Founded in 1895 to “promote all manner of sports”, the Tollygunge Club,Kolkata, the only country club of its kind in India and ranked amongst the top 20 clubs of the world, is spread over a hundred acres with a club house that is over 200 years old. The house and its vast grounds that sport an idyllic 18-hole golf course carry a rich store of legends, anecdotes and memories about them. The club grounds have a unique collection of flowering trees and tropical plants which provide a natural sanctuary for a variety of exotic flora and fauna. A walk through these lovely grounds is a delight in itself, but the Tollygunge Club also provides a range of facilities rarely found in any one club. The club has inherited a tradition of sports from the late eighteenth century and offers facilities for golf, tennis, squash, indoor and outdoor swimming, riding and amateur equestrian sports. Indoors, it has a bridge room, a billiards room, a pro-shop, a cosy reading room & a cyber cafe.
The Australian Young Rider Team competing at the CSI "Y" Showjumping competition held at the Tollygunge Club, Kolkata, India won the Bronze in the Teams Event.
The team of Greer Butcher, Sidney Roberts and Danielle Butcher won Bronze on a count back after finishing on the same faults as the USA who had a faster combined time giving them the Silver.
The Indian Team won the with Gold. Teams from Korea and Russia also competed at the international Young Rider Competititon.
In the Individual event held on the following day, Australian Greer Butcher placed 5th with the other Australian Riders competing well on a solid course. The winner was the Russian girl rider followed by Korea and the the USA.
The courses were technical and set at maximum heights - riders were on borrowed horses mainly supplied by the Indian Army.
The teams
were treated like kings during their stay in India with nothing a problem
and every wish taken care of.
The media of Kolkata and India were in force with the event shown on ESPN India Sports and daily write ups in all newspapers and news reports done daily on the International riders on TV.
All the International Teams had a great deal of fun and rode the Indian horses well, showing their skills as the up and coming riders from their countries. Kolkata is a very interesting place and so doverse compared to our country with horses and showjumping looked upon very differently than in Australia.
