The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-08
NATIONAL ASPECTS OF POLO.
Matters OF interest to he Discussed AT
Annual Congress.

NATIONAL ASPECTS OF POLO.
Matters Of Interest to BE Discussed at
Annual Congress.
Polo players will meet for their annual
congress in New York city on Tuesday
evening, April II. There Is no Eastern
club out to get the polo championship this
year and should a bid come from the West
for the tournament It would nave but little
opposition. The Onwentsia Club has as
fine a field as Myopia or Meadow Brook
and is a member Of the Polo Association,
and the st. Louis Country Club is also a
member, A tournament at either field
would have a magical effect in enhancing
the national interest In the game, put even
with a favorable vote at the nnual meeting
| Of the Polo Association 1t would be lone toe
easy to bring out a rep~resentive entry.
Distance does not lend e~nohantment to the
tournament field, even for a championship,
with the average poloist Of the East.
1t is not the money that counts with
the men in the game but they shirk from
the trouble Of taking their ponies from
the seacoast on a journey that may put the
cattle" out Of play for the remainder Of the
season. Besides, they feel toward the West
as the birmingham players feel toward
the United States as a whole, there is
nobody to give US a game" The West
has never sent a team further East than
the Buffalo Country Club, yet il only in
the missionary spirit there would be at
least one Boston and one New York team
to go West. 1t would be no easier than to
move a mountain or to roll, a log up hill,
vet the polo followers say there would be
an Eastern representation there, especially
on a June date. First. however, there must
be an invitation from the West, where
the ponies come from.
william A. Hazard, secretary Of the
Polo Ass o~ciation, Is an optimist and to
properly uphold the dignity Of the league
as a national organization he would not
oppose a Western fixture for once. Other
wise he will prefer the field Of the Point
Judith Country Club, at Nara gansett Pier,
for the championship tournament. II. L.
Herbert, chairman Of the Polo Associa-
ton is a pessimist on holdinga championship
in the West. He recalled that no Eastern
entries could be obtained for the Olympic
tournament at st. Louis, yet conceded that
if Onwentsia made a vigorous appeal the
tournament might go to Chicago.
President Herbert favors a public field
and a June date for the cha mpionship,
which makes him a supporter of Van Cort-
landt Park as the most desirable place to
hold the tournament about New York.
That for the first time since its inception In
1895 the championship fixture did not fill
last year, the one match being the SUCCESS
Of Bryn Ma VT 2nd over Squadron A for the
Junior title, was not du TO the selection of
Van Cortlandt Park, in his opinion, but to
HAVING a fall date. To have the champion
ships successful President Herbert believes
it is imperative that they should be played
in June, when the ponies are fresh and the
men are keen on the game.
Amatter to be acted on at the nnu meet
ing will be the grouping of the tournaments
with the view OF gaining a larger entry by
cutting out the succession Of events in any
one locality. Instead Of thirty tourna-
ments, should the new idea go through,
there will be only a third Of the humble this
season. There are thirty clubs in the Polo
Club Of West Point and it's ten accessory
military clubs, and the interest In tourna-
r1ent play in the opinion Of President Her.
bert has been weakened by too many events.
When abroad last year he was impressed by
the English method OF concentrating the
successive competitions at Nottingham and
The Philadelphia clubs are TO come to-
gether this season for O united tournament,
which II successful will be held each season
at a different field In the territory. A similar
oonoentration Of tournaments will be urged
bv some Of the delegates for the LongIsland,
Nav Jersey, New Eng and and Boston
Rroups The result would | ring men and
ponies TO Newport, Narragansett Pier and
the championship nament ready FOR
hot games between the best from each
section, The midsummer Is now preempted
for the Newport and N~arragansett Pier
tournaments and to finally select June as
the championship month would fit into
The plan to group the local tournaments.
The new plan would not sap the vitality Of
informal polo at the country clubs and
would tend to increase the number OF inter-
club matches, a feature OF the game that
has Ian guished Of late.
Tournament play has started at Cam
den. s. c., and there have been some fine
games also at New Orleans. Play In the
invasion OF Aiken has become a thing apart
and of little Importance az a feeder to the
mntches later on In the North. In California,
whore the clubs do not recognize tho Polo
Association, five teams woro entered for the
annual tournament In March at Corona5o,
whore the field lis In the race course enclosure
They represented the Los Angeles, Bur;
santa Monica clubs. In tho final match OF
this series tho Burlingamo Country Club
team won from Santc Barbara by II goals
10 O. This w!a1ers, viii bscamc tho titulnr
charnni1ns OF tho PaciA7 Cosss by gaining
poss ssion OF the jobs ]. Ssrceke!a oh3i.
iense trophy wore II. N, 1obin, !, .. Tobin,
John Lawa2n and W, q. Hobart, captain and
and nis1 had a airing Of racing ponies whom
al Harvard aantA tVAlyo V0arG aQo.