Included in your ticket was transport to and from St Andrews and Errol Park, which was handy although we decided to drive so we could bring the puppies with us.
There was three levels of tickets: Standard, VIP and VVIP. We went for the standard since we were driving and didn't really need the drinks incentive and the ground was split between access for all and VIP zones.
There was a good spread of people and it was busy throughout, giving it a good buzz for those watching the polo and just hanging about. It was also nice to see non-students enjoying the event, mixing it up from the usual University events. Plus it's always fun to make dog friends!
The polo itself was awesome, it started with lower level matches and progressed to the more advanced teams and was made all the better by a fantastic commentator. The matches of St Andrews vs Royal Scots Dragon Guard and Engel & Volkers vs Old Course were particularly exciting! Guests got the chance to mingle with polo players when we were called on to the pitch to stamp out the divets made by the horses for play to continue- which was also when Hetty got to make friends with the other guests which she loved!
In terms of non-polo entertainment: the DJ kept the music going throughout the day providing a fun atmosphere. The Lawn Croquet Society provided croquet and if you fancied posing next to a tank or some fancy sports cars (provided by the sponsors) then you could do that as well. There was also a polo supplier there selling some gear, however it was one of those events where I would have been prepared to spend some cash (like a game fair). So it would have been good to have some event memorabilia aside from Help the Heroes stuff, or maybe even some other stands such as a drinks stand like at game fairs (Thistly Cross, St Andrews Brewing Co., Eden Mill etc) or clothing (country wear, Joules) which might be an interesting way for the event to expand in future years.
There was plenty of food stalls to keep full- Blackhorn, Fresh Revolution, a suckling pig burger stand, an ice cream van and a tea/coffee van to keep nice and warm when it occasionally got chilly. Considering the fact it was an outside event in Scotland, the weather was okay- there was a couple of showers of hail and some wind so make sure to bring jackets, blankets and rugs to the event next year.
Overall it was a really fun event, I would definitely recommend it to others and might even come up next year as a Graduate. The Polo team did a great job of organising a smoothly run event which made a nice change to the standard university balls.
My full photo album of photos are here, and check out my YouTube video below!
Looks like a wonderful day! Never been to the polo and would love to experience it. Gemma x
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Thanks Gemma, it was such a nice day out and I would definitely recommend it! x
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