The Scene: The 31st Annual Harriman Cup

The 31st Annual Harriman Cup took place on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at Bethpage Polo at the Park with 1,000 revelers in attendance. This event has become a staple for many New Yorkers who are fans of either team or polo, in general.

Once again, the alumni teams of Yale University and the University of Virginia met on the polo field. Unfortunately, Yale’s Jon Graham was injured just before the match started. He was replaced by Marcelo Cabeza.

Both teams played a heated game; the final score was UVa 13 to Yale 7. Chip Steigler’s horse Pastura was designated the Best Playing Pony, and CB Scherer on the UVa team was named the MVP. Also playing for Virginia were Nick Barry, Adam Klopp, and Joevy Beh. Playing for Yale were Kyla Hackman, Seppi Colloredo-Mansfeld, Marcelo Cabeza, and Chip Stiegler.

With this year’s win, the Virginia team has evened up the 31-year series. Both UVa and Yale have won 15 games. There has only been one tied match, which happened in 1992.

During the awards ceremony, the fashion judges, who were Karen Klopp, Dean Zacharias, and Annika Connor, announced the winners in the following categories:

• Best Dressed Man: Mark Gianfalla

• Best Dressed Woman: Sarah Bird

• Best Women’s Hat: Marina McCloskey

• Best Men’s Hat: Christopher Leake

• Best Fascinator: Michelle Brown

• Best Tailgate: Ivy.com

• Best Dog: Gracie

The after-party featured two cover bands, Your Ex-Girlfriends and the East Coast Band.

The 2015 match was sponsored by What2WearWhere.com, JP Crickets, Hank’s Juicy Beef, Bask Blazers, Rock-a-feller Cigars, Ivy.com, Birddogs and the Chilton Trust Company. The funds raised will benefit the undergraduate polo programs at both the University of Virginia and Yale.

Later this autumn, Neil Hirsch will be honored with this year’s Harriman Cup Award. Mr. Hirsch is an American businessman and the current owner of Loanet and the BlackWatch Polo Team. At the age of 21, he founded Telerate, a global communications network, where he served as President and Chief Executive. He later founded Loanet, a securities-tracking firm; he currently serves as its Chairman. In 1995, he co-founded the Bridgehampton Polo Club with his childhood friend Peter M. Brant. He served as its President for many years.

The Harriman Cup was founded in 1984 to commemorate the life of W. Averell Harriman, a 1913 Yale graduate and polo player, who was the former Governor of New York, former U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain and the Soviet Union, and was the U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Truman.