New-York tribune., 1908-05-17
FASTER POLO GAMES.
Nee Rules Expected to ObUiate
Interest Killing Delays.

York have been awaiting with keen interest
the games this week, May 18 to %, at the
Westchester Country Club, which really mark
the introduction of rules in the conduct of
the sport in t,.is country, these rules being cal
culated to expedite play greatly and to arouse
popular interest in the g me.
well known player probably voiced the gen.
eral objection to polo played under the old
rules when he said the other day:
1T fine game all right, and it was in
terestng to watch it; that is, for time. But
when the dinner hour came, with the end Of a
match still nowhere in sight, even the most en-
thusiastic lover of the sport forced to
knowledge that it had its drawbacks.
Why under those old rules have known
match to drag out until the moon up.
You see, the chief trouble lay in the fact that
the rules contained provision against pro-
tracted rests between goals excessive time out
in which to change ponies, and other similar
Ioophoes for delay. Take, for instance, the old
rule governing teams of four: There shall be
four periods of fifteen minutes each actual play.
Two minutes shall be allowed after each goal,
and intervals of seven minutes between periods
unless otherwise agreed
You see, it was possible for players dis
posed even after the call of time, to idle about
the field an hour or more, which could not be
.ounted as actual play" As polo games usual
ty begin not earlier than p m, it was not
nearly as difficult to the effect of this lax
rule as it was oftentimes to see the actual
finish of games played under it. Then again,
these old rules made it possible for a team in
the lead wilfuy to protract a game match
in their interests.
Under the rules games will be of ten
periods each of six minutes duration and only
three minutes of rest are allowed between
periods That means business from the start.
The time out aggregates only thirty minutes,
and I do not see how it is going to be pos
sible for a match to last longer than an hour
and half
H L. Herbert chairman of the Polo Associa-
tion is one of the cals of that organization
who expects much from the new rules.
"Of course we cannot tell how these rules
are going to work until have given them
a trial" said he the other day; but everything
tending to expedite play without overtaxing the
ponies will undoubtedly prove good thing"
The new rules are not, however, for the fat
man Beneath their strenuous provisions his
supernuous avordupois is likely to disappear as
snow before the The old rules admitting
of short bouts at actual playing. with ample
breathing places sandwiched in between at fire.
quent Intervals proved a temptation to the man
of short wind and wide girth but his place under
the strenuous provisions of the new rules Will
be the shady part of the sdelines.
Il
dead wood in the teams the significant
comment of player.
But even the hardy players have found few
points in the new rules about which they are a
trife uncertain For instance, some think the
rule forbdding the use of blinkers rowcls un-
necessary but it is urged in defence of these
new provisions that a pony Handicapped by
blinkcrs is a constant menace to the life of his
rider and source Of danger to himself. The
broad argument of humanity to animals is urged
against the Of rowes, and the assertion is
made that among skilled players they un- !
necessary anyway, except in extreme cases.
The fact that the fast play under the new |
rules makes a string of six ponies of more ser |
vice than of four, coupled with the fact that
prices Of ponies have lately been climbing sky |
ward until now animals unframed to the maI!et |
are selling as high 5000, while the average |
price is well over $500, is not calculated to con- |
tribute to the peace of mind of some of the play
The season gives promise of being highly in |
teresting for the polo player. Among the |