WELLINGTON, Fla – March 24, 2010 – On March 21, International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) and Piaget hosted the conclusion of one the most prestigious tournaments in polo, the USPA Piaget Gold Cup.  Record-breaking crowds witnessed ten-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso, universally recognized by his peers as the sport’s best player, score five times to lead Crab Orchard to a stunning 12-7 victory over Las Monjitas.  Equally as stunning were the festivities surrounding the impressive win.

The afternoon was set in motion by Jeffrey Donovan, star of the TV series “Burn Notice,” who made a spectacular entrance by landing on the Piaget Field in a helicopter.  America’s top-ranked player and Piaget Man to Watch in 2010 Nicolas Roldan was in attendance, along with polo champion and face of Ralph Lauren fragrances Nacho Figueras, as well as Academy Award-winning actor and respected polo player Tommy Lee Jones.

Yves G. Piaget and Larry Boland, president of Piaget, hosted an exclusive and highly-attended post-match celebration which featured whimsical synchronized swimmers and a preview of the Piaget Polo FortyFive Timepiece Collection.

“I was both pleased and excited to see over five thousand spectators on hand for the championship game,” said Yves G. Piaget.  “It was like the old days at Palm Beach Polo and Country Club.  I am so pleased that Piaget has taken such an active part in this great game.”

“The 2010 Palm Beach Polo Season has welcomed the largest crowds since IPC’s inception in 2004, confirmation that polo at IPC is attracting scores of new fans from Miami to Jupiter,” said John Wash, President of Operations for IPC.  “The USPA Piaget Gold Cup Final was an amazing illustration of polo’s appeal throughout South Florida.”

About International Polo Club Palm Beach (www.internationalpoloclub.com)

International Polo Club Palm Beach is located in Wellington, Florida – in the heart of South Florida’s famed horse country.  Founded in 2004, IPC is host to major tournaments and world-class events throughout the Palm Beach Polo Season, including the Highest Goal Polo played in the U.S. and such prestigious competitions as the Iglehart Cup, Joe Barry Memorial Cup, Ylvisaker Cup, C.V. Whitney Cup, and USPA Piaget Gold Cup, culminating with the USPA Arcalux 106^th U.S. Open Polo Championship ^TM.  The world’s polo elite descend upon Wellington each season to enjoy their love of the sport and the lifestyle in the most prominent and well-equipped polo facility in the nation.  IPC features eight manicured polo fields and the Piaget Field, the Nespresso Grande Pavilion, private boxes and viewing stands, tennis courts, a croquet field, a state-of-the-art spa, a lushly landscaped pool deck, après polo celebrations and a fabled gourmet Sunday brunch, presented by NYC’s Bistrot Bagatelle.  The 2010 Palm Beach Polo Season begins on January 3 and concludes on April 18.

About Piaget SA (www.piaget.com)

Piaget has stood as an icon of excellence and creativity since its founding in 1874, elevating the manufacture of fine jewelry and timepieces to an absolute art.  The firm is known for its legendary Piaget Polo timepieces, as well as for its ultra-thin movements, artistic dials and complications including chronographs, tourbillons and perpetual calendars. Piaget is one of the only remaining watchmakers that designs and crafts its own cases, bracelets and movements.

About Piaget Gold Cup

The prestigious Piaget Gold Cup, first played in 1974, is a symbol of professionalism, good sportsmanship and high goal polo at its finest.  First introduced at Oakbrook Polo Club in Illinois, it then headed north to Milwaukee Polo Club in 1975 and remained there until 1978.  After moving south in 1979, the Gold Cup continued a 17-year stretch at Palm Beach Polo and Country Club, only to move down the road to Boca Raton at Royal Palm Polo & Sports Club in 1996.  In 2002, the Gold Cup headed back up north to Greenwich Polo Club where play resumed until 2004.  Aiken, South Carolina then hosted the Gold Cup in 2005 and 2006.  Now International Polo Club Palm Beach is pleased to host this prestigious polo championship tournament.

About United States Polo Association (www.uspolo.org)
The USPA was organized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its Member Clubs and Registered Players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions, and games, and providing rules, handicaps, and conditions for those tournaments, competitions, and games including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts.

For media inquiries please contact Shamin Abas or Elizabeth Rose at Shamin Abas Public Relations, 561.366.1226 or email shamin@shaminabaspr.com or elizabeth@shaminabaspr.com.

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Piaget, returning a team to the high-goal competition for the first time in over 25 years came up short as a well-coordinated Hawk attack seemed to score at will throughout the six chukker contest.

Piaget received one goal by handicap in the prestigious tournament sponsored by the Swill watchmaker, but struggled to get any offense going, as the Hawks charged out to a comfortable 8-4 halftime lead with team captain Freddy Mannix scoring five of the goals himself.

“They’re a very well polished team,” offered Piaget 9-goaler Nick Roldan, “and we just couldn’t get anything to click for us today.”

