RULES AND BY-LAWS OF POLO 291 



The rules for the game as played in India, and revised at 

 Meerut in March 1888 by the Inter-regimental Polo Tourna- 

 ment Committee, which occupies to Indian polo the position 

 that Hurlingham does to the English game, are practically the 

 same, though there are a few differences, the most prominent 

 of which I will quote from a copy now before me. 



Rule i. Each game shall consist of six periods of 8 minutes 

 each, exclusive of stoppages and intervals. Time shall not be 

 called while the ball is in play, unless the game shall have lasted 

 48 minutes, when time shall be called irrespective of the ball being 

 in play. (This applies only to Inter- regimental tournaments ; at 

 the other tournaments either four or five periods only are played.) 



Rule 3. In the event of a tie the game shall be continued another 

 8 minutes, the goal flags being placed 44 feet apart. 



Rule 7. The maximum height of ponies shall be 13 hands 

 3 inches. 



Rule 14. At each end of the ground, in the centre of the back 

 line, there shall be a goal marked by flags, which shall be 22 feet 

 apart. 



Rule 1 8. To start the game the umpire shall have the ball 

 placed in the centre of the ground. Two players on opposite sides 

 shall cross their sticks, heads upwards, over the ball, after which 

 any player may strike the ball. 



By the above extracts it will be seen that, though the 

 method of starting the game is somewhat similar to that which 

 we are accustomed to in England, the periods of play are 

 shorter and the goal flags wider apart. 



The rules of the Cachar Kan-jai ] Club, as determined at a 

 meeting held at Silchar on January i, 1863, are quoted by 

 Captain G. J. Younghusband in his interesting little volume, 

 ' Polo in India,' and they may well call up a smile on the 

 reader's face. The rules are twenty-three in number, and are 

 much the same as those now in force ; but Rule 9, which says 

 that ' any player may interpose his horse before his antago- 

 nist's, so as to prevent his antagonist from reaching the ball, 



1 Kan-jai is the Munnipoorie name for polo. 



U 2 



