Major Neil Haig
perhaps the strongest hitter of his day, uses a very heavy, large, square head, and the late Mr. John Watson, at his best without a superior at back, favoured a tolerably light cane with an unusually large head. Mr. W. S. Buckmaster, the best English player in 1910 and for some years before, plays with a stick of moderate length and a rather heavy head.
I give these examples of the sticks which some of the best English players were using in 1910, but it should be added that the year in question saw something like a revolution in stick-heads in this country. The members of the American team which won the International Championship in the preceding season all used sticks with cigarshaped heads. Whether rightly or wrongly, many players were inclined to attribute the [POLO se seasons with much success. Although more expensive than wooden balls, it is claimed for the Excelites that they maintain their shape and outlast about twelve wooden balls. The usual dress in England is brown leather butcher boots, now known as polo boots, white breeches of twill or other material, a tennis shirt or jersey (the latter is mainly worn by Army players), with polo cap or helmet. Every club should be furnished with a supply of waistcoats-green, TYPES OF STICKS USED BY ENGLISH PLAYERS. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT-CYLINDER, SQUARE, "LE GALLAIS," " LLOYD," "CIGAR.' wonderful accuracy of the American striking to these cigar-shaped heads. The result was a boom in cigar heads in 1910, more of this shape being used here than ever before. Whether their popularity is destined to last cannot definitely be said. Probably they are best adapted for hard grounds, and Indian players largely favour them as well as the round heads.
The photographs show the most popular American sticks, and those in chief demand in England. The canes are rattan or malacca, and for the heads sycamore is mostly in use.
For the young player the best advice is to try different kinds and sizes until he finds the variety which suits him best. He can leave the rest to the maker of the sticks.
Balls and Other Accessories. - The balls are usually made from the willow-tree root.
Though very tough, they are liable to split or chip, and at Roehampton a composition ball (Excelite) has been used in recent red, yellow, and blue-so that teams may take the field in different colours. Scoring boards are, of course, an essential accessory of the game, and these have been much improved at the Ranelagh Club in recent years, a mechanical contrivance, showing the state of the score and the number of the period, having been a success. Clocks for timing the periods are another modern innovation, one invented by Mr. Aubrey Price giving much satisfaction at Hurlingham and other clubs. Science of the Game. The science of polo developed greatly during the last decade of the nineteenth century. Up to that time the three brothers Peat, together with Mr. Frank Mildmay and one or two others, who formed the Sussex team, had the credit of being the first side to devote attention to the real principles of combination.
All the Peats were magnificent hitters, and this, coupled with the fact that POLO] they quickly learnt the value of interchanging places in the game, enabled them to beat all comers for many seasons. When the Peats dropped out of the game four a-side had superseded five a-side for good and all. Then the Millers came to the front to show in their turn what a well-drilled team of players could do. Prior to the establishment of their Rugby team it is questionable whether polo players in England had taken full advantage of the object-lesson given to them by the success of the Messrs. Peat.
Polo owes a great deal to the Messrs. Miller for what they have done in developing its science.
Mr. John Watson's Influence. For many years players were content to work on the lines taught by the late Mr. John Watson, who, on his return from India in 1884, exercised a very large influence in polo circles. He was the first to use and teach in England the back-hand stroke, which soon came into universal use in polo.
Previously it was the custom of players to dribble the ball round in order to get in a forward drive upfield. Mr. Watson demonstrated that this was so much loss of time. It can almost be asserted that the back-hander mildly revolutionised polo in this country, making it infinitely quicker than before the introduction of the stroke.
Under Mr. John Watson's system the No. I became something of a passenger in the game so far as hitting the ball was concerned. He was deputed to ride off the opposing back, and hardly ever to touch the ball so long as it was possible for his No. 2 to follow up and get in his hit. Naturally, an improvement upon Mr. John Watson's original style of combination was brought about by the Rugby, the Old Cantabs, the Roehampton, and other first-class teams, but the No. I still has by no means as good a time as the other players in the team. For this reason the position has become unpopular among players, and almost invariably the weakest man of the four is placed at No. I. No doubt the rules of the game are responsible for the drawback which attaches to the position of No. I. The offside rule does not permit him to hit the ball unless he has one of the opposing side nearer than himself to the adversary's goalline. Thus a clever back may continually be placing No. 1 in an off-side position, and by so doing he appreciably affects the latter's efficiency in the game.
