Moon Author's Review
Located across the highway from Scotchie's and the Epping gas station just west of Riu, Drax Hall Polo Club has one of the oldest polo fields in the world, and certainly in the Caribbean. Home to the St. Ann Polo Club (Contact Shane Chin, tel. 876/952-4370 or cell tel. 876/383-5586, chinrcpolo@yahoo.com; or Lesley Masterton-Fong Yee, cell tel. 876/681-4660), the fields have been in continual use since 1905. Polo has been in Jamaica since 1800 when it was introduced by the British army. The game is played strictly on an amateur level in Jamaica, with approximately 40 playing members spread over two clubs: the Drax Hall Polo Club in St. Ann and the Kingston Polo Club. There are three other privately owned fields on the island.
The St. Ann Polo Club originated in Orange Hall in 1882 and today has a casual ambience where members hang out to enjoy English tea or a beer after matches. In addition to the polo grounds, the facilities at the club include a full-size dressage ring and jumping ring, stable, turn-out paddocks, and, of course, the Polo Bar. The polo season at Drax Hall starts in late January with practice matches on Thursday afternoons and matches on Saturdays at 4 p.m. The club is host to many international players and riders from the United States, Colombia, Costa Rica, England, Guatemala, Scotland, India, Barbados, and Argentina. The players on the island are handicapped international from -2 to 4 goals. The Association can host tournaments from 1-goal to 14-goal polo. The Jamaica Polo Tournament is played at the St. Ann Polo Club and starts in March and goes through the end of May.
