Elemis Polo at the Manor 2012
Posted at 04:07 on 2 July 2012
It is with regret that The Celtic Manor Resort announces the cancellation of this week’s Elemis Polo at the Manor because of extreme adverse weather.
The Celtic Manor Resort will be offering full refunds to everyone who had booked tickets for the event on Saturday 7th July, but apologises for any inconvenience that may be caused by this unavoidable abandonment.
With the safety of the ponies, players and spectators of paramount importance, the Resort has been left with no option but to cancel Elemis Polo at the Manor 2012. The unseasonal extreme weather and heavy rainfall has left parts of the polo field under standing water and the entire playing surface has reached saturation point.
Elemis Polo at the Manor Official Umpire Tim Keyte said: “I inspected the polo field for Elemis Polo at the Manor at The Celtic Manor Resort at midday on Monday 2nd July. I found large areas (approximately 25 per cent of the polo field) to have standing water and the total playing surface to have reached saturation point.
“Even with no more rain, prolonged sunshine and drying winds, I see no opportunity of playing polo on this field for at least 14 days. With the event scheduled for five days’ time and significant further rainfall forecast, I have no hesitation in declaring this field unsafe for polo of any standard. I therefore pronounce Elemis Polo at the Manor 2012 abandoned.”
Mr Keyte is the Executive Polo Manager at Cirencester Park Polo Club and an HPA (Hurlingham Polo Association) Official Umpire with the highest possible PP Rating.
It has not been possible to find an alternative date later in the summer for Elemis Polo at the Manor because of the congested nature of the polo calendar.
Celtic Manor Chief Executive Dylan Matthews said: “It is with great regret that we have been forced to abandon Elemis Polo at the Manor. We thank our sponsors and clients for their understanding and their continued support of special events at Celtic Manor.”
Celtic Manor Resort Director of Golf Courses and Estates Management Jim McKenzie added: “Like many parts of the UK, we have had extraordinary levels of rainfall in recent weeks. We had 8.13 inches of rain in June, the average monthly rainfall for June over the past 10 years has been 2.85 inches. June was the wettest single month we have experienced since November 2009.”
Noella Gabriel, Director of New Product Development and Training at Elemis, said: “We respect the decision made by the Official Umpire and management team at Celtic Manor in cancelling the Polo, as it was not one taken lightly. All at Elemis are disappointed to hear the news, however we are looking forward to further opportunities to work together with such a fantastic team, and appreciate all the work that has gone into organising this event. “
Elemis Polo at the Manor is not the only high-profile equine event to have fallen victim to this spring and summer’s persistent rain which has brought flooding to many areas of the UK. The Badminton Horse Trials in Gloucestershire were cancelled in May and horse racing meetings have also been abandoned because of the extreme weather.
For more information please call 01633 410583