A bustling, busy day at the Centauros Polo Club, the sidelines full of people, vendors selling food and drink, La Merced girls handing out mate to the masses and music flowing over the field from the clubhouse where post-polo party preparations were underway. Time for the final between the 16 goal squads of La Ginevre and El Cabure.
The spectators weren’t kept waiting long for the first scoring of the match as Santiago Solari lit up from the initial throw-in straight to goal to put La Ginevre up by one. Pite Merlos was soon to answer for El Cabure by converting a penalty and the match was tied at one. Before the chukka was to end El Cabure had drawn another foul and as Merlos was switching horses, Enrique Bauzada, who was filling in for Augustin Molina, converted a penalty attempt of his own make the score 2-1.
Solari was the first to strike again in the second chukka as he broke from the boards to goal and tied the match at 2. Pite Merlos again responded, this time from the field…then Bauzada following up Merlos’ drive to goal, fired a neck shot through the uprights to extend El Cabure’s lead to 2 at 4-2. La Ginevre rallied and it was Juan Ruiz Guinazu streaking out front to finish, then again to tie the match at 4 and then from the throw-in it was Solari’s turn to streak to goal as he put La Ginevre back into the lead.
Chukka 3 saw La Ginevre’s patron, Luca d’ Orazio, extend the lead when he received a pass out front and finished to make the score 6-4. El Cabure wasn’t going to let this match get away from them, Merlos battled his way toward goal, fighting off two defenders and setting himself up in space fired a neck backshot to goal to get within a goal at 6-5. The game was starting to open up a little now and as La Ginevre started to run they were fouled, Solari blasted a penalty from centre that dropped in front of Llorente who was able to pop it in and extend the lead back to 2 goals at 7-5.
After the halftime break both teams came out looking to control the ball and the pace of the game. La Ginevre’s pressure resulted in a safety by El Cabure and Guinazu converted to make it 8-5 . El Cabure was fast to respond as the patron, Federico Virasoro, took a pass from Manuel Elizalde and finished to get back within two, 8-6. Both teams again traded goals as first Guinazu struck and then Merlos responded ending the chukka at 9-7.
The scoring in chukka 5 began with Guinazu converting on another safety to make it 10-7…then Solari from the throw-in to make it 11-7. Merlos responded with two goals of his own for El Cabure and the chukka ended with La Ginevre clinging on to their 2 goal lead, 11-9.
Chukka 6 was all El Cabure as Merlos converted two penalty 3’s to tie the match at 11 and send the final into a sudden death overtime chukka!
El Cabure grabbed the ball from the first throw-in and broke to goal but sent the goal shot just wide!
La Ginevre breathed a sigh of relief, set up for the knock-in and took off on a run of their own…El Cabure was focused on defence and forced La Ginevre to the sidelines where the ball skipped out of bounds…a throw-in at the boards…La Ginevre renews their run to goal….again El Cabure’s defence was strong but off of one of their mallets the ball skipped over the endline for a safety. Guinazu teed up the ball and started his approach…he’d been nailing his penalties all day…this time was to be no different…he split the uprights…broke the deadlock and won the game…victory for La Ginevre! An exciting finish to a hard fought match…now it was time for the post-polo party!
Thanks for reading!
Chau for now.
Dylan Foster