Zacara remains perfect with 9-6 win over Les Lions
By Alex Webbe
Zacara (Facundo Pieres,Lyndon Lea, Rodrigo Andrade and Matt Perry) got down to business from theopening throw-in as they rang up three straight scores in Sunday’s opening gameof the 2013 Veuve Clicquot British Open for the gold Cup at Cowdray Park. Les Lions (Henry Fisher, AgustinMerlos, Sebastian Merlos and Joachim Gottschalk) managed to get on thescoreboard before the first chukker ended, but trailed 3-1.
Second period play saw a hear repeat of the first asZacara took control of the flow of the game. Three more Zacara goals went unanswered as Les Lions struggled to find away through the stubborn defense of their opponents. Between the offensive play of Facundo Pieresand the powerful backup provided by Brazilian 8-goaler Rodrigo Andrade, LesLions were holding on for dear life. Thecontributions of Zacara team captain Lyndon Lea and Matt Perry can’t beoverlooked when you consider the talent on the Les Lions lineup. After two chukkers Zacara held a commandinglead, 6-1.
The Zacara offensive surged waned in the third chukker,but the vigilant defense continued. Zacara added another goal to their total while shutting out the LesLions offense for the second consecutive period. At the end of the first half a powerfulZacara team rode off the field with a six goal, 7-1 lead.
Zacara reeled off two more goals in the fourth before LesLions finally responded with a goal of their own. Zacara continued to dominatein a 9-2 game.
Les Lions scored twice in the fifth as a domineeringZacara team coasted, but there was no sign of the Tincho Merlos that set a GoldCup scoring record in 2011 with 51 goals. The chukker ended with Les Lions cutting the Zacara lead to five goals,9-4, with one period left in regulation time.
Les Lions scored twomore goals in the final chukker, but when the final horn sounded it was Zacarawho recorded their third win, 9-6. Theloss drops Les Lions to 1-2 while Zacara remains undefeated at 3-0.
SALKELD 8, HB POLO 7
Expectations weren’t big for the second match of the daywith the contest between Salkeld (Nick Clarke, James Beim, Miguel NovilloAstrada and Max Routledge) and HB Polo (Ludovic Pailloncy, Ignacio Toccalino,Pite Merlos and Sebastian Pailloncy) featuring a pair of teams who were winlessbetween them.
Salkeld entered the game with an 0-2 record with lossesto Twelve Oaks (11-10) and Zacara (15-7) while HB Polo carried an 0-3 recordinto the fray with losses to Les Lions (11-5), Twelve Oaks (8-6) and Zacara(11-4).
Tentative play characterized the opening chukker withSalkeld scoring the only goal. Defenseswere solid, but an offense punch wasn’t present for either team.
The two teams traded goals in the second, but there wasno explosion. Each team registered asingle goal, and Salkeld continued to lead by one goal, 2-1.
Two more goals were scored in the course of the secondchukker, with each side scoring once. Atthe end of the first half an anemic offensive display had Salkeld in front,3-2.
Miguel Novillo Astrada felt sick and sat down after thethird chukker. His brother AlejandroNovillo Astrada replaced him, but the pace continues to be sticky andsluggish. Salkeld managed to extendtheir lead to two goals at the end of fourth chukker, 4-2.
The addition of Alejandro Novillo Astrada to the Salkeldlineup recharged the team as they added two more goals to their total, but HBPolo found themselves energized as well. With their biggest offensive production of the day they scored threetimes and came within a goal of Salkeld at 6-5 at the end of the period.
HB Polo tried it up to open the sixth chukker, but Salkeldresponded with a go-ahead goal, 7-6. HBPolo wasn’t going to go quietly, and tied it up again at 7-7. Salkeld scored the game winner as time ranout, registering their first win of the tournament. HB Polo ended their run with four straightlosses, 0-4.
Play continues in the Veuve Clicquot British Open for theGold Cup on Monday, July 8 with two games slated to be played. Dubai (3-0) will play Enigma (1-2) in the 1PMcontest while Black Bears will take the field against La Bamba de Areco in the3PM game. Dubai has already qualifiedfor the quarterfinals, but La Bamba de Areco needs a win to advance.