By Alex Webbe
For a team that swept the high-goal season at the International Polo Club last year, two losses in a row were anything but “business as usual” for the Crab Orchard polo team, but thanks to an invigorating 13-10 win over a talented Bendabout foursome, Crab Orchard appears to be on the road to recovery.
Adolfo Cambiaso and his Crab Orchard teammates registered their first win of the 26-goal season Saturday morning with a 13-10 win over Bendabout in first round play in the 2011 USPA Piaget Gold Cup, and appear poised to build on the victory in its second round of play.
It was taking the team longer than expected to adapt to the addition of South African Nachi du Plessis to the Crab Orchard lineup, but after two uninspiring losses, it appears that those difficulties are all but over.
Du Plessis led the team in scoring with five goals and made a number of important plays in the course of the Saturday morning match.
Du Plessis scored the first goal of the game on a penalty shot for Crab Orchard, but Bendabout responded with a penalty conversion from Julio Arellano in a low scoring, 1-1, first chukker.
Arellano put Bendabout ahead, 2-1, but du Plessis ended the chukker with a penalty conversion and a 2-2 tie.
Goals from du Plessis and Hilario Ulloa in the second were countered by a penalty goal from Arellano, as Crab Orchard rode off the field at the end of the first half with a narro4-3 lead.
Both teams struggled for control as the second half began. Ulloa scored twice and du Plessis added a goal for Crab Orchard. Bendabout team captain Gillian Johnston scored her first goal from the field in the fourth chukker, and Arellano scored once from the field and once on a penalty shot. The Crab Orchard lead remained at one goal, 7-6.
It seemed like it took Cambiaso the first four chukkers to warm up, as he put on a display of stickwork and horsemanship in the fifth period that netted him three goals from the field. Ulloa added another goal, and Crab Orchard extended its lead to two goals, 11-9. Arellano added two more goals for Bendabout, and Johnston drove through another goal as well.
Arellano’s eighth goal of the game cut the Crab Orchard lead down to a single goal again, but that would be as close as they would come. Cambiaso scored his fourth goal of the game from the field and du Plessis converted another penalty shot for a goal and the 13-10 win.
Arellano led all scoring with eight goals (three on penalty shots). Teammate Gillian Johnston accounted for two goals in the game.
Du Plessis accounted for five goals for Crab Orchard (four goals on penalty shots, one goal from the field). Cambiaso and Ulloa scored four goals apiece in the win.
ZACARA 10, VALIENTE 7
Zacara team received one goal by handicap and added two more in the opening chukker as they rode on to score a 10-7 win over Valiente in the first round of play in the 2011 USPA Piaget Gold Cup.
Mariano Uranga continued to impress, scoring three goals in the first three chukkers. Facundo Pieres added a pair of goals to the pot and the team’s one goal by handicap had them ahead 6-4 at the end of the first half, limiting the Valiente scoring efforts to three penalty conversions (two from Miguel Astrada and one from Polito Pieres) and a goal from the field from Nacho Astrada.
Two more fourth chukker goals from Facundo Pieres had Zacara stretching its lead to three, holding Valiente to a single penalty conversion. After four chukkers of play, Zacara brandished an 8-5 advantage.
Polito Pieres opened the fifth chukker with a goal, but Zacara promptly responded with a goal from the field from his cousin, Facundo Pieres. The point spread remained at three, with Zacara in front, 9-6.
Miguel Astrada converted a penalty shot for a goal in the sixth followed by a Zacara goal from team captain Lyndon Lea for the final 10-7 Zacara win.
Facundo Pieres scored five times for Zacara. Uranga added three goals and Lea accounted for a goal in the win. Zacara received one goal by handicap.
Miguel Astrada scored four goals for Valiente. Polito Pieres added two and Nacho Astrada scored once.
LECHUZA 14, PIAGET 8
Rated at 24-goals, the Piaget team’s the lightest handicapped team in Gold Cup competition, but they had the look of a contender. They built on the two goals they received by handicap to ride out to a 7-5 first half lead. The tables would turn, however, as Lechuza found its stride in the second half.
Piaget had a two goal start (handicap) and added a goal from Nachi Heguy in the opening chukker. Lechuza team captain Victor Vargas would account for his team only goal of the first period, and Piaget would have an early 3-1 advantage.
Lechuza would get a pair of goals from Sapo Caset, but Heguy and Lolo Castagnola would score to keep Piaget ahead, 5-3 after two periods of play.
Lechuza added two more goals in the third, with Vargas and Caset each registering scores while Piaget’s Heguy and Juan Bollini tallied to maintain a two goal, 7-5 edge.
Trailing by a pair of goals going in to the second half was nothing short of a wake-up call for Lechuza as they put up five unanswered goals in the fourth chukker.
Sapo Caset got the ball rolling with the first of three goals from him in the chukker. Lechuza team captain, victor Vargas, added two more, and Lechuza held a convincing 10-7 lead.
Piaget was held to just a single goal for the remaining four chukkers as Lechuza added four more capturing the game in a convincing 14-8 fashion.
Caset scored nine times in the Lechuza win. Vargas added four goals and Juan Martin Nero added a goal in the win.
Heguy scored three times for Piaget. Castagnola added two goals to the pot and Bollini accounted for a goal. Piaget received two goals by handicap.