Equestrian


On site irrigation keeps pitches lush all summer long


into 7-minute periods of play called chukkas. Players have to mount a fresh horse after each chukka. There are two mounted umpires and an on-looking referee to see fair play. More difficult to understand, if you’re not a polo watcher, is that there is a right-of-way governed by the line of the ball. Even harder - especially if you’re left-handed - is that players may only hold a stick in the right hand. The Hurlingham Polo Association is the governing body for the sport in this country.


Equally difficult to grasp outside of the sport is the handicapping of players. In


its way, this is much like golf, being based on past performance. It is designed to see that teams are equally weighted in ability and matches staged at differing standards. High goal, as mentioned is polo’s crème de la crème. Medium, intermediate and low speak for themselves. Polo used to be an Olympic sport


before the Second World War and is, once again, recognised by the IOC. Excitement, spectacle and appeal are surely enough to get it re-instated? Peter tells me that high goal polo is amazingly exciting and the skill of the


The Queen and Prince Philip watch the 2012 Queens Cup Final


riders leaves him awestruck. At any level though, they and their horses don’t do his pitches any favours, and it’s an around the calendar and, between April and September, an around the clock job to keep Smith’s Lawn looking and playing as good as it is. The first big test comes on 21st May when this year’s annual Queens Cup tournament gets under way, culminating in the final on 16th June. Historically, HM The Queen attends this event and, no doubt, Ground One will be fit to lay before her.


APRIL/MAY 2013 PC 117


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