The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-14
INTERESTING RACE IN
THE WESTERN LEAGUE
Marion, Richmond and Muncle
Are Battling Royalty for the
Major Championship.
FIGHT IN CENTRAL
kokomo and Lafayette Are After
Second Place-Danville Quin-
tet Is Looming Up

The seasons of the Western and Central
Polo leagues are now drawing TO a close.
Four weeks remain Of the present Western
schedule. the season closing April 9. The
Central season will also close on this date,
but the series of exhibition games which are
being arranged by club owners and mana
gers will carry the actual playing time OF
polo until the middle Of April.
The fight in the Western League is for
first place. Marion. Muncie and Richmond
are now racing for the first position. with
Marion and Richmond favorites. Muncie
has undergone a slump owing to internal
dissensions among the members of the quin-
tet and unless they brace up and that at
once they will not be dangerous factors.
Marion should on form defeat the Quakers.
they are in a condition to come down the
home-stretch like a whirlwind and make
a Garrison finish. The Indianapolis club
has an excellent show to pass both FL
wood and Anderson. Indianapolis is now
but eight points behind ElwOod and sew
enty-four points behind Anderson. The lat
ter club Is greatly handicapped by the alb
sence of Mercer from the rush line and will
win few more games this season. The
members ST the Indian quintet are all In
polo with Captain McGilvray at cover
point. Elwood got hers In the game here
Saturday night and the fans are of opinion
that Indianapolis will defeat Muncie in the
Magic city tonight.
After a two months battle between La
fayette and Kokomo for the second place
in the Central League polo race the problem
is puzzling ever. Eleven times the
two teams have passed each other in their
fight to hold the place. and still they are
within one games distance of each other.
Now that the championship of the league
is in the hands of Fort Wayne interest of
the fans is being drawn to the fight for the
second place. Both teams have lost more
than half OF the games in the last two
weeks, which has given Danville splendid
opportunity TO eat UP some of the big lead.
The Suckers" are now less than fifty
points back of Kokomo and are winning
games in a manner disturbing to the first
division teams. Out of the last eight
games the Danville quintet has lost one,
and in each contest they demonstrated the
fact that IL was on team play alone that
they are depending. Terre Haute is fight
ing hard to keep the pace set by Danville,
but finds IL rougn sailing Hipson,
Harkin and Freeman are now doing good
work for the Terre Haute bunch and are
surprising the fans by their fast and ac-
curate playing. Twice the kOkomOkes'
bowed in defeat to the work of the two
rushes this week and later they defeated
Logansport.
Fort Wayne seems to be trying to see how
far behind IL can leave the rest of the teams.
and il already nearly $50 points ahead
of Lafayette. The difference in the play
ing of the Central League teams is shown
in the fact that the leaders are at present
nearly 100 points 10 the good of Logansport,
While the rest of the clubs are separated
by wide gaps, with the exception Of La
fayette and Kokomo.
With the season nearly over. the players
are beginning to look for their summer
work. Captain Caravan, or the Fort
Wayne five, is now planning to make up
an all-star team and tour the southern part
OF Canada. After his Canadian trip Cana
van will take the five 10 ST. Louis. where
he will play the best of the world.
There is now little doubt in the minds of
the managers of the Western and Central
leagues that the National Roller Polo
League will be more than paper talk, and
they are now making plans to get men for
the coming year IL will be fight to fin
ish between the National and the Indiana
leagues.
At recent meeting or the Central
League managers il decided that the
same towns that formed the league this
more. but this would be a difficult thing
to accomplish IL the organization OF
the National materializes. IL is a GER
tainty that there will be ''wildcatting' fol
players. and the men will naturally sign
with the management that pays the best
money. And there are not enough good
ones for the three leagues, not counting
the men necessary for the starting OF
. Caravans league in Canada.