Ten-goaler Mariano Aguerre orchestrated the Hawks’ attack, scoring four times himself in the lopsided bout as every member of the Hawk’s lineup got on the scoreboard.

The Hawks shut out Piaget in the fourth chukker while getting single goals from Aguerre and Freddy Mannix.  Piaget was held to a single goal on a penalty conversion from Castagnola, as the Hawk’s attack continued.  Julian Mannix and Aguerre each added a pair of goals as the Hawks left the field after five chukkers on the winning end of a 14-5 score.

The Hawks continued its assault on the Piaget goal in the final chukker.  Goals from Julian Mannix and Pancho Bensadon gave the Hawks a 16-5 advantage with Piaget’s Lolo Castagnola scoring the last two goals of the match for the final 16-7 score.

Eighteen-year-old Julian Mannix scored three goals on the day and was named MVP, Mariano Aguerre’s eight-year-old Chestnut Argentine gelding received Best Playing Pony honors.

LAS MONJITAS 12, BENDABOUT/WANDERERS 10

In earlier Piaget Gold Cup action, Las Monjitas (1-0) scored a 12-10 win over the Bendabout/Wanders (0-1) entry in the 2010 USPA Piaget Gold Cup with Argentine 9-goaler Javier Novillo Astrada scoring five goals in the winning effort.

With Las Monjitas team captain Camilo Bautista still sidelined with a back injury, the Astrada brothers (Eduardo, Javier and Alejandro) took the field with fourteen-year-old Geronimo Obregon.

The twenty-four-goal Bendabout team received two goals by handicap to start the game, but it served as little deterrence to Las Monjitas as 10-goaler Eduardo Astrada quickly evened the score with a pair of goals from the field.

Penalty goals from Bendabout’s Jeff Hall and 9-goaler Mike Azzaro were answered by a single goal from Javier Astrada, and Bendabout held on to a narrow 4-3 lead after two periods of play.

Las Monjitas took the lead in the third chukker getting a pair of goals from Javier Astrada and a goal from teammate Eduardo Astrada.  Sugar Erskine scored the final goal of the chukker, but Las Monjitas rode off the field with a 6-5 halftime lead.

Goals from Obregon and Javier Astrada in the fourth period put Las Monjitas up, 8-5.   Hall converted a penalty shot for Bendabout, and the chukker ended with Bendabout trailing 8-6.

Bendabout got fifth chukker goals from Erskine, Hall and Azzaro, but a pair of goals from Alejandro “negro” Astrada kept Las Monjitas in the lead by a narrow 10-9 score.

American 9-goaler Mike Azzaro opened up the final chukker with a well-placed goal shot that tied it up at 10-10, but Las Monjitas wasn’t quite through.  A goal from the field by Javier Astrada was followed by a penalty conversion from Alejandro Astrada, and the game was over with Las Monjitas the owners of a 12-10 victory.

USPA Piaget Gold Cup action will continue with two games scheduled for Wednesday at the International Polo Club at 10:30 am, between Lechuza (1-0) and Audi (0-1); followed by a 3 pm contest featuring Valiente (0-1) and Crab Orchard (1-0).

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Las Monjitas closed out a long day of polo with an 8-6 win over Mt. Brilliant in the 20-goal, 2010 Herbie Pennell Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington.

In a contest that started slowly, Mt. Brilliant took an early 2-1 lead on goals from Diego Arellano and Chris Nevins, but goals from Pablo Pieres and Martin Donovan had it all even at halftime at 3-3.

Both teams mounted long drives up and down the field but failed to capitalize on numerous scoring opportunities.

Las Monjitas got consecutive penalty goals from Pieres and Javier Astrada before Mt. Brilliant’s Francisco Irastorza tied it at 5-5 with two straight goals. 

Donovan and Astrada each scored single goals to move Las Monjitas ahead 7-5 at the end of the fifth chukker as Mt. Brilliant tried to mount a sixth chukker rally.

Chris Nevins scored his second goal of the game to cut the Las Monjitas lead to a single goal, 7-6, but Donovan closed the door on Mt. Brilliant as he followed up a run at goal by Pieres, tapping the ball through for the 8-6 winning score.

LECHUZA CARACAS 13, FARAWAY 11

In a game played at the Lechuza field, the home team handed Faraway (1-1) its first loss in the Herbie Pennell Cup in a back and forth match that wasn’t decided until the last couple of minutes of the game.

Faraway Polo took an early 3-2 lead after the first chukker, and led 5-4 after the second before Lechuza got its attack on track.

Francisco Bilbao scored three times in the third chukker, and teammate Gaston Lisioli converted his second penalty goal of the day to give Lechuza an 8-7 halftime lead.  Faraway was held to single goals from Julio Arellano and Pelon Escapite as the first half came to an end.

