January 1, 1970

Sailing to India in 1896, the Hussars decided to form a polo team to take on the Indian players – the best the country had to offer. The Indian polo teams – made up of top players from all the Indian regiments – were incredibly experienced and it was ambitious to think that a newly formed British army team could challenge them. Never easily deterred, Churchill didn’t think success was beyond reach.

As soon as the 4^th Hussars reached India, the regiment bought twenty-five Arabian polo-trained ponies from the Poona Light Horse regiment and, ‘other diversions … put aside’, the team, including Churchill, practiced every day (sometimes up to twelve ‘chukkas’).

Their training was rewarded when they won the Golconda Cup in October 1896 in Hyderabad within only six weeks of landing in India – a previously unheard-of achievement.