Antelope Strikes Early to Best Cotterel in Jason Final

The rain delayed final game of the Mack and Madelyn Jason Memorial was played on Sunday, January 22 on a rather cool and damp desert afternoon. In spite of the inhospitable conditions, Geoff Palmer's Antelope group ( Grant Palmer -1, Santiago Trotz 5, Jared Sheldon 4, Rhandy Heredia - sub for Geoff Palmer) didn't let the weather cool them as they rode to victory by a count of 12 - 9 over Jenny Luttrell-Benardoni and her Cotterel Farms foursome (Jenny Luttrell-Benardoni, Francisco Benardoni 1, Ruben Cossia 5, Matthew Fonseca 2).It was obvious at the start that longtime Antelope quarterback Trotz didn't let the below normal temperature and threatening rain affect his team as they kept their powder dry and took an immediate four goal lead after period number one - a lead that was never to be surrendered.Cotterel was able to close the gap to three in the second at 6 -3, but remained behind that margin going to the half at 7 - 4.The fourth chukker was, once again, played even with the three goal gap enduring to read 8 - 5.Cotterel jumped out in the fifth and narrowed the count to just one early on at 8 - 7 but Antelope responded with three of their own to just one other for the Idahoans and the differential was once again three (11 - 8) going to the final frame.With the temperature falling, the sixth period was - for the third time - played even with each team scoring once and it was over and Antelope had won the first tournament of the 2017 season.For the winners, Sheldon, in his MVP role, scored six times (four foul conversions),  Trotz counted four times, and the aggressive Eldorado Junior Polo graduates Palmer and Heredia scored once each.The runner-up replies came from Fonseca with four, Coscia notched three, and Benardoni scored once. A penalty #1 award filled out their card.Along with Sheldon receiving his well earned accolade, Centasia, played by Trotz in the fifth, was selected as the Best Playing Pony.Tony Gregg      

Mack & Madelyn Jason Memorial 8 Goal - Jan 22

BRACKET #1A - ANTELOPE (8) - Geoff Palmer, Grant Palmer -1, Santiago Trotz 5, Jared Sheldon 4.B - COTTEREL FARMS (8) - Jennifer Luttrell-Benardoni, Francisco Benardoni 1, Ruben Coscia 5, Matthew Fonseca 2.C - TWIN PALMS/ACME (8) - Chris Maloney 1, Jacob Pechenik -1, Graham Bray 3, Max Menini 5.BRACKET #2D - BUSH LEAGUE (8) - Virgil Kyle, Ryan Robertson, Ulysses Escapite 4, Gaston Von Wernich 4.E - LAZY 3 RANCH (8) - Louisa Musselman Fikes, Nicolai Galindo 4, Peter Blake 3, Alonso Cruz 1.STANDINGSCOTTEREL FARMS                  2   0   100% d Lazy 3, Bush LeagueANTELOPE                                2   0     100%   d Bush League, Lazy 3LAZY 3                                        1   2     33%   d TwinPalms/Acme   l Cotterel, AntelopeTWIN PALMS/ACME                  0   1      0%    l Lazy 3BUSH LEAGUE                          0   2     0%   l Antelope, Cotterel SCHEDULESun. Jan. 22  - Final. Antelope vs Cotterel FarmsBest records go to final. Bracket #1 50%/win. Bracket #2 33.3%/win.Shootout rules for ties in effect. 

Northern Blizzard Victorious in Governor's Cup

Canadian John Rooney has been playing polo at Eldorado for some time and in all the years he has traveled south for the winter season he has never entered a team in the Pacific Coast Governor's Cup. When the decision was made last October to play in the seven goal tournaments - for February and March - Rooney insisted that he wanted to put the absolute best team together and be, above all, competitive. Made sense as Rooney is very competitive in what ever he does. With advice from longtime friend and teammate Joe Henderson the decision was made to procure Dayelle Fargey and Team USPA member Jimmy Wright for the two months.After winning three league titles in three tries during the winter, the Governor's Cup was next and Rooney's Northern Blizzard (Rooney 1, Henderson 4, Fargey 1, Wright 1),  with an unblemished record in qualifying play, was in the final of the sought after prize. The opponent - with just one loss in the qualifiers - would be Pro Pool graduates Virgil Kyle and Ryan Robertson and their Bush League organization (Kyle, Robertson, Ulysses Escapite 4, Gaston Von Wernich 4).In front of a very large final day crowd, Northern Blizzard was awarded a handicap goal of one at the start and wasted little time in adding to the bonus as Rooney converted a penalty number three opportunity. Wright was then able to jump out of the middle and score on a 90 yard run and the lead was three very early on. Kyle, on a perfect redirect on a penalty four attempt, brought Bush League back to within one after the first.Any thought that the outlanders might have taken on more than they could handle in this one was quickly dispelled in the second as Bush League came back with authority in the second and were rewarded with a penalty two opportunity that Escapite easily converted - the only goal of the frame. As a result, the second was over with the northern lead just one at 3 - 2.Von Wernich brought Bush league even in the third with a goal from the field, but Wright put Northern Blizzard up by a goal once again with another nice run to score and it was 4 - 3 for the Canadians at the half.Henderson scored his first of the final to give Northern Blizzard a lead of two but Bush League came right back as Escapite counted a pair - a penalty two and a running penalty four that was counted as a field goal and the tally was tied at five going to the fifth.The penultimate frame featured the most scoring of the contest with five goals. Wright grabbed his third counter and Henderson then scored his second and the northern lead was now a pair at 7 - 5. Von Wernich was able to score from the field to come within one, but another Henderson field goal got the Northern Blizzard two goal lead back at 8 - 6. The country boys continued to fight and the result was a penalty number three conversion for Escapite and it was on to the sixth with a one goal lead for Northern Blizzard at 8 - 7.The final frame was one of many opportunities and nothing to show - at least in the scoring department. Bush League, a very worthy opponent, had chances to force an extra stanza but were unable to do so. The northerners had chances to ice the cake but could not. The result was a down to the wire one goal victory for Northern Blizzard and the Governor's Cup was going back to Canada as Rooney had once again struck oil - albeit at a lower price.With his solid and opportunistic play, Wright earned the title of MVP and Brian, played by Henderson in the sixth was selected as the Best Playing Pony.As part of the final day season awards, Kyle and Robertson were presented with the Ronai White sponsor dedication trophy.Tony Gregg    

