Bike polo and the retired 'vampire' who loves the game

— -- You don’t need horses and verdant fields to play polo: Every Sunday from noon until sundown on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, a group of bike polo enthusiasts grab their mallets and fixed-gear bicycles to play a hardcourt version of the sport.

Over the past decade, bike polo has gained traction around the globe with the annual World Hardcourt Bike Championships held in cities ranging from Berlin, Germany, to Timaru, New Zealand.

New York’s only court is known as the “Polo Pit.” Three-on-three games include people of both genders. Players range in age from their early 20s to a man known as Frank “Vampire” Marcus who says he's in his 80s.

“Just get yourself a clunker of a bike and get in the game,” said Marcus.