Zacara Rocks ’n’ Rolls to a 14-5 Win Over RH Polo
By Darlene Ricker
Zacara seized a resounding 14-5 victory over RH Polo and Clarke & Green defeated Apes Hill 9-6 on day two of the 2016 Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup. Both winners dominated their respective matches throughout, with Zacara methodically stretching the lead chukka by chukka until RH Polo hadn’t a prayer of coming close.
Nico Pieres made the first goal of the day, but that was the only time RH was ahead. Within a minute Zacara came out on a roll, with Pablo MacDonough blazing the way and never looking back. Whether from the penalty line or on a breakaway, the 10-goaler carried the team, with several critical assists by Lucas Monteverde (8).
MacDonough just about ran Rodrigo Andrade ragged, a tall order when you take on the stalwart 9-goaler. MacDonough, who loves a juggle, made it look effortless when he circumnavigated the Brazilian bombshell in the fifth chukka to take Zacara to a 12-3 advantage.
In the final chukka, with the win a foregone conclusion, MacDonough shared the wealth with teammate Tom Brodie, leaving the ball on the doorstep for him to slap in. In a last-gasp push, RH Polo made two consecutive goals, one by Andrade and the other a stunning neck shot by Lyndon Lea, one of the best-playing patrons in the world. With three minutes left 19-year-old Tom Brodie—who put in an impressive performance throughout—made a power play against Andrade, forcing him off the ball. But it was too little too late for RH Polo, who succumbed to Zacara.
Clarke & Green followed suit in the second match of the day, plowing past Apes Hill and leading the entire way to the win. While it was nowhere near as much of a runaway as Zacara enjoyed, Apes Hill managed to curb the Clarke & Green tsunami in the last two chukkas. Clarke & Green were leading by five goals when Apes Hill rallied in the fifth, putting the pressure on with two quick back-to-back goals. Clarke & Green capitalized on every mistake, taking a 9-6 victory.
“All our guys played really well together,” said Clarke & Green patron Nick Clarke. “We knew we’d have to work for it and keep the pressure on because [Apes Hill] is a professional team with four strong players.”
When Apes Hill began to get a foothold in the fifth chukka, he added, “We were on our guard and really determined to stay ahead. We kept the same strategy: Mark our man and keep control of the ball.” That was not easy to do, though, because the conditions did not allow for a running game. “There was a danger that if you gave a big hit, you’d give the ball to the other team.”
Clarke & Green came into the game with a considerable disadvantage, as the team did not enter the Cartier Queen’s Cup, as many of the Gold Cup teams had. Although the four haven’t played much together yet, the team’s 7-goalers Juan Zavaleta, John Paul Clarkin and Luke Tomlinson played for Sifani in the Queen’s Cup. Clarke and Tomlinson, captain of the Gold Cup team, have successfully played together in many previous tournaments. Plus, noted Clarke, sitting out the Queen’s Cup lends him an advantage a lot of other players in the Gold Cup do not have: fresh horses.