Open Polo

The U. S. Open Polo Championship last week reached its final round. Across the close-cropped turf of Meadowbrook Club, Westbury, L. I., the Sands Point team, headed by Thomas Hitchcock Jr., only 10-goal U. S. poloist, charged to decisive victory and a chance to cross mallets with the Hurricanes, Irish-American four. The Hurricanes, led by Irish Capt. C. T. I. Roark, internationalist who has played on Spanish, French, Irish, English, and Indian polo fields, had defeated but one team (The Roslyns) in order to meet the two-time victorious Sands Pointers in the deciding match.

Surprisingly enough, polo enthusiasts were last week thinking less of the approaching finals than of the poor showing of the Eastcott team, three-quarters English, which was easily eliminated by Hitchcock's four in the opening match of the series. Whether by some inherent strain of grace which prevents Englishmen from making final, unlovely exertions, or by some inscrutable play of chance, U. S. polo had again shown itself indomitably superior to British play. Since 1927 hard-riding gentlemen from the British Isles, traditional home of the polo-minded, have twice tried to capture the International trophy from the U. S., have twice failed in their attempt.

Thus it was that during the past few weeks field glasses in the stands were trained particularly on the English players, neglected best U. S. stickmen, eager college boy contestants. The Englishmen, as everyone knew, were potential internationalists who will enter next year's international play. They had been sent to play in tournaments, to get the feel of U. S. turf, to study U. S. play and players. In addition to Capt. Roark, sure to be among next year's challengers, were bespectacled Cecil Balding, wing commander Percival K. Wise, tattooed 9-goalman and Capt. Charles H. Tremayne, recently-chosen leader of the Internationals.

For match play, Tremayne, Wise, Balding and Earle W. Hopping of the U. S. formed the Eastcotts, lost six out of seven discouraging practice games. In the first game of the Monty Waterbury Cup series, also begun last week at Westbury, and in importance second only to the Open, the National Junior Championship youngsters who call themselves the Old Aikens trounced them 16-8. Old Aikens' victory coupled with the early elimination of the Englishmen in the Open series discouraged polo-observers from predicting formidable 1930 opposition from overseas.

Because he was the only uneliminated Britisher, attention in the open was naturally focussed last week on Irish Capt. Roark of the Hurricanes, whose team had gained the finals by its single victory. British sportsmen, dismayed by the fate of Eastcott, more anxious than cocky U. S. prognosticators, awaited news of the encounter of Roark and Hitchcock in the final chukkers of the Open Championship. Despite his successive defeats, friends of Soldier-Poloist Tremayne insist that he is not one to quail before enemy fire; that he will next year return to competition.