Game #1 – 11am-Stone Rows Farm (12) vs Smithfield Farm (15)
This game was the opener in the USPA tourney and also doubled as a re-enactment of a revolutionary war battle, as Kim Foley’s four goal squad took Smithfield’s eight goal team the full 15 rounds, losing only by three tallies to John Klopp’s and Sam Ramirez’s entry. Stone Rows started out with a 4 goal handicap and took chukker one, two to one to bring their lead to 6-1. However, Chukker two and every succeeding chukker went to Smithfield. Stone Rows had an 8-7 goal lead at half, but Smithfield outscored the 4 goal foursome 14-6 in five chukkers of play. Julio Ezcurra was hot stick with 7 goals for Smithfield. John Klopp and Sam Ramirez both added three, while Andres tallied twice. father son duo Andrew and Brian Fairclough both scored 4 apiece for Stone Rows. Smithfield advanced but Stone Rows impressed, as they may have the most competitive 4 goal squad in the country. One interesting note of this game was that chukker chatter editor, club manager, and club umpire Tom Goodspeed(thats me)and his trusted mount were attacked by a deer fly during the game. As the horse jumped up a couple of times and bucked, Goodspeed(thats me), who is usually considered to be “one with his horse”, suddenly joined the “case of beer when you hit the deck club”. Now Julio, the owner of this fine pony, hurried over to let Tom know that this horse has never done this before and that his two year old daughter rides the horse to church every sunday.
As for my call on it. I was savagely attacked by a crazed deer fly and the horse went back into prehistoric mode, putting on a whole series of PBA (Professional Bull Riding) type moves on me. I was lucky to escape with the little that is left of me after 4 decades of polo. So thats my story and Im sticking to it.
Game #2 – 1pm Buckleigh Farm (9) vs Longfield Farm (10)
Duke’s well prepared foursome took chukker one 4-2 and appeared that they were going to roll over Buckleigh. The problem is that Buckleigh did not choose to roll over. Buckleigh took chukker 2, 2-1. Longfield answered 2-1 in chukker 3, leaving Longfield up by 2 at half. Longfiield captured chukker 4 and then they both played chukker 5 even at 1-1. Then Buckleigh Farm ignited a comeback strategy and took chukker six by a 3-0 margin, one goal shy of over-time. The comeback strategy of chukker six was traditional Butterworth, as Oliver tallied twice, very much in tune to his Father’s same style so many times in polo’s history. However, Longfield was a perfect 10…..to hold off Buckleigh’s comeback by a single goal margin. Enrique(Henry) Zavaletta scored 8 times to take high score honors, but was held scoreless in the sixth. Luis Galvan was high stick for Buckleigh with 5 goals. Visiting Buckleigh’s other two teammates were Peter Williams and Gregorio Simeones.
Tuesday, July 4th-USPA Governor’s Cup-Semi-final round
Game #3 – 11am-postponed to 4pm Smithfield Farm (9) vs Buena Vista (5)
The first segment of this game initially appeared to be the last as teams took the field along with a storm shower that rained all the way thru chukker one, forcing the game to be postponed until later that afternoon. However, even though the morning shower looked like it wanted to last the day, the polo weather gods looked down on mashomack and games were re-scheduled and back underway at 2pm and 4pm. So Smithfield and Buena Vista resumed chukker #2 at 4pm. As Chukker #1 ended at about 11:15 am, that was one of our longer chukker changes yet (just under 5 hours)……..the only other players to take longer than that for a chukker change are Bruce and Felix.
The continuing 5 chukkers had Adam Klopp stepping into the stirrups to replace Sam Ramirez. Sam was previously committed to celebrating his wife’s birthday that afternoon. You know….Sam missed another game this summer because he was taking his Dad out to dinner on Father’s Day……….Family before polo??……..what’s up with that??…a normal guy in polo ????? Trying to make the rest of us look bad. Hopefully he gets his priorities figured out before the Eddie Moore. (Just kidding Sam.. Happy Birthday Fabiana !!!)
Another interesting aspect of this match is that it was the coming out party for Alex Langlois who was in his first USPA 8 goal…and he did fantastic, and even scored a goal. Alex has been showing off his very impressive hand-eye skill in the recent weeks, which he must get from his mother’s side of the family. So proud parents Don and Sylvia were very happy with Alex’s performance, as was another Dad in the tourney on the opposite side of the throw-in. That would be John Klopp as his son Adam was busy scoring three times, to match Julio’s efforts to help carry Smithfield to victory and advance them to the final round.
