• • 
• • Tournament
  • Galleries
  Tweet

  

America Cup

Grants Farm beat Mansour in the final

Season at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club

On Sunday under beautiful sunny skies and in front of a packed SBPRC crowd, Grants Farm took on Mansour for the Finals of the America Cup. The two teams had different roads to the finals even though neither one was very easy. For Grants Farm they had a narrow 1 goal victory over Lucchese in the first round which propelled them to win their next few games by comfortable margins. Whereas Mansour after winning their first game in overtime, lost their second game to Grants Farm which amped them up for a virtual semifinal against Lucchese that they were able to pull off by 1 goal 12 to 11. However, two things that both these teams had in common were, that they were excited to be in the finals and that they were determined to make the most of their opportunity.

 

This determination was very easy to spot from the moment the game started, as both teams were ready to let it all out in hopes of capturing the America Cup. In the first chukker, the game was back and forth with Mansour striking first and then Lucchese answering only to be answered once again by a late Mansour goal making the score 2-1 in favor of Mansour. Grants Farm seeing this pattern came out in the third chukker on their prized ponies and rattled off three quick goals that were finally answered by a late goal from Mansour to make the score 4-3 Grants Farm. Mansour however, had plans of their own to make sure that they were able to recapture the lead and in the third chukker they came out on their best horses and scored 3 unanswered goals to make the score 6-4 Mansour going in to the half.

 

In the fourth chukker, Mansour’s Hillario Ulloa struck first to give his team a 3 goal lead but then just like that, Grants Farm answered with three quick goals to tie it back up going into the fifth chukker. That's when the teams battled it out answering one another goal for goal however thanks to a late goal by Mansour they took a 10-9 lead into the last chukker. Unfortunately though for Mansour momentum did not carry over, and Grants Farm scored two quick goals followed by a great clutch neck shot goal from their patron Andy Busch to make it a two goal game with only a few minutes remaining. It looked for second like Mansour might be able to make a comeback after they managed to get a quick goal out of the lineup, but it turned out to be too little too late as Grants Farm was crowned champion by a score of 12-11. The MVP was Mansour’s Hilario Ulloa and the Best Playing Pony was Adam Snow’s horse Boneca.

 

Then after this exhilarating final you might have expected most fans to leave and only the true aficionados be left for the Consolation. However this Consolation was also the 2012 debut for Adolfo Cambiaso at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet club and for that reason there was hardly anyone leaving early, as everyone was eager to see, arguably, the World’s best polo player go to work. In the first half Adolfo and his team Lucchese did not disappoint cruising out to 7 to 4 lead thanks to some spectacular goals from Adolfo as well as Santiago Torres. In the fourth chukker Lucchese’s opponents Farmers and Merchants bank were able to stage a comeback and tie the score up mid-way through the chukker but then Lucchese put their foot back on the gas and recaptured their 3 goal lead. After this disheartening end to the fourth chukker for Famers and Merchants they continued to battle back but in the end fell short by a score of 13 to 9. The next tournament that will be starting next Friday August 3rd is the USPA Piaget Silver Cup  so if you are in the Santa Barbara area make sure you stop by and catch the action.