PRINCE Charles and his sons William and Harry delighted a record crowd at Tidworth on Saturday, when their combined skills on the polo field gave their team a convincing win in the Indian Cavalry Officers' Polo Trophy.
The match was the highlight of the annual Rundle Cup polo tournament in the grounds of Tedworth House, a day blessed with brilliant sunshine and a crowd of more than 5,000.
There was a bonus this year, for, as well as Prince Charles and his sons, the Princess Royal's daughter, Zara Phillips, was there with her boyfriend, Richard Johnson, and they came up against each other on opposing teams in the popular Jockeys v Eventers polo match.
This light-hearted contest on ponies and bicycles raised money for Inspire, the Salisbury-based charity that fights the effects of spinal cord injury with research on medical and mechanical technology to help victims recover mobility.
The contest has delighted Inspire, which learned this week that, with some money still to come in, a record £10,000 was raised for the charity.
The Indian Cavalry officers' match saw a combined services team take on the British Forces Foundation team, with Prince Charles as captain.
Ever since the 1970s, Prince Charles has led the Royal Navy teams in the Rundle Cup match and, although last year the army won the cup, the previous year it was the navy.
On Saturday, the Highgrove team beat the combined services' team 6-1, while in the Rundle Cup, the navy avenged last year's defeat by winning 6-5.
This year, the format of the day was changed, with the Rundle Cup match taking an earlier slot, ahead of the big Indian Cavalry officers' trophy match.
The Indian Cavalry Officers' Association was formed following the partition of India in 1947 and has its annual gathering and lunch at Tidworth on Rundle Cup day.
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