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Vital, active, with iron-grey, curly, bobbed hair, Mrs. Hitchcock wears riding boots and breeches through most summer days. At 65 she still talks in the soft New Orleans drawl of her girlhood. She and her husband and son are thorough refutations of the tradition that polo, game of the rich, is controlled by snobs. The Hitchcock influence is largely responsible for the new feeling that real polo talent from anywhere in the land is welcome on Long Island to help defend the Cup. At least one Californian seems sure to be on the team this year, for the first time. And among others invited to join the international squad this year was Cecil Smith, Texas cowboy, a natural-born No. 2.
That the team will be picked from a national rather than an exclusively Meadow Brook squad is a salute to the British. After repeated defeats the British have accepted the introduction of hard-riding, bumping, slashing and swatting to the "gentleman's game." Particularly they have tried to develop the Milburn-Hitch-cock style of tremendous hitting.
Since many of them have been army officers. used to conventional army saddles, they sit back when riding after the ball but when it comes time to hit they hoist themselves out of the saddle and smite amain. As Editor Peter Vischer of authoritative Polo says: "None of them hit from arm chairs." Balding is a long hitter and so are Pat Roark and, proverbially, Lewis Lacey. the Canadian-born Argentine. Richard George is still competing with Aidan Roard for No. 1. Like the U. S. team, the Englishmen have decided not to announce their lineup until the night before the first game (Sept. 6), The British leader, Capt. Charles H. Tremayne, a pleasant, soldierly person from Cornwall, will not put him self on his team. Last week on the eve of sailing he was cheerful if not confident. His most comforting thought: The British ponies are fast ones this time, not definitely outclassed by the expensive U. S. mounts as in the past.
*Last week his engagement was announced (see p. 42).