Claire Tomlinson

Janet Claire Tomlinson, born Lucas ( born February 14, 1944 in England ) is an English polo player. She reached the first woman Handicap 5, repeatedly until today only by Sunny Hale, and became the first woman in England a polo tournament of the high-goal class after until shortly before women participating in such tournaments was forbidden.

Life

Claire Tomlinson was born as the third child of Arthur and Ethel Lucas. Arthur Lucas contributed significantly to the revival of polo in England after the Second World War and trained many young players. Her mother and her two siblings were playing Polo and as a family they won the 1951 Holden White Cup at Cowdray Park Polo Club. Her brother John later reached 6 handicap and won the 1967 Queen's Cup and the Gold Cup (British Open).

In 1949, when Claire Tomlinson was five years old, her father founded the Hertfordshire Polo Club. She recalls: " All came to the games to tea and the salt and pepper shakers and cutlery turned into goal post and player .... I looked at with my mother and the other wives, all pretty much knew the games. We saw the best players, at home and elsewhere. Understandably, I learned to much about Polo from an early age. "

As a member of a polo -playing family Tomlinson also learned horse riding and polo playing, among other things, Prem Singh. At school, however, she gave tennis, lacrosse and fencing preference and represented later as a fencer the country in junior national team. As a student at Oxford, she was nominated for the Olympic fencing team, but they opted not to participate. At the same time, her interest deepened for Polo and they joined the university polo team. In 1966 she was team captain.

In September 1966, after completing their studies, Tomlinson went to Buenos Aires to work for a British company. When her brother John comes to Argentina to buy polo ponies there, she follows him. She learns Jorge Marín Moreno know, one of the best players at the position 1 at the time and learns from him. In Coronel Suárez she plays her first 25 - goal tournament. In March 1967 Tomlinson returns to England. In the same year she played medium - goal tournaments in England and represents her brother in a high-goal game in Deauville. Along with Lavinia Roberts she is promoted on Handicap 2.

In 1978, she achieved a handicap 3 and decides to come along with her husband in the future high-goal tournaments. However, the rule book of the HPA provides for participation of women in this league before not. Your first request is denied and she turns to Lord Cowdray, a steward of the HPA. He called on them to prove that the other players would not mind. She collected signatures from nearly every player who took part in the year at the Gold Cup, presented the petition of the HPA and this gave way. In 1979, she takes with Simon Tomlinson, June Crotto and David Gemmell part in the Queen's Cup and win the tournament.

1986 Tomlinson is promoted on handicap 5. 1987 discusses the HPA their participation for the English team in the Coronation Cup, the idea was rejected because she is a woman.

Tomlinson is in addition to her career as a player and a recognized trainer. In 1993 she developed together with Hugh Dawnay a training system for the HPA. In the Polo World Cup 2004 she was coach of the English team and they also taught Prince William and Prince Harry in Polo.

Family

In 1968 she married Simon Tomlinson, whom she met while studying. They have three children: Emma, Luke and Mark. Together they operate the Beaufort Polo Club and a horse breeding.