In a very hard fought and thrilling contest, that was decided in extra chukka, Mrs. Momma Bear/LW Ranch earned a 12-11 win over La Dolfina Catamount and won the Outback Cup, the tournament that closes the qualifiers of the NPC 16-Goal Championship. The final of the Outback Cup was played on Saturday April 4 at Patagones Polo Club, en Wellington, Florida, United States. The tournament saw twelve teams up to 16 goals, in participation. tiene tuvo la participación de 12 equipos de hasta 16 goles de handicap.
The Outback Cup serves as the as the fourth qualifying leg of the NPC 16-Goal Championship, following the Joe Barry Memorial Cup, Ylvisaker Cup and Iglehart Cup, and preceeds the championship final, that will be hosted on Sunday April 12 at the National Polo Center (NPC).
The clash of the unbeaten (4-0) was a real battle; the Azzaros (the legendary Mike and his son, Harrison), managed to maintain a slight advantage thoroghout the match and earned their widest in the fifth chukka, 10-7. But La Dolfina Catamount, with Tomás Panelo filling in for Adolfo Cambiaso, made a spectacular comeback in the last chukka – they outscored their contender 4-1, to tie at 11-all and sent the match into an extra chukka. That was when Harrison Azzaro picked the ball quickly and ran to the goalposts to produce the goal that secured Mrs. Momma Bear/LW Ranch the victory and the last tournament title of the qualifiers of the NPC 16-Goal Championship.
OUTBACK CUP – FINAL – SATURDAY APRIL 4
MRS. MOMMA BEAR/LW RANCH 12-11 LA DOLFINA CATAMOUNT
Mrs. Momma Bear/LW Ranch: Harrison Azzaro 3, Mike Azzaro 3, Jared Zenni 6, Matt Coppola 5. Total: 17.
La Dolfina Catamount: Scott Devon 0, Mia Cambiaso 2, Santiago Torres 5, Tomás Panelo 10. Total: 17.
Score Mrs. Momma Bear/LW Ranch: 2-1, 4-3, 7-6, 9-7, 10-7, 11-11, 12-11.
Umpires: Héctor Galindo & Kimo Huddleston.
Third man: Jamie Mirikitani.
MVP: Mike Azzaro.
BPP: DS Altamira, ridden by Mía Cambiaso.
PHOTO GALLERY, BY AGUSTINA FONDA
Celebrations and award presentation
Previously known as the Outback Invitational, the Outback Cup started t be played at Patagones Polo Club, as a part of the Wellington Polo Tour (WPT). Originally held as a USPA sanctioned event, the Outback Cup was elevated to a national tournament in 2024. Teams competing in the Outback Cup will look for a spot in championship final. Each team participating in a qualifying event earns points towards eligibility for the championship. Teams that win a qualifier are awarded 25 points, second place teams in a qualifier receive five points and a team that comes in third or fourth place receive one point. To reinforce the idea that all participation is encouraged, players may compete in as many events as they would like on either the same team or on different teams. If a player qualifies on more than one team, that player must choose which team he or she would like to compete with in the Championship, and the other team may use a substitute. Qualifying teams must maintain at least two of their original members in order to play in the championship.
THE FINAL OF THE OUTBACK CUP IS SET TO BE PLAYED ON SATURDAY APRIL 4.
Cover photo by Agustina Fonda.