1st
Step Polo
Linda Warburton Images by Craig Payne -
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FRANCIS MATTHEWS HAS COME UP WITH AN ALTERNATIVE ANSWER TO LEARNING HOW TO PLAY GREAT POLO
Based near to Hickstead in Sussex, FHM Polo is the brainchild of Francis Matthews. FHM Polo was formed in 2001/02
with the primary aim of catering for people who wish to learn the game but with a low key approach.
Francis first joined a local club in 1995, his formative years had been spent hunting with the Crawley and Horsham
Hunt and winning his first Point to Point cup in 1988. From the first time he picked up a stick he was instantly
hooked onto Polo and went to a 1 in his first season and to a 0 in his second.
Francis says "My experience of polo at most clubs is that it rapidly gets very expensive - particularly if you want
to win! I decided to offer players an alternative, less expensive route. I am a qualified teacher with two
educational degrees, so I have always been passionate about teaching. Unlike some polo instructors who teach
because they want to play, I play because I want to teach!" He has been teaching polo for the past 10 years and
trained with England Coach, Claire Tomlinson at the Beaufort Polo Club in order to qualify as an HPA
instructor.
At FHM players are able to play all year round. The facilities include a covered 150' x 75' arena which is used
November to March for 2 on 2 plus an 180m x 90m boarded polo field for instruction and a full size boarded ground
for the full members. There is also available a mobile wooden horse in a cage for instruction and practice, a
childproof enclosure on both fields with toilet facilities to make it easier for parents who play to accommodate
the safety of the child. Francis also has a 17 ton truck to comfortably carry 10 ponies and tack, so he can always
mount a four-man team for an away match; something he actively encourages on the Sundays when he is not busy
teaching or playing.
The club is affiliated and plays County Polo. For this the principle is simple - 3 on 3. There are no professional
players, to keep it affordable and to make each team member work, the ground is reduced in size to make it easier
to manage and there is constant instructional feedback from the umpire/instructor to prevent fouls rather than
constantly blow the whistle and penalise the perpetrators. The emphasis at the club is on fun, safety and learning
at your own pace.
Francis has his own string of horses that are happy to go easy with beginners and are also capable of running hard
and fast on the big field in tournaments. He is willing to teach clients on their own horses, but would always
advise clients to avoid acquiring polo ponies of their own until they have reached at least a 1 handicap. As
Francis says "It is important to have had sufficient experience playing before deciding on horses that suit."
Many of the local schools have taken advantage of the facilities and Francis currently teaches pupils from
Hurstpierpoint College. He recalls "In the early days, I was contacted by the local Pony Club to coach members at a
nearby farm in Balcombe. The lady in charge assured me that all the mums would be there to supervise the grooming
of the children and their fluffy ponies - all I had to do was teach the group which was estimated at six or maybe
eight kids. On the day, 16 mounted Pony Clubbers arrived on the recently harvested stubble field with no apparent
boundaries. Despite my best efforts to instruct the disparate group, chaos ensued as the ball went in, ponies
apparently having a free rein and sticks swinging at random! Much as I love 'fluffies', they rarely make for good
polo!"
Francis believes in making polo affordable for everyone. For a novice he would advise "the more you practice the
better. Most members manage about once a week. A lesson one to one is £50 and in a group with a maximum of 6, £40."
FHM offer Instructional membership at £200 and an instructional session of one hour culminating in two chukkas is
£50. In all for a 20 week summer season, playing once a week in an instructional session and having a lesson once a
fortnight, the cost would be £1,700 including the pony hire cost.
For further details see www.fhmpolo.20fr.com or email francis@fhmpolo.co.uk
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