Along the Sideboards
By Alex Webbe
September 21, 2009
Alan Meeker’s Crestview Farms polo team (Meeker, John Eicher, Alan Martinez and Owen Rinehart) scored a 16-15 overtime win over a determined Clearwater/First View Sunday in Sunday’s finals of the 30th Annual Upatoi Cup at the Columbus Polo Club in Columbus, Georgia.
Both teams entered the finals with identical 3-1 records. The consolation match was cancelled due to wet fields.
Alan Martinez was named MVP while Clearwater’s Frankie Bilbao accepted Best Playing Pony honors for his mare, “B”.
The 20-goal season kicked off this afternoon at the 302 Polo Club in Aiken, South Carolina as Goose Creek handed Bendabout an opening round 13-9 beating in the first round of the 2009 USPA Monty Waterbury Cup.
Cote and Martin Zegers led the Goose Creek attack with five goals apiece while Hector Galindo set the pace for Bendabout with four goals in the loss.
Waterbury Cup play will continue on Tuesday with a 4 pm contest between Barrington and Pony Express, as action continues throughout the week.
Howard Hipwood is scheduled to arrive at The Villages Polo Club in Central Florida today where he will take over the reins as the club’s chief umpire for the season. The much heralded Hipwood is a former 9-goaler and long-time captain of the English national team.
“We’re excited to have a player of Howard’s experience here,” said The Villages’ spokesman, Ron Allen. “Having a player of his experience will only make for a better, more cohesive season for everyone this year.”
The Villages are scheduled to begin its season on Sunday, October 4th, and will be counting on the leadership of Hipwood to frame its fall season.
The Grand Champions Polo Club of Wellington, Florida will also be getting tournament play underway on the first weekend of October.
Offering a friendly medium-goal venue that features a pro pool and plenty of on-field coaching, Grand Champions will present seven weeks of tournament play, punctuated by social functions, asados and cocktail parties.