The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-06-05
AMERICANS ARE
 FAvORITES FOR
 CHAMPIONSHIP H
U. s. Polo Stars Win First Match ll-7; Sub Igle-
 hart Stars
BY HARRY FERGUSON

N BY HARRY FERGUSON United Press Staff Correspondent
 New York, June 5-Like the em- battled farmers by the rude bridge that arched the flood at Concord, Stewart Iglehart has fired the shot heard round the world.
 And once again it was the British who took it on the chin.
 The score in the international polo series stands one to nothing in favor of the United States today, and it was young Iglemart-an eleventh-hour substitute on the American four-who fired the shot that sent teh stars and stripes of to lead that was never lost. And 1t was young Iglehart, the pride of Yale, who rode the torn turf at Meadowsbrook field like a demon yesterday and kept the United States in the battle all the way. The final score sounds like 8 dice game-11 to 7-an6 the Americans will be overwhelming favorites when they ride out next Sunday for the sec- ond match of the best-two-out-of- three series. a>
 There was much moaning at the bar-the Meadowbrook bar-when news came out Saturday that Cecil Smith, the Texas cowboy, had not recovered sufficiently from an injury suffered in practice to ride for the United States in the opening game. For Cowboy Smith, 190 pounds of rough. tough horseman, is one of the great polo players in the world. Losing him is sort of like having Joe Dimaggio break a leg on the eve of the world series. Many thought Smiths absence meant that the Union Jack would flap in triumph at the end of the first match.
 AS substitute for Smith, the American defense committee chose Iglehart, anS allaround athlete who is good at hockey and golf but whose first love is polo. He played it for Yale and after he left college he almost lived in the saddle. Yes terday his long, patient hours of practice paid dividends.
 Nice Play
 The game was less than two min- utes old when the veteran Tommy Hitchcock broke out of a skirmish and relayed the ball across the field to Iglehart. The white ball bounded crazily on the chopped turf, but Iglehart swooped on it, leaned far over and drove i tthrough the goal posts from a tough angle. That op- ening goal gave the stars and stripes a lead that never was lost.
 But Iglehart had only got started. Through all that period and the re- n1aining seven he sparked the Amer ican offense. Most of the time you coud follow the action by following Iglehart's brown helmet, for, on the boards or in the clear, he was in the midst of it. He wheeled his pony on a dime, he hit from under the neck, he hit backhand and forehand-but always he was there in the .split-seconds of danger to save the day for Uncle Sam. S.
 The score doesn't tell the story. Twelve times the British had a chance to score on free hits and only four times in those 12 was Ger aid Balding, British captain, able to score. ngland got those 12 free hits because of American fouls all four of the star spangled banner team were riding hell for leather all the way.
 High scoring man of the day was Hitchcock, a veteran at this busi- ness, who still is one of the best tacticians in polo. He accounted for five goals. and time after time made brilliant, almost lone-handed raids into British territory. e,..
 Bob Skene. an Australian play ing No. 1, starred for England. It was largely through his efforts that Great Britain. tagging 2 to o in the first few minutes. pulled up until the score was onl 6 to 5 in favor of America at half time.
 Rain softened the turf and held the attendance down to 15,000.