POLO 



came into the station of Cachar at Christmas, matches would be 

 arranged on the parade ground, between them and the Muni- 

 puris : three of the former against half a dozen of the latter 

 was the usual thing. Between 1854 and 1859 the European 

 population of Cachar increased greatly, and after the interrup- 

 tion caused by the Mutiny the game had become so popular 

 that steps were taken to form the first club. The first meeting 

 was held in the bungalow of Captain Robert Stewart, Deputy 

 Commissioner of Cachar, in March 1859. Captain Stewart 

 was a keen player, as also was the Assistant Commissioner, 

 Captain ' Joe ' Sherer : these two, with Messrs. James 

 Davidson, Julius Sandeman, James Abernethy, Ernest Ekhart, 

 Arthur Brownlow, W. Walker and J. P. Stuart, were the 

 original members of the first British Polo Club. 



The game was first played in the plains of India, towards 

 the close of the cold season of 1862. The players were officers 

 of the 7th Hussars, 2nd Bn. Rifle Brigade, and 89th Regiment 

 at Umballa ; and ' hockey on horseback ' was adopted as an 

 acceptable alternative to the paperchases which had served as 

 substitute for the hunting which for the season had been 

 abandoned owing to scarcity of fox and jackal. 



Business connected with the tea industry brought to Cachar 

 young men from Calcutta, and these, entered to polo, brought 

 the game with them on their return. The real establishment of 

 polo in the capital dates from February 1864, when Major 

 Sherer, as he then was, brought down a team of six Munipuris 

 to show how the game should be played. The game caught 

 on at once : Major Sherer was canonised as ' Father of Polo,' 

 was entertained at a great banquet in the Indigo Mart, and 

 presented Avith a very handsome silver tankard and salver. 



Here is an account of the match which was played on the 

 Calcutta maidan before the King on 1st January 1876 when, 

 as Prince of Wales, he visited India. It was contributed to the 

 Oriental Sporting Magazine by a writer who subscribes himself 

 ' Marc O'Polo.' The match was arranged at the special request 

 of Lord Lytton, the Viceroy, who took a keen interest in 



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