In November, a letter was sent to all patrons to say that the HPA would not award a handicap until they were satisfied that they could do so fairly and reserved the right to award a higher handicap than the player’s home handicap depending on the circumstances and the evidence available.
At a meeting on Friday 22 January the Handicap Committee agreed that it was very difficult to justify any change to the handicaps of overseas players without an HPA handicap on the evidence of polo played to date by the individuals concerned. It was therefore recommended and agreed that Cruz Heguy and Mackensie Weisz should be awarded an HPA handicap of 4 goals, the highest handicap they currently hold but with their handicap in brackets. This is notification that their handicap is more likely to be changed at any time than one without brackets. The brackets will be removed when the Handicap Committee has had the opportunity to assess them properly and until then they may not play for anyone else other than their patron, including as substitutes. Other players coming here on a CV form may also be awarded a handicap in brackets at the discretion of the Handicap Committee.
At the same meeting, it was agreed that Manuel Elizalde should stay on 6 goals, his HPA handicap at the end of 2019. That aligns with decisions already made with other players who are established here but missed the 2020 season.
It was also recommended by the Handicap Committee and agreed by Stewards that:
- The requirements and rules for playing the high goal should be reviewed for 2022. It was proposed that below a certain handicap (suggested as 6 goals) teams should be restricted to those players with established HPA handicaps (suggested as meaning having obtained two EOS HPA handicaps).
- The Umpire and Rules Committee should consider and make a recommendation to Stewards as to whether a team playing above 22 goals due to a player in brackets being raised should give away more than the normal goal difference in 2021 (a half goal was suggested).