By Alex Webbe
Nachi Heguy scored the final goal in Crab Orchard’s 11-8 win over Pony Express in the opening round of the 2008 USPA Piaget Gold Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington Wednesday afternoon, as it faced a talented Pony Express team that rode onto the field with two of last year’s Crab Orchard team aboard.
Ten-goaler Matias Magrini and 8-goaler Pelon Sterling joined Bob Daniels and Nick Roldan for a run at this year’s high goal tournaments.
Last year’s success (Crab Orchard swept the Joe Barry Cup, the Ylvisaker Cup, the Gold Cup and the US Open) convinced the United States Polo Association to raise the handicaps of three of its players, in effect forcing the breakup of the team.
In the first Gold Cup outing of the realigned teams, Crab Orchard managed to take home the 11-8 victory.
A slow start had Pony Express in front 2-1 after the first chukker, and had the game tied at 4-4 after two periods of play.
On the strength of goals from Cambiaso and Jeff Blake in the third chukker, Crab Orchard gained a narrow 6-5 halftime edge.
Cambiaso second goal of the game made it 7-5 Crab Orchard before Sterling and Magrini’s single goals knotted it at 7-7.
The fifth chukker was the undoing of Pony Express. Heguy converted a penalty shot and scored from the field. Cambiaso added his third goal of the game as the defense blanked Pony Express.
With seven and-a-half minutes left to play, Crab Orchard held on to a 10-7 advantage.
Both teams struggled in the final chukker as Crab Orchard managed to shut down nearly every Pony Express scoring effort. The teams exchanged penalty goals to end the game with Crab Orchard on top of the 11-8 score.
BENDABOUT 14, LECHUZA CARACAS 12
In an earlier Gold Cup contest Bendabout relied on five goals in the final chukker to knock off Lechuza Caracas in a 14-12 scoring spree.
Bendabout team captain, Gillian Johnston scored the first goal of the game followed by a goal from the field from 8-goaler Mariano Gonzalez as the Lechuza attack was blanked in the opening seven and-a-half minutes of play.
Brothers Pite and Sebastian Merlos each scored a goal for Lechuza in the second chukker, but a penalty conversion by Gonzalez kept Bendabout on top, 3-2.
Lechuza received two more goals from the Merlos brothers in the third period, but Miguel Novillo Astrada scored a goal from the field and Gonzalez converted another penalty shot to give Bendabout a narrow 5-4 halftime lead.
A renewed Lechuza attack returned to the field for the fourth chukker. Pite Merlos scored to tie it at 5-5 before team captain Victor Vargas scored a go-ahead goal. 6-5. Alejandro Novillo Astrada finally got Bendabout on the scoreboard as he tied it again, but a final goal from Sebastian Merlos would end the chukker with Lechuza ahead 7-6.
“The first half was OK,” said Gonzalez, “but the fourth chukker was a little iffy. This was our first game together,” he added, “once we got going in the fifth chukker, I figured that we had it.”
Bendabout and Lechuza traded goals in the fifth period with each team scoring three times, but the Bendabout confidence continued to grow.
Trailing 10-9, Bendabout scored four consecutive goals before Lechuza finally got on the board. Gonzalez scored his third goal of the chukker on a penalty conversion to give Bendabout a 14-11 lead with less than a minute to be played.
Lechuza continued to press as time clicked off the clock, managing a final goal as time expired, but Bendabout would be celebrating the opening round 14-12 win.
BLACK WATCH 13, ORCHARD HILL 12
Pablo MacDonough and his brother Matias scored six goals apiece for Black Watch in a13-12 opening round victory over Orchard Hill in USPA Piaget Gold Cup Competition Wednesday morning.
Black Watch received one goal by handicap, and seemed to be in control of the first half, as it rode to an 8-6 halftime lead, but everything changed in the fourth chukker.
The Orchard Hill defense tightened, shutting out the talented Black Watch lineup while putting four unanswered goals on the scoreboard.
The second half opened with quick goals from Orchard Hill’s Jeff Hall and Lucas Criado. Hector Galindo and Criado each added additional goals within less than a minute of one another to give Orchard Hill a 10-8 lead.
Black Watch fought its way back in the fourth chukker with Matias MacDonough converting two penalty shots and brother Pablo adding his fourth goal of the game to tie it at 11-11. Galindo scored Orchard Hill’s sole goal of the period.
The showdown that the crowd expected in the final chukker never really appeared. Pablo MacDonough added his fifth and sixth goals of the game to give Black Watch a 13-11 lead with less than a minute left to play. Criado scored Orchard Hill’s only goal of the sixth chukker, but time expired with Black Watch savoring the 13-12 victory.
“This was a real confidence builder,” said Pablo MacDonough following the game. “The win was very important to us.”
Gold Cup action will continue on Thursday with a 10:30 am match featuring White Birch and Zacara. Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the contest was rescheduled when the wife of White Birch 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre went into labor. At 4:45 pm Tuesday afternoon, a 6 pound 9 ounce Antonio Aguerre was born to Mariano and Tatiana Aguerre.