A GOOD crowd braved the showers on Saturday to help raise over £9,000 at the tenth annual SPARKS charity polo day, hosted by the charity's Royal Patron, HRH Princess Michael of Kent, at Beaufort Polo Club.

Amongst the guests for this annual fund-raising event were a host of celebrities, including rugby legends Roger Utley and Chris Sheasby as well as screen actor Georgina Bouzova.

Some 150 guests enjoyed a champagne reception and gour-met lunch before Chris Sheasby conducted a charity auction with some fantastic lots, including tickets to see the England v Australia Test at Lord's and a signed shirt donated by Sir Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsett.

After lunch, guests took their seats in the grandstand to watch Al Burack, including Satnam Dhillon and Oli Taylor, taking on a Beaufort team in a closely fought match for the Princess Michael of Kent Trophy.

At the final whistle, it was Al Burack who came out on top by six goals to five.

The winners were presented with the trophy by the SPARKS Royal Patron and a cheque for £9,000 raised by the day's events was presented to John Shanley, chief executive of SPARKS.