The first Sunday games of the Aiken Polo Club’s spring season were held over the weekend at Whitney Field, where the sport has been played continuously each year since 1882.
Sundays are always special because food and beverages are served in the Alan Lyle Corey Pavilion, but the latest festivities were especially memorable because they celebrated the life of Henry Pickens Cato II.
Prior to his death in 2022 at the age of 67, Cato was an enthusiastic member of the Aiken Polo Club’s board of directors, an avid court tennis player and a real estate investor.
One of Sunday’s games was the championship match of the Henry P. Cato Memorial 4-goal tournament.
Glen Farm Stables defeated Wayne Ewing Films 6-3.
Afterward, members of Cato’s family posed for photos with the Glen Farm team members during the trophy presentation.
Lisa Cato, who was married to Henry, spoke briefly to the crowd and read some of the thoughts he once expressed about polo that he said, “opened so many doors” for his family and provided “lifelong associations and connections.”
Afterward, Lisa told the Aiken Standard that the tournament played in his memory “meant a lot.”
Henry “always brought people together,” she said. “If you talked to a group of people and asked them how they knew each other, it (their answer) was always, ‘Henry introduced me. Henry introduced us.’ He had that gift and today is an extension of that. We’re so proud that everyone came out.”
Cato’s friends and family, along with fans of polo and socializing in general, filled the pavilion.
“The spring polo season in Aiken is always exciting because of the history of it,” said former Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon. “But today, we’re also celebrating Henry Cato, a wonderful person. Henry and I were friends for a long time, so that makes it doubly special to be here.”
Park Avenue Oyster Bar & Grill’s co-owner and director of operations, Philip Fisher, also knew Cato well.
“He was one of the first people I met in Aiken,” Fisher said. “I actually rented a property from him. He was the first person to put me up in Aiken when I decided to actually start living here. He was so full of spirit. Everybody loved him.”
Tropical chicken kebabs, grilled shrimp skewers, sliders, summer slaw, cheesy potatoes, baked beans and more were on the menu for Sunday’s lunch.
Spring play “has been unbelievably competitive this year for so early in the season,” said Aiken Polo Club Manager Tiger Kneece. “Our player memberships are up.”
The second match on Sunday was the championship game of the National Youth Tournament Series.
Aiken Polo Club Green beat Aiken Youth Polo Blue 5-4.
For more information about the Aiken Polo Club, visit aikenpolo.org and the organization’s page on Facebook.