Madison Club Doubles Up to Win Skins

The 2016 Polo Skins Game - the 21st renewal - featured teams that took distinctly different routes to get there. The Madison Club Polo Team (Jennifer Alexy, Joseph Stuart 4, Jared Sheldon 4, Gaston Von Wernich 4) came into the big game undefeated in qualifying play while Ron Mathison's Chateau d'Esclans (Mathison, Marcello Rodriguez-Abbiati 5, Marcello Fassetta 5, Chad Bowman 2) arrived the hard way after winning a shootout over Twin Palms and Cotterel Farms. Truth is, however, it doesn't matter one bit how you get there - it's what you do when you get there to grab the $20,000 spread among six periods of polo.The scoring started quickly as Chateau d'Esclans' Rodriguez-Abbiati took the ball out of the opening throw-in and scampered unmolested to score in the first 25 seconds of play. Not at all phased, Madison Club got that one back as Von Wernich scored his only goal of the afternoon a short time later. Sheldon, on a very fast horse, simply outran everyone to score his first and the count now favored the Madison Club by one. The winemakers were able to come back quickly as Fassetta counted a penalty four and the first ended in a tie at two each to create the first carryover of the day.  The second 'skin' would be worth $6,666.00. (2 - 2)The second featured many long runs, spectacular defensive play to prevent goals, and yes, a few dropped balls. Sheldon struck for the only goal of the period on a long run from his own end as he simply couldn't be caught and the money available was behind the gates of the Madison Club as they led with $6,666.00 to nil. The third would therefore be worth $3,333.00. (Madison Club 1 - 0)Seemingly buoyed by the win in the second, the Madison Club was able to apply early pressure in the third that resulted in a penalty two conversion by Sheldon. Rodriguez-Abbiati was then able to score his second goal to generate the second carryover of the day and the half was over with no change in the lead and the fourth to be worth $6,666.00. (1 - 1)With a chance to even the money count in the fourth, the wine makers came out and carried the early pressure which allowed Fassetta to convert two penalty two opportunities. However, Sheldon scored another to narrow the gap to just one. Rodriguez-Abbiati, a Skins veteran, then came back to score his third and shortly after Fassetta counted his fourth and Chateau d'Esclans were on their way to tie the dollar tally. Stuart broke free at the end and scored his first of the afternoon, but the Skin went to the winery and each team had acquired $6,666.00. (Chateau d'Esclans 4 - 2)With the currency total even, the fifth chukker was pretty much even as well. Stuart scored his second for the Madison  Club and Fassetta his fifth for the Chateau and it appeared that another carry over was imminent. Not to be, as Stuart was afforded a 40 yard free shot that he converted and the Madison Club took the $3,333.00 and had now earned $9,999.00. (Madison Club 2 - 1)Trying to tie the money total, Chateau d'Esclans leaped out in the final frame as Fassetta struck for his sixth goal to lead by one. However, the Madison Club responded with unrelenting pressure that allowed Stuart to crush a penalty four followed by a beautiful goal scoring run by Alexy from the right corner. The now one goal advantage seemed to give the Club an edge as they were able to shut down the wine makers while getting another goal by Stuart. The addition of another $3,333.00 gave the Madison Club the Skins title by a count of $13,332.00 to $6,666.00. ( Madison Club 3 - 1)As well as winning the championship, The Madison Club, because they outscored Chateau d'Esclans by a count of 11 - 9, took home the Richard Roenisch bronzes.Based on his very aggressive and contributing play, Sheldon was chosen as the MVP and his third chukker horse, SportsCenter went back to the barn wearing the Best Playing Pony Blanket.Tony Gregg  

Northern Blizzard Grabs March 6-8 Goal Final

For the third final in a row, Northern Blizzard (John Rooney 1, Joe Henderson 4, Dayelle Fargey 1, Jimmy Wright 1) continued their dominance of M3 (Madelyn Cobb, Jared Sheldon 4, Peter Blake 3, Alonzo Cruz, Andrea Brereton sub for inj Cobb) as they rode to a very low scoring victory by a final count of 5 - 2.With their usual extremely quick start, M3 was all over Northern Blizzard early but could not score. No matter what they did, Sheldon and Blake - who broke open frequently - were unable to find the goal. The Canadian invaders didn't fare much better when opportunities came their way and the result was almost 11 minutes of polo being played until the first goal was scored - from the field and off the mallet of Henderson. Sheldon tied the count in the third period with an open goal conversion from 15 yards but Henderson's second of the half gave Rooney and Co. a lead of one at 2 - 1 going to the second half. The low score was not indicative of the open and exciting play that featured close to twenty missed opportunities to that point in time.The fourth chukker action was much the same as the first three - fast and open. With Henderson counting his third and a goal by Fargey, the northern invaders now led by three with two periods to go.In the penultimate frame, Henderson increased the difference to four but Brereton scored from the field for M3 to come within three once again.The sixth continued to feature open and fast polo but goals were not to be found and the very entertaining game was over and Northern Blizzard had won a third 2016 championship.Tony Gregg 