The score would be tied three more times in the second half before consecutive goals from Lisioli and Lechuza team captain Victor Vargas had Lechuza out in front by two goals, 12-10.  Bilbao’s sixth goal of the game made it 13-10 before a last minute goal from Arellano ended the scoring with Lechuza celebrating the 13-11 win.

Bilbao’s six goals set the pace for the Lechuza team, with Lisioli adding five goals in the win.  Guille Aguero and Vargas added single goals in the team effort.

Julio Arellano scored three of his team-high six goals on penalty shots.  Julian Daniels added three goals from the field and Pelon Escapite chipped in two goals in the Faraway effort.

ZACARA 11, EFG BANK 7

Playing without team captain Jim Whisenand, the EFG Bank team fell 11-7 to a powerful Zacara team that led by as many eight goals in a Pennell Cup contest.

Zacara’s Jeff Hall opened the scoring for Zacara but was countered by a goal from Pancho Bensadon in a sedate first chukker that ended in a 1-1 tie.  From then on, it was all Zacara.

Zacara scored eight straight goals over the course of the next four goals, while holding EFG Bank scoreless, for a 9-1 lead. 

“Our horses were cooked,” offered EFG Bank 7-goaler Luis Escobar.  “We’d been playing three games a week for the last couple of months,” he said, “and we just didn’t have the legs to compete today.”

EFG Bank did stage a late rally that gave them six goals in the final two chukkers of the game, but it was clear that Zacara ruled the turf today as the final horn sounded in the 13-11 Zacara win.

Hall led all scoring with six goals.  Marianno Gracida and Gonzalo del Tour added two goals apiece and Toto Collardin chipped in a goal from the field for the winning Zacara team.

Escobar scored four times for EFG Bank.  Teammates John Muse, Andres Weisz and Pancho Bensadon added single goals in the loss.

EQUULEUS 11, AUDI 10

In a game that could have gone either way, Equuleus outlasted Audi, 11-10 with Argentine 7-goaler Mariano Gonzalez leading the field with six goals.

Equuleus took a 3-2 lead after the opening chukker, but could do little to spread the lead as Audi continued to match them nearly goal for goal.

Equuleus led 4-3 after the second chukker and 5-4 after the third as Audi refused to give up.  Equuleus held a 7-6 advantage after the fourth period and managed to extend that to 9-7 after the fifth as Audi struggled to find its offense.  Carlucho Arellano’s second goal of the game had Equuleus out in front 10-7 to open the final chukker of play before Audi got back on line.

Consecutive goals from Marc Ganzi, Nacho Figueras and Kris Kampsen had it all even at 10-10 with just a couple of minutes left to play in regulation time. 

Adam Snow finally gave Equuleus the go ahead goal with less than a minute left to play, and in spite of a last attempt to rally the Audi team, it would be Equuleus who would take the contest, 11-10.

High goal action continues on Sunday afternoon at the International Polo Club with two games in the opening round of the 26-goal, 2010 C. V. Whitney Cup.  At noon, Crab Orchard will meet  Las Monjitas followed by a 3 pm contest between Pony Express and Valiente.

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In a slow starting contest that saw only two goals scored in the opening chukker, the intensity of the match increased with every minute of play. 

An opening goal from Luis Escobar put EFG Bank on top 1-0 in the first period before Kris Kampsen converted a penalty shot for Audi to end the chukker.  Andres Weisz and Escobar added goals to the EFG Bank total in the second frame while the defense held Audi to a single goal from Kampsen.  EFG Bank left the field with a narrow 3-2 lead.

The third chukker provided a lot of fireworks as both teams battled for field position and possession of the ball.  At one point seven technical fouls were called and EFG’s Bensadon and Audi’s Nacho Figueras were sent off the field by the umpires.  The teams ended the chukker playing with three-man teams, and knotting up the score at 4-4.

Cooler heads prevailed in the fourth chukker as the teams traded the first four goals of the period.  Escobar converted a penalty shot followed by a goal from the field from Audi’s Sugar Erskine.  Escobar answered with another penalty shot for a one goal, 6-5 lead, but Audi came back with a goal from the field by Kampsen.

With time running out, Escobar carried the ball through the Audi defense and stroked it through the goal as the horn sounded to end the chukker.  EFG Bank led 7-6.

Audi rallied in the fifth with a pair of goals by Kampsen and a single goal from Figueras for a9-7 Audi advantage, but the celebration was short-lived.  A penalty shot from Escobar and a goal from the field by Andres Weisz as the horn sounded to end the chukker had the score all even after five chukkers, 9-9.

Bensadon scored his first goal of the game in the sixth chukker to put EFG Bank ahead, 10-9, but Audi wasn’t ready to roll over yet.  A great effort by Erskine had it all even once again, 10-10, as the horn sounded to end regulation play.

The overtime chukker lasted little more than a minute when Bensadon hammered the ball through the Audi goal for the win.

