By Alex Webbe
White Birch exploded for 12 first half goals before riding off with a one-sided 16-10 win over Simon Garber’s Yellow Cab team in the opening match of the 2011 Monty Waterbury Cup (July 23-August 13) Saturday afternoon at the Bridgehampton Polo Club.
Former 10-goaler showed few signs of the “eroding talent” that had the handicap committee lower his rating to 9-goals as he scored four of the first five goals for White Birch in the opening chukker. Freddie Mannix added the fifth as Yellow Cab
was shutout 5-0 in the opening frame.
White Birch ran the score up to 9-0 in the second, getting two goals apiece from Aguerre and Mannix before Nacho Figueras finally got Yellow Cab on the scoreboard. The period ended with White Birch holding an impressive 9-1 lead after just two chukkers of play.
Showing no letup on either offense or defense, White Birch added to its commanding lead with single goals from Mariano Gracida, Mannix and Texas two-goaler Jake Stimmel, who was substituting for team captain Peter Brant. A smothering defense held Yellow Cab scoreless for the second time in three chukkers and the first half ended with White Birch trampling Yellow Cab, 12-1.
“Not to take anything away from White Birch,” said Yellow Cab’s Luis Escobar, “but we have only practiced together once before, and White Birch has been playing together all summer. It was a real shocker, but we’ll get better.”
Escobar didn’t have to wait long for the turn around. Although Gracida and Mannix added single goals for White Birch in the fourth, Yellow Cab answered with
goals from Figueras and Escobar. Yellow Cab still trailed by eleven, but its offense was beginning to show signs of life. Mannix and Stimmel added single
goals for White Birch in the fifth, but penalty goals from Escobar and Michel Dorignac were complimented by another goal from Figueras. For the first time all afternoon, Yellow Cab outscored the high-flying White Birch foursome, cutting the lead to ten goals, 16-6.
The final chukker belonged to Yellow Cab, who finally seemed to get some sort of rhythm going for itself. A pair of goals from Dorignac and Escobar and shutout defense allowed Yellow Cab to finish in double digits, but still falling to the powerful White Birch team, 16-10.
Aguerre led all scoring with seven goals. Mannix scored five times and Gracida and
Stimmel accounted for two goals apiece in the win.
Escobar scored four times for Yellow Cab. Figueras and Dorignac added three times each.
Monty Waterbury competition will continue on Monday with Michael Borrico’s Certified team (Borrico, Marcos Garcia del Rio, Adam Snow, Tomas Garcia del Rio) meeting Equuleus (Joe DiMenna, Mariano Obregon, Mariano Gonzalez, Kris Kampsen) while Circa (Chris del Gatto, Guille Aguero, Magoo Laprida, Martin Pepa) takes on Heathcote (Steve Lefkowitz, Naco Taverna, Tommy Biddle and Nick Manifold).