may: be: a few red- faced. colonels Because polo came: to Canada’ -from England and was introduced ~» by: those settlers:who could well ™ . ‘afford:.to pay,. many. Canadians possibly imagine the game ‘tobe Ss >a somewhat: leisurely” form” of ~ equestrian exercise, usually fol- lowed by tea and crumpets,. / It-'may be thought that polo is played only by very rich men _for. snob reasons, and that_the . whole game is supported by red-» faced colonels of. the ‘Poonah’’ type who drop their G's, turn ‘their. R’s into Ah’s,.and express. their appreciation by such ex- -, Clamations as “By..Gad, Sir,”” -and Well Hit, By Jove’', In actual fact, polo is-an ex-: tremely tough game requiring --physical fitness;'skill, andplenty of nerve. . To be good at ita «player has~ to .be_ a: first-rate horseman . and have a real eye for the ball. : High goal polo, i i.e; firstélass : polo,” is: one of. the: fastest: and ~ “most exciting games played, and- ‘a game in which a-high degree ~ “goal. polo of.a standard requir- ‘ing high” ‘priced: ponies, - but - in over by. ordinary people with “ ordinary: incomes‘ who. play be~ cause ‘they’ like “hitting a ball ‘from the: back. of a galloping” horse. - Ss Many of the players are horse- men*who have become bored with’ other forms of riding and look for horse activity that. has . a higher challenge. and gives a : greater” Satisfaction. Once they start polo they seldom give it up willingly. tially: a’ man’s game as very few women. have ..the strength in their wrists to~ swing. the mallet effectively. ao Sir Winston Churchill, an av~- ‘td polo player’ in his youth, once game -in the following Churchil- lian sentence: ‘Polo is the prince “Of games: because: it combines 12049 . a Carling Black Label, . Beoo.-_ -The- same great beer that’s enjoyed oo Be 7 in 68 countries is now a snap to open, cow oe. |n fast chilling, full 12 ounce cans. ~ - stin in bottle, tool This advertisement i is not ot published or displayed by the Liquor Control Board or by the Government of British Columbia, “still: around . ‘(biess’ them!),” and © “undoubtedly” there are many rich . men: who, play, particularly high.” =the -main polo is played the world... Polo is. essen- - “summed up his feelings for the. .. India, . ail the pleasure’ of hitting ‘the. “ball, ewhich is: the foundation: of so. many amusements,” cwith: all ae pleasure — “of riding. and dhe horsemanship, “and to: both of these there. is” added. that: ine : tricate,” loyal ‘team-work: which is. the”: “@SSENCE. -of football or: baseball, and:whichrenders a true: combination so vastly -su- perior ‘to the individuals of which ° it is composed.”’ Let us - take a. look at the history of this fascinating game, ‘and how it reached Western Can- ada, Polo is probably the oldest recorded game in the world; the Persian poet, Firdausi, de- scribed a match. between the Persians . and. the Turkomans about.the year 600 B.C. . At -Ispahan are. the. ruins of.a very. ancient polo ground, with stone’ goal posts eight yards apart and the length of the ground 300 yards, This is the correct mea-" suremenis _ for grounds .-today. The name ‘polo’ comes: . from ‘tpale’, which. polo. balls were made in : Tibet. ‘Slowly. the game spread over : Asia, even.to China, Japan and It_.was . being. played in the 19th century in the northern ‘mountainous regions of. India. The first club, The ‘Silchar Polo Club in Cachar, was formed in 1859 by soldiers and tea plant- . “ers. They had been playing the -game--with the Manipuris. who had played for hundreds of years, — -: By 1862 the Calcutta Polo Club had been formed .and.the game “spread. rapidly all over India _-and throughout the army. ‘In England the first. match __. was played at Hounslow in 1871,- ‘between the 9th Lancers and the 10th Hussars, and in 1874 the Hurlingham Club was formed and - the Champion. Cup was inaugur- ated in 1876, “The game spread rapidly from ’ England to -America,: and. then to the Argentine,’ and today there ~ the willow root from cotin River, or. F atPineher Creek, Alberta.: 8 Chilancoh | “Ranch was. “owned ‘ by. “Mr. Bayliff “who. combined _ playing: polo ‘and ‘making’ (1.e.: training) polo ponies with a little © eattle ranching on the side. The: -Chilancoh cattle brand was, and “still is, a polo stick and ball, The Bayliff family continue to ranch: at Chilancoh and the largé pasture near the house is called the polo field to this day. One of the founders of the Pincher Creek polo. club was " another Englishman called