Kampsen led all scoring with seven goals.  Teammate Erskine scored twice and Figueras added a goal in the loss.

Escobar scored six times for EFG Bank.  Weisz added three goals and Bensadon scored two goals in the victory.

BENDABOUT 8, EQUULEUS 5

Bendabout made short work of the debut of the Equuleus team in high-goal polo this season knocking them out of the Herbie Pennell Cup in the opening round by an 8-5 score.

In the single-elimination competition, Bendabout shot out to an early 6-1 halftime score before coasting to the final 8-5 victory margin.

In a whistle-laden game that saw Bendabout 9-goaler Nick Roldan convert five penalty shots for goals in the first two chukkers, Equuleus would be held to a single penalty goal in the first half before getting a goal from the field in the fourth chukker from Adam Snow. 

Mariano Gonzalez scored the third goal of the game for Equuleus on a penalty while holding Bendabout scoreless to end the fourth chukker trailing 6-3.

Bendabout got single foals from Gillian Johnston and Ulysses Escapite in the fifth, as Equuleus struggled to get back into the game.  Gonzalez converted another penalty shot, but Bendabout continued to hold on to an 8-4 edge with a single chukker to play.

Equuleus continued to try and get back into contention in the final chukker, but Bendabout had the upper hand.  Bendabout took home an 8-5 win while Equuleus was eliminated from further cup play.

LAS MONJITAS 8, HAWKS 7

In the opening Herbie Pennell match of the day, Las Monjitas scored an 8-7 win over the Hawks in the Pennell Cup.

Showing choppy play and a lack of either team to get into rhythm, Las Monjitas rode off to a 6-3 first half score.

Goals from Fred Mannix, Jr. and Cachi Garcia-Velez were countered by a single goal from Las Monjitas 7-goaler Pablo Pieres, but the Hawks continued to trail, 7-5.

Mounted on their best, the Hawks scored two unanswered goals in the fifth period as Mariano Aguerre cut the lead to a single goal when he converted a penalty shot.  Julian Mannix tied it up, 7-7, with his third goal of the game as the chukker ended.

Pablo Pieres scored his third goal of the game for the only offense of the final chukker as Las Monjitas took the game, 8-7.

Tournament play will continue at the International Polo Club in Wellington on Thursday with the opening games of the 2010 C. V. Whitney Cup.  In the opening round of 26-goal competition, Piaget will meet Orchard Hill followed by a 3 pm match featuring 2009 defending champion Audi and Lechuza Caracas.

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Trailing by four goals, 7-3, after the second chukker of play, the Wanderers scored 11 goals over the course of the next four chukkers while holding Bendabout to a mere four goals.

Playing with eleventh-hour substitute Marc Ganzi taking the place of a sidelined John Goodman (back), the Wanderers stumbled through the opening chukkers trying to find a rhythm as Bendabout took advantage of every mistake the realigned team made.

Nick Roldan scored four of his seven goals in the first two chukkers with Ulysses Escapite adding two and team captain Gillian Johnston adding a single goal, but that was about where it ended.

“We started out playing well in the first two chukkers,” said Roldan, “but couldn’t get it done in the second half.” 

Kampsen converted two penalty shots and scored once from the field in the third while the Wanderers defense held Bendabout to a single Owen Rinehart goal.  Bendabout left the field at halftime with an 8-6 lead, but the tides had turned.

Kampsen converted another penalty shot for a goal and Nacho Figueras drove the ball through the Bendabout goal posts in the fourth while holding them to a single Nick Roldan goal.  Bendabout continued to lead, but the margin was one goal, 9-9.

We missed John (Goodman) in the lineup today,” said Kampsen, “but we were interchanging positions throughout the game.  We’re all capable of playing anywhere on the field, and I think that was a big advantage.”

The Wanderers defense shut out Bendabout in the fifth chukker while Sugar Erskine scored three times.  Kampsen added another penalty goal and the Wanderers left the field with a 12-9 lead.

Ganzi scored from the field and Kampsen converted another penalty shot while Bendabout was held to a pair of goals from Roldan in the final 14-11 Wanderers win.

The win improves the Wanderers record to 3-1 and insured them of a spot in Wednesday’s tournament semifinals.  Bendabout fell to 1-2.

Kampsen led all scoring with eight goals.  Erskine scored three times and Figueras accounted for a pair of goals.  Ganzi scored once in the win.

Roldan’s seven goals set the pace for Bendabout.  Ulysses Escapite scored twice and Gillian Johnston and Owen Rinehart scored single goals.

HAWKS 11, LUCCHESE 9

In a battle of unbeatens, Fred Mannix, Jr. scored two goals in the final chukker of play to rally the Hawks (3-0) to an 11-9 win over previously undefeated Lucchese (3-1) in Ylvisaker Cup play.

With one game left to play against Lechuza on Sunday, the Hawks look to make their way to Wednesday’s semifinals with a final win.

