Play.—Previous to John Watson's teaching, the method of play was for one man on each side to be the goalkeeper, and for the others to play forward and to hit the ball when and how they could. He intro duced the back-hand stroke, and placed his men at No. 1, No. 2. half-back or No. 3, and back. He also taught them to combine and hit to each other. But he taught the game on rather wooden and inelastic lines. Then the brothers Peat appeared on the scene, and soon found out and demonstrated how to play the game in a more scientific manner and with such success that they won the champion cup at Hurlingham on eight occasions. Then came the era of the Freebooters', Rugby, Old Cantab and Roehampton teams, and of the various good regimental teams, such as the 7th, loth, 11th, 13th and loth Hussars, the 9th and 17th Lancers and the Inniskilling Dragoons. The training both of men and ponies was rapidly improved. A very scientific game was developed, accurate combination being carefully taught ; but too much impor tance was probably directed to defence, the principles of attack not being sufficiently developed.
While this was going on in England, polo was being rapidly improved in India, and many very fine players were produced there. The ponies were then much smaller, and consequently much more easy to train and ride. The grounds are harder and much easier to hit the ball on; also as the game is played in India all the year round far more practice is possible. Everything seemed to be in a satisfactory state as regards the game till 1909, when English polo players got a rude awakening from the Ameri can team at Hurlingham, who defeated the English representa tives very easily.
The Americans had never adopted the offside rule. They conse quently developed a very much faster game. They also perfected strokes that had hardly been attempted elsewhere. They met the ball on possible occasions and hit under their ponies' necks instead of hitting back-handers from the side of the ground. They played a most elastic game, hitting harder and passing more accurately. They had developed the science of the attack, galloped faster, and were much more accurate goal hitters.
In 1910 the Hurlingham Club decided to profit by the lessons learnt from the Americans in 1909, and made two most important alterations in their rules. Offside was abolished and handicapping was introduced. The abolition of offside quickened up the game to a very great extent, and the institution of handicapping re sulted in much harder and more even matches. The periods of play were shortened from ten to eight minutes, seven periods being played for a match instead of six. English polo probably reached its zenith in 1914 when the English team which visited America brought the cup back.
Then came the World War which gave a set-back to English polo from which it has not yet recovered. The expenses of polo have vastly increased since the pre-war years. In 1919, owing to the pony wastage of the war,
the troubles in Ireland, formerly the chief source of supply of high-class ponies, and the fact that the breeding of ponies in both England and Ireland had almost ceased, it was impossible to supply the demand for 14.3 ponies of the right stamp. This necessitated the abolition of the height limit. The big thoroughbred pony now in use in first-class polo is more expensive to buy, dearer to keep and much more difficult to train and to ride. Also, undoubtedly, the abolition of offside and the institution of handicapping has made the game more expensive. For the handy pony of moderate speed is now quite useless in an ordinary good game, and the handicap entails far more close matches, which means that more ponies are required. In spite of this polo is in a very flourishing condition. In Great Britain it is played at Hurlingham, Ranelagh, Roe hampton, and at some 3o county clubs affiliated to the County Polo Association. It is played throughout the British empire, wherever sufficient players can collect together to make up a game. It is played all over India; many of the maharajahs and chiefs keep up teams in the native States. It is played on the Continent, and is fast becoming a national game in the U.S.A.
London has for a number of years attracted most of the best players of the world. During the season, May 1 to July 31, matches and tournaments for every class of player are held at Hurlingham, Ranelagh and Roehamp ton. These clubs maintain seven grounds, as well as three at Worcester park as an overflow. Since the war, first-class teams from America, India and the Argentine have taken part in the various tournaments, and as a rule there are two or three first-class English teams competing in all the principal events such as the Whitney Cup, the Champion Cup, the Ranelagh Open Cup and the Roehampton Open Cup. The second and third-class players are catered for equally well in a variety of lesser competitions; the soldiers have their own tournaments, i.e., the inter-regimental at Hurlingham, the Subalterns' Cup at Ranelagh and the handi cap military tournament at Roehampton. The whole organization is well-nigh perfect, controlled by professional polo managers. India has good tournaments at far separated places such as Cal cutta, Delhi, Meerut, Amballa, Rawalpindi, etc., but there is no place in India where good polo can be concentrated for a lengthy period as in England. In England a good player can play at Mine head, Somerset, in April; he can then go to London for May, June and July; then come the county tournaments beginning at Cowdray in Goodwood week, Rugby in the first week in August, Cirencester, Cheltenham, Tidworth, and he can finish up with a month of good games at Minehead. A keen player can, weather permitting, get nearly six months on end of match play.