Oak Brook Polo Club team to compete in India
Oak Brook Polo Club has a long history of welcoming teams from other countries and participating in friendly matches and tournaments abroad. Now for the first time in more than 30 years, an Oak Brook Polo Club team will travel half way around the world to compete in a series of arena polo matches in Delhi and Anandpur Sahib, a city in the state of Punjab, India.
The three-man team will depart for "The Holy City of Bliss" - one of the Sikh's most important sacred places - on Monday, March 6, to face the Delhi Polo Club and other India teams and players in competitions from Friday to Sunday, March 10 to 12. The events include the Sodhi Kishan Singh Memorial Polo Cup. The Oak Brook Polo team will be represented in India by two club team favorites, captain Horacio Onetto (Arena Hcap - 6) and Tomas "Toto" Obregon (Arena Hcap - 4), and newcomer and rising star, Derek Berg (Arena Hcap - 1).
Since 2015, the Oak Brook Polo Club has welcomed the Delhi Polo Club to the United States and its team captain and patron, Vikram Singh Sodhi, managing trustee of the Anandpur Sahib Heritage Foundation and owner of the Delhi Polo and Riding Club.
"After two seasons of hosting the Delhi Polo Club at Oak Brook, we have accepted their invitation to play in India with much enthusiasm and excitement," said James Drury, president of Oak Brook Polo Club. "We are sending three of Oak Brook Polo's best American players to participate. Vikram Singh Sodhi has become a dear friend (to us) and to the village of Oak Brook; therefore we are honored to reciprocate the relationship."
Match activities will take place during India's Hola Mohalla Festival, an annual event to fortify the Sikh community by carrying out martial training and mock drills along with religious discussions. During the evenings, martial members display their physical strength through mock battles, sword-fighting displays, archery, and exercising on speeding horses. Hola Mohalla is the time to celebrate and dedicate oneself into community service. The Sodhi Kisham Singh Memorial Polo is one of the many horse-related activities and demonstrations to take place during the festival. The Oak Brook Polo Club was once an ambassador to the sport of polo in the United States and frequently traveled internationally to compete in countries such as Mexico, England, India, Italy, Jamaica and Ireland.
The Delhi Polo Club has been invited back to Oak Brook for a third straight year to compete in the 2017 season's Butler Challenge Cup on Sunday, Aug. 20. That day, Reute Butler, granddaughter of Paul Butler, and her mother, Jorie Butler Kent, will host a luncheon and fundraiser for the Friends of Conservation.