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WATER POLO

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 385 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WATER See also:POLO , a See also:game which has done much to - advance See also:swimming in popular favour and to improve the stamina of swimmers. It is played either in a See also:bath or open water, the teams consisting of seven a See also:side. The See also:field of See also:play must not exceed 3o yds. or be less than 19 yds. in length, and the width must not be more than 20 yds. The See also:ball used must be See also:round and fully inflated, and must not measure less than 262, nor more than 28 in. in circumference. It must be waterproof, with no strapped seams outside, and no grease or other objectionable substance placed on it. The goals must be to ft. in width, with a See also:cross-See also:bar 3 ft. above the See also:surface when the water is 5 ft. or over in See also:depth, and 8 ft. from the bottom when the water is less than 5 ft. in depth; in no See also:case must the water in which a game is played be less than 3 ft. See also:Goal nets are used in all important matches. The duration of a match is supposed to be 14 minutes, seven minutes each way. The officials consist of a See also:referee, a See also:time-keeper and two goal scorers, the first-named See also:official starting the game by thrbwing the ball into the centre of the bath. A goal is scored by the entire ball passing between the goal posts and under the cross-bar. The players have to See also:place themselves in a See also:line with their respective goals, and are not allowed to start swimming to the centre of the bath until the word " Go " is given. They are usually divided into 3 forwards, I See also:half-back, 2 backs and a goalkeeper.

To the fastest swimmer is usually assigned the place of centre-forward, and it is his See also:

duty to make all headway possible so as to reach the ball before the opposing forward of the other side, then pass rapidly back to the half or one of the backs and swim on to within See also:close proximity of the opponent's goal and wait for a pass. The other forwards should rapidly follow him up and each See also:man carefully See also:shadow one of the opposing side. In handling the ball only one See also:hand may be used, for to See also:touch the ball with both hands at the same time constitutes a foul, as also does the holding of the See also:rail or the side, during any See also:part of the game, the See also:standing on or touching of,the bottom of the bath except for the purpose of resting, interfering or impeding an opponent in any way, unless he be holding the ball, holding the ball under water when tackled, See also:jumping from the bottom or pushing. off from the side (except at starting or restarting) in See also:order to play the ball or See also:duck an opponent, holding, pulling back or pushing off from an opponent, turning on the back to kick at an opponent, assisting a player at the start or restart to get a See also:good push off, throwing the ball at the goalkeeper from a See also:free throw or refusing to play the ball at the command of the referee after a foul or the ball has been out of the field of play. Dribbling or striking the ball is held to be not holding, but lifting, carrying, pressing under water or placing the hand under or over the ball when actually touching, is holding; dribbling up the bath and through the posts is permissible. There is a See also:penalty See also:area, 4 yds. from each goal-See also:post, and the imaginary line across the bath is not allowed to be passed by the respective goal-keepers, otherwise they commit a foul. They may stand to defend their goal, touch the ball with both hands or jump from the bottom to play the ball, but in all other respects the same rules as to fouls apply to them as to other players. In any case they are not allowed to throw the ball beyond half-distance. If they do so the opposing side is awarded a free throw. For fouls which the referee considers to have been committed wilfully there are very severe penalties, and those guilty of them are ordered out of the water until a goal has been scored, thus for the time being crippling the side. Deliberately wasting time, starting before the word " Go," taking up a position within 2 yds. of the opponent's goal, changing position after the See also:whistle has blown for a free throw or other similar stoppage of play, or deliberately splashing an opponent in the See also:face, are all held to be wilful fouls. Whenever the whistle blows for fouls the players have to remain in their respective places until the ball has See also:left the hand of the player to whom the free throw was awarded. A player who has been wilfully fouled within 4 yds. of his opponent's goal line is given a penalty throw, and the consequence is that a close match is often won by See also:reason of a player deliberately breaking the rules when his goal is hotly assailed.

In See also:

ordinary fouls the ball must touch another player before a goal can be scored, but in penalty throws it need not. Any player throwing the ball over his own goal line concedes a corner throw to the other side, but if an opposing player sends it over it is a free throw for the goalkeeper. After each goal is scored the players return to their respective ends, waiting for the word " Go,' and at half-time they are allowed a See also:rest of three minutes, during which they leave the water. Fouls, half-time and time are declared by whistle, and goals by See also:bell. The game requires careful practice of See also:smart and scientific passing, side and back-handed throws, and accurate See also:shooting. For this purpose " throwing the water-polo ball " contests are commonly held by the leading clubs, who also engineer competitions on points for shooting at goal. I ~h Il llil I'' rnfuy Zmlamum m.n unilf V Julie ,,, Il nnlhiil hjii See also:lee 11111 — ~il immuuu uw 1111 " 4111 11111 See also:ill anent- ulII 1h' ~I 1111111iiri `'— iIlllill'1~IIIII! JIIIOi11E0, ^II , See also:loin iflLi, - ftJ1== li II 'I II It was not until the formation of the See also:London Water Polo See also:League in 1889 that the game was specially catered for, but a See also:form of it had previously been known and played in several parts of See also:England and See also:Scotland. In 187o the old London Swimming Association, the forerunner of the See also:present See also:Amateur Swimming Association, appointed a See also:committee to draw up rules for a game of " See also:Football in the water," but no See also:report of that committee appears to have been presented. In 1876 aquatic handball matches were played in the See also:sea off See also:Bournemouth by members of the Bournemouth Premier See also:Rowing See also:Club, and in 1877 there were similar matches at the See also:annual competition for the Bon See also:Accord Club in the See also:river See also:Dee, and a See also:year See also:prior to that some rules had been See also:drawn up for the See also:Aberdeen Club. The game at length found its way to the Midlands, and led to the See also:foundation of the Midland Aquatic Football Association, whose rules were somewhat similar to those in See also:vogue in See also:America, where goals are scored by placing the ball in a marked-out space called " goal." In 1883 See also:Birmingham Leander played All England at See also:Portsmouth; in 1885 the Amateur Swimming Association took official recognition of the game, and in 1888 started the See also:English championship, this being won the first year by See also:Burton-on-See also:Trent. Then came the foundation of the London Water Polo League, through whose agency See also:county associations came into being, inter-county matches were played, and See also:international See also:games arranged.

The first county matches were played In 1890, and the first international the same year, the game being between England and Scotland at See also:

Kensington See also:Baths on 28th See also:July. England was beaten by four goals to none, but the outcome of the match was the cementing of friendly relations between the English and Scottish associations, and the See also:gradual spread of the game, until the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh associations joined together and formed an international See also:board, without whose See also:sanction none of the rules of the game can now be altered. See also:Oxford and See also:Cambridge met for the first time in 1891, and since then the Blues' committee of each university have given swimming and water polo a " half See also:blue." The game has become popular in many See also:European countries, and friendly matches between English and See also:continental clubs are frequently played. It has also extended to See also:Egypt. See also:India and See also:Australia, in which countries the See also:British rules have been adopted. See the Amateur Swimming Association's Handbook for rules of the game and instructions to referees. (W.

End of Article: WATER POLO

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