In a game that began cautiously and ended in a 2-2 tie after the opening chukker of play, the pace accelerated, with the Hawks taking control of the game.  With goals from Julian Mannix, Fred Mannix, Jr. and Mariano Aguerre, the Hawks soared to an impressive 8-4 halftime lead and seemed to be the masters of their own destiny.

Lucchese, however, had other ideas.

A resilient defense shut out the hard charging Hawks in the fourth chukker while Lucchese’s Pancho Bensadon scored three times.  The Hawks continued to lead, but the score was now 8-7.

“We had a good fourth chukker,” offered Bensadon, “We really got back to playing the way we know how to play.” 

Single goals were exchanged in the fifth chukker to keep the score close, and then Luis Escobar’s goal in the final period tied it at 9-9.  The pace had ramped up to warp speed as each play was more important than the last.  Long passes, attempted cut shots, deft defensive ride-offs and blocked shots all came into play until the whistle sounded.

Fred Mannix, Jr. converted a penalty shot for a 10-9 lead and then scored again just twenty seconds later for the final margin of victory, 11-9. 

“That was a rough one,” said Garcia-Velez after the game 

“That was a fun one,” offered Fred Mannix, with a big smile on his face. 

While the players relaxed in chairs the veteran Aguerre was busy coaching his young charges,  first working with Julian Mannix and then Cachi Garcia-Velez as he complimented on their play and then offered words of instruction in an effort to improve their efforts in the next game.

On the strength of their 3-1 record, Lucchese has earned a berth in Wednesday’s semifinals despite the loss, while there will be a final Sunday showdown between the Hawks and Lechuza to decide the final semifinalist. 

Ylvisaker Cup play continues on Saturday with a 3:30 pm match between Mt. Brilliant (0-3) and Zacara (3-0).

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“I felt like we were cruisin’,” said Zacara 7-goaler Jeff Hall.  “We just tried to play basic, classic polo,” he added.  “We did, and it paid off for us.”

The score was tied at the end of the first chukker (2-2) and at the end of the second (3-3), but Hall never felt that they (Zacara) didn’t control the game.

“We played really hard in the third chukker,” offered Hall.  “We scored five or six goals and then cruised from there on.”

Goals from Zacara team captain Lyndon Lea and Hall opened the third period before Nacho Figueras scored for the Wanderers.  Gonzalo del Tour responded with a goal for Zacara followed two more goals from Hall.

The first half ended with Zacara up by four goals and the Wanderers scrambling to stay in the game.  Single goals from Lea and Hall in the fourth chukker were countered by a single penalty conversion by the Wanderers’ Kris Kampsen, but Zacara continued to lead, 10-5.  Goals from the field in the fifth by Lea and Toto Collardin were answered with a pair of penalty goals from Kampsen, but the Wanderers continued to trail, 12-7.

While Zacara only put one goal on the scoreboard in the final chukker (Lea), and the Wanderers got three more goals out of Kampsen, it was Zacara that took the game, 13-10.

Kampsen led all scoring with eight goals.  Sugar Erskine and Nacho Figueras added single goals in the loss.

Lyndon Lea led the Zacara attack with five goals.  Jeff Hall scored four times and Gonzalo del Tour and Toto Collardin each picked up a pair of goals.

Leas was named MVP while Sugar Erskine’s mare, Violet, received Best Playing Pony honors.

LUCCHESE 15, LECHUZA CARACAS 10

A hard-charging Lucchese (3-0) team scored an impressive 15-10 win over Lechuza Caracas (2-1) Sunday afternoon in a battle of unbeatens in Ylvisaker Cup tournament action as teams began jockeying for playoff positions in the two-bracket structure.

Andres Weisz scored twice and Luis Escobar added a goal as Lucchese ran off to an early 3-2 first chukker lead.  Santi Torres accounted for both of the Lechuza goals.

Lucchese’s Pancho Bensadon got on track in the second chukker, scoring three times while Escobar converted a penalty shot for a goal.  Lechuza was held to a single goal from the field (Nicolas Espain).  Lucchese led by four goals, 7-3.

Lechuza got a pair of goals from Tomas Goti in the third.  Escobar scored once from the field for Zacara to lead them to an 8-5 halftime score.

Pancho Bensadon scored for Lucchese before Lechuza fired back with goals from Goti and Espain, cutting the Lucchese lead to two goals, 9-7, at the end of the fourth period. 

Bensadon exploded again in the fifth with three goals from the field.  Goti converted a single penalty shot as Lucchese extended its lead to four goals, 12-8 to end the chukker.

Lechuza got two last chukker goals from team captain Victor Vargas while Lucchese got single goals from Andres Weisz, Bensadon and Escobar for the 15-10 win.

“They are a very talented team,” said Lucchese’s Luis Escobar after the game.  “They are very well mounted and have a lot of experience together,” he added, “but we have great chemistry, and we played well today.”

