Polo in Whitchurch

On some of the older maps of Whitchurch there is a field behind the funeral home by the Three Elms, called ‘The Polo Field’. It’s all built upon now and there is no indication of why it was once called such a strange name

Ernest Broad in his article ‘The Farms of Whitchurch’ remembers that ‘at the entrance to the Polo Field by the cowsheds was the Polo House in which a Mr Johns lived. The Polo Field was fourteen acres, a very large field. There was a pavilion on the field where the polo players had their tea’

In the 1911 Census, William John, age 31, was living in the Polo Ground Cottage, with his wife May and their 4 children. He is described as a groundsman, employed by the Polo Club

It seems strange that such a sport as polo would be played in Whitchurch, and that there is no local recognition of this. The Polo Encyclopaedia (yes there is such a book!) helps: ‘the Cardiff and County was a Welsh Club founded in 1903. The grounds are at Whitchurch, near Cardiff. Godfrey Charles Morgan, Lord Tredegar was the first president. The local tournament was the Cardiff & County Cup; the club stopped play in 1914. Colours: dark purple’

Lord Tredegar (of Tredegar House fame) had been a captain in the Lancers, one of ‘The 600’ who took part in the famous Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, and there is a magnificent statue of him sitting on his horse, in front of the National Museum in town (see photo below). Obviously, a man with the right credentials for being president of the polo club

So, who were the members of the club? Probably the young aristocratic young men of the district who rode to hounds and enjoyed the privileged life of the affluent. But why did the club finish in 1914? One can only guess that these same men and their polo ponies went away to fight with great enthusiasm at the start of the Great War, only to perish in the conflict. Lord Tredegar himself died just before the war in 1913

And what became of the Cardiff & County Polo Cup?

Now the polo field is all built upon, with the flats at Ty Nant and the houses around Tynewydd and Maes Glas

Just in case you fancy the idea of playing polo, here are some of the rules:
Polo is played on a field 300 yds long and 200 yds wide (about the size of 6 rugby pitches squashed together)
Goalposts at each end are 8 yds wide (which are open at the top so a mounted player won’t be dislodged)
Each match consists of 4 chukkas (or play), each of which lasting 7 minutes. The whole match can last two and a half hours – so lots of stoppages
Teams swap ends after each chukka or when a goal is scored so neither team gains an advantage of waterlogged or turned-up ground
Players are encouraged to physically challenge opponents’ ponies to gain the ball
There are 3 referees, 2 on horseback and the third in the grandstand (or in the case of Whitchurch probably at the pavilion
There are 4 mounted players on each team (and each player normally has 2 ponies as they get tired)
At half time, spectators are encouraged to walk onto the field for ‘divot-stamping’
Equipment: Jodhpurs, mallet, helmet and of course a polo pony
A white ball, now hard plastic is used, but traditionally was bamboo covered in leather

It’s interesting that in south east Asia, elephant polo is still played, whilst in China yak polo is popular

Does anyone know any more about the polo club or what became of its members in Whitchurch? Or of William John and his family?

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