Twin Palms Victorious in 12 Goal March League Final

Chris Maloney and his Twin Palms foursome (Maloney 1, Graham Bray 3, Santiago Wulff 5, Remy Du Celliee Muller 3) ascended the presentation platform for the third time in four 2016 attempts as they defeated Jennifer Alexy and Luna Polo ( Alexy, Jared Sheldon 4, Joseph Stuart 4, Nicolas Maciel 4 - sub for Lindor Novillo 4) by a final score of 12 - 7.Luna Polo - arriving in the final via a shootout win over Cotterel Farms and Highwood -  was able to stay reasonably close in the early going but Twin Palms was simply too strong and gradually pulled away after a close first chukker (2 - 2) to lead by three at the half (7 - 4).An 11 - 5 count after five indicated that it was, once again, Maloney and Co.'s  day as they had little to do in the final frame in order to grab the spoils for the third Sunday in a row.Wulff led the scoring for the winners with six goals (one penalty four) while Maloney (two open goal) and Du Celliee Muller each counted three.For Luna Polo, Sheldon - in another strong effort - counted five times (two open goals), with Stuart and Maciel added one apiece.With the win, Twin Palms looked very ready to move on the 2016 Skins Tournament.Tony Gregg

Chopin Vodka Wins Chopin Challenge

The Chopin Challenge, played on Sunday March 13 in front of another great crowd, featured  12 goal teams Chopin Vodka (Ron Mathison, Marcello Rodriguez-Abbiati 5, Mariano Fassetta 5, Chad Bowmen 2) and Tequila Clase Azul (Jenny Lutterell-Benardoni, Francisco Benardoni 2, Ruben Coscia 5, Juan Curbelo 5).The early going - after the initial bowl in by Dana Chandler, the COO and GM of Chopin Imports - saw Clase Azul leading by one at 3 - 2 after the first chukker and they continued to hold that advantage with no scoring by either team in the second.The third period was all Chopin as they absolutely poured it on and scored five unanswered goals to lead by four (7 - 3) going to the Chopin Divot Stomp.Although Clase Azul outscored Chopin 6 - 5 in the second half, it wasn't enough and Chopin, riding the effect of that strong third chukker, went on to win by a final count of 12 - 9.After starting things off, Dana Chandler was back - this time on the presentation platform - to present the awards to both the runners up and the champions.

Northern Blizzard Wins Fish Creek Cup 7 Goal

For the second time in two weeks, John Rooney and his Northern Blizzard polo team (Rooney 1, Joe Henderson 4, Dayelle Fargey 1, Jim Wright 1) would face off in a final game against Madelyn Cobb and her M3 group (Cobb, Jared Sheldon 4, Peter Blake 3, Alonzo Cruz). In the previous meeting - the Eldorado Cup - the northern invaders won in a somewhat convincing manner by a count of 12 - 8. However, there would be a rather big difference in this contest as Wright - a big contributor two weeks previous - would not be able to play. With broken ribs sustained in a practice game fall keeping him on the side, the former Team USPA member would be replaced by college student Tony Uretz. No such change was necessary for M3 and they would have exactly the same line-up as before.At the outset, M3 jumped all over Northern Blizzard as Sheldon scored on a quick run off the initial throw-in and Cobb grabbed a perfect pass out of the ensuing line-up and went straight to goal on a great run of 145 yards. The Rooney group recovered somewhat and was able to prevent M3 from inflicting anymore damage, but at the same time, they were unable to score. The first ended with Cobb and Co. leading by a pair at 2 - 0.The second period started much the same as the first as M3 jumped out quickly and Blake scored to increase the lead to three and it appeared that Northern Blizzard might be in a little trouble due to their modified lineup. However, with Fargey exerting a huge defensive presence, the oilers were able to recover and eventually put some pressure on M3 that led to a pair of open goal conversions from Henderson and Rooney. As a result the count was now 3 - 2 to favor M3.The third frame featured a complete turnaround by Northern Blizzard as Uretz found his legs and the explosive M3 offence was silenced. With Fargey continuing to run interference, Henderson converted a penalty two and Rooney and Uretz counted from the field and the half was over with the northerners up by two at 5 - 3.M3 found the magic again in the early fourth as Sheldon scored on a quick jump and run to narrow the count to just one. Northern Blizzard was then able to come back as an open goal award was converted by Rooney and the fourth was over with the count at 6 - 4.Henderson scored from the field in the early penultimate frame and the Canadian lead was now three. Sheldon - never far from the action - got loose to strike twice and that lead again was narrowed to just one. Uretz was then able to score a pair of his own - one on an exceptional reaction to pickup a loose ball - and the chukker ended with Rooney and Co. up by three at 9 - 6.Given the fact that M3 could explode offensively at any time, Northern Blizzard were not about to sit back on a three goal advantage. The result was a fourth counter by Uretz in the early sixth and the lead was now four. However, M3 wasn't going anywhere and continued to push which resulted in a safety conversion by Sheldon to come to within three. That would be it though and Rooney and his Northern Blizzard teammates had won the Fish Creek Cup by a final count of 10 - 7.Because of her strong and relentless defensive play, Fargey was selected as the MVP and Virginia, owned and played by Henderson in the fifth, went back to the barn wearing the Best Playing Pony blanket. It is worth noting that Virginia was introduced to polo by Fargey.Tony Gregg   

