CONDITIONS OF ENTRY FOR TOURNAMENTS Domestic & HPA 2011

1. All Entry Forms must be FULLY completed by the closing date. Domestic tournaments will be invoiced after the tournament has finished and HPA tournaments before the tournament commences. The Chairman has directed that all tournament fee invoices are to be paid within 28 days of receipt and that patrons and players with outstanding debts will not be allowed to continue to play (even if halfway through a tournament). There will be no exceptions to this rule.
2. The nominated team captain is responsible for liaison with the Polo Office. They are responsible for collating all no play dates, including any HPA tournaments (play dates at CPPC take precedence over domestic tournaments at other clubs.)  Dates and times of teams entered with a TBA will not be changed. The number of "no play / preferred play dates" is to be limited, and there will be no redress.  
   All teams are obligated to provide a sufficient number of play dates to compete in the tournament. If the team cannot provide this they should not enter the tournament. If the number of no play dates is regarded by the polo manager to be too high to be practical then further play dates will be requested. At the same time the position will be reported to the Tournament Committee and if sufficient play dates are not provided immediately then the team will be excluded from the tournament without redress or appeal.
3. After the schedule has been completed and emailed out it will be the responsibility of the nominated team captain to confirm dates and times with the rest of the team.
4. A team wishing to change a "scheduled time" (not day), having obtained permission from the polo office, will be responsible for seeking the agreement from all players on the opposing side. There will be no obligation for a team to switch and if a new time cannot be agreed the match will be played on the scheduled date (unless there has been an oversight of the polo office in the original scheduling). The polo manager has no ability to impose a change on any team.
5. Teams wishing to schedule a game outside the club's normal playing hours (exceptional circumstances only) will be subject to an extra charge of £600.
6. Once the team has been entered and the draw published it may not withdraw unless there are exceptional circumstances and the Tournament Committee agrees. Please note that the withdrawal of a team from a match without the permission of the Tournament Committee will be considered misconduct as laid out in the HPA blue book, and the entry fee will be forfeit.
7. All teams must provide an umpire pony, saddled as for polo for each of its matches (two ponies per team in 22 goal and 24 goals) as laid out by the HPA.
8. When asked by the Polo Office a team must provide either an umpire or a third man to officiate either the game before or after their match.
9. No ponies are allowed to be stationed in the safety zones by the grooms during play; however they may be at the corners of the ground and can move along the safety zones only if the ball is NOT in play. Nominated captains must ensure their grooms comply with these rules to ensure the safety of the viewing public at all times. Non-compliance will result in a fine.
10. All players, umpires and grooms must wear a hard hat at all times when on horseback at Cowdray Park Polo Club, its premises and grounds.
11. All ponies attending Cowdray Park Polo Club must hold an HPA Equine passport and must have had an inoculation for equine influenza. In addition, a copy or original of the passport must accompany the pony whenever it is on Cowdray Park Polo Club grounds.
12. In all Domestic and Invitation matches of 12 goals and below, League matches will finish on a win.
13. In all Cowdray based official HPA tournaments, goals will be widened in the second extra chukka.
14. Any visiting player at Cowdray Park will be considered a temporary member of the club for the purpose of discipline.
15. The decision of the Tournament Committee is final in regard to any dispute.
16. All teams lucky enough to be in a presentation after a match must present themselves to the presentation area no later than seven minutes after the final bell.
17. The Trophy/Cup is to be insured by the winning team from the day it is presented until the day that it is presented to the next winning team. It is also the winning team's responsibility to return the Trophy Cup clean and engraved.
18. All players and umpires arriving late for a match will be fined £50.
19. Handicap limits 4 and 6 goal Cowdray Tournaments:-

6 goal      Player handicap - 2 to 4 with a limit of 8 goals any two players

4 goal      Player handicap - 2 to 4 goals with a limit of 6 goals any two players. Goals will be widened in the first extra chukka .