The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-19
NRm LX/ZHW
. ME1D0ETTUlT W1E

NEWPORT, Aug. 1s-Now it in The turn
Of polo, and the field Of the Westohester
Polo Club will for a fortnight be the gsyest
spot in town. The matches are to be fUT
the ! national cham p~ionship. II is the
twelfth year that the Aston cup mas been
in play and the first year that the contest
has been at Newport.
The first match was played to-day. and
in the series the best players Of the Phila-
delphia, Boston and New York groups
Of country clubs will be on the field with
their fastest ponies. The entry Is small,
four teams being named for the junior
and four for the Astor cup event, but they
are practically the picked men Of the
Eastern clubs.
1t is a matter OF regret that there are no
entries from Chicago, Kansas City, st.
Louis or Buffalo, and hat the West Point
and auxiliary army clubs are also unrepre-
sented. The game is fiourishing in the
West, the spring matches between On
wentsia and Kansas City having been
particularly interesting, but until some
missionary work is lone by holding a
championship at Chicago or st. LOWS it
Is not probable that the teams at distant
places will incur the expense OF an Eastern
invasion. The ruling powers in the Polo
Association possess great wealth and f-
fiuence, yet although the organization has
been in existence since 1890 and the cham
p~ionships have been fixtures since 1895,
there has been as yet n action taken
toward Matchmaking the interest in the
annual tournament. There are thirty-six
clubs listed in the Polo Association, exclusive
Of the army associate clubs, and it has
absolute sway in the control Of the game
except in California. To go West with the
championship would be merely a matter
OF so deciding at the annual meeting.
The officers for this year are II. l.. Her
bert. chairman; W. A. Hazard, secretary;
and as the committee, r. l.. Agassiz,
George j. Gould, John G.. Groom, o. W.
Bird, Joshua Crane, Jr., Charles Wheeler
and Sidney C.. Love. The last is the repre-
sentative Of the Onwentsia Club and the
only Western member.
Last years championship tournament,
scheduled for September at q Cortlandt
Parh, ash failure and the only blank year
in the history Of the contest. The late
date, coming when he ponies were worn
out after four months of play, was the
cause Of the failure.
The public turned out in strength for the
solitary match played, in which Bryn MawI
Second won from Squadron A, by oNto 81
goals; but one match does not make a tour
nament. The Rockaway Hunting Club
entered a team for the senior championship
and the Aston cup, but as there was no Other
entry the contest was declared of. The
open championship also failed to fll.
In 1904 the championships were held II
August at the Point Judith Country Club
N~arragansett Pier, and the tournament
was a success, despite a light entry. Ths
opinion Is growing that June is the proper
month to hold the event, when the poniel
and men are keenest to play, an exception
being made when the turn again comes :,
hold the tournament at Newport or Nara
gansett Pier.
In the earlier championships at Prospec
Park, Brooklyn, the matches were within
a square formed by from 10000 to $500
~onlookers, who lined the ropes m tool
the greatest interest in the games. Their