Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-07-03
POLO GAMES
COST 100000
English and American Teams to
Meet In June.
Two YEARS GETTING READY
Most Brilliant and Dangerous of Pas
times-Britishers Have Brought Over
Unusually Good Ponies-Americans
Have Slight Advantage.

The American and English polo
teams are ready for their international
clash at Westbury, N. j., June 10 and
IA. When the four Yankees and four
E~nglishmen canter on the field to play
for the worlds championship the 3d.
600 spectators will be entertained and
thrilled by the most expensive game
ever arranged in the history of modern
sport.
For the match, in which eight men
will take part-four Americans and
four Englishmen-$1,OOO, 900 has been
spent, or at least will be before the
games are over. Both countries have
been getting ready for two years.
This is a terrific cost for games that
last only an hour, but the men who
know polo say it is worth it. To them
polo is the greatest game in the world.
1t is the most brilliant and dangerous
Of pastimes. 1t has electrical changes,
as has baseball. 1t requires unison of
eye, brain and hand to a degree that
no other game knows. 1t requires, too,
a combination of working between
horses and man as can be attained only
by long continued training. The game
is spectacular in the extreme. The
fight will change in a few seconds from
one end of the field to the other. A
single drive may change the whole
complexion Of the play, and all the
time there is the possibility of a spill
that means broken limbs or death.
There is no place in polo for a man or
pony that has not the stoutest of
hearts and the strongest Of muscles.
The United States team is ready to
meet the Englishmen, and as the lat
ter say they have this year corralled
all the finest ponies in England, Ire
land, Egypt and India if they lose
again they will not be able to say this
time that it was owing to the lack of
good mounts. There is no doubt that
two years ago the Americans had the
faster animals. There was little to
choose between the two teams. The
E~nglishmen eXcelled in the technique
Of riding and were gentler with their
ponies, their riding being in marked
contrast to the loose seats of the
American players. Team work was
marvelously good on each side, but the
Meadowbrook four excelled in lining
out for passing the ball.
The American team and it's substi-
tutes are as follows:
Harry P. Whitney. captain; Dew
ereux Milburn, Lawrence w. Water
bury and J. NJ. Waterbury, Jr. The
substitutes are r. l.. AgassiZ. Joshua
Crane, J. S. Phipps, L. e. Stoddard. G.
G. Rumsey. Malcolm Stevenson and R.
Montague. Mr.. Whitney, Mr.. Milburn
and the two Waterburys formed the
winning four two years ago.
The British team will be selected
from among these players: Captain
Leslie st. c. Cheape, Captain R. G.
Ritson, Captain G. E. Bellville, F. NJ.
Freake. Noel Edwards, Vivian Lockett
and Lord Wodehouse. Captain Cheape
and Captain Edwards were on the WIS.,
iting team in 1911.
The big four-Whitney, Milburn and
the two Waterburys-are great polo
players. They occupy not only the
highest rank in the handicaps in Amer
lea and in England, but they have been
playing so long as q team that they
know and understand each others play
perfectly.
This is a big asset and is the real
strength Of a team. If a new member
was introduced in a team it would take
months of practice to attain the knowl-
edge of just how the other poloists play
the game The members of the big
four are tied up with the red
tape Of team play. but each player
knows just how his mate plays. This
often enables the team as a whole to
score a victory. .
The American cup defenders will
have a big advantage over the English
team, as the challengers for the cup
have never played together as a team.
Individually the English p~oloists are
much better pOlOiSts than the team
that came over here in 1911. Captains
Edwards and Cheape were members Of
the 1911 team and have played to-
gether They understand each others
system Of play.
The English team received a terrific
blow when Captain Buckmaster an
nounced he would not be able to ac-
company the team to America. Buck
master is considered the best poloist in
England. Captain Ritson, who has re-
placed him, is a crack player. and
some experts consider him the equal Of
Buckmaster.
Captain Vivian Lockett. the newest
member Of the team, is a clever player.
but is not in the same class with the
other three.
A few weeks practice is scarcely suf-
fcient for a team to coordinate in
tricks Of the game. There are many
angles and curves to polo, but the chief
essential is to hit the ball. but if "di-
rection' is missing hitting the ball is
merely so much waste effort. Antici-
patng a play enables a poloist to
checkmate his opponents effort to Sc
cure a goal and to obtain the ball and