Palm City Open opens the spring season at Grand Champions

By Alex Webbe

The 2013 spring season got underway Friday morning at the Grand Champions Polo Club with the opening round of play in the Palm City Open. Five teams with handicaps ranging from thirteen to sixteen goals participated in the event.

Austria’s Walter Scherb and Hannah Buchan co-captained the Power Horse/Longfield entry that included 10-goaler Miguel Astrada and 5-goaler Brandon Phillips; Guillermo Steta, the President of the Mexican Polo Federation was joined by Marc Ganzi, 10-goaler Gonzalito Pieres and Carlitos Gracida in the Jajalpa lineup; while Avery Chapman and Andrew Siebert had the services of 6-goaler Kris Kampsen and 7-goaler Jeff Hall. Tommy Kato and Bob Daniels led the Merchant Hub/Pony Express team onto the field with Brian Street’s Elangani polo team (Brian Street, Nacho Badiola, Diego Coscio and Carlucho Arellano) filling out the five team field.

Merchant Hub/Pony Express received two goals by handicap from the 15-goal Elangani lineup, and quickly added to it. Single goals from Tomas Goti and Luis Escobar and a pair of goals from the field from Bob Daniels had Merchant Hub/Pony Express in front 6-1 after the first chukker of play. Carlucho Arellano was credited with the only score from Elangani.

Elangani roared back in the second period, scoring four consecutive goals before Goti got Merchant Hub/Pony Express on the scoreboard on a penalty shot. A pair of goals from the field from Arellano and Nacho Badiola cut the lead to three goals, 6-3. Two more goals from Arellano (one on a penalty shot) cut the Merchant Hub/Pony Express lead to a single goal, 6-5. Goti converted a penalty shot to end the scoring in the chukker with Elangani trailing, 7-5.

Both defenses stiffened in the third, and no goals were scored from the field. Arellano converted a penalty shot for a goal for the only scoring in the chukker, but Merchant Hub/Pony Express continued to lead, 7-6 at the end of the first half.

Arellano opened the fourth period with a goal from the field from Arellano to knot it up at 7-7. Luis Escobar and Nacho Badiola exchanged goals and the chukker ended in an 8-8 tie.

The fifth period was all Elangani, and more precisely, all Nacho Badiola. Three consecutive goals from Badiola went unanswered and with one chukker left to play, Elangani found themselves on the winning end of an 11-8 score.

There was no help for Merchant Hub/Pony Express in the final chukker as Elangani rode off with a 14-9 win. Two goals from Arellano and a goal from Badiola were countered by a single goal from Goti, securing a berth in the tournament finals for Elangani.

Arellano led all scoring with eight goals. Teammate Badiola was credited with six goals in the win. Goti scored three times for Daniels and Escobar each added a pair of goals and the team received two goals by handicap.

ELG/PSYCHO BUNNY WINS ROUND-ROBIN

ELG/Psycho Bunny scored wins over Power Horse/Longfield and Jajalpa on Friday at the Grand Champions Polo Club earning the right to meet Elangani in the finals of the season opening tournament, the Palm City Open.

ELG/Psycho Bunny opened the day with a 6-5 win over Power Horse/Longfield in the first three –chukker mini-game of the day. Avery Chapman scored twice while teammates Andrew Siebert, Kris Kampsen and Jeff Hall each added a goal and the team received one goal by handicap. Power Horse/Longfield trailed 3-1 after the first chukker and 5-2 after the second, but came up just short in the third when they put three goals on the scoreboard, losing by a single goal, 6-5. Walter Scherb scored twice in the loss. Miguel Astrada, Hannah Buchan and Brandon Phillips each added a goal.

Power Horse/Longfield held the field for the next three chukkers as they faced Jajalpa in a must-win situation. If Power Horse/Longfield loses, they’re out of the competition and the tournament finalist would be decided between ELG/Psycho Bunny and Jajalpa.

Jajalpa received ½ goal by handicap from the 16-goal Power Horse/Longfield lineup and added to it in the opening chukker with a goal from Carlitos Gracida. Brandon Phillips responded for Power Horse/Longfield, and the first chukker ended with Jajalpa leading by ½ goal, 1½ to 1.

Brandon Phillips gave Power Horse/Longfield the lead in the second chukker with his second goal of the game for a 2-1 ½ advantage. Jajalpa fired back with goals from Marc Ganzi and Gonzalito Pieres. With a single chukker left to be played, Jajalpa was in front, 3½ -2.

Ganzi converted a penalty shot for a goal and Astrada scored the final goal of the mini-match, but it was Jalapa that took the game by a 4½-3 score.

The final shoot-out of the day’s round-robin would feature Jajalpa and ELG/Psycho Bunny, and would decide who would meet Elangani in the finals.

ELG/Psycho Bunny received ½ goal by handicap and Andrew Siebert added a goal in the opening chukker for a 1½-0 lead. Carlitos Gracida answered with a goal from the field, but that was the extent of the offense in the opening chukker of the game. ELG/Psycho Bunny took the early lead, 1½ to 1.

Both defenses closed down on any long runs toward goal in the second frame. Jeff Hall drove the ball through the Jajalpa goalposts to extend the lead to 2½ -1, but that was the only goal scored in the chukker, and Jajalpa had one chukker to overtake ELG/Psycho Bunny for a spot in the finals.

The first goal came almost three minutes into the chukker with Kris Kampsen scoring his first goal of the day for a 3½ -1 advantage. Two minutes later, Gonzalito Pieres scored for Jajalpa, 3½ -2. Hall scored the final goal of the match, and ELG/Psycho Bunny rode off with the 4½ -2 win and an appointment with Elangani in the finals.