Twin Palms Captures 12 Goal Fish Creek Cup

Chris Maloney and his Twin Palms polo team (Maloney 1, Graham Bray 3, Santiago Wulff 5, Remy Du Celliee Muller 3) showed everyone on Sunday that their successful 2016 winter season has not been a fluke as they easily rolled over Ron Mathison and Highwood (Mathison, Danny Walker 2, Marcello Rodriguez-Abbiati 5, Mariano Fassetta 5) by a final count of 10 - 5. In doing so, they won the Fish Creek Cup.The game started rather quietly with neither team able to grab an advantage until Wulff  scored from the field to give Maloney and Co. the lead going to the second period.Bray gave Twin Palms a lead of two early in the second as he scored his first of the afternoon on a nice run from just over center. Shortly after, Fassetta got Highwood on the board with his first to reduce the lead to again one. Twin Palms then jumped right back as Bray scored again and Wulff converted a penalty two and the second was over with the double trees leading by three at 4 - 1.The Twin Palms lead increased in the third chukker as Maloney scored on a penalty two award and Bray simply powered his way to another two goals while Highwood was able to do very little. The result was a 7 - 1 count to favor the Maloney foursome going to the Tequila Clase Azul Divot Stomp.The second half started as did the first - quietly and stayed that way as the only goal came from Fassetta to reduce the deficit to five.Highwood seamed to find some strength in the early fifth period as Rodriguez-Abbiati converted a sixty yard free throw and counted another from the field to reduce the difference to three. However, Wulff, with Bray running interference, scored his third of the game and the lead was again four goals. Fassetta counted his third to help the northerners going to the sixth and final trailing by three at 8 - 5.The last chukker, however, was all Twin Palms as Highwood wasn't able to get anything going to help themselves into contention. With Du Celliee Muller providing stalwart support, Wulff and Bray each scored from the field and the final of the Fish Creek Cup was over and Maloney and Co. had won their third tournament of the year.Bray, due to his unyielding offensive and defensive abilities, was selected as the MVP and Dulce, owned and played by Fassetta in the second was tabbed as the Best Playing Pony.Tony Gregg 

Northern Blizzard Blows Over M3 to Win Eldorado Cup

Sunday February 14th - Valentine's Day - was the warmest day of the year so far, but that mattered little to Canadian John Rooney as his Northern Blizzard polo team (Rooney 1, Joe Henderson 4, Dayelle Fargey 1, Jimmy Wright 1) never trailed while defeating Madelyn Cobb and her M3 aggregation (Cobb, Jared Sheldon 4, Peter Blake 3, Alonzo Cruz) to win the Eldorado Cup tournament.With the game time temperature a crisp 91 - 20 degrees above normal - things started somewhat slowly. Wright scored the game's first goal as he converted a penalty number two to put the Northerners in the lead, but Sheldon tied the very early count as he did the same from exactly the same spot. From the ensuing throw in, play again went to the south end and Wright converted his second open goal award to lead once again. From the next bowl in, play went to the north end for the first time as Fargey counted her first of the afternoon and Northern Blizzard now led by a pair. Sheldon - never far from the action - then scored his first from the field and chukker number one ended with the Rooney oilmen leading at 3 - 2.The first period lead increased to two in the early second as Henderson nailed a penalty four. M3 came back and Sheldon grabbed another and Cobb scored her first on an outstanding run from just across center and the second ended tied at four.With the game play now opening up, Rooney counted his first but Sheldon returned the favor and it was again a tie game. Fargey put Northern Blizzard in the lead for good as she finished a strong 140 yard gallop and the half was over with the oilmen leading 6 - 5.Northern Blizzard continued to hold the edge in the fourth period as Rooney, Wright, and Henderson all scored from the field with the only reply from M3 being another great run by Cobb. The result was a lead of three in favor of the northerners at 9 - 6.Play in the fifth chukker was pretty much even, but the Northern Blizzard lead increased to five goals on a pair of counters from Wright - one from the field and a penalty three conversion. A goal by Cruz and a penalty three counter for Sheldon brought M3 back to within three at 11 - 8 going to the sixth.Blake brought M3 within a pair with his only goal of the game in the early sixth but Wright converted another open goal opportunity shortly after and it was over a final tally of 12 - 8 to favor Northern Blizzard. As a result, Rooney and his northern invaders held the Eldorado Cup.Tony Gregg   

