BRITAIN'S leading lady polo player and Cirencester member Nina Clarkin has welcomed the new handicap system introduced for 2015 which she believes will help the sport 'continue to flourish and enjoy greater exposure and coverage'.

The Hurlingham Polo Association has recently published the UK Ladies' Handicaps list in which women will retain their current handicaps when playing against men but will also hold a women’s specific handicap for use when playing in women-only tournaments.

The new list falls in line with that used in America, Canada, Italy, France, Singapore and Argentina and is designed to produce more evenly matched and competitive women’s polo.

The handicaps for women, which are currently -2 to 5, will for women-only tournaments stretch to a wider band (1-10) which is designed to combat the huge variation in ability of players rated on the same handicap rating – their perceived value to the team.

Of the 765 female polo members registered with the HPA in the UK only 20 have a handicap of 1 or above.

Cirencester Park Polo Club will again host one of the most prestigious ladies' tournaments in the calendar, a 12-18 goal event from July 21-26.

It will follow a similar competition at Cowdray Park from July 13-18, allowing international teams to plan their trips to take in both championships.

Clarkin said: "I am really excited that we are hosting this year's tournament with the new women's handicaps.

"This is a very exciting era and Cirencester is right at the forefront of promoting and developing ladies' polo. I am looking forward to playing more polo under this new system."