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Show H , CHEAPE LLOYD BARRETT PALMES LARRY WATERBURY MONTE WATERBURY WHITNEY MILBURN H . . , .-..- . . . H . Jrv J tfflMKbr v vVf FtX u..-t . H Photos by American Press Association. By TOMMY CLARK. JUDGING from present Indications, Indica-tions, tho coming International polo matches for the Axnorican , challenge oup, whioh aro sched- uled to take place at tho Meadow- M brook Polo club grounds. Long Island H N. T, May 31, Jane 3 and 7, will afford H a' splendid exhibition of that moat sen- H sational game. Polo is gaining in H poptilar favor every year, and thou- H eanda will attend toe international con- H tests. H Although an English team, visited H this country last summer, this will be H the first opportunity for tho many H polo enthusiasts in America to wit- H ness a big International match. Since H 1 1886, whon tho American cup was won H by an English team at Newport, the H - matches for it have been played In H England, but the victory of Harry H Payne' Whitney and his tcammatea in H 1909 brought tho cup to this coun- B try after twenty-thrco years, and Eng- H land must win It back on American H Boll before it again crosses the water. B When the cup waa first played for, in HBV Newport, in 1S36, polo was In its ln- pBV fancy in thiB countrj'- The American HBV team was composed of VT. K. Thorn, pHa August Belmont, Foxhall Keene and Bb Thomas Hitchcock. The English team HBb was made up-of Captain T. Hone, Hon. BS R. T. Lawley, Captain 1. Little and HBh John Watson. The game had been pBv played quite extensively In England for HBb some time, and It was especially popu- H , ( lar with tho British army officers In HBV ' India. Only a few yearn before James JBV .- Gordon Bennett and a few enthusiasts HBV had Introduced tho gamo here. It was HBV first played at Jerome park, New York, HBV then the most fashionable race course, HBVI ;, and tho first malleta used were croquet HBV mallets. The American challenge cup was presented by the Westchester Polo club of Newport, to bo played for under the following conditions: "For the best of threo matches to bo played on tho grounds and under tho rules of the country for tho time being holder of tho cup." Aa was to bo expected. England scored a somowhat hollow victory, winning both matches by an overwhelming over-whelming score. For fourteen years England remained in undisputed possession pos-session of tho cup, nnd tho idea of winning it back seemed to become moro and moro remote. In the mean-tlmo mean-tlmo tho Polo 'Association of America was organized. In 1890, and tho gamo began to grow In popular favor. The Polo association, however, formulated its own rules of play, and as theoo differed dif-fered in several Important particulars from the Hurllngham rules, under which the gamo Is played In England, the prospect grew still more discouraging. In 1890, howovor, Forhall Keeno and a toam consisting chiefly of Americans who had been playing abroad for some time under Hurllngham rules challenged chal-lenged England, but played only one match, being defeated 8 goals to 2. Mr. Keonc's teammates woro W. Mc-Creery, Mc-Creery, F. J. Mackay and Li. McCreery, and tho English team was composed of Captain the Hon, J. G. Bereaford, F. M. Freake, W. S. Buckma3tcr and John Watson. Again in 1902 Amorica challenged chal-lenged for tho cup, but succeeded In winning only ono out of tho three matches played. The American team was composed of Pv. 1. Agassiz, J. E. Cowdln, Foxhall Keene' and L. Water-bury, Water-bury, tho latter brother. J. M. Water-bury, Water-bury, replacing Mr. Cowdln in the final match. The English team of 1902 was made up of C. P. Nlckalls, F. M. Freake, G. A. Miller and W. S. Buckmaster. It was not until 1909 that Mr. Whitney, Whit-ney, with his associates of the Mead-owbrook Mead-owbrook team, which has practically held tho American championship for years, mado a final and successful effort ef-fort to regain the cup from England. In order to accomplish this Mr. Whitney Whit-ney personally assumed enormous cx-penso cx-penso In tho matter of ponies, somo of which were shipped from this country, whllo many moro wore purchased In England. Tho matches wero played at Hurllngham, the headquarters of polo In England, and tho Americans won two straight games. The American Ameri-can team was composed of Lawronco Waterbury. J. M. Watcrbury, H. P. Whitney and Devercux Mllburn. The English team for tho first match numbered num-bered Captain Herbert Wilson. F. M. Freake, P. W. Nlckalls and Lord Wode-houso. Wode-houso. Tho English team In the second match consisted of Harry Rich, F. M Freake, P. W. Nlckalls and Captain Hardress Lloyd. Tho first score was 9 goals to 6, and tho second was 8 goals to 2. In choosing a team to represent England Eng-land as challenger for tho cup this year the Hurllngham commlttco has greatly favored the army, all of the six candidates