American Skill and Combination. - The Americans introduced an entirely new system when they visited this country in 1909. In America there is no off-side rule, and though the visitors were called upon to play under Hurlingham rules, they had little difficulty in settling down to the altered conditions. They showed that the no offside game had enabled them to develop their striking into a high art. They showed amazing facility in hitting the ball when it was travelling at top pace. They proved wonderful goal-scorers at all angles. And, above everything else, they demonstrated JMW STICKS USED BY AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS, 1909. that the No. I could be made an infinitely more useful member of the team than had been thought possible in this country. The greatest feature of their combination was long passing, usually from the side of the ground to the centre. It was interesting to see the perfect understanding which existed between the brothers L. and M. Waterbury.
While the No. 2 would bring the ball down by the boards, his No. 1, instead of riding straight towards the goal, as an English No. I would probably have done, galloped level with him to the centre of the ground, ready to receive a long pass. This manœuvre frequently upset the English defence, and perhaps contributed as much as anything to our defeats in the International matches of 1909. a Change of English Style. - One result of those defeats was to make many of our leading players wonder whether the American system was not superior to our own.
It was noticeable that in the following season (1910) the brothers R. and F. Grenfell modelled their play closely upon that of the two Waterburys. Playing in the Old Etonians' team, their tactics proved extremely successful. The Hurlingham Polo Committee now began to doubt whether the off-side rule was really such SCHOOLING POLO PONIES. MR. TRESHAM GILBEY TRAINING A YOUNG PONY. an advantage to the game as it had previously been believed to be. They determined to give the matter an exhaustive trial, and, as England had to play the next series of International matches without offside, the Hurlingham Committee passed a resolution that all games and tournaments at their club should be played without the much-discussed rule in 1911. Many other clubs followed their lead. It is impossible in this article to foretell the result of this highly important experiment in English polo, but I have no doubt that the off-side rule, even if it is ultimately retained by the Hurlingham Committee, will be considerably modified. It is admitted that polo without off-side is the faster game, and, therefore, more severe upon the ponies.
Consequently it was thought well in England to alter the length of the periods of play in 1911. Instead of dividing matches into six periods of ten minutes each, play without off-side consists of eight periods of 7 minutes each. A system of handicapping players by points was instituted in 1910, another innovation from [POLO America. According to Capt. E. D. Miller, a leading authority, the main thing to cultivate at polo is elasticity. The ideal of a perfect team is that players may interchange as much as they like so long as there is one that he captained the Rugby team from man in each place. It was on these lines 1892, and helped them to gain great successes.
The game begins by each side lining up and facing its opponents in the centre of the ground as marked on the plan (page 358). No. I is nearest to the thrower-in of the ball, No. 2 and No. 3 are next, while No. 4 takes up a position slightly in the rear of his side. One umpire throws in the ball between the two rows of players, and as soon as that is done he and the other umpire take up a position on each side of the ground.
The Beginner in Polo.-It may be appropriate now to devote some attention to the novice, the man who is desirous of taking an active part in polo. You will probably not enter upon the game unless you are satisfied that you are a tolerably good horseman, yet it is well to bear in mind that the best riders have not always made the most successful polo players. It must, of course, be unreservedly admitted that good horsemanship is an aid to any player, but many indifferent riders have taken up the game with success, and found that it has helped immensely to improve their riding. One great advantage of the game is that it is not essential to begin in one's youth. The well-known American player, Mr. F. J. Mackey, never hit a polo ball until he was forty, and at sixty he was enjoying the game as keenly as ever.
There are many other examples of men having started the game fairly late in life.
Long after his sixtieth year the Earl of Harrington was an enthusiastic figure on the polo field, and we have seen father and son playing in the same match in several instances. There are many more first-class players over thirty years old than under that age. A good eye is as needful for success in polo as it is for success in racquets, cricket, or the majority of ball games.
Choosing a Mount. - Having decided to try his hand at polo, the novice will first of all need to think of his mount. He must not be frightened by the high prices which the best ponies fetch, because he will not want a Cobnut, a Gozo, a Maystar, or an Energy to begin with. Rather does he require a quiet, seasoned old pony, which, even if he has no great amount of pace, has at least seen a good deal of play, and has none of the faults of badly schooled young ponies, POLO] such as being "ball shy" or awkward to stop, start, and turn. The end of the season will be the time to buy a steady pony of this type, and the price should be something from £40 to £60. Having obtained your mount and practised a little at bending and turning, you can begin to knock the balls about in any field that may be available. Remember to try to hit always with the object of sending it in a certain direction, fixing on some distant mark on the ground, or some imaginary posts to get through. When he plays the game in earnest the novice will be required to make every stroke tell, either in defence, or in midfield passing, or in aiming at goal.
