The more things change, the more they stay the same in Calgary as John Rooney continues winning ways.
Calgary, Alberta (July 2, 2007) – The team name is different and the line-up has changed, but the winning continued for 2006 champ John Rooney in the first match game of the 2007 Calgary season, the American Day Polo Championship Cup.
With steady stand-by Joe Henderson and newcomers (at least for Rooney) Tommy Biddle and Daniel Roenisch, Rooney and his Tusk Energy crew found the drilling easy as they defeated Millarville by a score of 10 – 7. Rooney (2 foul) and Biddle (1 foul) scored three times each as Henderson matched a handicap award of two goals.
Taking advantage of the two goal spot at the initial throw in, Tusk played the Fred H. Mannix led Millarville foursome even at zero in the first and then went to work early in the second chukkar and led throughout including a 7 – 3 lead at the half. The Millarville loss marked the debut in higher goal polo for Mannix’s younger brother Julian who scored two goals to add to his brother’s five (3 foul). Jeff Hall and Nacho Lezica filled out the losing line-up.
In a very entertaining match, it was generally agreed that the difference was Roenisch with, as they say, a career effort and his nose in every play.
Tusk Energy (17) – John Rooney 1, Daniel Roenisch 5, Tommy Biddle 7, Joe Henderson 4.
Millarville (19) – Julian Mannix, Fred H. Mannix 7, Jeff Hall 8, Nacho Lezica 4.