A TRIP TO AUSTRALIA 



pony or two for sale. Among others, Harry 

 Deacon, Little Arkell (as we used to call him), 

 nephew of big Thomas of Kingsdown Brewery, were 

 members. On the occasion of the Wiltshire Yeo- 

 manry coming to Burderop Park, the Club were 

 invited to send a team to play a match in the meadow 

 which stands in front of my house to-day. This 

 game, a never-to-be-forgotten one for some of us, was 

 filled with incident — in fact more than incident, 

 for there was a real accident before the game was 

 over. On the Club side we had Harry Deacon, 

 Percy Woolcott, Little Arkell and myself. I am 

 afraid that I cannot name the full team of Wiltshire 

 Yeomanry. Lord Long and Lord Eric Thynne I 

 know were there. I sent on one pony by my man 

 and took the precaution to ride the other, a real 

 resolute fellow called " Satan," over to Marlborough 

 in the morning to have a look at the Wiltshire 

 County Show and then back across the Downs to 

 the polo match at Burderop. 



Well, the game started. As you may imagine it 

 was not altogether an International match : most 

 decidedly a rough-and-tumble game. I was allotted 

 to play No. 4 (Back). Presently my chance to score 

 came, Satan and I got hold of the ball and down 

 the field we thundered, cleared and threw off the 

 first three of the opposing side, the last being Lord 

 Long, playing No. 3, whom I rode off and regained 

 the ball. Then appeared the Back, Lord Eric 

 Thynne, between me and goal. He rode as he 

 should to meet the ball, but by mischance his pony 

 turned round on my approach and I took him broad- 



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