Twin Palms Defeats Antelope in Beal Final

The Valentine's Day final of the 2016 Carlton and Keleen Beal Memorial Tournament featured many momentum changes, long spectacular runs, and horses - good ones and lots of them.Chris Maloney brought his Twin Palms aggregation (Maloney 1, Graham Bray 3, Santiago Wulff 5, Remy du Celliee Muller 3) to the Sunday field for their third final of the season. On this day of love, the opposition would be supplied by Geoff Palmer and his Antelope herd (Palmer, Santiago Trotz 5, Felipe Vercellino 5, Chad Bowmen 2). This would be the second finals meeting this season for these two - Antelope winning the first in mid January.The first started quickly as Bray grabbed an early pass and completed a spectacular 140 yard run to score for Twin Palms. Not to be outdone, Trotz and Vercellino combined on a give and go for Antelope that was capped with a Palmer open goal conversion from 25 yards. The early momentum was now with the pronghorns as Vercellino scampered to count another and then, shortly after, pounded a penalty four and the first was over with Palmer and Co. up by two at 3 - 1.Momentum, however, can be fickle and as such can change in a hurry - and it did. Twin Palms came out for the second and were absolutely dominant with Maloney running half the field to count his first of the afternoon. Bray - again on a great rush - scored his second and Wulff followed that with his first of the game on a spectacular gallop. The second ended with the Maloney group leading by one at 4 - 3 and the energy clearly belonged to Twin Palms.As the third period began, it was apparent that this was going to be a running game - a contest of horses - as the pronghorns grabbed the momentum back and Palmer scored his second open goal award. Vercellino kept the force going as he grabbed his third goal and Antelope now had the lead back by one. Bowman then scored from the field and Vercellino struck again and a big Antelope third frame was over and their lead was now three with a count of 7 - 4.The fourth chukker started with Twin Palms getting one back as du Celliee Muller sent a forty yard backhander to goal that hit the right post and was eventually knocked in by a leg or an opposing player. Antelope responded with another rush and Vercellino finished it off with his second penalty four conversion and they again had a three goal advantage. However, that bulge didn't last long as the fickle force was now in the Twin Palms camp as du Celliee Muller scored from the field. Wulff then counted a pair - one on a spectacular play from the right corner by out horsing two men - and the count was now eight each.Chukker number five started a little differently than the previous three as the momentum did not change and Maloney scored his second goal and Twin Palms led by one. Relentless pressure on the inside by Bray led to a penalty opportunity from 30 yards that Maloney sank and the lead was now two at 10 - 8. The pronghorns were able to spring back and exert more pressure of their own and Trotz hammered a penalty four and scored from the field and the count was again tied. Bray - influential always - then scored his third and the fifth was over with the Maloney group up by one at 11 - 10.Trotz came out for the sixth and made things happen for Antelope. The result was his third goal of the game that evened the count at eleven. Play went back and fourth as both combatants had opportunities and came away with nothing - due to great defensive play. However, with 66 seconds on the clock - and Wulff  pressing - Twin Palms was awarded a free shot from 60 yards. Wulff's effort - with complete silence everywhere - was neither high nor on the ground, but hit very hard and somehow made its way through and with the clock now running down to 30 seconds, Maloney and Twin Palms had triumphed in the extremely well played Beal Memorial by a final tally of 12 - 11.Based on his rugged, robust, and effective play, Bray was awarded the title of MVP and Wulff's horse Rubio - played in the sixth - was chosen as the Best Playing Pony. Palmer - because of his aggressive defensive play - was selected as the Most Valuable Sponsor of the tournament.Tony Gregg   

Leisure Society Wins January Pro Pool Bronzes

Unknown to many, the final weekend of each month's very successful Pro Pool tournaments - played January, February, and March - features bronze trophies for the winners.  As well, all pro pool final games are played in front of the Cantina on Sunday mornings at 10 o'clock. With each game played in a tournament format and with prizes on the line for every final the competion is intense and the month end awards seem to add to the energy.January's final saw Desert Hay (Jared Sheldon - pro, Jenny Gonzalez, Murray Farmer/Susan Guggenheim, Joe Coors) line up against Leisure Society (Max Menini - pro, Shane Baum, Jacob Pechenik, Carol Hemker) in front of a very enthusiastic breakfast group.The early lead for the first month's sought after pieces belonged to Desert Hay but Leisure Society - with teamwork to back each other up - turned it around and came back to not only tie but to move on and win by a count of 5 - 3. Scoring for Leisure Society was spread throughout (the pros can't score) as Pechenik counted three, and Baum and Hemker scored one each. Coors, Farmer, and Guggenheim scored singles for Desert Hay.Tony Gregg        

