THE NEWEST PASTIME

Evening Star, Issue 10398, 20 August 1897, Page 4

THE NEWEST PASTIME

The latest development of the bicycle craze is the introduction into our encvclopedm of sport 0 f a new game, “bicycle polo. The game (says the ‘ London Mail M is as yet in its infancy, and consequently possesses no official laws of its own, but broadly speaking, the regulations are similar to those which govern polo proper. Two flags are placed at each end of the course DO . defi " it ® ,e “flth has yet been faxed, through which the ball has to be the , P’TO being mounted on bicycles and armed with hockey sticks. The numbers on either side must vary according to the size of the course. At Bushey only four players took part, two on each side but even with this small number playing the possibilities of the game, both as an exercise for the combatants and as an amusement for the spectators, were made thoroughly apparent. It is certainly advisfnb'e,,f"rfith ° , n . oVlc ® indulging in the sport for the first time to use an old machine—thornmrM lf pos ® ,b . le — thou gh a man when thoroughly proficient may mount his new Beeston Humber with impunity. Deliberate crossing and riding down an bn?° aonf i 0f .,? 0U u rse > not permissible, but accidents will happen, and a wild beginner m the fury of the fray may do an incalculable amount of damage in a very short space of time. The blauty of the game as a spectacle is considerably enhanced by the introduction of a number of trees p anted at irregular intervals in the field of & ,^ h '3 Particukr variation finds favor with the Bushey players, who obtain as much excitement from dodging the trees as m the finer but more commonplace points of thp E » am fr ■ l ° r the spectators, of course, these collisions constitute the chief attracturn and for this reason alone the game should soon become popular as a show. The game has undoubtedly a science of its own considerable dexterity. being required in the management of the machines. As is the « as V T h u°- Ckey 0n the ice > player 3 with ball ? hla P osseas| on has a great advantage, as he can go straight ahead, while his opponents once left behind, find it almost an impossibility to overtake him and turn in tune to rob him before he hits a goal. With a larger number playing, however this defect could be.remedied, as then each side t nctf have a full ' ba °k always on hand to tackle an opponent, * °