Piocho Takes Mansour to the Woodshed, Wins Mayors Cup in a 20-12 Rout
By Alex Webbe
It was the legendary Memo Gracida who led the Piocho Ranch team onto the field at the Santa Barbara Polo Club Sunday afternoon, but all eyes were on the team’s youngsters, Julio Gracida, son of Memo, and Matias Zavaleta.
The 16-goal Piocho Ranch team received four goals by handicap from the 20-goal Mansour foursome, but it was Mansour that opened the scoring on the day. Goals from Mansour team captain Ben Soleimani and Luis Escobar cut the lead in half before Memo Gracida scored from the field and son Julio converted a 40-yard penalty shot. The chukker ended with Piocho on top of a 6-2 score.
Memo Gracida added two more goals on penalty shots and Zavaleta scored his first goal from the field while holding Mansour to a single penalty conversion from Escobar. The Piocho lead was extended to six goals, 9-3.
Santiago Toccalino scored the opening goal of the third chukker for Mansour and teammate Martin Zegers added a penalty goal, but three goals from Julio Gracida had Piocho Ranch ahead by seven goals at the end of the first half, 12-5.
Mansour continued to press its attack, but the quickness of young Gracida and Zavaleta proved no match for them. Under the field command of the elder Gracida, Julio scored his fifth goal of the day and Zavaleta scored two more goals himself.
Zegers converted two penalty shots and added a goal from the field, but the Piocho lead held at seven goals, 15-8.
Julio Gracida and Zavaleta added single goals in the fifth frame while a penalty goal from Zegers and a goal from the field from Escobar kept hopes alive. The fifth chukker ended with Piocho ahead, 17-10.
Zegers opened the final chukker with a penalty goal countered by goals from Zavaleta and Memo Gracida.
Escobar scored his fourth goal of the day before Julio Gracida’s seventh goal closed out the scoring with Piocho Ranch celebrating the Mayors Cup championship with a resounding 20-12 victory.
Julio Gracida led all scoring with seven goals. Teammate Zavaleta added five goals and Memo Gracida accounted for four goals. Piocho received four goals by handicap.
Zegers set the pace for Mansour with six goals. Escobar scored four times. Soleimani and Toccalino added single goals in the loss.
Julio Gracida was named MVP for his efforts while Tom Barrack’s Perla, played by Zavaleta, received Best Playing Pony honors.
VALIENTE 14, AUDI 6
In the morning consolation match, Valiente scored a one-sided 14-6 over Audi after leading by a single goal, 6-5, at the end of the first half.
Del Walton scored the first goal of the game for Audi and teammate Juan Bollini converted five of six penalty shots in the first two chukkers of play.
All the firepower for Bob Jornayvaz’s Valiente team came from Kris Kampsen and Nacho Astrada with Kampsen scoring four times in the opening half and Astrada adding a pair of goals for the halftime lead.
Kampsen converted a penalty shot in the fourth followed by four goals from Astrada while the Valiente defense shut down the Audi offense for the second consecutive chukker. The teams left the field at the end of the fourth period with Valiente commanding an 11-5 lead.
Astrada and Bollini exchanged field goals in the fifth period, but that would be the end of the Audi attack. Two more goals in the final chukker were combined with shutout defense for the 14-6 Valiente win.
Astrada scored nine goals with Kampsen accounting for five scores.
Bollini scored five times for Audi with teammate Del Walton adding a single goal.
On Friday, July 16 eight teams are scheduled to take place in the opening round of the 2010 Skene Cup, but the much anticipated arrival of 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso won’t be a part of the festivities.
Cambiaso’s winning ways have him extending his stay in England to lead Dubai against Lechuza Caracas in the finals of the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup for the British Open at Cowdray Park. Flying in to take his place on the Lucchese team will be 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre.
Grants Farm is slated to open the day’s competition with a 10am match followed by a noon meeting between ERG and Valiente. At 2pm Zacara will face Lucchese while Piocho and Mansour will meet again at 4pm.