Lillie Bridge
This gave a certain impetus to the game, and some rules and regulations were framed. The club was then under the management of soldier Hawkesley. In those days eight a side was still the rule. For some few years polo flourished at Lillie Bridge, and then the Hurlingham Club formed a ground and catered for polo players. This was the deathblow to Lillie Bridge, which soon after collapsed."
The Governing Body. -The first game of polo played at the Hurlingham Club took place before King Edward and Queen Alexandra on June 6th, 1874, and from that time its growth was uninterrupted. The Hurlingham Polo Committee, made up of members of the Club, was accepted as the governing body of the game, but in [Photograph by Sport and General.
HURLINGHAM, SHOWING THE BOARDS AND THE ROUNDED ENDS OF THE NO. I GROUND. galloping for the ball-that is to say, each side started at a signal from behind their goal line, the ball being placed in the centre of the ground. Very amusing indeed were the incidents that arose through this rule.
As the game got faster, this dangerous practice was abolished, and the crossing of 1903 it was thought desirable considerably to strengthen that Committee by the addition of representatives of other clubs and associations. In 1911 the Hurlingham Polo Committee, with Viscount Valentia as chairman, consisted of nine members of Hurlingham, with four representatives of the County Polo Association, three of the Indian Polo Association, one of the South African Polo Association, four of the Army Polo "RIDING HIM OFF THE BALL."
Committee, three of the All-Ireland Polo Club, and one of the Roehampton Club.
The Ranelagh Club have declined to accept the invitation to appoint a representative on this Committee made to them in 1903. The Hurlingham Club is situated on the Middlesex side of the River Thames, at Fulham, and within a short distance of Putney Bridge.
The Ranelagh Club was formed at Fulham (adjoining Hurlingham) in 1878, was removed to its present picturesque home at Barn Elms, on the Surrey side of the river, in 1883, and was reorganised upon the present lines in 1894. The Roehampton Club was founded in 1902 at Roehampton, near Barnes. The three clubs are within a short distance of each other, an advantage which is greatly appreciated by players.
The first provincial club formed in England was the Monmouthshire, in 1872, by Major F. Herbert on his retirement from the 9th Lancers, and this example was gradually followed in other counties and country towns, the County Cup being first played for in 1885. The County Polo Association was established in 1899, with Mr. Tresham Gilbey as its first president. are The Ground. -The rules, which given in extenso at the end of this chapter, stipulate that the goals be not less than 250 yards apart. A full-sized ground should not exceed 300 yards in length by 200 yards in width, if unboarded, and 300 yards in length and 160 yards in width if boarded.
Not many grounds in England are fullsized, and good polo can be enjoyed on much smaller grounds. Major Herbert expressed the opinion that a rectangular shape should be adopted where possible, but many of the chief grounds, notably that [POLO at Hurlingham, have their corners rounded off. The majority of grounds in England are boarded on either side, the boards being on the average IO in. in height. It is advisable to bank up the turf several inches inside the barrier in order that the ball may roll back into play after contact with the boards. Those grounds which were formerly unboarded are, one by one, being provided with the side-barriers, which obviate much waste of time by keeping the ball in play, though it is to be feared that players strike the ball to gain the rebound from the boards far more frequently than is necessary, and Anglo-Indians almost invariably find this to object to in the barriers when they come home after a long spell of playing without boards in India. The diagram shows the proper arrangement of the boards and the slope of turf on the inside. The boards are nailed to wooden pegs, placed at intervals, and firmly fixed in the ground. It is now the custom to mark the 50 yards line for the enforcing of Penalty I, and also the 60 yards line for Penalty 4. It is advisable to have a white 30 yds. 50 yds. 60 yds. 60 yds.- : 50 yds. 30 yds. 300 yds. 160 yds. 8 yds. 4 3 2 I ↓ Umpire * * Umpire 3 I 4 2 PP 8 yds.
PLAN OF POLO GROUND. -30 yds. -50 yds. -60 yds. 300 yds......... :
Lambeth Public Libraries -60 yds. -50 yds. -30 yds. spot to mark the centre of the ground when the ball is thrown in. The flatter the polo ground, the better, but a slope from the centre to the goals is not out of place.
POLO] Hurlingham's very fine ground has this characteristic.
A polo ground needs as much care as a cricket ground, perhaps more, because it comes in for rougher usage. It is, indeed, amazing to observe the recuperative powers Very thin posts are objectionable, for they do not catch the eye sufficiently when trying to hit a goal. The sketch and section will show their construction. It is advisable to have a plug at the top in which a flag can be inserted; this protects the posts in bad Bank Boards SECTION OF SIDE BOARDS. of some of the chief grounds. At the end of an afternoon's play following rain they will seem to be scarified beyond redemption.
On the morrow you will find few signs of the previous day's strife. "Treaders-in " must be employed to replace and stamp in the torn-up lumps of turf after a match when the going is on the soft side, and then the roller may be used. With skilful management and reasonably fair weather a London polo ground will last through three months' hard play, and look well at the end of it. The travelling of the ball obviously depends largely upon the grass being kept tolerably short. It has been well said that nothing is more tiring and wearying than to play on a badly kept ground with grass that needs the mower.
GROUND 2 Feet Plug. 1Ft.6 in 12 Feet.....
P'liq 2.
V LINE Earth Pole M SECTION OF GOAL POSTS.
Watering in dry weather is practised at the London clubs, but in the country the majority of clubs regard this as a luxury beyond their reach.
Goals. On this subject there is no change in the conditions as outlined by Major Herbert. Placed at each end of the ground in the centre of the back line, the posts are 8 yards apart. Goal posts can be made of any material, and they vary according to locality, but the most approved are those made of Willesden paper, which have a substantial look, and yet are not dangerous in the event of a player coming into collision with them. ← POLO GOAL.
THE GOAL POSTS IN POSITION. 1.4 21 weather. The height of posts should be IO feet.
Sticks. A famous player has said that a good stick is almost as necessary as a good pony, and the dictum will not be disputed. The life of a stick is uncertain. A player will go through one match without changing, yet in his next game he may lose the heads of half-a-dozen sticks. Certainly the art of polo-stick making is not easily acquired, and only a few firms enjoy a high reputation in this direction. Hundreds of canes have to be rejected in the search for the right material; rubber grips and wrist loops require special attention; expert finish has to be given to that part of the stick where cane and head come together; and a particularly tough wood for the head has to be found. It would be almost impossible to find three first-class players who use precisely the same weight, length, and balance of stick. ca Patterns Used by Famous Players. In 1910 Capt. E. D. Miller was using the Le Gallais bamboo root head, with a cane 51 in. long, the whole being of the exceptionally light weight of 14 oz. Mr. George Miller has a cane of 52 in., with an Excelite No. 6 head, total weight 16 OZ. Mr. Walter Jones's stick is much the same as the latter's, with the exception that he entirely dispenses with a loop head. Another member of the famous Rugby team, Mr. Charles Miller, has a fairly stiff cane with an Excelite