With Arthur Douglas-Nugent, deputy chief umpire for the HPA Comment Umpire’s corner
How to play advantage – and feel good about it
more open and faster, not least due to the new interpretation of the turning rule. One area we still need to sort out is the advantage rule. Some senior umpires will not play the advantage, but are they correct? On occasions it must be right to allow play to continue after a player has been fouled, say by a crossing player who continues on his way, whereas a player who blocks the right of way should be blown, as even if play were to continue, a mêlée almost always ensues. However, it is important the correct procedure is followed. The rules say: “To signal that he has seen the foul but is playing the advantage, the umpire should say 'Play on'; and raise his hand.” At a recent game this was brought home when an umpire failed to carry out this procedure in the closing stages of a match in which the teams were separated by half a goal. He inexplicably awarded a penalty in favour of a team that had patently fouled in front of their opponents' goal. On subsequent enquiry the umpire explained that the defending team had fouled previously but that he had let play continue to see what happened and so the penalty was awarded for the previous foul. But then we have the quote from the referee in the final of the Champions League: “When the ball broke to Eto'o who played Milito in and Inter Milan scored, it was a wonderful feeling to have played advantage.” You have to make the choice and you may be damned if you do and damned if you don't but if you do, raise your hand – and remember, never play the advantage on a dangerous foul.
T A HIT AND A SQUEEZE
In racing the use of the whip is a hot topic and Charlie Brooks, a columnist in the Daily Telegraph, controversially argues that whips
26 July 2010
www.polotimes.co.uk
he season is hotting up and the gloom-merchants are back in their boxes. It is generally agreed that the quality of polo has improved;
should be banned even though “the whips that jockeys now use have been modified to the point that they could hardly squash a fly”. It is the public perception that counts. We have gone some way down this route by banning whipping when the ball is dead other than in exceptional circumstances; for example, if a horse kicks in the line-out. In play, a player will be penalised if he hits his pony more than twice or with such force that the crack can be heard around the ground.
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particular the interchange between the parallel and trailing umpire. Think of a doubles match in tennis or a 45-degree angle across the ground and you will be about right. The increased use of the backhand in contrast to the slow turn has given the umpires, or more accurately their ponies, a tougher challenge as it is essential to keep up with the play. Teams understandably are reluctant to release their first-string ponies for umpiring but to send out donkeys does no
If you play advantage, raise your hand – and remember, never play the advantage on a dangerous foul
I feel that a whip in polo is a sort of balance in the left hand to the stick in the right and would not support a ban. A ban on the use of spurs is another issue, and maybe we should start with players of –2 and below, although here it is riding skills rather than playing ability that count most.
UPPING THE UMPIRE PONIES We have been concentrating on the positioning of umpires this year and in
one any favours and increasingly we are finding in 15-goal that two ponies are required to do the job. F
◗ See also Letters, page 18. Email Arthur at
whistleblower@polotimes.co.uk
Read past editions of Umpire’s Corner in our online archive. Subscribers have access to back issues when they login. Contact
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Play goes on until the whistle blows…
This month’s puzzle Play is continuing when a player dismounts and starts to walk his pony off towards the nearest sideline.As an umpire what should you do?
Last month’s solution
You blow for a foul near to the back line but are overruled by the referee; from where should the throw-in be taken? The answer is at least 10 yards from the back line and at least 20 yards from the boards towards them (Rule 21b (ii)).
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