Polo Postponed

Floods came, winds blew and beat upon International Field at Meadowbrook Club, Long Island. Experts prodded the turf, found it saturated, slippery. The first U. S.-England polo match, scheduled for Sept. 5 (TIME, Sept. 5), was put off until Sept. 10.

Polo Facts. Polo mallets are croquet mallets, extremely stretched. The long handles are of flexible bamboo and the head of wood. It is the erroneous impression of many people, even after witnessing a game, that the ball (wood, about indoor baseball size) is hit with the nose of the mallet. This would be practically impossible; the nose of a polo mallet is not two inches in diameter. The ball is hit with the side of the mallet, preferably just where the handle joins. When it is hit between the goal posts at the end of the field (flat turf, ten times as large as a football field) a goal is scored. The team scoring the most goals wins.

There are four men on a team and eight periods of play (chukkers) of 7 1/2 minutes each. In some cases of fouling a goal may be awarded the offended side. Other fouls give the offended side a free shot at the opposing goal from various distances. A usual foul is riding in front of another player galloping full tilt (dangerous); also hooking a stick across a pony; pushing with the hands, etc., etc.

The game is hard on men and mounts. The latter are changed every period; usually the favorite mounts playing the first and seventh periods; another favorite the second and eighth; other mounts one each.

Polo ponies are expensive (top price $13,000); must be fast and highly trained. A well-trained pony is a player almost as literally as the man on his back.

Ponies have, very rarely, inadvertently, kicked goals. Such goals count.