Audi 10-goaler Tommy Biddle scored five times in leading his team to victory in Friday afternoon’s 7-3 win over One Sandy Lane for the St. Regis Cup in Aspen, Colorado.
Only the fourth player in the history of the game to attain a 10-goal arena handicap, Audi’s Tommy Biddle scored five times and demonstrated a solid defensive effort Friday afternoon at Aspen’s Rio Grande Park as Audi (Marc Ganzi, Ricky Cooper and Tommy Biddle) drove over One Sandy Lane (Bash Kazi, Martin Estrada and Brandon Phillips) for the St. Regis Cup in a consolation match of the 2015 St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship.
One Sandy Lane received one goal by handicap from Audi and scored the first goal of the game from the field as Brandon Phillips spotted them to an early 2-0 lead. Both teams struggled to get any kind of rhythm until Tommy Biddle cut the lead to a single goal, 2-1, with the only other goal from the field in the chukker.
Biddle ad the Audi team dominated One Sandy Lane from the opening play of the second chukker. Biddle tied it at two goals apiece and Marc Ganzi first goal of the game edged Audi ahead, 3-2. Biddle launched a long, towering shot through the goal posts for a two goal lead, 4-2 and then added an insurance goal to tie the chukker with Audi on top, 5-2.
Goals were scarce in the third period as both teams exhibited disciplined defense. The hard-hitting, powerful-riding Biddle, however, managed to drive his way through the One Sandy Lane Defenders for the only goal of the chukker and a commanding 6-2 advantage.
The scrappy One Sandy Lane team continued to fight to get on the scoreboard but Audi was determined, and the defensive wall that Biddle provided turned away drive after drive. Digging the ball out of the corner of the field, Ricky Cooper, the captain of the Welsh National Polo Team and the Audi Number 1, nursed the ball to the One Sandy Lane goal mouth where he drove it through for a score and a 7-2, five goal Audi lead. Refusing to concede, One Sandy Lane continued to press the attack. A final goal from Martin Estrada signaled the end of the game and a convincing 7-3 Audi Victory.
Biddle led all scoring with five goals. Ganzi and Cooper each added a goal for the win. One Sandy Lane received one goal by handicap and was held to single goals from Phillips and Estrada in the loss.
Play continues on Saturday, December 19th 1:15pm (MST) with the final of the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship between Flexjet (Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini and Jeff Hall) and the U.S. Polo Assn. (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini and Nic Roldan).At 2:30pm (MST) St. Regis (Brian Boyd, Carlitos Gracida and Nacho Figueras) will face ChukkerTV (Bernie Uechtritz, Martin Pepa and Mariano Gracida) in the Subsidiary in the Subsidiary Final. Trophy presentations at 3:45pm (MST) will cap off the tournament.
ChukkerTV, the worldwide leaders in polo broadcasting, will live stream both Saturday matches of the 2015 St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship. It is the first time the much-anticipated tournament will be live streamed in its entirety and exclusively by ChukkerTV.