The Joe Barry Memorial Cup resumed on Sunday with three matches; two were played at International Polo Club, while the other was played at Tonkawa.
LA INDIANA 9-8 GRAND CHAMPIONS (SUNDAY GAME)
La Indiana gave a solid performance to claim a narrow victory over Grand Champions in their second Joe Barry Cup match. The win was their second in their tournament; their first victory was against Coca Cola (10-7).
The 2-0 record makes La Indiana one of the favourites to qualify for the tournament semifinals, due on January 24. The final of the Joe Barry Cup will be played on Sunday, January 28, at the Engel & Volkers stadium at International Polo Club Palm Beach. On the other hand, Grand Champions find themselves in a tighter spot, having a 1-2 record after three matches.
La Indiana dominated the match from the start, gaining a 2-0 advantage by the end of the first chukka, with goals by Michael Bickford -the first of the match- and a penalty from Jeff Hall. But they failed to score in the second and the third. Grand Champions took control, led by Nicolás Pieres, and turned the score in their favour, thanks to penalties in the second and third. They finished the first half 3-2 up.
La Indiana woke up in the fourth and gave their best performance, thanks to Victorino “Toro” Ruiz, who scored four consecutive goals in the fourth and fifth. La Indiana came down hard on their opponents, particularly in the fourth, where they managed a 6-3 advantage (4-0 chukka). They continued to work well in the fifth (2-1), finishing the chukka 8-4 up.
It can be said that the last few minutes of the game were the best, as Grand Champions fought hard to tie the match. A tremendous neck shot by Jeff Hall, to tie the match and go into extra chukka, went just wide of goal. It was also then when Grand Champions achieved their first field goal, thanks to Mike Azzaro (up to that point, all seven goals had been penalties scored by Nico Pieres).
Toro Ruiz: “The match was a good one. We started off asleep, the horses were a bit heavy and we were out of rhythm. But once we got into the groove of it we started playing better, even though we slacked a bit at the end. The field was in great condition. So we are happy overall.”
La Indiana: Michael Bickford 2 (1 goal), Toro Ruiz 5 (4), Facundo Obregon 6 (1), Jeff Hall 7 (3).
Grand Champions: Grant Ganzi 2, Juancito Bollini 4, Nico Pieres 8 (7 goals), Mike Azzaro 6 (1).
Score La Indiana: 2-0, 2-2, 2-3, 6-3, 8-4, 9-8.
BPP: Don Ercole Mentira, played by Toro Ruiz.
MVP: Toro Ruiz.
TONKAWA 13-9 COCA-COLA (AT TONKAWA)
Tonkawa: Jeff Hildebrand A, Sterling Giannico 3 (2 goals), Sapo Caset 10 (7), Julian de Lusarreta 7 (4).
Coca-Cola: Gillian Johnston 2 (1 goal), Sugar Erskine 6 (1), Julio Arellano 8 (5), Steve Krueger 4 (2).
Score Tonkawa: 3-1, 7-2, 9-4, 9-6, 11-7, 13-9.
TRAVIESO 12-6 SD FARMS (AT IPC FIELD 5)
Travieso: Teo Calle 1 (1 goal), Tony Calle 3 (2), Sebastián Merlos 9 (8), Tomás GarcÃa del RÃo 7 (1).
SD Farms: Sayyu Dantata 2 (2 goals), Peco Polledo 6 (1), Iñaki Laprida 7 (2), Adam Snow 5 (1).
Score Travieso: 2-1, 4-2, 6-3, 7-4, 9-4, 12-6.
The Joe Barry Memorial Cup will continue on Monday with the following order of play:
11am: Modere vs Postage Stamp, at Isla Carroll East.
2pm: Colorado vs Goose Creek, at Field 4.
All matches will be streamed live on Pololine TV via USPolo.org.