Morning journal and courier., 1888-01-24
A POLO DEAL.

Polo Gone to Pieces i'm the Central
 DivIsion-The Pawtuckets to Come to
 Hartford-The New Bedfords Likely
 to go to BridgepOrt-The Latest Polo
 News.
 There was great surprise yesterday when it leaked out that big polo deal had been
 made, and by the change the New Ravens will have to look to their laurels. That polo
 is almost dead in the Central division is an
 assured fact. The Pawtuckets are to be trans
 ferred to Hartford. Manager Harris, of
 Bridgeport, has been in Boston for the past
 few days and it is reported that he has made
 negotiations for the transfer of the New Bed
 lords to Bridgeport. This rumor has not
 been verified as yet, but there is little doubt
 that Bridgeport will have the New Bedfords. The deal is certainly big one, and one which shows the decline of polo. The Cen tral division was supposed to be the sinew of the game, but this season not team in that division has made money. The transfer of these two teams to this league will make it exceedingly warm for the New Ravens. The way things stood the home team had sure hold on first place. Manager Clough of Hartford has been
 doing some clever work nevertheless, and has at last secured the Pawtuckets with the famous rushers, Cotter and Seeley. Nuner- ous rumors were abroad short time ago about certain deals, but every one was thrown entirely off the scent on account of notes in the Boston Herald. Sporting Editor Stevens | is the secretary of the polo league and he was aware of the deal that was in progress, but l being pledged to secrecy he published reports that there were no deals whatever in progress It is said that C1ough paid about $1 800 for the team. The Pawtuckets stand at the head | of the Central division. The New Bedfords \ I, k6ok, a@ fhA hapS, 1f Hn season, but were passed by the Pawtuckets \ and so are now in second place.
 | Polo was first brought to notice in the Cen | tral division. Then the craze reached Con- \ necticut, and finally the metropolitan dis | trict It seems as if polo would have to be abandoned altogether in the Central division. The managers there have had hard time of | it this season. It has been uphill work for
 every one of them. The Pawtucket team did | not pay in Pawtucket, and the team was
 taken to Lynn. Here matters were as bad. \ There has also been trouble with the Brock
 tons and the Bostons. The only place where ' polo seems to pay is in Connecticut.
 As matters now stand Waterbury is the \ weakest team in the league. That place cer- ' tainly ought to derive some benefit from this l deal. It is rumored that the whole Hartford ! team will be transferred to Waterbury, but | this as yet is only a rumor.
 It can be stated that the New Ravens will probably be strengthened. The management will try to secure Mccarthy, Pswtucket's | goal tend. The home management does not ! intend to be left out in the cold. Capt. Hal ! lett has returned from Massachusetts and it is \ stated he was up there after a new player. I Watson will play center now.
 ! Polo patrons need have no fear that New Haven will lose the lead. Every member of the team will now play harder than ever to ! win. The Hartford management now think
 of forging right ahead of the New Ravens. | Wait and see whether they will. The Paw
 tuckets were all signed to play in Hartford \ last Friday and the contracts have been for
 mally approved.
 New Ravens Play Hard to Defeat | Bridgeport-ScOre2 to1
 A fair-sized crowd saw the New Havene defeat the Bridgeports to 1 last night at the ! Polo rink. The two teams were about evenly | matched and each worked hard for victory. The game, however, wss rather tame, al though for thirty four minutes no one knew
 which would get the first goal. Hallett was
 back in his old position and this probably
 saved the home team from defeat. Watson ! played center. He is first-cless goal tend but he cannot play center as it should be. He is rather weak in that position. His | blocking is of the best, but he is so large and | clumsy that he can't skate very fast and that ! is where he loses good deal. He would be
 8 fine center if he could skate fast. Fuller
 had little to do at goal. Connors and New comb make fine pair of rushers as there
 are in the league. There was tremendous applause when after the forty minutes play ing time was nes 'lY up Connors knocked the ! ball into the air itom behind Bridgeport's ! cage and Newcomb caged it. Abercrombie | made some mag gni6cent stops. In fact the ! New Havers had to work their hardest to
 win. They seemed 70 have hard luck in
 their drives for zoe, for Abercrombie was | generally there to stop them The seore.