polocrosse
polocrosse, equestrian team sport that combines the disparate sports of polo and lacrosse.
Polocrosse riders use a lacrosselike stick (racquet) with a netted head for carrying, catching, bouncing, and throwing an approximately four-inch (10-cm) rubber ball. The objective is to score goals by throwing the ball through an opponent’s goal posts, situated at opposite ends of the playing field.
A polocrosse game is typically played outdoors on a grass or dirt field 160 yards (146 metres) long and 60 yards (55 metres) wide, with the playing field divided into three zones. The two goal-scoring zones, on either end of the field, are 30 yards (27.4 metres) in length, and the middle zone comprises the remaining 100 yards (91 metres). Two white goal posts, eight feet (2.4 metres) apart, are at the end of each goal-scoring zone. To score a goal a player must throw or bounce the ball between the posts while remaining outside an 11-yard (10-metre) semicircle centred on the midpoint of the space between the posts.
Polocrosse teams consist of six players, divided into two three-person sections. The sections each play two, three, or four “chukkas,” or periods, of six to eight minutes. A match between two teams usually consists of four to six chukkas, whereas some matches expand to eight. Players in each section are assigned a number indicating their duty and position: the player wearing number 1 is offensive (the “attacker”) and is the only one who can score a goal; number 2 is the “swing” player (the “centre”) who moves between offense and defense in midfield; and player number 3 (the “defender”) protects the goal. The only players allowed to maneuver inside the goal-scoring zones are the offensive number 1 and the opposing defensive number 3.
Play begins at midfield when one of two umpires throws the ball between the two teams, at shoulder height or higher, giving all players a chance to retrieve it. That “throw in” is repeated after every goal. Balls that cross the end line in a missed goal attempt are thrown back into play by the defensive player number 3. Defensive players are allowed to ride an offensive player out of bounds or knock the ball out of an offensive player’s racquet with an upward racquet hit; downward swipes are not allowed and result in a foul and a free penalty throw for a player on the team fouled. Striking a player in the head or helmet is also not allowed and may result in the awarding of free goals. Offensive players must carry the ball during movement on their stick side of the horse and cannot cross the ball and racquet over to the opposite side in order to avoid defensive pressure; they may pick up or catch the ball on their nonstick side but must immediately then transfer the ball to their stick side. Dangerous and reckless play and riding (such as sandwiching a player between two others) are not allowed, and offenders may be penalized or disqualified from the match.
Though polocrosse, as its name implies, has historical ties to both the ancient Persian game of polo and the American Indian version of lacrosse, the modern game can be traced to two individuals and to a specific time. In 1938 Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hirst of Sydney read an article describing the indoor sport of “polo la crosse” that had been developed in the United Kingdom to help develop young riders. After watching the nascent sport in England, the couple returned to Australia and adapted the rules to better fit local conditions. Polocrosse clubs soon formed in Australia, which became the spiritual home of the sport. It spread beyond the borders of Australia after World War II, mainly to English-speaking countries such as New Zealand and South Africa, with international play and competitions occurring sporadically throughout the 1970s and ’80s. The Polocrosse World Cup, founded as a quadrennial event and first played in 2003, is the sport’s most-significant international competition.