Late
rallies lift El Remanso and Lucchese to British Open wins
By
Alex Webbe
In a battle of the undefeated UAE (HH Sheikha Maitha Al
Maktoum, Jack Richardson, Lucas Monteverde and Pablo MacDonough) got an early
leg up on El Remanso (Ali Paterson, George Hanbury, Pelon Stirling and
Guillermo Terrera) in the 2013 Veuve Clicquot British Open for the Gold Cup at
Cowdray Park. Outscoring El Remanso 4-2
in the opening chukker, the combination of Lucas Monteverde and 10-goaler Pablo
MacDonough tried to build up a cushion in the early going.
El Remanso proved to be up to the challenge, however with
a strong second chukker of play. A
reversal of fortune saw El Remanso 10-goaler Pelon Stirling lead a charge that
put four goals on the scoreboard in the second while limiting UAE to a pair of
goals of their own. After two periods of
play it was all even at 6-6.
Both teams played evenly through the third chukker, matching
one another goal for goal. At the end of
the first half the score was deadlocked at 8-8.
A re-energized UAE team took the field in the fourth
chukker, scoring three consecutive goals.
A stunned El Remanso foursome could only watch as Pablo MacDonough and
Lucas Monteverde powered UAE to an 11-8 lead.
A determined El Remanso returned to the battle in the
fifth and sixth chukkers, outscoring UAE 8-2 and riding off with the 16-13
victory.
The win gives El Remanso a perfect 3-0 record while the
loss was UAE’s first in three outings, 2-1.
LUCCHESE
9, EMLOR 8
The Emlor (Spencer McCarthy, Joaquin Pittaluga, Diego
Cavanagh and Nacho Gonzalez) Lucchese (John
Muse, Mark Tomlinson, Javier Novillo Astrada and Jaime Huidobro) match won’t be
the brother versus brother matchup many had anticipated with Mark Tomlinson
playing for Lucchese and brother Luke Tomlinson playing for Emlor. Luke Tomlinson hasn’t recovered from a kick
he received just beneath the kneecap last week and was replaced in the lineup by
Diego Cavanagh.
Tentative play in the first chukker allowed for each team
to register a goal as both sides were looking to establish a playing rhythm. After the first chukker it was tied at 1-1.
In a non-productive second chukker, Emlor managed the
only goal of the chukker and crept ahead, 2-1.
Lucchese and Emlor efforts finally began to pay off for
them. Lucchese scored twice in the third
chukker while Emlor put up three goals.
At the end of the first half Emlor moved ahead, 5-3.
In an uneventful fourth chukker, the two teams exchanged
single goals. With two chukkers left to
play, Emlor continues to lead by two goals, 6-4.
The Lucchese offense came alive in the fifth
chukker. Three Lucchese goals were countered
by a single Emlor score. After five
periods of play, the score was tied at 7-7.
Lucchese completed their late game rally, breaking the
7-7 tie and riding on to score two goals in a 9-8 win.
The victory was the first for Lucchese who improved their
record to 1-2 while Emlor suffered their third consecutive loss.
British Open play continues on Saturday with two
matches. In the 3PM contest Cortium (0-2)
will face Talandracas (1-1) followed by a 5PM showdown between Sumaya (2-0) and
Thai Polo (0-2).