The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-18

IOn1Rht-Story OF the Uame.
The Biddeford polo team played its first
game in the Maine league last night in
City hall under the management OF Mr.
Fred Kelsey of Portland. They gave the
Portland team hustle to win the game
and played very snappy polo from the
start to finish. Considering the fact that
Manager Kelsey had only twenty -four
hours to get his team into shape for last
nights game and was only able to put a
patched up aggregation on the floor the
players of the new team did finely.
Yesterday morning, when Manager
Kelsey learned that Manager Houlihan of
Gardiner was not disposed to take the
chances Of putting team into Biddeford,
Mr.. Kelsey went to Gardiner and coralled
the polo players who have been playing
in the Gardiner uniform up to this time.
Perry. Tobin and Murphy of the old Gar
diner team as Turner Of the GARDENERS re-
fused to agree to Manager Kelsey's terms.
With four men Manager Kelsey came here
and obtained the services of Wallace, an
amateur player hailing from South Port
land, to complete his team. Shortly after
eight O'Clock the newly christened Bidde.
ford team appeared on the floor and be-
gan their work under the new manage
ment.
OF course with patched up aggrega-
tion like this every one believed that
Nor X oIoovJa mon would not ctapd q
ghost of a show.
The attendance was not as large as ii
would have been had the polo enthusiasts
of this city known what good game the
new Biddeford team was to put up. Both
teams went into the game we'll and from
the very minute the ball was put into
play the efforts of Portland to score and
the defensive work of Biddeford were in.
teresting to witness. A new team as yet
unorganized and without any tactics OF
its own found it hard up hill work to
prevent the local team from getting in a
period the Biddeford players were on the
defensive all the time. Finally when the
first period had passed and neither team
had scored the Biddeford players grew
holder. Billy Dawson was after the bal
all the time, and assisted by Wallace
made the work of John Iurnbull and Nc
Kay as hard as they have known it ir
many weeks. Around the Biddeford cage
Tobin, lively and pluoky young player
and Perry were playing with both eyes
wide open ard they completely democrat
| lied the Portland rusners and prevented
them from doing a thing. Murphy il
Biddeford's goal afforded the crowd lot
of amusement, but he made wonderful
stops and several times in the first two
periods was responsible for the loss of g
goal by Portland.
When the second period ended and still
Cured in this league before this year, the
crowd began to wake up to the fact thai
the Biddeford team even in its crippled
condition was putting up very warm
article of polo. Particularly were the
sympathies of the crowd with the new
team because this was their initial game
and every one in the hall wanted Manager
Kelsey's team to get good send off. But
when in the beginning of the second
period Portland seemed unable to score
against the new corners the crowd began
to get mad and excited and the Portland
men were not given the applause they
| should have received for their excellent
defensive work. To be sure the offensive
work was not what it might have been,
but as long as tho Biddefords did not
score the crowd should not have cared
very much about it. Nevertheless when
Mckay, by one Of his long shots scored
Portland's first goal the crowd forgot its
anger of the moment before and greeted
the score with cheers. An instant iatel
and Biddeford landed a goal and tied the
score. The excitement then reached fever
heat and the crowd cheered first one team
and then the other with great enthusiasm
After some wicke | playing on both sides
during which Tobin, the plucky Bidde
ford man was laid out insensihle on the
| floor and was some time being brough