By Alex Webbe
Power Horse scored wins over Pony Express and Newport in round-robin play Saturday morning to secure a spot in the finals of the 2011 Spring Classic at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington.
Newport and Pony Express opened the competition with Pony Express 7-goaler Tomas Goti scoring the first goal of the day. Newport’s Martin Adcock responded with a goal from the field for Newport to knot it up at 1-1. Pony Express team captain Bob Daniels put his team back on top, 2-1, before Newport responded with goals from Adcock and Hector Galindo to end the period with a 3-2 lead.
Both teams carried the ball up and down the field on unsuccessful drives before a Newport foul gave Daniels a scoring opportunity on a penalty shot. Daniels successfully converted the shot for the only goal of the chukker and a 3-3 tie game.
England’s Mark Cann scored a goal from the field for Pony Express in the third period before the Newport attack erupted. Galindo and Chris Nevins scored two goals apiece and Gene Goldstein added a single goal for the 8-4 Newport win.
For the next three chukkers, Pony Express would remain on the field to face Walter Scherb’s Power Horse team.
Power Horse showed early strength running out to a 3-1 lead after the opening chukker of the match. A pair of goals from Marc Ganzi and a goal from Scherb were countered by a single goal from Pony Express’s Bob Daniels.
With both defenses tightening in the second period, Tomas Goti would score on a penalty shot while Sugar Erskine would keep Power Horse on top by two, 4-2, with his first goal of the game.
Pony Express continued to press on in the third period, picking up a penalty goal from Daniels and tying it at 4-4 on a goal from the field from Goti. It would be Erskine, however, who would come to the rescue, scoring his second goal of the match and delivering a 5-4 Power Horse victory.
The final and deciding three chukkers of the round-robin competition would pit Power Horse against Newport in a contest that would decide who would face Audi, Friday’s winner, in Sunday’s Spring Classic finals.
Martin Adcock got Newport on the scoreboard first with an opening chukker goal, but Power Horse answered back with an exclamation mark. Consecutive goals from Erskine, Scherb and Marc Ganzi gave Power Horse the early lead, and a momentum that would carry through the entire match.
Defense was the hallmark of the second chukker, but Ganzi added another goal for Power Horse and Hector Galindo scored a goal to keep Newport from being shut out. Power Horse continued to hold the lead at 5-3.
Newport continued to press, but the Power Horse defense was able to hold on for the 5-4 win. The Victory would boost Power Horse into Sunday morning’s 9am final against Audi.
An 11:30 am consolation between Elangeni Ranch and Newport while Pony Express is slated to play Grand Champions in the 4pm contest on the Pony Express fields.