Ed- mund Wilmot. Edmond’s son Tommy. Wilmot. now. Hves in Vernon, a professional polo play~ - er most of his life he was in- strumental in reviving polo. in . Vancouver after the Second World* War. - It:-is interesting to note ‘that. Tony Yonge, Jonty. Parker and. Nip Parker. who play-for the. Victoria . Polo. Club all .Jearnt their: polo under the guidance of Tommy Wilmot. a Polo. ‘in’ ~ Canada... today ‘is played ‘only. in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver" and Saanichton, ° but - before the war there were clubs in Alberta at Calgary, High River as well as Pincher Creek, Cal~. _gary has hada strong club for “many years, and during the 1920's one of its major exports was that” of polo ponies to. the U.S.A. The mixture of English im- ported : bloodstock and the. local cowpony stock made the Calgary pony ~an ~ideal~ type. for polo}. these ponies were shipped by the carload to the rich. Eastern American clubs such as. Mead- owbrook, Long Island. ~ On the British Columbia main-. “and polo was played in many places, . among them Kamloops, _ “also at.Coldstream -Ranch. at Vernon and. at Douglas Lake, The latter team ‘was captained - by Frank. Ward who was man- | ager of the famous Douglas. Lake - - Ranch now owned by C.N. Wood" are few countries. where it is- not ‘played. © It is even played in Russia; game; certainly. the finest polo : “In the. Argentine many:. -ceonsider’ it tobe the. national. “in the world -is: played there to~ - day, : ternational = matches © England and- America’ was- won by England. in 1885, 1900 and 1902, It was won by the U.S.A. - 1914 England won it decisively ~~ with a--team of four. cavalry officers. | Between the wars, although going very close in1936, The height of polo ponies was once limited to 14.2 hands, which explains why they. are called : ponies, . but today there is no height. restriction.: Polo: ‘reached Western Canada. soon after it became popular in England. It.cannot be said with any certainty exactly where and : when’ it~ was: first. started, but - most Mkely {t was in the 1890's at either the Chilancoh ranch, Te farm Fou opening of a branch HARBOUR RD. . Radio Telephones for equipment including i direction Radar. finders Phone 656-2632 We are pleased to announce e the Van Isle Marina | IN SIDNEY We are manufacturers of Marine | and commercial vessels. plant at pleasu re We are also agents for marine sounders, and . Decca DANIELS ELECTRONICS LTD. Van Isle Marina, Harbour Rd., Sidney. “Phe Westchester. Cup: for in- ~ between - ~ {ne 1909,°:1911 -and 1913, but in.” “England lost “the cup” in 1921 “and ‘failed to recover it again near Alexis Creek, on the Chil- . u Better ward, who until ‘recently. .was playing polo in- Vancouver. . Tommy. Wilmot: played on the . Douglas Lake team fora. time, ‘as did Ralph Chetwynd ‘who later ‘becaine a cabinet minister. in. the. B.c. provincial government, and after: ‘whom ‘the® town - of -Chet- wynd -is named. _and 1930's .in ‘the centre. of the sisted of Clarence Wallace (later “three sons. On Vancouver Island, polo was played in. Victoria in the 1930's at the Centaurs Polo Ciub which ‘later became. the original .Vic- toria Polo Club, Among: its players “Jack Boorman took up “the. game. again in 1966 after a lapse of 26, years, and would - probably be playing. now but for. aback injury. war player, Gerry. Aitken, re= turned after. 28. years to: play. in an inter-club match in Saan- : 'ichton last July. Polo was also played before. the “war ~at’ Duncan, Cowichan and Esquimalt. . The outbreak of the war saw the cessation of polo in British Columbia, : and.it was. not until Zealander named Pat Samuel, started the game going at what ‘{ng and Polo Club in Vancouver. It was at Southlands that both Dr. Powell, a veterinarian from Ireland, took up the game. These. gentlemen were’ the nucleus of. the present Saanichton players. Dr. Powell started the Van- couver Island Polo Club in 1962 and most of its- members. are now with the new Victoria Polo Club, ; _... Modern polo in North America ts controled by the United States Polo Association. which exists - for the purpose of promoting the game, co-ordinating the act~ arranging and supervising na- tional and international polo games. There. are 80 member clubs, (including Victoria Polo Club), having a total of 800 players. Each club elects a delegate, and the delegates in turn elect the officers and governors of the Association each year. by the United States Polo ASsoc- fation is annually given a rating from zero to 10 according to the handicap committee’s as- sessment of his all-round play- ing ability, sportsmanship, and several other variables. This rating system is hot based onthe humber of goals 5 player scores, The Association once a yeat has . the prérogative of either raising 7 "Farrell have been Mr. and rae ae Hy S; Tory of.Calgary, Mr. and”: : The: premier” aa ee club = on. the © “mainland. was,” of 29 “course, the Vancouver Polo Club “which played during the 1920's - oid Brig House. race ‘track. One” of the many strong teams fielded oa Spenco by Vancouver in those days con= °°.) - the Lieutenant Governor) and. his - Another.