The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-03-13

little city. seventeen miles north Of
Augusta. Ga.. American men and pom
les are being schooled I'm the ancient
game OF kings against that day when
q challenge team from England shall
cross the Atlantic to wrest the inter-
national cup brought back by the Mea-
dow Brook Club In 1909 after II had
been In the keeping OF the Hurting
ham Club OF England since 1855.
The fact that American teams are
now the peers OF any polo players In
the world IL only another evidence
Of the fact that the Yankee plays
with the same xest with which he
works.. Our British rivals have the
advantage Of longer experience In
polo but this has been discounted by
the proverbiaI American spirit and the
breeding OF polo pony that is rap
idly taking first rank.
The origin Of polo, like that of
chess. Is buried in antiquity. There
are accounts sxtant of the game be-
ins played in Persia as far back as
the sixth century before the Christian
era. and detailed descriptions Of
games a thousand years ago are to
be found In museums, also drawings
SHOWING the method Of play 1t is
generally conceded that the game orig
inated with the Persians and was car
RED into India by the Mohammedans,
who became devotees OF the sport at
ter their subjugation Of the Persians.
Where Game Came From.
The Indian tea planters began play
ms the game as far back as 1864, and
they In turn passed II on TO the Eng
lish merchants In Calcutta. The
Tenth Hussars. returning to England
after their period of service In India,
brought the game with them In 1870,
and a year later there was held al
Aidershot the first match OF what has
since become one OF the most popular
sports. Five years after the English
invasion OF the Persian sport James
Gordon Bennett, proprietor OF the
New York Herald. inaugurated the
first polo match in America. The
sport sprang into popularity at once,
and the fact that Sir James Watson 3
team of English players cams to New
York and, under American rules, lift
Cd the international challenge cup in
1855 probably stimulated national In
tercst more than q victory would have
done. The cup remained in posses
sion OF the English until 1909.
In 1903 II. +. whitney announced
that 4 team from the Meadow Brook
Club would visit Englvhd and at
tempt to bring home thu prize cup.
handsome trophy two feet high and
costing $1,000. The horses for the
Amcr3can team. twenty-nine In num-
her. were shipped to England long be-
fore the contest. 20 that they could
recover from the effects of the sea
voyage and become. In q measure.
accIimatAd. The first match waS
scheduled for June 80. Some time
before that the Americans were bad
iy worsted by an English team. and
the British we're confident Of final VIC
tory. Just few days before the big
contest. however. a preliminary tour
nament was held. in which the Amer
leans came or with flying coIors. At
last the English saw that the strug-
gle was to be one OF the biggest bat
ties in the history Of the game In
the first match the American team
won by the score Of to s. The sec
ond and last game had to be post
poned until July on account OF
rain. but In this the Americans achiev-
ed an even more decisive victory--s
90 2.
Americans Learn Tricks.
The American triumph was due not
% much TO the extraordinary brill
lance Of the American method OF
play. but to the fact that every man
Oh me team had made = careful study
o: the English "onside'' methods and
had mastered tho home teams tricks
and then added q few OF his own. or
the stable Of twenty-nine horses SEM
over only seventeen were used. and
only two Of these were American-h
ponies. This fact does not reflect upon
the American-bred horse, however.
Had the grounds been dry more Am
erican horses would have been used.
but il has bean found that on heavy
field the English ponies are more at
hnMs, y,
Polo Is -closely related to hockey.
except that the players are mounted,
and instead OF the hockey stick the
rider carries q mallet or polo stick.
which Ii from tafty-two to fifty-six
inches long. The white willow ball
il three and one-etghth inches in d.
ameter and should weigh not more
than I'VE ounces. The object OF the
game II to drive the ball between the
goal posts which are set upright,
twenty-four feet apart. at each end
of the turf field. which In 800 feet
long and $50 feet wide. The riders
arc permitted to interfere with each
Others, just M In football. and the ball
has to be struck only with the mall
lets. thre heads Of which are about
eight inches long. made Of ash or
sycamore, and are attached to flexi-
BILE Aalacca canes. The skill Of the
pony u 70 be reckoned with on nc-
count OF the fact that he 10 made to
whiri ct the sharpest angles. must be
abis 70 come 70 = halt from : full
(Gallop Ia the shovtest possible dis
lance and should b. 20 trained ~ to
receive the rider's directions BY means
Of q alight pressure Of the Leg instead
Of throush the BIT and bride. The
thoroughly trained polo pony seems