52 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF POLO. [Chap. II. 



to do which is to screw the pony round and hit a 

 back-hander under his pony's tail. In a good team, 

 the Back and No. 3 will be always on the look- 

 out for this stroke, which will give them many an 

 opening down the centre of the ground ; unless 

 their opponents succeed in frustrating these tactics, 

 by taking charge of any player who goes to the 

 centre, before the ball arrives. It is most important 

 for everyone on the side, when attacking, to hit to 

 the centre and not along the boards, and not to wait 

 until close to the back line, to send the ball to the 

 centre. 



No. 2 should be a dashing player, a hard and 

 accurate hitter, and a good shot at goal. Above all 

 things, he must do a great deal of work, and must 

 devote himself as much to helping his Nos. i and 3 

 as to hitting. In attack, he should often clear the 

 way for No. 3 in exactly the same way as No. i 

 does for him. He should play quite as unselfish 

 a game as No. i, and if told by the man behind 

 him to leave the ball, he should invariably do so, 

 and should gallop on to ride off his next opponent, 

 so as to keep the way clear. He must never let 

 an opponent ride loose in front of him, and it 

 will generally be his business to look after the 

 No. 3 of the opposing side. In attack, he must 

 always try to be on the ball before him ; and in 

 defence, he nmst prevent him getting a dash in 

 at goal, to succeed in .which he should always 

 endeavour, both in attack and defence, to be in 

 front of the opposing No. 3 — never behind him. 

 Occasionally we see a No. 2 who, instead of doing 

 a lot of real work, waits about to make runs. 



