The publication of the first ever UK Ladies Handicap List
By Victoria Elsbury-Legg
The history of Ladies polo in the UK is set to change after the announcement by the HPA this week of the introduction for the first time in the UK of The Ladies Handicap list. From the start of the English Summer Season at the beginning of April 2015, lady players competing in women only tournaments will now play off specific handicaps, whilst still retaining their current handicap for mixed matches.
Clubs in England which already have women’s only tournaments and will now be playing of this new handicap list include: Cirencester, Cowdray, Beaufort and Ascot Park, following in the footsteps of other tournaments held around the world who already play tournaments using the Ladies Handicap, including the USA, Canada, Italy, France, Singapore, Malaysia and Argentina.
Earlier in the year it was announced that Cirencester Park’s International Ladies Tournament would now be a part of the Women’s Championship Tournament (WCT) League and would be introducing the ladies handicap system. As founder of the WCT (which in the upcoming season will be heading into its tenth year) and America’s top female player Sunny Hale explained she was ‘very glad to have Cirencester on board’ and part of an international polo league which hosts officially recognised tournaments throughout many parts of the world, and now, from Tuesday 21st – Sunday 26th July 2015, in England.’
For those ladies who have not previously played in Ladies Tournaments in other countries around the world and who do not hold WCT handicaps, outdoor handicaps can be converted using the formula below (ladies will then be reassessed after they play in their first ladies only tournament):
-2 goals = 0 goals: -1 goals = 1 goals: 0 goals = 3 goals: 1 goal = 4 goals: 2 goals = 5 goals: 3 goals = 8 goals: 4 goals = 9 goals: 5 goals = 10 goals.
As the HPA explained, ‘The idea behind introducing the system is to reduce the issue of compression. Of the 763 female polo members registered with the HPA in the UK only 20 have a handicap of 1 or above, which leads to huge variations between players rated the same. Implementing a ladies handicap system will allow for much more evenly matched and more competitive women’s polo, allowing this side of the sport to continue to develop whilst not affecting women who also play competitively alongside men.’
Working closely alongside the HPA to introduce these changes have been Cirencester Park and Cowdray Park Polo Mangers Tim Keyte and Chris Bethell and Tamara Fox and England’s highest rated female player Nina Clarkin, who believes, ‘with the introduction of women’s handicaps, the sport is going to continue to flourish and enjoy greater exposure and coverage, allowing it to continue to develop and grow.’
A list of ladies handicaps can be viewed on the HPA website.