Valiente’s Well-Oiled Machine Motors Past Britannia El Remanso 10-8
By Darlene Ricker
Valiente bested Britannia El Remanso 10-8 and Murus Sanctus took a shocker of an 8-7 win over favourite La Indiana on Day 14 of the 2016 Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup for the British Open. It was the final day of league play, with a penalty shootout set for Thursday morning.
It’s not easy to get motivated for a game when you know you’re already in the quarterfinals, as was the case for both Valiente and Britannia El Remanso. Even so, every game has its purpose. Wednesday’s match played out exactly as a game is expected to at this point in the tournament: not particularly exciting, but functional. It kept the players sharp and the horses tuned yet still fresh enough for the quarterfinals.
By the middle of the sixth chukka, with the score 10-6 and Valiente clearly dialed in on the win, everyone stepped it down a bit more. Even so, Britannia El Remanso managed to put in two field goals (one each by James Beim and Ollie Cudmore), cutting their deficit in half (10-8).
Valiente stuck to the script throughout, working every chukka according to Cambiaso’s playbook. Each of them was consistently on the man, a reflection of patron Bob Jornayvaz’ advice to his son before he took the field: “Be glue.”
The game showcased a series of skillful plays, not only by the mega-duo of Adolfo Cambiaso and Juan Martín Nero, but also by the younger players—in particular Rob Jornayvaz, who subbed for his father, out with a badly broken foot. Jornayvaz was fully in sync with Cambiaso, seeming to almost read his mind in the way Nero does. He repeatedly positioned himself exactly where he was needed to receive a pass from the master. Jornayvaz scored in the second chukka from the field, breaking a 1-1 tie. On the slick play, Cambiaso shuttled the ball diagonally across the field to an on-the-run Jornayvaz, who slammed it straight into goal. Jornayvaz was good for another goal in the fifth.
Rated at 1, Jornayvaz was also effective on defense. He ran veteran James Beim off the ball at a critical moment in the fourth, preventing what looked like a sure goal in the making for Britannia El Remanso. Valiente’s other young 1-goaler, Kian Hall, also scored twice and ably assisted Cambiaso on several goals, one on a remarkable 70-yard drive. Cambiaso’s decision to incorporate Hall and Jornayvaz into his tournament strategy paid off once again, as it did in their last game, in which Valiente defeated Murus Sanctus.
Murus Sanctus played an astounding match Wednesday, taking an 11-8 victory over the odds-on favorite, and until now undefeated, La Indiana.
Valiente
Robert Joynayvaz 1
Kian Hall 1
Adolfo Cambiaso 10
Juan Martín Nero 9
Britannia El Remanso
Charlie Hanbury 4
Ollie Cudmore 5
James Beim 7
James Harper 6
La Indiana
Michael Bickford 1
Julian de Lusarreta 6
Agustin Merlos 8
Nic Roldan 7
Murus Sanctus
Corinne Ricard 0
Manuel Elizalde 5
Facundo Sola 8
Alfredo Cappella 9