White Birch Wins Butler Handicap final, 11-9

White Birch (Santino Magrini, Hilario Ulloa, Mariano Aguerre and Peter Brant) won their second consecutive 20-goal tournament of the season Sunday afternoon when they scored an 11-9 win over Northwood (Dillon Bacon, Gonzalo Garcia Del Rio, Tomas Garcia Del Rio and Mariano Gonzalez) in the final of the 2016 USPA Butler Handicap at the Greenwich Polo Club.

Opening goals from White Birch team captain Peter Brant and Hilario Ulloa (30-yard penalty conversion) were countered by a goal from the field from Northwood’s Tomas Garcia Del Rio, 2-1. Ulloa closed out the first chukker with his second goal of the game that put White Birch in the lead, 3-1.

The Northwood offense stirred in the second chukker, exploding for four goals while limiting the powerful White Birch attack to single goals from Ulloa (40-yard penalty conversion) and Mariano Aguerre. Northwood 8-goaler Tomas Garcia Del Rio scored three times (twice on penalty shots) with his brother Marcos Garcia Del Rio adding a goal.  After two periods of play the game was all even at 5-5.

Aguerre and Mariano Gonzalez traded goals in the third with Ulloa’s fourth goal of the game breaking the tie and giving White Birch the 7-6 halftime advantage.

A defensively-oriented fourth chukker offered limited scoring opportunities with Ulloa accounting for the only goal in the chukker. With two chukkers left in regulation play, White Birch held a two goal lead, 8-6.

Brant’s second goal of the day gave White Birch a three goals cushion, 9-6, and Ulloa’s fifth goal of the afternoon had them in front by four, 10-6. Tomas Garcia Del Rio cut into the White Birch lead with a 30-yard penalty shot, 10-7 and teammate Gonzalez’s second goal on the day brought them back to within two goals of the lead, 10-8, to end the chukker.

Northwood continued on the attack with a costly White Birch penalty sending Tomas Garcia Del Rio to the penalty line where he converted a 40-yard shot for a goal and had them within a goal of the lead, 10-9, but that was where the rally stalled.   Ulloa converted a penalty shot from the 40-yard line for the final goal of the game in the 11-9 White Birch win.

Ulloa scored seven goals (four on penalty shots) on the day and received MVP honors for his efforts. Brant and Aguerre each scored two goals for the win.  Tomas Garcia Del Rio led the Northwood attack with six goals (four on penalty conversions).  Gonzalez added two goals and Marcos Garcia Del Rio added a goal in a losing effort.

Aguerre’s mare, Machitos Lituania, was named Best Playing Pony.

The final of the Butler Handicap will mark an end to the season for the next month with action in the 2016 East coast Open scheduled to begin in the last week of August. With two tournament wins under their belt, White Birch will be looking to sweep the table with a third title on the year.  Las year’s defending championship Audi team from Wellington, Florida, however, will be returning to defend their title.

Postage Stamp Farm Wins Butler Handicap Subsidiary round-robin

With wins over Tupungato (Luis Rinaldini, Juan Martin Zubia, Naco Taverna and Tommy Biddle) and Airstream (Benjamin Avendano, Matias Magrini, Kris Kampsen and Guille Aguero) in Sunday morning round-robin competition, Postage Stamp Farm (Annabelle Gundlach, Brandon Phillips, Nick Manifold and Joao Paolo Ganon) won the subsidiary of the Butler Handicap.

In the opening three chukkers of play Airstream spotted the 16-goal Tupungato team two goals by handicap but tied the game at two goals apiece after the second chukker. Third chukker goals from Benjamin Avendano, Guille Aguero and Kris Kampsen saw Airstream cruise to a 7-5 win, surrendering only a single goal to Tommy Biddle on a penalty shot in the final chukker.

Avendano and Kampsen set the offensive pace for Airstream with three goals apiece. Biddle was high scorer for Tupungato with three goals.

Postage Stamp Farm 7, Tupungato 3½

In the second three-chukker mini-match, Postage Stamp Farm rolled over Tupungato, 7-3½ after giving the 16-goal team one-half goal by handicap.

Nick Manifold scored the only goal of the period in a cautious opening chukker. Tupungato had difficulty breaking through a disciplined Postage Stamp Farm defense and found themselves trailing by a half goal, 1-½

Brazilian 7-goaler Joao Paulo Ganon and Manifold each added two more goals in the second chukker while holding Tupungato to a single 60-yard penalty conversion from Tommy Biddle. After two periods the Postage Stamp Farm lead had grown to 3½ goals, 5-1½.

Ganon scored the first two goals of the third period, with the first coming on a 60-yard penalty shot. Tupungato responded with single goals from Biddle (penalty conversion) and Naco Taverna, but it was a case of too little, too late.  Postage Stamp Farm rode off with the 7-3½ win.

Ganon scored a team-high four goals (two on penalty shots) for Postage Stamp Farm, and Manifold added three more to the total. Biddle’s two goals were the high for Tupungato in the loss.

Postage Stamp Farm 8½, Airstream 6

In the final mini-match of the round-robin the 17-goal Postage Stamp lineup received 1½ goals by handicap and quickly added to it. A 40-yard penalty conversion from Joao Ganon was answered by a goal from the field from Guille Aguero, 2½-1.  Brandon Phillips and Ganon added single goals from the field, extending their lead to 3½ goals, 4½-1.  A final goal from Kris Kampsen ended the chukker with Postage Stamp Farm on top, 4½-2.

The two teams traded goals in the second chukker with Manifold and Philips each scoring a goal for Postage Stamp Farm while Airstream’s Kampsen scored once on a penalty shot and once from the field. Postage Stamp Farm continued to hold the lead, 6½ to 4.

Two more third chukker goals from Kampsen (one on a 40-yard penalty conversion) were matched by two goals from Ganon (one on a 40-yard penalty shot) and a goal from the field from Phillips. Postage Stamp Farm celebrated the 8½-6 victory.

Ganon and Phillips scored three goals apiece for Postage Stamp Farm while Kampsen scored five goals in the Airstream loss.

Kampsen was named MVP while Nick Manifold’s Bonanza earned Best Playing Pony honors.