On this day at La Aguada there was only one game of polo to be played, Los Cocos (16 goals) vs Power Horse (16 goals). Walter Sherb’s Power Horse squad was formed around two previous teammates, Guillermo Terrera and Santiago Marambio, whom had made the finals of stage 2 of the Argentina Polo Tour on the Amadeus team.  The other team, Los Cocos, is led by 7 goaler Diego Cavanagh who may be familiar to the Californian readers of this website from his playing days at the Eldorado Polo Club.

The first chukka saw the teams trade penalty conversions and remained tied at 1 until Victorio Montaverde was able to score from the field and take Power Horse out of the chukka leading 2-1.  In the second chukka Power Horse’s Terrera and Marambio began to show the effects of having played the previous tournament together.  Marambio helped Terrera work free of Los Cocos by taking out the man defending him, then Marambio broke away to receive a pass from Terrera and scored with a nice neck shot to increase the lead to 3-1. Immediately it was Power Horse again, Terrera running straight from the throw-in to make it 4-1.  Los Cocos was up against it.  Working hard Los Cocos drew a penalty three and Cavanagh converted to halve the lead at 4-2, then with time ticking down Cavanagh lit up from the knock-in and ran the length of the field to score and end the chukka at 4-3.  Power Horse had started with fantastic teamwork and looked to be running away with the game but Los Cocos had dug in and begun to turn the tide, the next four chukkas promised to be exciting polo.  Los Cocos began the 3rd as they had ended the 2nd, on fire.  Straight from the throw-in they went to goal with Tomas Lalor striking a neck shot true to tie the match…then, drawing another foul on the way to goal, Cavanagh pounded the penalty four to take the lead, 5-4.  The game was raging back and forth now, Lalor out of the air and to goal, too much angle on the neck shot.  Power Horse clearing on the run, worked their way to goal and drew a foul which they converted to tie the match again, 5-5.  Los Cocos however was not finished their assault, again they went to goal, this time Martin Joaquin popping in the goal to break the tie and take the game into half at 6-5 in favour of Los Cocos.  Terrera came out for the fourth chukka and showed some of his trademark stick work eventually getting fouled and Marambio converting the penalty for Power Horse to tie the match yet again.  Cavanagh would have none of that and took the subsequent throw-in straight to goal to retake the lead for Los Cocos, 7-6.  Back and forth both these teams battled along the boards, neither giving any quarter, eventually Power Horse getting fouled…Marambio’s penalty four attempt blocked and sent wide…a safety…a mallet finds this attempt as well but the ball glances through the uprights for the goal and yet another tie, 7-7.  Terrera, not satisfied, stole the ball from Cavanagh and launched himself to goal to get fouled and end the chukka.  Power Horse converted the foul to begin the fifth chukka, breaking the tie and take the lead 8-7.  Neither team let up but goals became hard to find, they continued to battle, big runs, clashing mallets, horses changed on the fly, fouls made, penalties missed, posts hit…only Terrera able to put one through from the field and Power Horse finished the chukka ahead by a score of 9-7.  Los Cocos struck to begin the final chukka, Cavanagh from the field to close the gap to 9-8.  Marambio striking another penalty true to make it 10-8 for Power Horse.  Wow, what a game, really you couldn’t look away from the action for a second…I did…a clash…a roar from the players…I look up…someone is missing…then in a moment…a horse rising into view from beyond the far boards…a second later the player rises arms raised in disbelief…they had been blown right off the field to the ground! Incredible! The horse was completely fine, I could tell as it made it’s way past me to see it’s friends at the pony lines, and the player simply mounted another on the sideline and continued with the game.  Los Cocos continued to press the attack but fouled in their efforts and allowed Power Horse to notch another, stretching the lead to 11-8 with time ticking down.  Los Cocos managed one before the clock wound down to close the match at 11-9.  A great game by both squads.  Power Horse with a solid victory.

Thanks for reading!

Chau for now.

Dylan Foster

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