Domrey Dominates to Win 7 Goal Coachella Valley Cup

After five games had been played in the 7 Goal Coachella Valley Cup tournament, Champ Roth's Domrey (Roth, Joseph Stuart 4, Dayelle Fargey 1, Doug Blumenthal 2) and Debra Vermoch's Pheasant Hollow (Vermoch -1, Tim Rudy 3, Jessica Bailey 1, Sterling Giannico 4) were alone at the top and already qualified for the final with identical records of five wins and zero losses with one game left to play and with the next best having just three wins. These two entries would then play each other on Saturday and the result wouldn't matter with respect to their plans for Sunday  - they were both booked in.With that in mind, the Saturday contest was, in reality, a practice and a chance to prepare - albeit in full view of each other. On the surface it appeared to most watching that Pheasant Hollow made more of the opportunity than did Domrey as they opened up just a little while Roth and Co. took it much, much easier. As a result, the pundits felt that the Vermoch group was better prepared and would have the upper hand in the upcoming final. As it turned out, the so-called experts were wrong - very wrong.The game started out quickly and it was Domrey dealing the early blow as pressure from the initial throw-in lead to a perfect penalty 4 conversion from Stuart.  Not phased, Pheasant Hollow was able to come right back as Giannico scored on a nice run. Blumenthal completed a run of his own to give Domrey the lead back and Stuart grabbed a quick pass from the ensuing line-up and ran alone to his second counter and it was now Domrey by two at 3 - 1. Once again Pheasant Hollow responded and Giannico was able to covert a 30 yard free-throw and the first was over with Domrey on top at 3 - 2.The early second was all Domrey as Stuart, fed by precise passing from throw-ins, scored a pair from the field and an early trend was appearing - Stuart was alone and running free. Again, Pheasant Hollow was able to come back and apply some pressure and Giannico was afforded another penalty two award which he converted and the second was over with the Roth group up by a pair at 5 - 3.Chukker number three saw Domrey exert more pressure as Stuart nailed another penalty four and then, from the resulting throw-in, he ran to goal - alone again - to extend the lead to four. Pheasant Hollow was again able to respond somewhat as Giannico converted a penalty two and the half was over with the lead extended to three at 7 - 4.At the half, the aforementioned 'experts' - and there were many - quickly pointed out that Pheasant Hollow would come back. As much as these authorities wanted to believe, or say, it didn't happen - not even close as the fourth period was absolutely all Domrey. The onslaught started with Stuart, again, receiving precise setups from the lineup and simply running to goal. With this continuing occurrence, Stuart scored three more times and it was now a six goal game. Blumenthal added to the equation with a goal and the lead was now seven. Giannico, for the fourth time, converted a penalty two toward the end of the period and the fourth ended with Roth and Co. leading at 11 - 5.As the fifth stanza started, it was obvious that Domrey wasn't done - not even close. Stuart - as if to prove a point - again grabbed a pass from the lineup and ran by himself to score. The Bay Area pressure continued as he converted his third free-throw (a penalty two) and the lead became eight goals. Fargey then counted another for the leaders and with little time left in the penultimate frame it was over. Rudy was able to score his first of the afternoon and the count was now 14 - 6 for the Roth group with one to play.With Pheasant Hollow needing to outscore Domrey by eight goals - just to tie - in the final frame, Roth and his champions to be simply relaxed and let Pheasant Hollow have a free rein. At that point, Rudy scored twice, Bailey counted one, Giannico added another, and Rhandy Heredia scored his first in the show as he filled in for an injured - in the fifth - Vermoch and the final count was 14 - 11. As a result and as the pundits tore up metaphoric mutual tickets, August Roth was once again a Champ as he hoisted the Coachella Valley 7 Goal Trophy.Because of his unrelenting pressure in the line-ups and his ability to continuously move balls out to Stuart, Roth was picked as the Leisure Society MVP.Stuart's mare Doctora - played in the Domrey controlled fourth - went back to the farm wearing the Best Playing Pony blanket.Tony Gregg  

Twin Palms Wins 12 Goal Coachella Valley Cup

On a rather blustery Sunday afternoon that featured sunshine, wind, rain, more sunshine, more rain, and then more wind, Chris Maloney led his Twin Palms 12 goal team (Maloney 1, Graham Bray 3, Santiago Wulff 5, Remy du Celliee Muller 3)  to a convincing 9 - 5 victory over pro pool graduate Ryan Robertson and his Bush League aggregation (Robertson, Jason Crowder 6, Ulysses Escapite 4, Matthew Walker 2).In a harbinger of things to come, Twin Palms started quickly as Maloney opened the scoring by converting a penalty number three. The early pressure continued and Maloney scored his second of the contest from the field and the first was over with Twin Palms leading 2 - 0.The success of period number one continued in the early second as Maloney was allowed another 40 yard free shot that he easily made and his lead was now three. Bush League came back later in the frame with Jason Crowder counting a field goal and the second was over with Twin Palms continuing to lead at 3 - 1.Rain started to fall in the third chukker and Maloney and Co. continued to hassle Bush League as du Celliee Muller scored and Maloney notched his third penalty three to now lead by five. Bush League came back somewhat as Crowder converted a penalty two attempt and Escapite scored from the field and the half was over with Twin Palms again leading by two at 5 - 3.Halftime saw the rain subside and with the wind increasing footing wasn't really a concern as Maloney scored his fifth goal on an aggressive move in the middle of a goal mouth scramble. Escapite grabbed his second of the afternoon for the Bush Leaguers and the fourth was over with Twin Palms leading again by two at 6 - 4.Perhaps tiring of leading by two goals after each frame, Twin Palms jumped out in the rainy fifth period and controlled throughout allowing Wulff  to score twice to nothing for the Robertson crew. As a result, the lead was now four at 8 - 4.The sixth started with the rain once again gone, the sunshine back, and those in attendance snapping pictures of polo in the sunshine with a background of an extremely picturesque rainbow to the east. However, the beauty of the late afternoon didn't change anything on the field of play as the wind reached difficult levels and each team was able to score but one goal each - Bray for Twin Palms and Crowder for  Bush League - and it was over with a final count of 9 - 5. As a result, Maloney and his Twin Palms group had won the 12 Goal Coachella Valley Cup.Based on his very aggressive and inspiring play, Maloney was selected as the Leisure Society MVP and Parka, owned by and played by Wulff in the fourth was chosen as the Best Playing Pony.Tony Gregg   

