AFTER the stunning success of this summer's beach polo at Sandbanks, agreement has been reached to bring back the thundering hooves for the next five years.

The thrilling two-day British Beach Polo Championships in July attracted thousands of spectators to Europe's first-ever such event.

Now organisers Sandpolo and the Borough of Poole have agreed to stage the annual event on golden Sandbanks beach until 2013.

As well as featuring teams of top international players competing over two days on July 10 and 11, next year's event will also host an international match between teams representing England and the USA.

"We are extremely excited at the prospect of bringing beach polo back to Poole," said Johnny Wheeler, of Sandpolo.

"With the support of Borough of Poole, this year's championship proved a real success, attracting thousands of spectators, many of whom enjoyed the action for free.

"Sandbanks' fabulous beach is a great venue and we are very happy to be staging the championships in Poole until 2013," he said.

The organisers will cover the costs of preparing and cleaning the beach for the tournament and pay rental of £1,500 for the use of the sands for the two days.

Cllr Peter Adams, cabinet portfolio holder for leisure, said: "We are delighted that the organisers Sandpolo want to make this exciting event a more permanent fixture in Poole.

"This year's event attracted a lot of local interest and promoted Sandbanks and Poole on the national stage. We hope the event goes from strength to strength over the next five years."

It raised almost £3,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund and Help for Heroes, a charity to support wounded servicemen and women.

And after it ended the arena hosted a 300-strong youth soccer tournament as part of Poole's successful Football Focus community project.