Some hints will be needed from an experienced player as to the manner of holding the stick for forward strokes and backhanders. The novice cannot have too much practice in striking. When on his pony, he should have several balls in use, and a boy to bowl them to him. He will also greatly improve his hitting by using a practice court, a contrivance in which the player, seated on a wooden horse, is continually hitting at balls that come to him at all sorts of angles. Mr. Gordon Withers, of Oxford Street, London, is the inventor of a practice court, which is of very great value to the players in helping them to get their eye in." 66 Strokes to Master. The strokes the young player has to master are (a) the forward drive, which is a good square hit at the ball on the off-side; (b) the slice to the off, by which the ball is centred to the player's right, a rather difficult hit for the novice, but one which the player in goodclass polo must be prepared to make many times; (d) the near-side stroke, which is essential for any player who is so hustled as to be unable to use his stick on the right side; (e) the stroke under the pony's neck, which is often needed in front of goal, either for scoring or hitting the ball out of the danger zone; and (f) the back-hander, which is varied according to whether the striker wishes to send the ball immediately behind him, or to the off, to the near side, or under his pony's tail. For all these strokes the wooden horse and the practice court will come in useful, but naturally there is nothing like real action, and the novice before long must join in members' games, which will give him his first taste of strenuous polo. He will find it not easy to get in his hit when an opponent is boring in heavily with the object of riding him clean off the ball. By this time the novice will probably possess a second pony, bought, like the first, with the recommendation of being "handy and easy to play." After members' games the player will be qualified to take part in his first sixty minutes' match, and if he now shows real aptitude and keenness for the game he may count upon summers of great enjoyment in one of the finest pastimes ever devised for the benefit of active man.
No. 1 and his Duties. The novice's first place in the game is usually at No. 1, and this position under Hurlingham rules, as already noted, has come rather into disfavour; but it is absurd to suppose that the [Photograph by Sport and General.
A POLO PONY BROOD MARE, "PATRICIA," AND FOAL. ،، No. I's duties are unimportant. Indeed, much more rests on him than is usually imagined, and in many big matches a good No. I has made all the difference between success and failure. Many think it unfortunate that the opposing back should have it in his power to so easily place No. I off-side, and new legislation on this point may be pending. "Never take your eye off the back," is Mr. Buckmaster's advice to No. I's; never let the ball come up to him, and never get more than a few lengths away from him." Put briefly, it is the chief duty of the No. I to stop the back from getting the ball. He must always be looking out for chances to crook the back's stick or else to bump into him sharply and take him away from the ball. In hitting the ball, the No. I must on no account send it straight towards the opposing back, but direct it so that his No. 3 or No. 2 may be enabled to take the pass and get away with the ball on the gallop. A maxim to note is that the more you worry the back, the more likely he is to be knocked off his best game. A No. I must implicitly obey the instructions of his No. 2. Any failure to do this will quickly spoil the combination of his side and weaken its powers of attack.
The No. 2.- At the same time the No. 2 may be warned not to ask his No. I to attempt impossibilities. He himself should play No. I occasionally, so as not to lose sight of the possibilities of the latter position. The No. 2 is required above all to be adept at (a) the "cut-in" stroke to the right, and (b) the back-hander under his pony's tail. Both strokes are essential for centring the ball; the first when he is galloping on the left side of the ground, and the other when he is by the boards on the right side. He should be careful not to take the ball to too acute an angle before attempting to centre. He will have more opportunities of goal-hitting than any other member of the team, so should assiduously practise shooting. The duty of No. 2 is to watch the opposing No. 3, to attempt to forestall his movements, and to harass him when he has the ball. Unless in very special circumstances, No. 2 should not get far back in the game; he should leave defence to his No. 3 and back, and be ready to swing his pony round and get a quick start if the ball is sent on to him. The No. 2 has to do almost everything at racing pace, and for real efficiency he and his No. 1 must be perfectly interchangeable, and there must be a real understanding between them.
No. 3 and Back. - Modern polo teams are run in couples so far as the ethics of combination are concerned. The No. 1 and the No. 2 form one pair, and the No. 3 and the back the other. If the back is meeting the ball or going up into the game, it is a cardinal principle that the No. 3 shall drop back to cover him. The No. 3 is familiarly known as the pivot of the team. As well as being engaged in defence, it is his part to drive the ball up to his No. 2, and be so master of his strokes as to be able to place the ball either to the right or left of the No. 2, so that the latter can carry it on to the best advantage. Usually the No. 2 will want the ball on the off-side. The No. 3 must always guard against two opponents simultaneously harassing the back. Mr.
