328 SPORTING STORIES 



Long-limbed and muscular, he was an ideal player, and 

 when he has had such a marvel in ponies as " Fritz " under 

 him, the feats he performed were astounding. 



T. S. Kennedy's famous exploit at Hurlingham in the 

 Civilians v. Military match some years ago must not be for- 

 gotten. He was riding his celebrated pony, Mickey Free. 

 " Charging for the ball " was then the fashion. Kennedy got 

 first to the ball in mid-ground, and, with one drive, sent it 

 right up to the " mouth " of the goal — a distance of i6o yards, 

 — passed all his opponents, and gently tipped it through. 

 That was a great achievement, but he repeated the per- 

 formance the moment they changed ends — thus scoring 

 two goals inside five minutes with practically two strokes. 

 The redoubtable Mickey Free, by the way, was bought out 

 of a Brighton tradesman's cart. 



The cavalry have not by any means monopolised the 

 honours of polo. Infantry regiments like the 5th Fusiliers, 

 the 60th Rifles, the 23rd Welsh Fusiliers, the 25th King's 

 Own Borderers, and the 33rd, have turned out excellent 

 teams. Captain de Lisle of the Durham Light Infantry, 

 when he was not actually playing the game on pony-back 

 is said to have sat on a wooden horse for hours, hitting 

 balls as they were thrown at him, and practising every kind 

 of stroke. 



For the following I am indebted to Mr J. Moray 

 Brown : — 



In a match in which the 17th Lancers took part, during 

 a scrimmage close to goal, no one could find the ball. Some 

 one said a goal had been hit, but search for the ball 

 beyond the goal-line proved unavailing. Then the secret 

 came out. The ball was found attached to the tail of 

 Lord Ava's pony, an Arab. The hairs of his long tail had 

 become entangled in a splinter of the ball, and so held it 

 tightly — a somewhat complex case for an umpire to decide. 

 I have heard of a ball being hit right up under a pony's 

 tail, and being held there for a moment by the animal 

 suddenly tucking his tail down. I have also heard of 

 a player getting a fall and sitting on the ball, but the 

 case of a pony carrying the ball about with him unobserved 

 is exceptionally quaint. 



