Prince William in Thai team

[POLO] Britain's Prince William will play with a Thai team against Dubai in the Chakravarty Cup in London in mid-June.

Vichai Raksriaksorn, the president of the Thailand Equestrian Polo Association (TEPA), said the association will field one team in the charity event and the eldest son of Prince Charles has agreed to play with the Thai team.

The Thai squad will consist of Prince William, world champion Argentine Adolfo Campiaso, Vichai's son Aiyawatt and the TEPA president.

The Dubai team will be spearheaded by Ali Albwardy, the president of the Ham Polo Club where the competition will be held, while three other squads have yet to been confirmed.

England hosts the annual meet in the middle of June, with proceeds from the event going to the Prince's Trust.

Polo is known as the sport of kings and has been popular in Europe for a long time, but actually has its origins in India. It was first introduced to Thailand in the reign of King Rama VI.

Meanwhile, a Thai women's team won a friendly match last month against Singapore. It was the first time the local women's team competed out of Thailand.

After the Chakravarty Cup, the TEPA aims to send another Thai team to other tournaments to help them gain experience.

They open their campaign with the RCBPC 12 Goal Challenge Cup from May 31 to June 11, followed by the Royal Windsor Cup from June 4-25. Then they will move to the Eduardo Moore Tournament from June 27 to July 9. The Cowdray Park Challenge Cup is the last tournament and runs from July 31 to August 6.

Alitta Tangrungruengkit

The Nation