The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-09-08
TALKING POLO
IS NEWEST
SPORT
Everybody's Doing It;
Lacey's Play Has
Psychological Effect
BY CAROLINE D. APPLETON.

w team the snoldering enthu.
siasms OF British "rooters" burst
into flame. Mr.. Lacey was an
nouncedl Although he had not ap
Feared in any actual formation FOL
practice 1t had been hoped, desper
ately, that he would have recovered
sufficiently from his injury to take
his position on the crucial day.
One afternoon Mr.. Lacey knocked
balls about informally with HIS team
mates at Mr.. Fleichman's field and
the next the information was per.
mitted to seep forth that Mr.. Lacey
ls definitely amongst"
The official team will be Major
Kirkwood, No. /; Major Hurndall,
No. 2; Major Atkinson at No. 3.
and Mr.. Lacey at back. Major
Atkinson and Major Kirkwood are
eight.goal men; Hurndall, nine, and
Lacey, ten, making the British q
thirty.five- goal team. The Amer.
leans are a thirty-eight.goal team.
They stand, No. /, Watson Webb,
No. 2, Thomas Hitchcock. jr.; No. 3,
Malcolm Stevenson, and Devereux
Milburn, captain and back. The
crowds persist In spite Of the post.
ponement Of the opening game from
Saturday until tomorrow.
They say that what you see 10
generally what you look for. What
you hear is usually that to which
your ear is subconsciously attuneI.
EvenI at that, hear a great deal
of polo! Even the most conserva
tive concede that there ID an un
common significance and prophetic
tone of popularity to these games.
Five men in an elevator just now
rose in silence until one said
TENTH" which was far enough
for an exchange Of opinion.
well, how about it," I'VE VIM
well, / guess we do" 'Grea,
boy, Tommy Hitchcock yeah.
but look the way they're holding
out on young Pedleyv' We'll. I'm
from the Coast myself. ana he's
the coming boy. I'm telling your
"Wha'd we say we drop off at
the tenth and talk 1t ov-hey,
tenth!' Eighteenth" remarked
the elevator boy contemporary
Let you off going down-Downa.
teen-Downr He let them off.
Then he let me off and fingered,
gazing penslvely into space while
the buzzer buzzed and buzzed.
That's countin' EN- before
they're hatched," he told me
They do say this bird Lacey can
can bat a mean ball!' Which,
although slightly mixed metaphor.
came from true world.series
soul, be it baseball or polo.
The formal announcement that
Lacey is in the game arouses u
keener concern among Americans
as well.
Lacey's Presence to Have
Psychological Effect on Team.
Major Rudd. who is one Of the
most discriminating OF American
army polo critics and who is him.
self a player Of international callber.
today expressed the opinion that
Lacey and the indisputable, II only
slight, superiority OF the chal.
lengers' ponies will make the game
keenly interesting. Lacey'S inspira.
ton to his teammates, his mere
presence in the lineup viii give u
psychological impetus to the Eng
lish team--the dash which may or
may not be basically lacking In
them on this occasion, but which at
any rate has not been apparent ex
cept individually in their practice
games.
Lacey is an Argentinian Of Eng
fish birth. stern apostle Of team
work, and an extraordinary horse,
man. He played 'the same position,
No. 4, on the Argentine team year
before last, won the English open
championship, and then came over
here and won the American open
championship at Rumson. The Ar.
gentine team, however, was de-
feated in two straight matches by
our picked international team at
Meadowbrook.
Major Atkinson played No. 2 at
times on the English army team
last year. He also played on the
Hindu team. He has seen great
deal of play in India. He il de.
liberate but accurate and strong; in
shots for goal latter a fouD he is
usually chosen. He has a very
powerful offside forward stroke.
1t Is interesting to note that the
lea mEngland has sent US Is, with
the exception Of Lacey, an army
team, while we are represented un.
exceptionally by civilians--not be.
cause our own army does not play
exceptional polo, but because the ex'
pense of the. game In the early
stages OF It's popularity In this
country has nnade It prohibitive TO
any but men OF fortune, who can
boast good ponies of their own and
are no. dependent upon government
appropriation for their mounts. Az
It is, with all our national resources
and the tremendous increase in the
popularity Of polo in America, II
SO happens that the English are
riding the better ponies.
Why Not international Polo
At Congressional Country Club?
AS 1 think Of that green velvet
field where, the new grandstanda
have sprung up in a sudden bloom
Of hydrangea blue and skilled work.
men prowl about oil day tucklng
iii stray blades of grass and SOWING
twenty-five grass seeds in this 1oot
and forty-seven in that ana chant.
ing weird incar1tations against
earthquakes, typhoons or even a
stray hen, recall the dolorous bur
inspiring picture saw last Wednes
day--the new army field. at Mitch.
ell Field, where fifty willing, not
to say eager, soldier prisoners frsm
Castle William on Governors island
are blowing about in the preilull.
nary processes Of leveling rough
ground to any sort of basis for
the necessary carpet Of greensward.
But they are highly optimistic
about II. Probably the zeal field, |
drawing the best gate receipts from
New York, should be on Governors