Polo & More, Singapore 2017 Polo & More, Singapore 2017 | Page 18

established their own handicap system and published their handicap books
from 1937 to 1941.The obstacles these women faced were enormous; from
the prejudices they met competing as women, to the logistics of having to
organize their tournaments by U.S. Mail.” Even during Colleen’s ‘Golden Age,
these obstacles still included the USPA. Another notable American woman
player was born during Colleen’s ‘Golden Era,’ Sue Sally Hale. Born in 1937,
she told the author of this article, during a conversation in the mid-1990s,
how she was one of the first women in the US to play mixed competitive
polo. “My name went in the programme with my initials and I tucked all
my hair up under my polo helmet!” Other accounts have her playing under
another name, disguised as a man. Still playing in California in the 1990s
and a formidable rider and horse trainer, she was often dismissive of male
players’ lack of horsemanship and invited me to stick and ball a mule she
had fully schooled to play polo!
One of her daughters, Sunny Hale went on to equal Clare Tomlinson’s
5 goal handicap and is recognised as one of the world’s best women players.
She is one of only two women players in the world to have won the 26-
goal U.S. Open. At the time of her
untimely passing in February this
Sunny Hale playing for high goal
year, she was handicapped at 3
team C Spear in a ride-off with
another lady player
goals, the best player in the world
Adolfo Cambiaso described her as
having the mind of a 10 goaler. No
small praise from the great man himself. Her website points out that she
was “hired as a professional player to compete on teams alongside some
of the greatest male players in the sport. This would be the equivalent of a
woman being hired to play in the NBA, World Series or the Superbowl as a
starter among the men and winning the championships.”
“So just how happy are some of the world’s leading
woman players with this brave new(ish) polo world?”
Jamaica
Lesley Ann Masterton - Fong Yee  (56) started playing at Kingston Polo Club, Jamaica in 1980. She was also
one of the world’s highest handicapped players, with her top Handicap being 3 goals. She has represented Jamaica
on National teams at home and abroad and has played professionally around the world, and is very well known
and respected in the international polo community. She is a strong advocate for the development of women’s
polo “I have seen ENORMOUS progress for women in polo over the last 25 years. Other than the odd exhibition
match most women’s tournaments were a disorganized disaster when I started playing and any decent player
hated associating with them in any way; usually a lot of politics and cat fighting involved. Nowadays, women are
accepted for their ability (handicap) on the polo field, there are loads of well-organized women’s tournaments and
there is a tremendous camaraderie among the women that play in them. In some Clubs they have become the most
popular tournaments on the calendar for social, sponsors etc.”
UK
Britain’s Sarah Wiseman  (32) is one of the Plus players in UK, handicapped at 2 goals
“Polo for women has
become so much more accessible and professional in the last five years. There is now a whole women’s polo tour
around the world, where you can earn money playing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy and if you are not willing
to put the work in it will be very tough. If you love the sport and you are good at it, there is no reason why you
can’t succeed and go professional. It’s never going to make you a millionaire but in all honesty, if you play to make
money, then you are not playing polo for the right reasons.”
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