HAWKS 10, FARAWAY POLO 9

In one of the most hotly contested games of the tournament, the Hawks (2-0) scored an exciting 10-9 overtime victory over an energized Faraway Polo (0-3) team in Ylvisaker Cup play to start the day.

Finalists in last week’s Joe Barry Memorial Cup, the Hawks jumped out to an early 3-1 lead and hung on to end the first half with a narrow 6-5 lead.

“I thought we were doing fine in the first couple of chukkers,” said Hawk’s 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre, “but when they changed their lineup we had trouble playing our game.”

Faraway tied it at the end of four chukkers with a pair of goals from Julio Arellano while holding the Hawks to a single goal from Cachi Garcia-Velez. 

Defenses tightened, and the teams traded penalty goals in the fifth with Fred Mannix, Jr. scoring on a Penalty 2 while Arellano made good on a 60 yard shot.  At the end of five the score was even at 8-8.

Both teams continued to press their attacks, but the defenses were up to the task.  Finally, the Hawks got a break as Fred Mannix, Jr. converted a penalty shot to go ahead, 9-8, but the lead was short-lived.  Arellano scored his fourth goal of the day to knot it up at 9-9 as time expired, forcing a sudden-death overtime period.

Just over a minute into overtime the whistle sounded.  Faraway was awarded the penalty shot from sixty yards out, a shot Arellano had made just two chukkers earlier.  This time the shot went wide, and the Hawks remained alive.

Cachi Garcia-Velez drove the ball down the field where it was picked up by Julian Mannix, who attempted to break through the Faraway defenders.  After being hooked and losing control of the ball, brother Fred Mannix, Jr. came through the collection of horses and riders to score the winning goal in the 10-9 Hawks victory.

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By Alex Webbe

Daily News Polo Columnist

The Wanderers/Isla Carroll polo team drove off with a 3-0 lead after the first chukker of play and held on to secure an 9-5 win over Mount Brilliant in second round play of the 2010 Ylvisaker Cup at The International  Polo Club in Wellington Wednesday afternoon.  Earlier games saw Zacara spank Bendabout 12-5 while Lucchese curbed Yellow Cab 14-8 as the action in the 20-goal competition continued to heat up.

The team is really well mounted,” said Kris Kampsen about his team’s win over Mount Brilliant.  “Sugar (Erskine) has some unbelievable horses and Nacho (Figueras) has some great horses.  John (Goodman) is playing some great polo, and really supplies the engine for the team,” he added.

Mt. Brilliant rallied with a pair of goals from Francisco Irastorza and a single goal from Chris Nevins, but the Wanderers left the field at the end of the first half with a 4-3 advantage.

“They’re a really tough team,” said Nacho Figueras of the Mt. Brilliant lineup. “We relied on horsepower and teamwork for the win today.”

The defenses tightened in the fourth chukker with Kampsen scoring a goal from the field while Santiago Chavanne converted a penalty shot for Mt. Brilliant’s only goal.  The Wanderers continued to lead, 5-4.

Three goals in the fifth chukker and shutout defense by the Wanderers turned the tide for the Wanderers as Figueras scored a pair from the field and Kampsen converted a penalty shot to give the Wanderers an 8-4 edge going into the final chukker of regulation play.

Kampsen opened the scoring in the sixth period with a penalty goal from the Wanderers to go ahead, 9-4 as Mt. Brilliant (fought to stay in the game.  A final penalty shot conversion by Irastorza ended the scoring and the game with the Wanderers (2-0) on top, 9-5.

Kampsen led all scoring with four goals.  Erskine and Figueras scored two goals apiece and John Goodman notched a single goal in the win.

Irastorza scored three times for Mt. Brilliant, Chavanne and Nevins scored single goals.

LUCCHESE 14, YELLOW CAB 8

Pancho Bensadon and Luis Escobar scored seven goals apiece as Lucchese rolled over Simon Garber’s Yellow Cab team 14-8 in a one-sided contest.

A veteran of a month’s worth of tournament games, Lucchese took it out on fledgling Yellow Cab as they rocketed to an 8-1 halftime lead.

“We were trying to keep pushing,” said Escobar of the Lucchese team effort.  “We concentrated on holding our positions and to stay patient.”

Lucchese led Yellow Cab 12-5 in the fourth chukker, and in spite of the efforts of the struggling Yellow Cab team, sailed to a 14-8 victory.

Tommy Biddle led Yellow Cab with five goals with each of his teammates (Simon Garber, Guille Usandizaga and Chino Frayssinet) scoring single goals in the effort.

ZACARA 13, BENDABOUT 8

In a game that wasn’t as close as the lopsided score indicates, Zacara (2-0) hammered Bendabout (0-2) 13-8 in the day’s morning contest.

