Play continued in the 2013 Joe Barry Memorial Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington with three tournament matches.
In the 3pm feature match, a veteran La Herradura team that featured Hall of Famers and former 10-goalers, Carlos and Memo Gracida took control of the game early as they charged out to 4-0 lead before Coca-Cola could respond. Carlos Gracida scored one goal from the field and another on a penalty shot. Jose Donoso and Alberto Fernandez added single goals. Sugar Erskine kept Coca-Cola from getting shut out as he scored a goal with eight seconds remaining in the chukker.
Scoring was at a premium in the second period. Memo Gracida scored once from the field to account for the total offense in chukker. After two periods Coca-Cola found themselves trailing, 5-1.
Third chukker goals from Carlos Gracida and Fernandez gave La Herradura a commanding six goals, 7-1 advantage when Coca-Cola finally connected. A goal from the field from American 9-goaler Julio Arellano and a penalty conversion from Erskine ended the first half with La Herradura leaving the field with a 7-4 edge.
For the first time all day Coca-Cola outscored La Herradura. In fourth chukker action Coca-Cola got single goals from Gillian Johnston, Erskine (penalty shot) and Tommy Collingwood. Fernandez added a goal from the field and Carlos Gracida converted a penalty shot for a goal. La Herradura continued to lead, 9-6.
Carlos Gracida and Collingwood exchanged goals in the fifth as both defenses tightened up. With one chukker left to play in regulation time, La Herradura held a 10-7 advantage.
Coca-Cola rallied the troops in the sixth chukker. Three goals from Erskine (one on a penalty shot) and a goal from Johnston tied it at 11-11 (Carlos Gracida scored La Herradura’s only goal of the period) and forced the overtime period.
The tempo escalated in the overtime chukker with the teams racing from end to end. With three minutes left to play, a Coca-Cola foul send Carlos Gracida to the penalty lien where he converted a 30-yard shot for the win.
Memo Gracida was honored as MVP and his 7-year-old mare, City of Honor, was named Best Playing Pony.
ORCHARD HILL 12, AUDI 7
Earlier in the day, Lucas Criado scored the first two goals of the game as Lucas Criado scored a goal from the field followed by a 30-yard penalty conversion from Jeff Hall. Nico Pieres finally got Audi on the scoreboard with 2:22 left in the chukker and Nic Roldan drove the ball through the goalposts with 40 seconds on the clock for the 2-2 tie.
Over the course of the next two chukkers Orchard Hill outscored Audi 5-2, getting three goals from Hall and two more from Criado. Audi responded with a single goal from Pieres in the second and a goal from Mark Ganzi in the third. At the end of the first half Orchard Hill held a 7-4 lead.
Both defenses tightened in the second half. The teams traded single goals in the fourth chukker with Roldan scoring for Audi and Criado notching another goal for Orchard Hill. Audi continued to trail, 8-5.
Two more goals from Criado (one on a penalty conversion) and a penalty goal from Roldan ended the fifth period with Orchard Hill stretching its lead to four goals, 10-6.
Roldan’s fourth goal of the day came in the sixth chukker, but Orchard Hill’s Criado scored two more goals to end the game in a convincing 12-7 win.
ZACARA 14, PIAGET 10
In the third contest of the day, Piaget received one goal by handicap from the 20-goal Zacara lineup and quickly added to it. Goals from Joaquin Panelo and Melissa Ganzi had them on top, 3-0 before Zacara could respond. Single goals from 10-goaler Facundo Pieres and Matias Gonzalez ended the chukker with Piaget leading, 3-2.
The two teams cancelled one another out in the second with Zacara picking up a pair of goals from Hilario Ulloa and another goal from Pieres. Piaget 10-goaler Miguel Astrada tallied three penalty conversions. Piaget continued to lead, 6-5.
The game turned in the third with the Zacara defense shutting out the Piaget attack. Two penalty goals from Pieres and a goal from the field from Ulloa ended the first half with Zacara on the winning end of an 8-6 score.
Zacara extended its lead to three goals in the fourth chukker. Single goals from Gonzalez, Zacara team captain Lyndon Lea and Pieres (penalty goal) had Piaget trailing, 11-8.
Two more goals from Pieres in the fifth went unanswered as Zacara moved in front by five goals, 13-8.
Piaget struggled to get traction in the final chukker but only managed single goals from Panelo and Astrada. Lea scored Zacara’s final goal in the 14-10 victory.