Tommy Beresford to Captain
On Saturday 29 July, England will face the Commonwealth in The King’s Coronation Cup at Guards Polo Club and will be led by 27-year-old Tommy Beresford. Beresford’s first foray as England Captain in The Westchester Cup saw the visiting side claim the historic win on foreign soil against the Americans. Beresford will be joined by James Beim, James Harper and Ollie Cudmore, all of whom are seasoned international players.
Harper, captained the England side to defeat Uruguay in the Coronation Cup in 2022, and has recovered from an injury sustained at the start of the season. Beim was part of the winning Westchester Cup line-up and has played in The Coronation Cup 13 times before, with eight wins under his belt, which means that only the world-famous Hipwood brothers (Julian and Howard) have more Coronation Cup appearances than Beim. 33-year-old Cudmore first played for England in The Coronation Cup in 2014 and is looking to win the title for the first time, his confidence will be high following his recent win in The Warwickshire Cup with Black Bears. Facing England will be Canadian Fred Mannix, who won the title in 2002 on his debut and again in 2017. Chris Mackenzie will represent South Africa, having played in The Coronation Cup on two occasions – in 2012 when South Africa made their debut and again in 2016 when he was part of the victorious Commonwealth team.
New Zealander, John Paul ‘JP’ Clarkin, will be competing for the fourth time. Garvy Beh will be the only player making his debut this year and also making history as the first Malaysian player to take part in The Coronation Cup; Beh will be honing his eye before the important day with his BP Polo team in The Cowdray Gold Cup.
The King’s Coronation Cup Teams:
England (26): James Beim (6), James Harper (7), Ollie Cudmore (6) & Tommy Beresford (7)
Commonwealth (24): Fred Mannix (7), Chris Mackenzie (6), JP Clarkin (6) & Garvy Beh (5)
Photograph: Tommy Beresford will Captain the English team.
Courtesy of HPA