POLO.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15023, 18 July 1914, Page 3

POLO.

ENGLAND v. AMERICA. (TBOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) SAN FRANCISCO, Juno 23. The International Polo Cup. emblematic of the world's championship, returns to England from tho United States, as the result of tho sensational playing, of the team sent across the Atlantic from the British Isles. Last yoar England was beaten, and tho team that Lord Wimborne brought across tnis year was generally looked upon as a 'forlorn hope." Their brilliant polo was an utter surprise, but it is freely admitted they outplayed the American , four in every department of the game, i Particularly was this true of tho first j of tho two contests, which tho visitors j won by 8} goals to 3. ' | In tho realm of international sport, only the contest for the American Cup (yachting) arouses more interest than the polo matches. The beautiful grounds at Meadowbrook, Long Island, wiioro the contests were fought out, was packed on each occasion by a { crowd of about 40,000 people, and tho receipts for tho two games totalled about £40,000, or probably four times the sum of the expenses. American poloists are keenly chagrined at the loss of the Winchester Cup, and nre already making plans to visit England next year and bring it back. Tho English team comprised Captain H. A. Tomkinson, Captain Leslie St. G. Clieape. Major F. W. Barrett, and Captain Vivian Lockett, while the American line-up was Reno La Montague, J. M. Waterbury, Lawrence Waterbury, and I>everoux"Milburn. Of the Amenc:uis, all but the first-named were veterans of international matches. It was atlmitedly fine team work that wrought the downfall of the Americans. Jn tholirst two minutes of the opomng game the Englishmen rushed their antagonists off their feet, and scored two goals. This acted like a wet blanket on the vast crowd,, and there was only "a little polito and perfunctory applause," as one New York paper phrases it, for the 'visitors. The challengers gave the finest exhibition of team work ever seen by a foreign -combination in America*. Both on attack and defence they played the ball into each others' hands, taking but few unwarranted i chances. The local players wore popularly supposed to be far the stronger j team, and wore made favourites. The j rapid scoring by the Britishers in the ' opening stages of the game seemed to ! carry them off their feet, and they con- ; stantly over-rode the ball end missed i easy strokes. In the second game ! there was a much more exciting conI test, won by the challengers by 4 goals Ito 1\- Some exports declare it to \ have been the best game of polo ever ; played. The Americans were fighting iall "the time, and toward the end had ! the English men on the defensive. The i best spirit was apparent throughout the I two games, and each team complimeut--1 e<i the other on its sportsmanship. ! —.