Joe Barry Memorial Cup

Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym and Villa del Lago to Face Off in Joe Barry Final

Diego Cavanagh and Gringo Colombres. Photo David Lominska Polographics.com


Villa del Lago Edges Out Dubai 11-10 in Semis
 
The Joe Barry Cup Final is going to be one of those polo family tangos, but this time the surnames won’t be Argentine. Try Zenni vs. Zenni. That was the outcome of Monday’s semifinals, when Jim Zenni’s Villa del Lago and his son Jared Zenni’s team, Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym, won their respective games.
 
Rashid Albwardy
Photo: David Lominska/Polographics.com
Villa del Lago took it right down to the wire to defeat Dubai 11-10 in one of the most exciting games of the 20-goal season at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC). The first half was anyone’s game, with the lead changing sides as fast as the ball, but the second half was a different story. Villa del Lago owned the fourth chukker, scoring five goals to Dubai’s one. Hilario Ulloa came to the field with his mallet blazing, notching three in a row, converting two penalties and scoring once from the field. By the time the horn sounded Villa del Lago led by five, but it was short-lived. Dubai came back with a vengeance, chipping away at the lead until it was down to one point. Diego Cavanagh scored two goals in each of the final two chukkers, giving Dubai a chance to even the score, but time ran out.
 
“My teammates played amazingly, and I am just one more,” said Ulloa, who scored nine of the 11 goals. “We had an amazing fourth chukker, and it was not easy to keep it like that. We played very smart in keeping possession of the ball and releasing quickly when they were coming at us. That was the key.”
 

Dubai (2-2) Villa del Lago (3-1)
Rashid Albwardy 2 James Zenni 0
Carlitos Gracida 4 Agustin Obregon 5
Diego Cavanagh 8 Hilario Ulloa 9
Alejo Taranco 6 *Gringo Colombres 6
  *sub for Guille Aguero
          

The Joe Barry Cup semifinals were live streamed by ChukkerTV, a partner of the USPA Polo Network, which will broadcast the Joe Barry Cup Final at 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, at IPC. This week also brings continuous live coverage of the 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup, which begins Thursday, Feb. 4. Orchard Hill faces Tonkawa at 1 p.m. and Coca-Cola opposes Valiente at 3:30 p.m. at IPC.
 

Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym Takes Enigma 9-6

in Joe Barry Semifinals
 
Jared Zenni and Matias MacDonough. Photo: David Lominska/Polographics.com.

 

Four young, well-mounted players outplayed undefeated Enigma, securing a spot in the Joe Barry Final for Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym. Enigma came into the semis 3-0, but that didn’t deter Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym (2-1). In a war of attrition, Enigma fell away, unable to break through the defense. The determined Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym players were consistently on the man, leaving Enigma no space to work in and forcing its seasoned opponent into playing a very defensive game. With two members of Team USPA, Jared Zenni and Jesse Bray, in its arsenal, the youngest team in the tournament (ages 20 to 26) came out of the gate gunning and scored two back-to-back two goals in the opening 60 seconds.
Jeff Hall and Jesse Bray
Photo: David Lominska/Polographics.com

 

Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym maintained its edge all the way through what was at times a heated game (particularly during the fifth chukker, when two Enigma players drew yellow cards). Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym stretched into a five-point advantage at the top of the final chukker (9-4). Enigma, which the previous day played a rigorous 10-chukker practice against 5 Star Builders/Horseware/Tackeria (a new all-pro team in the Ylvisaker Cup), rallied in the final chukker of the semis. A ramped-up Carlucho Arellano, Enigma’s high-scorer with four goals total, made the last two goals of the day to tighten the gap to 9-6.
 
With the other Joe Barry semifinal (Villa del Lago def. Dubai) still in play, Jared Zenni zipped over to field 5 to watch his father, Jim Zenni, play for Villa del Lago. Said the younger Zenni: “I want my father to win, but I don’t want to have to play against him in the final.” He got part one of that wish.
 

Enigma
 (3-1)
Palm Beach Illustrated/
Technogym
 (3-1)
Jerome Wirth 1 Nacho Badiola 6
Jeff Hall 7 Jared Zenni 3
Matias MacDonough 7 Facundo Obregon 6
Carlucho Arellano 5 Jesse Bray 5