SILVER CUP®
Tournament History
The Silver Cup® has been called many names throughout its illustrious 119-year history. Originally established as the Junior Championship, it was first played in 1900. The Junior Championship attracted such historic teams as Rockaway, Cooperstown, Meadow Brook, Old Aiken and Laddie Sanford’s Hurricanes, to name a few. The 1935 Junior Championship boasted the largest field in the tournament’s history with 11 teams vying for the coveted trophy at Burnt Mills Polo Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Aiken Knights, consisting of Dunbar W. Bostwick, Winston F. C. Guest, James F. Curtis Jr. and George H. Bostwick, triumphed over Texas 13-3.
In 1938, the Junior Polo Championship was renamed the National Twenty Goal Championship. During this period the trophy was carried home by teams such as Bostwick Field, Milwaukee, Aurora, San Antonio and Oak Brook. The tournament took its present name, the Silver Cup, in 1974. Contemporary Silver Cup® winners have included Bud Light, Old Pueblo, Isla Carroll, Goose Creek, Lucchese and Farmers & Merchants Bank.
Many winners of the cup hail from the Polo Hall of Fame—from J. Watson Webb and Tommy Hitchcock, to Robert Skene and Cecil Smith. In fact, no fewer than 50 Polo Hall of Famers have won the Silver Cup®. Out of the 50 Hall of Famers, W. Ray Harrington Jr. and Charles Smith have earned the most Silver Cup® titles with eight wins each.
In the 2018 Silver Cup® Final, Huntsman defeated Postage Stamp Farm 10-8. Played in Greenwich Polo Club for 2017 and 2018, the Silver Cup® has relocated to the Rocky Mountain Circuit in 2019, hosted by Aspen Valley Polo Club in Carbondale, Colorado. The 2019 Silver Cup® will feature six teams vying for the prestigious trophy.
Photo: 2018 Silver Cup® Champions: Huntsman - Segundo Merlos, Tomas Garcia Del Rio, Toro Ruiz, Dillon Bacon.
