Grand Champions Wins Fall Classic
By Alex Webbe
The home Grand Champions polo team exploded for four goals in the fifth chukker of the finals of Fall Classic to take top honors in the Fall Classic on the grounds of the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington Sunday afternoon at the expense of a struggling Audi foursome.
Audi received two goals by handicap, and added to it on a goal from the field from Argentine 6-goaler Juan Bollini. Grand Champions got two first chukker goals from Leo Mandelbaum to end the period.
Defense was mode for both teams in the second chukker with neither team being able to score as both had opportunities but couldn’t find the range.
Grand Champions got two goals from J. J. Celis in the fourth period while Audi was held scoreless for the second consecutive chukker. Grand Champions left the field at the end of the first half with a narrow 4-3 advantage.
Bollini opened the scoring in the fourth chukker with a beautifully executed, ninety-yard neck shot, with Celis answering for Grand Champions just moments later. Joey Casey notched his first goal of the game for Audi to close out the chukker with the teams tied in a 5-5 contest.
The fifth chukker was all Grand Champions. Disciplined defense held Audi scoreless for the third chukker while Grand Champions watched Charley Muldoon score from the field before Leo Mandelbaum added a penalty conversion. The poised play of Marianno Gracida-who is looking more and more like his father Carlos-added two more goals to the pot as Grand Champions charged out to a 9-5 lead with just one chukker left to play.
Bollini scored his third goal of the game midway through the sixth chukker with Casey adding another from the field, but that would be the end of the Audi offensive rally. The final horn sounded with Grand Champions on the winning end of a 9-7 score.
Mandelbaum and Celis led the Grand Champions effort with three goals apiece. Gracida scored twice and Muldoon added a goal in the win.
Bollini led the Audi attack with three goals. Casey scored twice and Audi received two goals by handicap.
GTP POLO 12, PATAGONES 10
An afternoon contest saw GTP Polo power past Patagones 12-10 in the consolation round of the Fall Classic at the Grand Champions Polo Club.
In spite of giving Patagones two goals by handicap, the high-powered GTP attack had run off with an 8-4 halftime lead over a disorganized opponent in the first three chukkers of play.
The teams were all even at 3-3 after the second chukker, but five third chukker goals gave GTP the impetus to blow the game wide open.
Patagones scratched its way back into the game with goals from Weston Gracida and Kris Kampsen in the fourth chukker but still trailed by three goals, 9-6, as the period ended.
Fifth chukker goals from Trevor Allen and Gonzalo Avendano cut into the GTP lead again in the fifth chukker, but Sugar Erskine’s fifth goal of the game kept GTP on top, 10-8.
The two teams exchanged a pair of goals in the final chukker, with Patagones getting scores from Allen and Kampsen while GTP got scoring efforts from Marc Ganzi and Erskine.
Marc Ganzi and Erskine led all scoring with five goals apiece. Ruben Gracida and Cachi Garcia added single goals in the win.
Kampsen scored three times for Patagones. Allen and Avendano added two goals each with Weston Gracida adding a single goal in the match.