By Alex Webbe
Coca-Cola scored the first two goals in Sunday’s finals of the 20-goal 2012 Joe Barry Memorial Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington, and rode on to an 11-10 win over Lucchese with South African’s Sugar Erskine registering seven of the goals.
Erskine scored the first goal of the game from the field followed by a penalty conversion from 9-goaler Julio Arellano for an early 2-0 Coca-Cola lead. Lucchese struggled with its offense as the Coca-Cola defense kept the pressure on from the opening throw-in.
Lucchese 10-goaler Pelon Stirling finally got his team on the scoreboard with a penalty goal to open the scoring in the second chukker, but Coca-Cola roared back with goals from Erskine and Mason Wroe for a 4-1 advantage. Santiago Torres stopped the bleeding for Lucchese with his first goal of the game, but Erskine added a final goal to end the chukker in a 5-2 Coca-Cola lead.
Stirling and Erskine opened the third period with a pair of penalty goals, keeping Coca-Cola on top of a 7-4 score. Consecutive goals from Torres and Stirling (penalty conversion) ended the first half with Coca-Cola defending a narrow 7-6 score.
Torres tied it up at 7-7 to open the second half, but Arellano responded with a penalty goal for Coca-Cola to edge Lucchese 8-7. Torres scored the tying goal, once again, on a well-placed neck-shot from about 85 yards out. After four chukkers of play it was all tied up at 8-8.
Erskine one goal from the field was the total sum of all scoring in the fifth chukker as both teams struggled to make their goal shots. Coca-Cola rode into the final chukker with a narrow 9-8 one goal lead.
Stirling converted his fourth penalty shot of the game to knot it up again at 9-9 when Coca-Cola came alive once again. First a goal from team captain Gillian Johnston and then a goal from the hard-charging Erskine for an 11-9 score. With less than a minute-and-a-half left in regulation Lucchese scrambled back. A goal from Stirling cut the Coca-Cola lead to 11-10 with time running out. Lucchese took initial control of the ball on the throw-in but shot the ball wide. The final bell sounded before Lucchese could put the ball back into play and Coca-Cola rode off with the 11-10 win and their second consecutive tournament win of the season.
Erskine led all scoring with seven goals. Arellano scored twice and Johnston and Wroe added single goals for the win.
Stirling’s six goals set the pace for Lucchese. Torres accounted for three goals and Andres Weisz added a single goal.
Torres was named MVP for his efforts while Erskine’s Optima was named Best Playing Pony.
ORCHARD HILL TAKES BOBBY BARRY CUP IN 11-9 WIN
Earlier in the day, Orchard Hill scored an 11-9 win over Audi in the finals of the Bobby Barry Cup, the subsidiary tournament of the Joe Barry memorial Cup.
Audi took the early lead on the strength of goals from Lucas Lalor and Nic Roldan. Orchard Hill climbed back into it with a goal from Facundo Obregon to end the chukker. Audi held a fragile 2-1 edge.
Both teams struggled with their shots on goal in the second frame. Lalor finally scored with 2:53 left in the chukker, but a final goal from Obregon kept the Audi lead at a single goal, 3-2.
Lalor scored the opening goal of the third period, but that was as much offense as Audi could broker. Consecutive goals from Kris Kampsen, Lucas Criado and Obregon had Orchard Hill ahead at 5-4 at the end of the first half.
Roldan tie it at 5-5 to open the fifth, and Rodrigo Andrade put Audi back on top, 6-5, with his first goal of the day. Marc Ganzi’s scored from the field to give Audi a two goal lead, 7-5. Criado put Orchard Hill ahead, 7-6 when a gruesome crash sent Kampsen crashing to the ground. A shoulder injury had Kampsen leaving the field, with Brandon Phillips filling in for the balance of the chukker. Phillips just missed tying it up with a run at the Audi goal, but with 1:49 left in the period, Criado struck pay dirt and scored the tying goal, 7-7.
Pablo Spinacci took the place of Phillips for the final chukker as Roldan gave the lead back to Audi on a penalty conversion, 8-7. Criado tied it up once again, 8-8, on a beautifully executed shot under the belly of the horse. Goals from Criado and Obregon had Orchard Hill in front 10-8, but Lucchese continued to press its attack. Andrade got Audi on the scoreboard one last time with a goal from the field with 2:27 left to play. A final goal from Criado did the final damage as Orchard Hill took the 11-9 win and the 2012 Bobby Barry Cup
Criado scored six times for Orchard Hill. Obregon added four and Kampsen scored one goal in the win.
Criado took double honors in the finals, picking up Best Playing Pony honors for Parejo, a 10-year-old Argentine chestnut, while being named MVP for his efforts.