Spring 2013 Saddle Club Newsletter - Honourable Artillery Company

POLO—2013As we while away the winter dreaming of the next polo season it seems a good time tocollect our thoughts on the way ahead because, by the time this article is read, the season willnot be far off and by the time of the following edition it will be under way.My first objective is to establish who is interested in playing (or even learning to play) underthe Saddle Club banner. Polo playing newcomers to the Club and complete beginners at thegame will, of course, be most welcome. Whether or not you played last season I thereforeask anyone interested in playing in 2013 to register that interest (which would be withoutcommitment) by responding to this article as soon as maybe with an e-mail message to thateffect in which you mention both the polo club which holds (or it is intended to hold) his orher membership and your registered handicap, if any.On the question of which polo club, I should mention to newcomers (and to remind previousplayers) that it is not possible to play in a polo match without belonging to a polo clubformally affiliated to the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA, the body that governs thegame world-wide). It does not matter which club the player joins because once a member ofa club the player can play anywhere. As to the particular, having said that, we, the SaddleClub, will continue to base ourselves at Fifield Polo Club (in an eponymous village justoutside Windsor) and to recommend all our players to belong there too. Not only is this avery welcoming and friendly Club, with four grounds, 120 ponies on site and a commodiousclubhouse but its membership fees as very competitive. The greatest advantage inconcentrating ourselves in one club is the ease with which training and tactical instructioncan be given and rehearsed.Last season we had enough polo players within the Saddle Club to field three teams but wedid not formalise that. For the season ahead I propose that we group players into semi-formalteams by handicap. I fully realise that members have other commitments during the summerbut the advantage in some form of formal grouping lies in the ability of team members toplay together as a team. Thus, whenever taking the field, each team member knows thestrengths and weaknesses of the others. Last season, for example, on most occasions therespective teams did not start to play together as a team until about the third chukka and that,together with a misunderstanding of the rules, cost us many a game.On the subject of the rules, I intend to arrange one of more introductory sessions around agreen-baize table to explore in detail the rules of the game. I plan this to occur just before thenew season begins in April. Those who register an interest in playing (or learning to play)will be notified separately of the arrangements.Once I know the number of those interested I will map-out a match programme for theseason ahead with a skeleton of at least one match per player per month in mind.. Already inhand are arrangements for two tournaments to be run by the Saddle Club; one at the RoyalMilitary Academy, Sandhurst, in June and the other at Fifield in August. On each occasionwe will invite opposition from elsewhere and make it a social occasion as well. In addition Ianticipate a renewal of the challenge to matches from JP Morgan and from Deloitte. A thirdtournament will be run by the HAC Regiment at Ham Polo Club on7th September at whichwe might be invited again to field a team. Thus there is already the foundation of anenjoyable season. There will be more news anon.23