Polo is a sport of sports. It can make you feel like a God or a Goof in one swoop. That is why we play it. A bad day is a really bad day and a good day is so good you never remember the bad day. Thats the way it was in the Rancho Valencia Cup today. Its the finals and our team made it. We should be cracking the champagne, but oh my, we are losing. How, why when did it happen? If you play polo you will know what I mean. Today was that kind of a day. OC Polo played like a machine Saturday, winning by 5 or 6. Adeptus on another field. Time won as well, but it was no walk in the park. They were for sure underdogs today, but its not yesterday, its like Sunday and its the finals. Colleen Wilson and her Adeptus squad were anything but underdogs today. As good as OC felt, they never guessed how bad they could feel.
After blowing through their bracket and watching every game it came down to Brother vs, Brother. It was a dandy except on the scoreboard and at 3:23 seconds left in the 3rd on the board it was the first goal for OC POLO. It would not be their last, but it was way too late to stop the run of the first 2 & 1/2 chukkers of the game. It would be Carlos Galindo, Jr. who was crowing over brother Nick. It was the first of the Lady Patrons to take the Silver. In game 2 the finals of the 14-goal it looked like Hanalei Bay and Bone’s Machine (Ron Bonaguidi) was going to run all over the team in black, but it was not to happen. Like usual, Madison Square starts out a little slow. If its 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. and this time they were down by 4, but here comes Fas-etta (Mariano Fassetta) and now only by 3, then 2 and then 1. Going into the 4th Hanalei Bay rallies the ship and goes back up by 3. This was the best chukker of the day. A few fouls, but 5 goals scored and Hanalei Bay was up by 3 in the 5th, but here came Madison Square with the Palomino (Jason Crowder) and Fas-etta (Mariano Fassetta) with big support by the rockin’ Juan Jo Gonzalez and Pretty Lady Bosstick. Madison Square was flying the black flag and they finish all even at 10 each, but in control. The 6th started out with a foul on black (Madison Square) and Bones (Ron Bonaguidi) saves a bad #4 and redirects it through the goal for a brief lead. Juan Jo makes a big play and frees Fast-etta and its all tied. Then just like Friday, the Palomino (Jason Crowder) follows the ball through for the winniing goal. The Pretty Lady (Lisa Bosstick) and her Madison Squares are now champs of the Rancho Valencia Cup. This is one of the only cups Lisa had not won yet in San Diego. Now she goes for her 3 peat in the Spreckels Finals which starts this Friday.
There will be 30 games before the next finals, so these 2 will meet again soon and all six teams will play each other. Both finalist lost 1 game as Gypsy beat Madison Square in game 1. Madison beat Hanalei Bay last week in league play in a different kind of game as Hanalei Bay tried a speed game that time and got out run all day long. This time, in a control type game, they kept it close, but it was not a pretty game for the finals eventhough the score was close. The Champs are led by two wonderful Ladies who run their own shows Mrs. Lisa Bosstick and Ms. Colleen Wilson. Congratulations to them both!
The Winners Are . . .
6-Goal
COLLEEN WILSON
JESSICA BAILEY/MANO MVP
MATIAS OBREGON
CARLOS GALINDO JR
14-goal
Lisa Bosstick
Juan Jose (JO) Gonzalez
Mariano Fassetta
Jason Crowder