New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-17
INTERNATIONAL POLO.
AN ENGLISH TEAM MAY COME OVER
NEXT YEAR-DIFFERENCESI IN RULES.

While the competitive side of the polo season
has closed and the championships for the coming
year will remain they were, Lakewood retaining
first honors and Rockaway holding the Junior
championship. there will be much discussion in polo
circles over the possibilities Of the coming year
The important things are the expectation OF a visit
next season of English team. and the effort by
the polo associations of this country and Great
Britain 10 bring about more uniform standard OF
rules.
Polo Association and captain of the Rockaway
Hunting Clubs team, has been in England since
spring and will not return to this country until
winter. He went 10 see the international
games in which the American team was defeated
for the America cup. and he has been comforting
with the leading English players regarding changes
in the rules
The recent international games brought out the
desirability of such change in a
marked than ever before. The Americans were
somewhat handicapped in meeting their opponents
when the method of play had TO be altered in some
particulars TO conform to the English system Fox
hall Keene did not suffer In this respect as much
the other members of the team, for he has
played English fields for years and understands
the rules there well he does the American
play. All of the other members went over sufi-
GENTLY early 10 acquire some practice.
Ohside play and hooking mallets are the main
points Of difference between the English and Amer
lean systems Of play. Hooking maIlets. or Stick
crooking" as fl is commonly called in England. is
foul with US. and is never permitted Ameri-
can polo field In England the contrary. It forms
of the trickest and prettiest bits of play It is
spectacular play and effective, for IT stops many
sure carry for goal. while the possibility OF
having his mallet caught by opposing player
frequently makes the goal hitting player nervous
50 that his stroke is hurried, his lost or the
ball tipped of 10 one side.
The offside play is another serious difference The
American Polo Association does not recognize 1t at
all. but in England 1t is deliberately and carefully
defined The rule there is:
NO player who is of side shall hit the ball or
shall in any way prevent the opposite side from
reaching or hitting the ball. player is off side
when. at the time of the ball being hit he has no
one Of the opposite side the adversaries
goal line. that line produced behind that line
and when he is neither in possession of the ball nor
behind one Of his side who is I'm possession of
the ball. The goal line means the s-yard line be-
tween the goal posts. player II off side remains
on side until the ball is hit or hit at again"
Mr.. Hazard IS advocating the visit of an English
'eain as earnestly as he is uniform standard in
rules Ills success in the matter Of rules attained
Its greatest triumph few days when at his
invitation the leading polo players of Great Britain
came together TO discuss the matter and N was
agreed by the English players that they would give
pfacucal test 10 the American method Of playing
py arranging series Of games TO be held early
Although many prominent English polojsts favor
the american rules, they recognize that he
dlhlcut Undertaking to bring about change
NO f-lSllsh team has visited the United States
fered and first played for Newport The visitors
/ Won II.