Audi-Millarville Wins Bobby Barry Cup; Nic Roldan Named MVP |
| Audi-Millarville regained its’ winning form to capture the Bobby Barry Cup Tuesday at windswept Isla Carroll East.
The team of Grant Ganzi, Julian Mannix, Nic Roldan and Freddie Mannix controlled the final two chukkers to defeat Tonkawa, 13-10, to win the subsidiary tournament of the Joe Barry Memorial Cup. It was the second consecutive year Audi won the Bobby Barry Cup. Last year’s team of Marc Ganzi, Lucas Lalor, Nic Roldan and Freddie Mannix defeated Lechuza Caracas, 12-10.
Roldan, America’s top-rated player at eight goals, was named Most Valuable Player for the second straight year. He scored a game-high eight goals including five on penalty conversions. “Win or lose, we just wanted to play well and get ourselves back into it,” Roldan said. “We wanted to be consistent and play well as a team. We had lost a little confidence and needed to get it back today and we did.” Sebastian Merlos’ fifth chukker gelding, Gato, was named Best Playing Pony. Audi-Millarville was looking to regroup after its’ gut-wrenching 16-9 loss to White Birch in the teams’ Ylvisaker Cup opener Saturday at International Polo Club Palm Beach. “We played better as a team,” Freddie Mannix said. “We had much better rhythm today. The horses played better today. It was fun to win.
“It’s been a strange season with the weather. We have been in rhythm, out of the rhythm. We missed a few goals today, but I thought we were in control of the game.” Audi-Millarville came out fast and strong in the opening chukker. Julian Mannix set the early tempo on a breakaway goal at the 5:20 mark. Roldan followed up with back-to-back goals and Mannix added another to lead 4-1. Tonkawa started to dig itself out of a hole in the second chukker tying the game (4-4) before goals from Ganzi and Roldan gave Audi-Millarville back the lead (5-4). A Roldan penalty conversion and Freddie Mannix goal from the field extended Audi-Millarville’s lead at the half (7-5).
In a penalty-marred fourth chukker, the teams exchanged leads with Del Tour capitalizing on Audi-Millarville fouls for three penalty conversions to end the chukker at 8-8. Audi-Millarville regained its composure and rhythm to take the lead in the fifth chukker (9-8) and never relinquished it for the remainder of the game. “I am really happy with the way the team played,” Ganzi said. “We went back to our system which is open polo, hitting the ball on time and hitting back-handers which we do best. We were all disciplined on the man when it mattered. “We needed this for Sunday. We know what’s on the line. We know we have to win. Last Saturday our team was a little out of it. We weren’t playing the polo we had been playing all season. Today was our brand of polo.”
The Mannix brothers each had two goals and Ganzi, at 17, one of the youngest players at IPC, added one. Gonzalo del Tour led Tonkawa scoring with seven goals including four penalty shots. Audi-Millarville advanced into the final with an impressive 13-9 semifinal victory over La Indiana. Tonkawa defeated Orchard Hill, 8-7, in the other semifinal. On Sunday at noon, Audi-Millarville (0-1) plays Villa del Lago (0-1) in the Ylvisaker Cup. “We have to win from here on out,” Freddie Mannix said. “No more losses or else we are going to be toast. We know what’s at stake. We have to come ready to go on Sunday.”
Audi has a rich winning tradition in polo. The German automobile manufacturer designs, engineers, produces, markets and distributes luxury automobiles throughout the world including West Palm Beach. Audi, founded in 1909, oversees its worldwide operations from its headquarters in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. Millarville is the creation of a polo brand that offers first-quality polo products for all players and horses, emphasizing the passion for the sport at all levels. Millarville offers a variety of products from leathers to high tech sport items. ChukkerTV, leaders in polo broadcasting, is exclusively live streaming International Polo Club Palm Beach and Grand Champions Polo Club games during the 2016 season with polo broadcasters Toby Wayman and Dale Schwetz calling the action.
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