M3 Wins Close Jason Memorial

The 2016 Mack and Madelyn Jason Memorial was played on the warmest day of the current season and in front of a very big opening day crowd. Madelyn Cobb, a grand-daughter of Mack and Madelyn, brought her M3 group (Cobb, Jared Sheldon 4, Peter Blake 3, Alonso Cruz) to the field to face Suzanne Figi's Gypsy foursome (Figi, Graham Bray 3, remy du Celliee Muller 3, Taylor Freeman 2).Like the weather, M3 was warm early as Blake took a perfect pass from Sheldon to score and lead by one. Gypsy came back quickly as Freeman scored from the field to even the count. Not to be one to sit back and watch, Sheldon notched a field goal of his own and the lead was once again one for Cobb and Co. but Freeman changed that with his second and the count was tied at two after the first.Gypsy took the lead early in the second frame as du Celliee Muller grabbed his first of the day but Sheldon nailed a safety from 70 yards and it was even once again. Cobb, on a very alert pick-up and run, scored, and the lead, once again, belonged to M3 at 4 - 3. However, du Celiee Muller converted a 40 yard free throw and Bray counted from the field and the chukker ended with Gypsy ahead by one at 5 - 4.The third was all M3 as Blake scored twice and Sheldon supplied one and the Cobb group went to the half with a lead of two at 7 - 5.Sheldon continued the M3 push in the early fourth by converting a great set-up by Cobb and it was now 8 - 5 M3. Many thought that would be it and M3 would coast to the win. Not so, as Bray took charge and pushed du Celliee Muller and Freeman to score one each - bringing Gypsy to within one at 8 - 7.A successful 60 yard free shot by Sheldon and a counter from the field by Blake put M3 in front by three at 10 - 7 but du Celliee Muller pulled Gypsy back with a penalty three conversion to end the fifth at 10 - 8 in favor of M3.To start the sixth, Blake grabbed his fifth of the day and it appeared, once again, that M3 had the silver. Not quite as Gypsy pressed back with Freeman counting his fourth to narrow the lead to a pair at 11 - 9. A strong run by Bray ended with a du Celliee Muller open goal conversion and the lead was again just one with little time on the clock - not enough time as it turned out and Cobb and her Madelyn Three Team won the Mack and Madelyn Jason Trophy by a count of 11 - 10.Sheldon was selected as the MVP and Geisha, owned and played by Blake, was awarded the Best Playing Pony blanket.Tony Gregg 

Antelope Grabs First 12 Goal Title

The delayed 2016 Opening Day turned out to be a fabulous one weather wise with the thermometer moving up into the 70's and sunshine in abundance. After victories on Friday, and in front of a very big crowd, Chris Maloney brought his Twin Palms polo team (Maloney 1, Graham Bray 3, Santiago Wulff 5, Remy du Celliee Muller 3) to face Geoff Palmer and his Antelope herd (Palmer, Santiago Trotz 5, Felipe Vercellino 5, Chad Bowman 2). The game, perhaps not as perfect as the weather, turned out to be exciting nonetheless by virtue of the close score.From the outset, it was apparent that the game might be a scrappy affair. That observation not withstanding, Graham Bray opened the scoring very early to give Twin Palms a lead of one. Vercellino and Bowman countered with field goals to put the pronghorns on top but that lead was short lived as the aggressive Maloney evened the count with a good effort to end the first.The second slowed down somewhat and Antelope took advantage as Trotz and Bowman each scored while Maloney and Co. were held scoreless.With a lead of two, the pronghorns were strong in the early third period as Bowman scored his third and the very quick Vercellino notched his second goal of the day. Twin Palms came back however and applied heavy pressure that resulted in two penalty two conversions for Wulff. Antelope rebounded as Vercellino scored another and the half ended with the Palmer herd leading by three at 7 - 4.Twin Palms jumped out with authority to start the fourth chukker as Maloney put up his second goal and Wulff scored his first from the field.  Trotz was then able to get his second and the fourth was over with the Antelope lead now just a pair.Wulff scored from the field once more in the early penultimate frame to bring the Maloney group to within one, but a miscue allowed Palmer a free throw from 40 yards that he converted to again lead by two. du Celliee Muller then finished off a nice run to bring Twin Palms back to within one to end the fifth at 9 - 8.Coming in to the second half down by three, Maloney and Co. were now in contention to start the sixth and final of regulation. With Bray playing the middle with his trademark aggressive game, Twin Palms was afforded another open goal opportunity (40 yards) that Wulff converted and the count was now tied at nine. However, with just over a minute left, Antelope was awarded a penalty shot from 60 yards. Vercellino wisely used the time needed to set up the ball and changed horses. In spite of the fact that he was now on a mount that many said was easier to strike penalty shots from, the attempt was wide and Twin Palms had a chance to run the field and win. Didn't happen as a foul call gave Vercellino another opportunity to close it out - this time from 40 yards and just 41 seconds remaining. The attempt was good and Antelope won the first 12 goal tournament by a final count of 10 - 9.Tony Gregg   

Pheasant Hollow Flies to World Gym Win

The Mike Uretz Family's 25th annual World Gym tournament -the second longest continuously  played event in Desert Polo - was played as a round-robin over two days on the weekend of December 26th and 27th on the Cantina field in front of  very good crowds on both days.With Saturday's scoring carried over to Sunday, Debra Vermoch's Pheasant Hollow brood (Vermoch -1, Rhett Merrill -1, Tim Rudy 3, Patrick Uretz 3) were in good shape after the first day. Facing Madelyn Cobb's M3 group (Cobb .5, Jared Sheldon 4, Rhandy Heredia -1, Alonso Andrade -1) to start things off on Sunday, Pheasant Hollow started with a three goal lead at 6 - 3. The second day was similar to the first as Uretz and Rudy cruised to a final count win of 9 - 6.For round two, M3 stayed on the field to face Mia Bray's Twin Palms (Bray -1, Graham Bray 3, Conrad Kissling 1, Xander Deutsch). With a lead of one from Saturday at 4 - 3, Cobb and Co. had a good shot at grabbing a win to go to 1 - 1 for their final count. Wasn't to be however as the Bray Foursome counted four goals to just two for M3 that gave a final tally of 7 - 6 in favor of Twin Palms.Sunday's third contest would see Pheasant Hollow come back to play Twin Palms in a winner take all session. From Saturday Pheasant Hollow had a lead of one at 3 - 2. In a 'game' as close as the previous day's, the brood outscored Twin Palms by two at 3 - 1 thus giving a final score of 6 - 3 to earn the win and a round -robin record of 2 - 0.Pheasant Hollow  2   0   +6, Twin Palms  1   1   -2, M3  0   2   -4.With play at a level above, Uretz was selected as the MVP.Tony Gregg

