Crab Orchard storms past Audi to capture 2013 Joe Barry Memorial Cup
By AlexWebbe
With the first five goals of the game coming on penalty shots, itlooked like it was going to be a long afternoon, but the paced continued toaccelerate as Crab Orchard wrestled control of the game away from a talentedNic Roldan in the second half and rode on to register an 11-9 win to capturethe 2013 Joe Barry Memorial Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington.
Roldan converted three penalty shots for Audi in the opening chukker ofthe match with Crab Orchard responding with penalty goals from Matias Magriniand Mariano Aguerre. Audi took the leadafter the opening chukker, 3-2.
Second chukker action saw Aguerre and Magrini add single goals from thefield while Roldan made good on 30-yard and 40-yard penalty shots forgoals. Audi continued to defend its onegoal lead, 5-4.
Magrini tied it up at 5-5 in the opening minute of the thirdperiod. Bolting down the field on aracehorse the former 10-goaler scored at the end of a 200yard run. Roldan responded immediately with a goal fromthe field for a 6-5 Audi advantage. Aguerre’sthird goal of the match ended the first half with the score knotted up at 6-6.
Single goals from Magrini and Aguerre got Crab Orchard off on the righthoof in the opening two minutes of the fourth chukker as they gave Crab Orchardan 8-6 edge. A 60-yard penaltyconversion from Aguerre ended the chukker with Audi trailing by three goals,9-6.
Audi had no intention of rolling over for Crab Orchard as theycontinued to press the attack in the fifth. Roldan scored on a 30-yard penalty shot and a 40-yard penalty shot forgoals but missed from 60-yards. CrabOrchard was unable to score in the fifth chukker as Audi cut the lead to asingle goal, 9-8.
Magrini and Felipe Viana converted penalty shots for goals whilelimiting the Audi attack to a single goal from the field from Pieres. Time expired with Crab Orchard on the winningend of an 11-9 score.
Roldan led all scoring with seven goals, all on penalty shots. Nico Pieres scored twice in the loss. Crab Orchard got five goals apiece fromMagrini (there on penalty shots) and Aguerre (two on penalty shots). Felipe Viana scored a single goal on apenalty shot for the 11-9 victory.
Magrini was named MVP for his efforts on the day. Mariano Aguerre’s Machitos Jackie receivedBest Playing Pony honors.
VALIENTE WINS BOBBY BARRY CUP, 12-9
Earlier in the day, Valiente broke open a 6-6 tied game in the last twochukkers of the game to score six times and run off with a 12-9 win over LaHerradura in the finals of the Bobby Barry Cup at the International Polo Club Sundayafternoon.
La Herradura got on the scoreboard first with Marianito Obregon scoringthe first goal from the field. Three minuteslater Carlos Gracida converted a 40-yard penalty shot to make it 2-0, LaHerradura. Santi Torres got Valiente inthe scoring column in the last minute of the period, and La Herradura left thefield with a 2-1 advantage.
The Valiente defense silenced the La Herradura attack in the secondchukker while taking advantage of a pair of penalties. Torres converted a 30-yard penalty shot for agoal in the first minute of play, followed by a 60-yard penalty shot for a goalfrom Adolfo Cambiaso. La Herradura wasunable to mount an effective offense and the second period ended with Valienteon top of a 3-2 score.
The score in the third chukker yo-yoed back and forth with La Herraduratying it up on a goal from the field from Memo Gracida, 3-3. Cambiaso’s second goal of the match putValiente back in the lead, 4-3. Obregonscored on a 30-yard penalty shot to even it at 4-4, but less than a minutelater Cambiaso gave Valiente the lead again with another 60-yard penalty goal,5-4. With just over a minute left toplay in the period, Obregon scored on an incredibly difficult cut shot from theleft side of the goal at full speed, 5-5. A penalty was called on a Valiente player with 22 seconds on the clock. Carlos Gracida converted it and La Herradurarode off the field at the end of the first half with a delicate 6-5 lead.
Julio Gracida just missed tying it up in the fourth when a perfectlyexecuted shot at goal was saved by inches by an Obregon backhander. A minute later, Cambiaso made good on a shot atgoal for the only score of the chukker and with two chukkers left to play itwas all even at 6-6.
Cambiaso scored the go-ahead goal for Valiente in the opening 30seconds of the fifth on a shot from the field, 7-6. Obregon answered with a 40-yard penalty shotfor a goal, 7-7. A second penalty shotfor a goal from Obregon had La Herradura back in the lead, 8-7 when they raninto foul trouble. Consecutive penalty goalsform Cambiaso had Valiente in front, 9-8. Torres closed out the chukker with a goal as time expired and Valienteheld a two goal lead, 10-8.
Julio Gracida had been robbed of two sure goals on dramatic goal line savesby Obregon at one end of the field and Carlos Gracida on the other, but he gothis payback in the sixth. Consecutivegoals at the six minute mark and the four minute mark padded the Valiente leadto four goals, 12-8. A deflated LaHerradura attack scored the final goal of the attack (Carlos Gracida) withValiente celebrating the 12-9 win.
Santiago Torres was named Most Valuable Player while Cambiaso’s mare,Miami, took Best Playing Pony honors.
Adolfo Cambiaso led all scoring forValiente with seven goals (four on penalties). Santi Torres added three goals (one
on a penalty shot) and Julio Gracidascored twice. Marianito Obregonregistered five goals for La Herradura
(three on penalties). Carlos Gracida scored two of his three goalson penalty conversions and Memo Gracida
added a goal in the loss.