Las Sacras Romanas, ‘The Holy Romans’, was named for its founder and captain, professional polo player Klarina Pichler, in honour of her two homelands: Klarina was born in Austria, and resides in Spain, where she breeds and raises her polo ponies.
Based between Salzburg and Sotogrande, she has played professionally in over one hundred tournaments, from the hallowed fields of Palermo Viejo in Buenos Aires to their sister fields in Sotogrande, the snows of Saint Moritz to the beaches of Ibiza.
Sponsored by historic City firm Bragg, Stockdale, Hall & Co, founded in 1819 – and former stockbrokers to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli – the original formation of the team was changed at the last minute when one of the players broke her wrist playing at Knepp Castle the week before the team debut in the British Ladies Open Championship at Cowdray Park Polo Club.
Coached by former top British professional, Marcus Hancock, Klarina Pichler (+4), right, led Rebecca Walters (+5), Millie Hughes (+3) and Amanda Norman (+4), onto the field against Maiz Dulce, captained by the formidable and gifted Rosie Ross (+6).
Las Sacras Romanas won their first ever match 4-3.
They were winning throughout their second match against Highview Farm, captained by the +8 goal Argentinian Lia Salvo, although the last minute concession of penalties in the final chukka led to a 5-7 defeat.
In the semi-final they faced their greatest threat yet, another newcomer team, Semper Anticus, whose patrona Clarinda Tjia-Darmadi arrived with heavy artillery in the form of Nina Clarkin, née Vestey, and the only +10 goal female player in the world. Even their zero goaler was Chloe Horswell, daughter of the ‘Sultan of Swing’ himself – and HRH Prince of Wales’s former coach – John Horswell.
Semper Anticus had won their first match of the tournament 6-2. Las Sacras Romanas, after a shaky first chukka, clawed their way back to a respectable 9-5 defeat.
Given that the members of Las Sacras Romanas had not only never played a game together before that first match, but never even managed to cordinate for a single practice or stick-and-ball session, we can only expect far, far greater things from them in the future.
Las Sacras Romanas 