1pm..postponed to 2pm-Longfield Farm (14) vs Supersize (3)
ok…one word…wait that’s already three words..now 10. ok……lets just say Longfield Farm advanced to the Finals-handily. The game was better than the score indicates, but Zavaletta again scored eight times…must be his lucky number. Duke had a combination cut shot and score, while Bebe and Juan added the additional 5 goals of salt into a very open wound. Supersize were all recovering from the International game on Sunday, whereas Longfield had three players that did not participate and were noticeably fresher. James McBride had been awarded the amateur player of the game award at the International event. The mallet was supplied by Juan, James. So you might want to check and make sure that it isnt a ringer before your next game.
2006 USPA 8 Goal Governor’s Cup Championship Finals
This Saturday at 1pm: Longfield Farm vs Smithfield Farm
Sound familiar…it should…this rivalry has been an ongoing one for quite sometime now. So far this year…they are one and one. This game puts one of them up by one.
USPA Governor’s Cup showcases three different Father/son combinations:
Smithfield with John and Adam Klopp
Stone Rows Farm with Andrew, Brian, and Andy(jr) Fairclough
Buena Vista with Don & Alex Langlois
9th Annual International Polo Challenge – Sunday, July 2nd
How appropriate for two teams of Britts to take us on, on of all days, INDEPENDENCE DAY Weekend. What…I mean…what……. were they thinking? Taxation without representation may work well at most polo clubs, but we will not stand for any more of that from across the pond. This side of the pond…ok….but not that side of the pond. And our American Way…has not changed a bit. We will fight bravely from behind the rocks…..and we will always prevail over those teams that we are allowed to supply the mounts.
So with that said, let us congratulate…what….Dorchester???? Is that in New Hampshire?…You say that is one of the two English Teams??? Well of course it is with Lord Milo Watson at back. He was joined by fellow Brits Michael Levin, Sam Ramirez, Abhay Singh, Duke Buchan, and Agustine Zavaleta. Now those last names are a clear indicator as to just how large the British Empire once was.
The USA team, sponsored by The Carlyle consisted of James McBride, Bruce Colley, Julio Ezcurra, and again Abhay Singh (who obviously knows of no loyalty except for the opportunity to play.) Bruce was charged with the rewarding experience of constructing the teams. Now given that opportunity……… Bruce,………… might i suggest you enlist Michel & Gulli for next year’s USA team, in light that it is Independence Day Weekend, do you think it is appropriate for the USA team to be defeated by not just one, but both other teams from Great Britain?
Bentley-(Thats the company that did not give the Mashomack Polo Club Manager one of their beautiful luxury automobiles) had a standout roster of Don Langlois, Tatin, Peter Hunter, and Yvonne Moribito. Yvonne is not only a talented horsewoman, but I have seen few guys that can score on the near-side forehander(much less hit one), as she did in the event.
Yvonne nailed a near-sider, but Agustine Zavaleta gets the play of the day with an angled scoring shot from the mid-field sidelines that soared thru the uprights. The very definition of a crowd-pleaser.
However, in all seriousness, the real crowd pleaser was all the hard work and efforts of Karen and John Klopp, Bruce Colley, Hannah and Duke Buchan, Sylvia and Don Langlois, Alexandra and James McBride, Lindsay Baldwin, their committees, so many of the Mashomack Members,the Sponsors, all of the players from both sides of the big pond, all of the volunteers, and of course, the ponies. It was a great day, and a wonderful weekend of celebrations and polo. The tenting, the catering, the fundraiser to benefit both the Pine Plains Fire Hose Company and the Mashomack Barn Preservation efforts, all made for a memorable day.
9th Mashomack International Polo Challenge Sponsors
Title Sponsor
BEAR STEARNS
Team Sponsors:
The CARLYLE
The DORCHESTER
BENTLEY
Thank You Stone Rows Farm and Buckleigh Farms for your USPA 8 goal entries. It was wonderful to have you be a part of the tournament. Thank You to Mark Gomez for coming over to help our English guests get some additional chukkers.