Catamount Opens Season with 10-7 Victory over Bendabout in Quarterfinals of C.V. Whitney Cup Sunday at International Polo Club Palm Beach
WELLINGTON, FL (February 25, 2007) – Catamount made a successful season debut, dominating Bendabout 10-7 in the quarterfinals of the 26-goal C.V. Whitney Cup Sunday at International Polo Club Palm Beach.
In other quarterfinals matches, Skeeterville edged Black Watch 11-10 on Owen Rinehart’s game-winning goal, Javier Novillo Astrada scored five goals to lead San Saba over Laurence-Wallace 14-11 and Lucas Monteverde scored seven goals as White Birch debuted with a 13-11 triumph over Lechuza Caracas.
White Birch plays San Saba at 1 p.m. and Catamount plays Skeeterville at 3 p.m. in Wednesday’s semifinals. The championship match is Sunday at 3 p.m. on Stanford Field at International Polo Club.
“We came in with a plan and we stayed with the plan.” Said 8-goaler Nicolas Roldan of Catamount. “We started out a bit slow. We couldn’t get our rhythm. Then Adam (Snow) and I started working together better and Martin (Zegers) went up front more. But we didn’t change anything.”
Roldan finished with a team-high four goals, 30-year-old Martin Zegers of Chile scored three goals, Adam Snow had two goals and patron Scott Devon added one goal.
“I’m surprised by how well we played, considering it’s our first game,” said Devon, who missed the first part of the season while rehabbing a rotator cuff injury to his left shoulder. “That was a pleasant surprise. I think we can play better but anytime you beat a good team like Bendabout, it’s a good day.”
Catamount broke open a close game with three consecutive goals, two by 8-goaler Nicolas Roldan in the fourth chukker and a penalty shot by 9-goaler Adam Snow early in the sixth chukker to take a 9-5 lead.
Bendabout rallied with two penalty shots in a 35-second span to cut the margin to 9-7 with 2:59 remaining. Bendabout continued to press the attack but Alejandro Novillo Astrada and Ignacio Toccalino barely missed shots from 70 yards away.
Toccalino led Bendabout (1-1) with four goals while Miguel Novillo Astrada scored two goals and Alejandro Novillo Astrada added one goal. Patron Gillian Johnston did not score.
We should have pushed them more,” said Miguel Novillo Astrada. “We have to work harder to be ready for the next two tournaments.”
Rinehart’s winning goal occurred from 10 yards away after teammate Marcos diPaola dribbled the ball the length of the field.
Black Watch rallied in the final chukker, scoring three straight goals to send the game into overtime. The game might not have gone into overtime but Black Watch missed five-of-six penalty shots, including a 30-yarder in the third chukker. They also missed two 60-yard penalty shots in the fifth chukker – wide left by Facundo Pieres and wide right by Gonzalito Pieres.
Skeeterville, which won its second consecutive game by one goal, made two-of-four penalty shots, but missed a 30-yarder in the fourth chukker.
Julio Arellano led Skeeterville with six goals while Rinehart finished with three goals and diPaola scored two goals. Patron Skeeter Johnston did not score.
Gonzalito Pieres led Black Watch (0-1) with five goals and Facundo Pieres added four goals. Patron Neil Hirsch and Nacho Figueras did not score. Figueras was dismounted in the first half but continued to play and said after the game that he did not suffer any injuries.
White Birch, which won the C.V. Whitney Cup in 2005, scored three unanswered goals in the fifth chukker, two by Mariano Aguerre, to snap a 9-9 tie. Lechuza Caracas cut the margin to 12-11 but Monteverde converted a 60-yard penalty shot to seal the win.
Aguerre finished with four goals and Ulysses Escapite chipped in with two goals for White Birch. Patron Peter Brant did not score.
Sebastian Merlos led Lechuza Caracas (1-1) with seven goals while Pite Merlos and Jeff Blake scored two goals each. Patron Victor Vargas did not score.
San Saba scored four consecutive goals, two by patron Dawn Jones, to rally from a 9-8 deficit in the fifth chukker.
Jones, the only female patron left in the tournament, and Toto Collardin finished with four goals apiece for San Saba (2-0) while Paco de Narvaez added one goal.
Agustin Merlos led Laurence-Wallace (1-1) with five goals and Mike Azzaro scored four goals. Patron Elizabeth Iorio and 5-goaler Pelon Escapite did not score. Escapite played in place of 7-goaler Luis Escobar, who missed the game due to illness. Laurence-Wallace received two goals on handicap at the start of the game.
The tournament, first held in 1979, is named in memory of Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny” Whitney, who along with his cousin John Hay Whitney, were important polo patrons in the 1930’s. The son of Hall of Fame patron Harry Payne Whitney, C.V. won the U.S. Open three times (twice against his cousin), and was a renowned owner and breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.
The polo matches at International Polo Club are open to the public. General admission for the Sunday games at International Polo Club Palm Beach is $10 for adults. Children under 12 enter for free. Tickets may be purchased at the gate on the day of the game or in advance at the stadium box office.
International Polo Club Palm Beach is located at 3667 120th Avenue South, between Pierson Road and Lake Worth Road in Wellington. For information, directions or ticket purchases, please call the club at (561) 204-5687 or visit the website at www.internationalpoloclub.com.
Sunday’s results
San Saba 14, Laurence-Wallace 11
White Birch 13, Lechuza Caracas 11
Skeeterville 11, Black Watch 10 (overtime)
Catamount 10, Bendabout 7
Wednesday’s schedule
Semifinals
White Birch vs. San Saba, 1 p.m.
Catamount vs. Skeeterville, 3 p.m.