- pre- ~ 1953 that’ Tommy Wilmot, help- ed by Martin Griffin and a New. _is now known as Southlands Rid- Nip Parker, a schoolmaster, and © ivities of its member clubs and Every polo player registered | Mrs, J, Rommanchuk, Edmonton, -- and Mr. P, S.-Murphy, San Diego. Calif: Mrs: Tory. is a niece of Mrs. Farrell's and Mr, Murphy: is.Mrs, Farrell's uncle...’ oe or ‘lowering | the ‘rating of -the® player,- or ‘allowing . it to remain j unchanged. -2 0... ak Teams , are thatched “by total handicap . ratings of their ; ‘respective players, with any. difz. ference awarded at.the start-of the .game_ to. the ‘lower: handi~ “capped team. Of the approximately 800 re istered players’ in the United. more than ms ofie-half are rated at zero or. States and. Canada - one, indicating that the require merits for a player are exacting ee A player with a “handicap of two or more has not” and. precise... achieved his. rating recognition easily. There are only 26 play-, ers carry ing handicap ratings of six. or. more,., and only - 18 at seven or higher. -- .-Those who ‘are interested in playing or-watching a game of ... polo should. visit the Victoria - Polo Club-which has. its playing - field in Saanichton at the junction _ _ of Veyaness Road and East Saan- ich Road. . The club: -arganizes _matches most Sundays either on “an -inter- ~club basis, or against visiting teams from Vancouver and American clubs suchas Tac- “oma, Portland, -Toppenish and Spokane, . This season the Victoria ‘club has. either visited or been visit- ed by all these clubs, and more visits: are expected before: the end of the summer season. Those interested may. phone Tony Yonge, the club’s president at 652-1992; E.B, Ruthven at 652- 1595, or B. G. Nip) Parker nore? "652-2459, “Next Sunday, ,, August 18th, Vic- ‘toria Polo Club: will host a'strong team from’ the Portland (Ore. oe Polo: Club. and on the following ~.. > . Sunday, August. 25th, they ‘will “-- play the Toppanish (Wash.) Polo - BE Club... -Why not: come along and. cen: For only: $1 you 4. may. bring ‘your car right down +. gee. the “fun?. © ‘alongside the polo'field. There are 30 sub-species of ©. ae _-white- -tail deer in North ‘Amercia.” | AY rthur , Aladdin Travel “SIDNEY ™ "Your Air Canada Agent S a (656-4115. “UNITRON | the Canadian- made Hearing Aid, you “NEVER BUY . : BATTERIES AGAIN! - 2c Try itat MW. Humphrey Golby and Associates _ 744. Fort St., 385-3103 and at. Sidney; “Medical © Arts _ wie Fridays, 656- Kk , ‘wo. Sidney Rotarians ‘recently visited Tacoma - where they. rubbed © \ ; ‘of Rotary, International.” shown: “Dudley: Johnson, . ‘SHOWER. FOR BRIDE-TO-BE Miss Jacqueline Rice was sguest - “of honour at a kitchen shower on ~~ the ‘décorations wai Saturday afternoon, July-27, given. and? yellow, Ancludin by the Misses Phyllis Cockrill cake : and: Pat. Knott at Miss.Cockrill’s (Showers of: Happiness, Jacki _ home on Marchants Road, Brent=. : : Invited - guests: were wood... On entering: the room * Jackie ‘wis presented’ with: Aor corsage,” of. white | carnations, while her. mother, Mrs, Charles. ik Rice; the groom’s mother, Mrs, . Rossi:¢ -and: the: -egreom?s vice | "president of the “: Price ‘grandmother, Mrs. Dawson, re- oe ceived: corsages “of ‘carnations an “esty, the: Treasures stock and Horticultur Prize the: Sayway Win: - Sail awa -to Seat e Port Angeles. | A sea, cruise aboard the _ Princess Marguerite is relax. _ ing and fun. if you wish, take . your family car. Daily service. | VICTORIA ~ SEATTLE ) : Lv Victoria . 5:30-p.m. Ar. Seattle . 9:30 p.m. iv. Seattle. 8:30 a.m. Ar, Victoria’ 12:30 p.m. VICTORIA ~ PORT ANGELES Victoria 1:30 p.m. P. Angeles 2:45 p.m. P, Angeles 3:15 p.m. Victoria 4:30 p.m. S Ly, Ar. Lv. Ar. \ For Information Phone 385-7771 (adit G cific TRAN? TRTCRE ? SAR? 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