tournament, which is free to watch, will begin at noon on the day and will finish with a prizegiving at 3pm.

Elie beach usually sets the scene for the Ship’s Inn’s iconic cricket season from May to September.

The Fife side has just completed its 29th season of beach cricket.

In August, it achieved national prominence when members of Marylebone Cricket Club, which was formed in 1787 and plays its matches at Lord’s, returned for a match.

The Ship Inn is the only pub in Britain to have its own beach team, the flat sandy expanse allowing cricket to be played at low tide, with the area of play rolled to provide the perfect wicket.

Over the years the side has hosted some of the greatest names in the sport, such as Richie Richardson and Courtney Walsh from the West Indies.

Picture: Getty. Elie beach will play host to a polo match.