Thermal, CA  (March 16, 2008) – The first annual Skins Game at the La Quinta Polo Club saw Chris Maloney and Jesse Bray’s Tri Tech/La Quinta combination win five of the six skins available over Sean Keys and Steven Armour’s Hidden Creek/Shanghai, for a total of $20,000 to $4,000. The game featured but one carryover –  $4,000 from the sixth to an overtime seventh.

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Trophy: Hidden Creek/Shanghai – Steve Armour, Rob Yackley, Graham Bray, Sean Keys. Tritech/La Quinta – Chris Maloney, Kimo Huddleston, Jesse Bray and Gaston Von Wernich. Click here to see all photos from this Final.

Maloney, Bray, and company waisted little time at the start and grabbed the first $4,000 by outscoring Keys and Armour 2 – 0 in the first. Scoring came from Gaston von Wernich and Bray himself with one each.

The difference in the second period was the same but with a score of 3 – 1 and again favoring the winners of the first and the total became $8,000 to nil. von Wernich scored twice and Bray had another for the leaders, while the lone reply for Hidden Creek/Shanghai came from Keys.

Keys and Armour got back into it in the third with a goal from Graham Bray that held up for a victory of 1 – 0 that gave them $4000 and brought them to within exactly that amount at the half.

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Shot of the day: Rob Yackley taking it out of the air. Click here to see all photos from this Final.

The fourth was playing even at zero and everyone expected the first carryover of the afternoon, until Jesse Bray coverted an open goal opportuinty, with 28 seconds left, that gave he and Maloney another skin and a lead of $12,000 to $4,000.

Last minute scoring figured into the fifth chukker as well, as von Wernich broke a 2 – 2 tie, with 23 seconds on the clock, and won the period 3 – 2 and another $4,000 giving Tri Tech/La Quinta a total of $16,000. That tally was the second of the period for von Wernich. Kimo Huddleston scored one to help out. Graham Bray and Armour had one each in reply for Hidden Creek/Shanghai.

While the fourth and fifth chukkers threatened to carryover, the sixth actually did. With a goal from Maloney and one from Graham Bray to draw even at one, overtime was needed to award the final $4,000. The goal to distribute the last check was a huge and spectacular effort by Huddleston with a neckshot from 100 yards and far, far out to the right. While first appearing to be headed to the left of the mark, the wind caught the ball and it dropped five yards in front and rolled through for the money and gave Tri Tech/La Quinta the total of $20,000.

While the game score in a skins format is meaningless, it is interesting nonetheless to note that Tri Tech/La Quinta outscored Hidden Creek/Shanghai by a score of 10 – 5 in regulation.

Report by Tony Gregg
Photos by L. Bremner/PoloZONE.com
Click here to see all photos from this Final.

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