Zacara lead 9-1 at halftime as Bendabout struggled to find any sort of offense.  Time after time Zacara’s Jeff Hall could be seen breaking free from the pack and carrying the ball down the field toward the goal with seemingly little or no opposition.

Hall led all scoring with seven goals on the day.  Teammate Toto Collardin scored four times and Gonzalo del Tour chipped in a pair of goals in the victory.

Bendabout’s Nick Roldan scored six times while team captain Gillian Johnston scored twice on the day.

Ylvisaker Cup action continues today with a single game slated to be played between Faraway Polo and Lechuza Caracas at 3 pm.

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Daily News Polo Columnist

The first round of the Ylvisaker Cup saw three more games take place on Sunday with The Wanderers/Isla Carroll taking the early game from Patagones 11-7 followed by a one goal Lechuza win over Yellow Cab and a Lucchese victory at the expense of Faraway Polo.

In a 10 am game that started a full day of polo at the International Polo Club in Wellington, The Wanderers/Isla Carroll rode out to a 6-3 halftime score on their way to an 11-7 win over a struggling Patagones team.

Kris Kampsen scored a team high five goals for The Wanderers (1-0) in the win while getting a pair of goals from Sugar Erskine and four goals from the field from Nacho Figueras.

Carlos Gracida had a game high six goals on the day.  Gonzalo Avendano added a goal in the Patagones (0-1)loss.

LUCCHESE 16, FARAWAY POLO 11

Luis Escobar scored seven of his game leading ten goals as Lucchese (1-0) beat Faraway Polo (0-1) 16-11 in each of the team’s Ylvisaker Cup opener.

Faraway took an early 4-2 lead, but Lucchese fought back to tie the game, 5-5, at the end of the second chukker.  The third chukker saw each team produce three goals for an 8-8 halftime score, but that was where the parity ended.

Lucchese took the field in the fourth period and quickly put four goals on the scoreboard while holding Faraway scoreless.  The determined Lucchese team left the field with a 12-8 edge, and with Faraway struggling for answers.

“This team has great chemistry”, said team captain John Muse, the owner of the fabled Lucchese boot company.  Faraway is a very good team,” he added, “and I think this was a good test for us to open the tournament.”

Faraway scratched their way back into the game in the fifth chukker, with three goals from Pelon Escapite.  Lucchese was held to a single penalty conversion from Luis Escobar as they maintained the lead, 13-11.

Lucchese sealed the fate of the game in the final period with two goals from Pancho Bensadon and Escobar’s tenth goal of the game.  Julian managed the only goal of the final chukker for Faraway (9-1) in the 16-12 Lucchese (1-0) win.

LECHUZA CARACAS 13, YELLOW CAB 12

Yellow Cab’s Tommy Biddle led the field with seven goals, but it was the balanced attack of Lechuza Caracas that carried the day in a 13-12 Ylvisaker Cup win Sunday afternoon.

The veteran Lechuza Caracas (1-0) lineup led by as many as seven goals in the course of the game before Yellow Cab (0-1) drove themselves back into competition in the last two chukkers of play.

“I thought the team played great,” said Biddle of the Yellow Cab lineup, “it’s only our first tournament game, and hopefully we’ll continue to improve as the season moves along.”

Tournament action continues on Wednesday, Jan. 27 with three games.  Bendabout (1-0) will face Zacara (0-0) at 11am followed by a 1 pm contest between Lucchese (1-0) and Yellow Cab (0-1).  Mt. Brilliant (0-1) will close out the day with a game against The Wanderers/Isla Carroll at 3 pm.

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Daily News Polo Columnist

Patagones and Zacara scored wins Sunday afternoon in the Joe Barry Memorial Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington to secure berths in Thursday’s semifinals.

Patagones scored its fourth consecutive win in 20-goal competition with an 11-10 victory over a determined Faraway Polo team in a match that was tied three times in the opening chukkers of play.

Long dashes up and down the field set the tone for the day as Gonzalo Avendano scored the opening two goals of the game to give Patagones a 2-0 lead.  Julian Daniels got Faraway on the scoreboard, but a penalty gave Patagones a penalty shot that Carlos Avendano converted for a 3-1 advantage.

Faraway rallied with two quick goals from Pelon Escapite and Julio Arellano to knot the game at 3-3 at the end of the first chukker.

The pace quickened in the second period with Carlos Gracida scoring the first goal for Patagones.  Arellano answered with a goal from the field.  Julio Gracida converted a penalty shot for a goal and Arellano closed the chukker with his third goal of the game and a 5-5 tie.

Carlos Gracida scored twice to put Patagones up 7-5 in the third chukker with a penalty conversion by Arellano closing out the first half trailing 7-6.

“They’re a good team,” said Arellano, “it helps that they’ve played together so long.”

This same Patagones  team traveled to Santa Barbara this summer to compete in a series of 20-goal tournaments, winning the Bob Skene Trophy.  Recently, Patagones captured the season-opening Iglehart Cup at the International Polo Club.

