The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-26
POLO "REMINISCENCES.
Old Manager Recalls Some Incidents o
 the Sport.

POLO "REMINISCENCES.
 Old Manager Recalls Some Incidents of
 the Sport.
 Over the signature of An Old Man. ager," the Meriden Journal recently printed an entertaining communication in reference to the early days of polo in the state. Many of the old time polo phobists will recall the incidents relat- ed. The writer says:
 'As one who was in the sport at the start and who has progressed from player to manager and on to that nat ural goal has been,' I have been deeply interested, as must be all lovers of the sport.
 Some years ago when out of the cut throat, player-stealing policy of the managers grew the New England Polo association, became one of it's officers | and I now have in my possession rec ords of that time giving valuable data for the one who undertakes some day or other to write a history of the sport. Those were great days in polo. Then the newspapers took such intense in terest in their home teams that the breeziest writers were put on to re- port the games and some of the results were startling. For instance l find in my collection a clipping of a report of game in ridgeport, from which this is taken:
 "'Down in Bridgeport last night some one tied jigger named Garfield onto the trigger end of a whistle and stood him out on the surface to referee the game. He has tried the same thing before without becoming famous for extreme ability in that line, but as | persistent cuss,' etc, eac.
 Eddie Menard was in that self same game, in fact if some one will point out any really important game that he hasn't been in for the last IA years I'd be glad to know of it. Away back in 1884 Frank Bancroft had an eye on him and in 1885 reserved him.
 Tn April, 1886, however, Ed got into trouble. He was one of seven men who were blacklisted for rough play while nine others were put on proba- tion He was reinstated in time to play in the fall and that year the first professional Connecticut league was formed and Menard joined the Hart ford team. Taken all in all there is no player who has a better record than he has and there are few better play CTS on the surface to-day.
 Probably few people know how polo started in Connecticut. In 1882 a Yale student who had seen what there was then to the game, played in Providence interested a few of his fellows in it and I was one of them. I shall never forget our first practice game. It was 1 in the old Dwight street rink in New Haven, and we used a ball about like a tennis ball, with long, light stick would with rattan.
 There were seven players to a team and it was as near to what polo is now as polo is to gold. It was not long before we moved down to the old Lincoln rink in New Haven, the rink patrons took up the games and the next year there was an amateur leaSua with New Haven, Hartford, Spring field and Meriden in it. What fun we did have and what crowds we carried with us from town to town.
 Frank Ives, c. l.. Lyon, Lew Miller and other Meriden young men I re- member well on the Meriden team when I came here with the New Ha- ven team to play them. We got along all right as amateurs until one time { Frank Ives of Merlden was hurt and a new man was needed. Hewas inn ported from Massachusetts and played half back. He was a terror and the New Haven team were sent home broken into small pieces. His duty was apparently to kill any New Ha- ven player who dared touch the ball and he came pretty near filling the bill. That settled amateur polo and | professionalism came in. In 1885 33 rink managers from all hver New England, New York and New Jersey got together in Boston and formed an association from which on October 13, 1885, there grew the New England association of Polo clubs, Frank Winslow, the inventor of the Wins!ow roller skate, was it's president and Benjamin Clough, Hartford's first polo manager, it's secretary and treasurer. Jake Morse of the Boston Herald, who 1 is still hot after polo, was director. | .There were eight clubs in the league, Boston, Cambridge, Somer- vile. Waltham, Woburn, Salem, Brock ton and Taunton There wera other subsidiary leagues, but one who has followed polo will find in those eight clubs the old timers who are still on the surface to-day. Such players as woodtke were still fastening on skates in New Haven and other towns as skate boys.
 Tt proved to be a great sport and ] crowd went to see it. Connecticut got the fever and in December, 1886, the Connecticut league was formed with Meriden, Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven and Danbury in it. then followed a rush for the Massachusetts players. Meriden got there first and got their pick with the result that by January Meriden had won 12 games and only lost two. The players were gotten hon. estly but their success frightened other teamer and higher salaries and the lack