Equuleus wins Joe
Rizzo Memorial Cup, 13-12
By Alex Webbe
Equuleus (Joe DiMenna, John Bianco and Tommy Biddle) came up
with four last chukker goals to score an exciting 13-12 win over the home team
in the finals of the USPA Joe Rizzo Memorial Cup at the Country Farms Polo Club’s
arena in Medford, New York Saturday night.
Country Farms (Brett Gearwar, Bobby Ceparano and Horton
Schwartz) received three goals by handicap, with John Bianco cutting into it
with the opening two goals of the match.
Twenty-one-year-old Brett Gearwar responded for Country Farms with
consecutive goals for a 5-2 lead. Arena
polo’s only ten-goaler, Tommy Biddle, scored the final goal of the first
chukker, but Equuleus continued to trail, 5-3.
Biddle picked it up in the second frame with a goal from the
field and a penalty conversion for a 5-5 tie.
Horton Schwartz responded with a goal that gave the lead back to Country
Farms, 6-5. Joe DiMenna drove the ball
into the goal from 25-yards out to make it 6-6, and Biddle’s third goal of the
chukker gave Equuleus a 7-6 edge. A pony
goal tied it up for Country Farms to end the first half all even at 7-7.
Biddle took control of the ball from the opening minute of
the fourth chukker, scoring twice to put Equuleus in front 9-7, but Country
Farms fought back. Schwartz converted a
penalty goal to cut the lead to 9-8.
Gearwear’s third goal on the day ended the chukker in a 9-9 deadlock.
Once again it was Biddle with the opening two goals as the
final chukker got underway, 11-9. Gearwear and Schwartz scored consecutive goals
to knot it up at 11-11and a goal from Bobby Ceparano gave Country Farms their
first lead of the second half, 12-11.
The powerful play of Biddle took over in the final minutes of play,
scoring two goals and leading Equuleus to exciting come-from-behind, 13-12
victory.
Biddle led all scoring with ten goals (one on a penalty
conversion). Bianco scored twice and
DiMenna added a goal for the win.
Gearwear set the pace for Country Farms with four goals, earning the
University of Connecticut polo product MVP honors. Schwartz added there goals and Ceparano
scored once. Country Farms received
three goals by handicap and were the beneficiaries of a pony goal in the loss.
DiMenna’s mare Gringa
was honored as Best Playing Pony.