Throughout the duration of the final three chukkers of play, Faraway could come no closer than to within a goal of Patagones, and trailed by two goals with less than six seconds on the clock in the final chukker.  Arellano scored his seventh goal of the game on a closing penalty shot, and Patagones left with an 11-10 win.

Julio Gracida led the Patagones attack with four goals.  Gonzalo Avendano and Carlos Gracida scored three times apiece and Carlos Avendano converted a penalty shot in the win.

Gonzalo Avendano took double honors in the game, being named MVP and having his horse, Pancho, named Best Playing Pony.

ZACARA 15, MT. BRILLIANT 11

In other tournament action, Zacara continued to show its firepower as it blew out a talented Mt. Brilliant team 15-11 to secure a place in Thursday’s semifinals of the Joe Barry Memorial Cup.

Led by Jeff Hall’s eight goals, Zacara coasted to a 15-11 win after charging out to a commanding 10-6 halftime lead.

“Zacara just blew them right out of the water,” said Isla Carroll 6-goaler Kris Kampsen after the match, “it was all Zacara.”

Zacara fell behind 6-5 after the first two chukkers with Santiago Chavanne scoring four goals fro Mt. Brilliant, but an explosive third period saw Zacara collect five goals while shutting out the Mt. Brilliant attack.

Zacara led 12-8 after the fourth period and were down 15-9 after the fifth.  Mt. Brilliant got single goals from Marianito Obregon and Chavanne in the sixth, but the game had already been decided.

Hall scored four of his eight goals on penalty shots for Zacara.  Gonzalo del Tour added five goals from the field and Toto Collardin scored twice.

Tournament competition in the Joe Barry Memorial Cup continues this morning with an 11 am match between Lucchese (1-0) and the Hawks (1-0).

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The game was far from a runaway, but Lucchese managed to outlast Lechuza Caracas to score a last chukker, 11-10 win in the Joe Barry Memorial Cup tournament at the International Polo Club in Wellington Friday afternoon.

Clear skies and warmer weather greeted several hundred spectators who were on hand to cheer on the horses and players as John Muse and his Lucchese polo team took the field for the first time this season.  Lechuza Caracas was hoping to rebound from a disappointing 15-8 loss to the Hawks in the tournament opener.

Early play saw the lead change hands five times as both teams struggled for dominance on the field.

Lechuza altered its lineup, replacing Guille Aguero with Tomas Goti in hopes of producing a more efficient attack.  The Lucchese team was merely a refitted EFG Bank team, with Lucchese Boot CEO, John Muse taking the field captaincy for the Barry Memorial Cup.

Pancho Bensadon opened the scoring for Lucchese before Lechuza answered with goals from Nicolas Espain and Goti.

Luis Escobar and Bensadon each scored a goal in the second chukker to knot it at 3-3, with Santiago Torres accounting for Lechuza’s only goal of the second chukker.

Six goals were scored in the third chukker, three by each team, and the teams rode off the field at halftime in a 3-3 tie.

“I felt fine about the game all the way through,” said Argentinean 5-goaler Andres Weisz.  I never felt like we were in any trouble although it seems like we trailed by a goal throughout much of the game.”

Santiago Torres opened the scoring in the fourth period, but Lucchese’s Escobar leveled it at 7-8 with his second goal of the game.

Lechuza seemed to be getting the upper hand on Lucchese in the fifth chukker.  Espain and Bensadon traded goals to open the period before two straight goals from the field by young Santiago Torres had Lechuza up by a pair of goals, 10-8.  With time running out in the chukker, Escobar scored for Lucchese once more, leaving Lechuza ahead 10-9 with seven minutes left to play.

“When you have a team like this,” Escobar offered, “you really want to play polo,” and play they did.

Lucchese played stellar defense in the final chukker, turning away one Lechuza shot after another while pressing its own attack.

Escobar converted a penalty shot to even it at 10-10, and then scored the winning goal with seconds on the clock.

Following an errant Lucchese shot at goal, Lechuza brought the ball into play.  Passing the midfield mark, Lucchese managed to intercept the ball and knock it over the sideboards to end the match.

“We didn’t play our best game,” said Lucchese captain John Muse, “but we pulled it together in the sixth (chukker) and won.”

Escobar led all scoring with five goals.  Bensadon scored four times and Muse and Weisz added single goals in the win.

Torres scored a team high four goals for Lechuza.  Goti and Espain added three goals apiece.

Lucchese (0-2) will have to regroup for the next tournament while Lucchese (1-0) will be looking to secure a spot in the semifinals in Monday’s game against the Hawks (1-0).

Joe Barry Memorial Cup action will continue on Sunday with a noon game between Zacara (1-0) and Mt. Brilliant (1-0).  The 3 pm contest will feature Patagones (1-0) and Faraway Polo (1-0).

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