Buckmaster, the best man of his day in this position, says it is quite necessary that No. 3 should reduce the hitting of back-handers both sides of his ponies to a certainty, and should also practise diligently at meeting the ball. The back is a defender of his goal, and a "feeder" of his forwards pure and simple. He should never make runs in the real sense, though I have seen a genius like Mr. Devereux Milburn, the American back, take the ball the whole on [POLO length of the field and score brilliantly.
That, however, is an exceptional achievement, and for the most part the objects of the back are (1) to defend his goal and (2) to place the ball so that his side can get it.
Obviously, the position is eminently responsible, and the most experienced player on the side usually fills it. A polo team may be best captained from back or No. 3.
Polo Ponies." There are so many different sorts of polo ponies used in the game that it is difficult to lay down any fixed rule as to the best, but the accepted type is a 'miniature thorough-bred carrying hunter. " That is as true to-day as when Major Herbert wrote it for his article years ago.
He divided polo ponies into four classes, viz., the English-bred polo, the Arab pony, the Barb pony, and the Argentine pony.
Since that time considerable changes have been made in polo pony breeding. The Arab and the Barb have practically dropped out of English polo, although there are still some good ones being played. As a rule, the Eastern pony is not big enough or fast enough to compete with English thoroughbreds or three-part bred ponies of 14 hands 2 in. There are many Argentine ponies in England, and they give satisfaction in ordinary club polo, but when it comes to championship or International polo they scarcely compare favourably with the home-bred article. There are a few Argentines in this country of the highest quality, but as a rule the South American pony does not quite come up to the best standard.
Major Herbert described the English pony as a "chance production," which could not be claimed as an absolutely definite type. In 1911, however, that opinion could not be made without bringing contradiction and arousing considerable controversy.
Breeding to Type. -The establishment of the Polo and Riding Pony Society has done a great deal to fix the type required for highclass polo. Breeders like Sir John Barker and Mr. Tresham Gilbey are producing ponies to polo type with considerable success.
These gentlemen, as well as others, are using as many suitable mares that have been played in polo as they can get, and are mating them with small thoroughbred stallions. Two ponies bred on the lines advocated by the Polo and Riding Ponies' Society -by a registered or entered sire or out of a registered or entered dam-namely, Tubby and Marquis, were chosen to play for England in the International matches at Hurlingham in 1909. A number of other polo-bred ponies were played in first-class polo in 1909 and 1910, and there seems to be every reason to believe that the problem POLO] of breeding ponies specially adapted for the game has at last been satisfactorily solved.
Price of Ponies. - It was admitted that the stud of ponies brought to England by the Meadowbrook team in 1909 were the finest lot ever got together for the use of a single team. Many of them belonged to the American captain, Mr. Harry Payne Whitney, most of the others being loaned to the team by patriotic American players.
Although these ponies did their full share in bringing about England's downfall, it was at least satisfactory to the breeders of this country to know that the majority of the mounts had been bred in England and Ireland. It was difficult in 1910 to buy a really first-class tournament pony at much less than 200 guineas, and sometimes his value would be as much as 500 guineas. As a fact, a number of ponies have changed hands since 1900 at the latter price, and some have fetched even more when sold privately. But the price made by Sailor as far back as 1898-namely, 750 guineasstill remains as a record for a pony sold by auction.
Training the Pony. - The training of a polo pony is a subject which cannot be properly dealt with in the brief space now at my disposal. It must always be remembered that no pony should be taken into a game until it is thoroughly schooled, and then assuming that it is just four years old, it should only be used in slow cantering games, and never on any account taken into a match until it is five years old. This is the advice given by Mr. Tresham Gilbey and Mr. A. M. Tree in Vol. XI. of the Polo and Riding Pony Stud-Book, and those breeders and players who are anxious to educate ponies for the game could not do better than study that article, which deals with the essential details of mouthing, bridling, and bitting, first lessons with the saddle on, lessons at turning, lessons with stick and ball, and exercising. Patience and delicate hands are necessary for successful training, but the work is exceedingly congenial to many sportsmen, and can be made remunerative.
Polo in all its branches has made enormous strides during the last few years. What further changes are yet in store for it?
ARTHUR W. COATEN.
RULES AND REGULATIONS. *1. The height of ponies shall not exceed 14 hands 2 inches, and no pony shall be played either in practice games or matches, unless it has been registered in accordance with the Rules of