Polo Season Begins with Joe Barry Memorial Cup
By Alex Webbe
The polo season is back, and the opening rounds of the Joe Barry Memorial Tournament are scheduled to kick of on Saturday January 12 at the International Polo Club in Wellington with three matches showcasing eight teams at the 20-goal level.
Missing from the field is last year’s championship New Bridge foursome, but there are plenty of competitive teams available to pick up the slack.
The opening game of the 2008 tournament is scheduled for 11 am on Saturday and will feature a Carlos Gracida (9-goals) led Pony Express team against Mt. Brilliant, a new entry captained by Hutton Goodman. The team will field talented young players in 6-goalers Jeff Blake and Kris Kampsen and 8-goaler Jeff Hall. Joining Gracida will be team captain Bob Daniels, Matias Machado and Argentine 7-goaler Tomas Goti.
At 1 pm, Will Johnston will pick up the reins for his late uncle and lead the Skeeterville team into battle against San Saba. Joining Johnston will be Skeeterville regulars Julio Arellano (8-goals) and Owen Rinehart (7-goals). Chris Nevins (4-goals) will fill out the team roster.
Saturday’s 3 pm match-up has Bud Light/ERG meeting Isla Carroll. The Bud Light/ERG team will rely on the veteran leadership of Hector Galindo (8-goals) and Roberto Gonzalez (6-goals) and the talents of young Julio Gracida. Scott Wood rounds out the lineup.
A single match on Sunday at 3 pm will have a talented Catamount team facing Carlos and Gonzalo (6-goals) Avendanos’ Patagones foursome.
Scott Devon’s Catamount side will look to 8-goaler Nicolas Roldan for its firepower with Canadian 5-goalers Brandon Phillips and Todd Offen complimenting the young Wellington resident.
Patagones will ride onto the field under the leadership of Argentine veteran 8-goaler Mariano Gonzalez. Five-goaler Carlucho Arellano, another Wellington resident, will complete the Patagones team.
The teams with the top two records from Bracket I (Pony Express, Mt. Brilliant, Isla Carroll and Bud Light/ERG) will meet the teams with the top two records from Bracket II (Skeeterville, San Saba, Patagones and Catamount) in semi-final action on Wednesday, January 23.
The Joe Barry Memorial Cup finals will be played on Sunday, January 27. The Ylvisaker Cup will follow, Feb. 3-17, and will feature 11 teams at the 20-goal level.
Twenty-six goal competition begins with the C. V. Whitney Cup, Feb. 24-March 2; the USPA Piaget Gold Cup, March 9-23; and culminates in the U. S. Open Championship, March 30-April 20, sponsored by Stanford Financial.