for tho team being officers. offi-cers. They are Captain J. Hardress Lloyd, who Is also captain of tho team and who played against America In ono of the 1909 matches, Captain Herbert Wilson, who was also a contestant In the last International; Captain Lcsllo SL C. Cheape; Lieutenant E. W, E. Palmes, Captain F. W. Barrett and Lieutenant Noel Edwards. It is not known yet Just which of tho six will be selected to comprise England's four. The Englishmen havo not played together to-gether as a team, but In several in- stances twos and threes of them have been on the same teams. Several havo come by most of their polo experience by playing th6 gamo in India. In fact. It looks as though Hurllngham had more confidence in Indian polo than in tho homo variety, so largely does the eastern contingent predominate. Although no announcements have been mado as yet to that effect. It Is moro than likely that tho American team will be made up precisely as it was when it won back tho cup from England Eng-land In 1909. In this respect the Mcad-owbrook Mcad-owbrook team will havo an enormous advantage over the English In having played together aa a team for several seasons. Polo at Its best depends tremendously tre-mendously upon "team work rather than individual play. Tho Waterbury brothers, who havo now been playing polo for twelve or fourteen years, have always been able to accomplish wonders won-ders by their mutual efforts, while tho all but invlnclblo and daring stylo ,of Mllburn, together with Whitney's perseverance per-severance and enthusiasm, should help form a combination hard to resist. Both teams will bo mounted upon tho world's best available polo ponies. When England decided to challengo this year a fund was raised by subscription sub-scription for tho purchase of the best ponlos to bo had. Somo owners of crack ponies offered to lend them for tho occasion. Of course the players themselves brought their own favorites. Tho English string, thirty in all. comprises com-prises a splendid loL Thero aro English Eng-lish and Irish thoroughbreds among (them, Indian ponies, ponies from New South Wales and ponies from America. All are In excellont condition, having been fed nothing but English oats since their arrival here. The American toam will be fully as 7oll mounted. Many owners havo volunteered to loan their best ponies, but It Is more than probablo that tho Mcadowbrook team will be able to tako caro of Itself In this rospect. Harry Payne Whitney himself has had no fewer than sixty-eight ponies playing at Lakcwood, Somo of theso wore used by tho American team at Hurllngham In 1909, and many of them havo won distinguished names for themselves on tho polo field It has been suggested abovo that differences dif-ferences In tho rules of play established establish-ed by tho Polo association In this country and those of the Hurllngham club In England for a long time discouraged dis-couraged International polo. Theso consisted of tho Hurllngham rulo which permitted players under certain conditions to "hook mallets," which was forbidden In this countrj', and tho English rule regarding "off3ldo," which was novcr recognized here. Tho latter Beems very complicated to tho American Ameri-can mind, especially in tho thick of a furious rldo, Under this rulo a player oould not hit the ball or interfere with tho gamo If ho was "offside" that is. If at tho moment the ball was hit ho had not at least one opponent between himself and tho opponent's goal. Exceptions Ex-ceptions woro when a player waa already al-ready in posseBslon of tho ball or where a player was following up a teammate who had possession of tho ball. Tho Polo association suspended the rulo against hooking mallets some years ago, and this season the "offside" "off-side" rulo has been abollnhod In England. Eng-land. Whether this will bo permanent or whether It was simply suspended temporarily In order to give British polo players a chanco to practice tho American game so as to compete for tho cup remains to be seen. Many polo playors aro of tho opinion that the "offside" rule will never be restored, restor-ed, as Its abJMinco makes a much faster and snappier gamo. Both ho English and American teams ha, ! me most of their preliminary prai i.e." at Lakowood, N. J., where, on account of Its sandy soil and mild cllmato, the polo season usually commences. com-mences. Thero on the Gould estate aro two splendid fields, and thus the International teams havo been onabled to practice without Interfering with each other In the least. Every facility has boon given the Engllshmon to got Into form. A number of our best polo players, who, however, aro not likely to figure In tho International matches, were staying at Lakowood, and they formed Bcratch teams from day to day bo that the visiting team would not lack for opponents. In the same way teams havo been mado up in order to glvo tha Meadowbrook playors practice. |