Capt. Dunbar, Capt. A. Harman, Capt. Lee, Comte J. de Madre.
Three of the best of the London players will be much missed this season.
Mr. F. M. Freake has temporarily retired from the game, and Captain
Heseltine has joined his regiment in India, which has caused Mr.
Buckmaster to abandon the attempt to produce an old Cantab team. They
will be much missed in London, as they were a very fine team, and for
the last eight years have always been either runners up or winners of
the Champion Cup.
Another great loss to London polo will be Mr. U. O. Thynne, who has
decided to give up the game for a time. He has run the Magpie team for a
number of years, and his place will be hard to fill.
The great attraction of the London season will be the visit of the Irish
team, who distinguished themselves so much last autumn by winning the
Irish Open Cup and the International match in Dublin. They are engaged
to play exhibition matches at Roehampton, on June 9th and 13th, against
Rugby and Roehampton, and on June 6th at Hurlingham. The International
match, England _v._ Ireland, will take place at Hurlington on June 16th,
and the team is also expected to play in the Champion Cup.
As regards regimental polo prospects are fairly bright, but some of the
regiments labour under great disadvantages.
The 7th Hussars are at Ipswich, and find themselves without a ground to
play on; they have, however, one squadron at Weedon, where they can get
plenty of play, and though they have only just come home they have every
intention of producing a useful team at the Tournament. The 7th Hussars,
like the 9th Lancers, no matter how the regiment changes, are always
formidable. The 9th has just proved the truth of this in India, by
defeating the hitherto (for four years) invincible 15th. Indeed, their
most formidable opponents turned out to be the 17th, of whom the same
may be said as of the 7th and 9th.
The Inniskillings will probably be without the invaluable services of
Major Haig, who has had a serious illness, but is, I am glad to say, on
the high road to recovery.
The 20th Hussars will probably lose Captain Lee, whose broken leg has
taken a very long time to mend, and he is not in the saddle yet.
The 8th Hussars had some very good players last year, and the transfer
of Major Wormald from the 7th should strengthen them and enable them to
produce a really good team.
The 11th Hussars were so near the Inniskillings last year that with very
slight improvement they should prove themselves dangerous competitors
for any regiment.
The Household regiments will be represented probably by much the same
teams, except that the Blues may find themselves stronger by the
inclusion of Lord A. Innes Kerr, who has joined them from the Royals. In
fact, the prospects of a most interesting Regimental Tournament are of
the best.
The Champion Cup is sure to produce a good contest with such teams as
Roehampton, Ireland, Rugby, Ranelagh, and Moreton Morrell competing for
it, and the County Cup should be very even between Rugby (last year’s
winners), Cirencester, Eden Park, and the best of the Yorkshire clubs.
I append a list of the tournaments that will probably take place, with
the dates.