Luna Runs Away With World Gym

On the surface, it appeared that the final of the 26th annual World Gym Tournament - sponsored by the Mike Uretz family - would be a close contest. Made sense as a two and a three goal player would face a couple of two's and the  latter would get a small handicap award at the start. Close would not be the case however as sound teamwork prevailed to allow Luna (Virgil Kyle -1, Jennifer Alexy 0, Santiago Mendez 2, Diego Larregli 2)  to easily defeat the World Gym foursome (George Conkwright -1, Carol Hemker -1, Brianna Galindo 0, Carlitos Galindo 3, Cacho Galindo 2) by a count of 10.5 - 6.On a rather cool Sunday desert afternoon - in front of a warm and enthusiastic Cantina lunch crowd - the game turned out to be a classic case of the ability of a stronger player to use less experienced teammates  to defeat what appeared - at least on paper - to be a worthy opposition. With Mendez extremely comfortable in the role of the playmaker Luna was not challenged after the first of four chukkers and they made it look easy the rest of the way. Without question, the difference was Mendez and his ability to constantly set-up his less experienced teammates who ran free. As well,  Alexy and Kyle regularly backed-up each other to count a total of six goals from the field - abilities learned perhaps, during their experience in the pro-pool last winter.The handicap difference was one, allowing Luna a gift of 1/2 at the start and the count was 1.5 - 1 after the first. That was as close as it would be as the score favored the winners 5.5 - 2 after two and 8.5 - 3 after the third period. Luna scored two early on in the final and then coasted as World Gym then scored three times to complete the count.For the winners, Alexy scored five times (2 fouls), Kyle counted three, and Larregli grabbed two in the fourth.Carlitos Galindo notched four (2 fouls - 1 #4) for World Gym, and Brianna Galindo and Conkwright had one each.Marley, Alexy's third period horse, was selected as the best playing pony.Tony Gregg    

Domrey Wins Governor's Cup in Strange OT Squeaker

The final game of the 2014 Pacific Coast Governor's Cup was a contest between two very dissimilar teams - August (Champ) Roth's Domrey, which had never been to a Governor's Cup final and Reg Whyte's Thermal, which had been there just 12 months earlier.  Different as well with Domrey being nothing more than a group of so-called young guns going up against the veteran line-up of Thermal.The younger opposition consisted of Roth along with Doug Blumenthal, Juan Jose Gonzalez, and Taylor Freeman. The veteran group consisted of Whyte (tournament winner in 2010) and his longtime farmhands Fergus Gould and Nicolas Maciel. Joining this group was impressive newcomer Brooke Faber.The opening frame  in the four period tournament was pretty much controlled by Thermal and the constant pressure they applied allowed Maciel to score twice. The first on a penalty number four and the second on a 40 yard opportunity. As a result, Thermal led by a pair at 2 - 0 going to the second.Domrey got themselves together in the early second chukker and apparently had sorted themselves out as Gonzalez grabbed a pass and made a pretty run to score. Thermal answered with more sustained pressure that was rewarded with another open goal opportunity (penalty 2) that Maciel converted. The youngsters, however, didn't succumb as they returned with constant pressure of their own and Blumenthal nailed two 30 yard free-throws and the half ended with each team having counted three goals apiece - five from penalty shots.The third period was somewhat choppy with both teams unable to get much going at all. Freeman, in spite of this, was able to grab an opportunity to score and Roth and Co. led by one. Maciel replied with another open goal conversion for the Whyte group and the third ended in a tie at four.As fragmented as the third stanza was, the fourth opened up as both teams started to play polo the way it was intended. The result was a nice run and strike by Blumenthal to put Domrey up by one. The farmers obviously weren't done though as Gould took over and scored toward the end of regulation to tie the count at five - sending the game to overtime.The tie-breaker was, in a word, strange as neither team really was able to do much. With the play moving clumsingly toward the Thermal goal in favor of Domrey, Gould fell off and play was allowed to continue with Domrey advancing. Very shortly after however, a whistle sounded and play was halted. Those watching weren't sure why the play stopped but the prevailing thought was that it was either because Gould had gone off or his horse had interfered with the advancing play. In fact, a foul had been called to favor Domrey and, with most unaware, Blumenthal converted a penalty two from less than 30 yards and it was over as Domrey became the 2014 Pacific Coast Governor's Cup winners - and August became a Champ.As well as having his name engraved on the big trophy, Gonzalez was selected as the Most Valuable Player and his third chukker mare, Sula, was chosen as the Best Playing Pony.2014 Pacific Coast Governor's CupDomrey 6 - August Roth .5, Doug Blumenthal 2, Juan Jose Gonzalez 2, Taylor Freeman 1.5.Thermal 6 - Reg Whyte, Brooke Faber -1, Fergus Gould4, Nicolas Maciel 3.Tony Gregg      

Los Banditos Steal 20th Annual Polo Skins Match

Dave Dollinger's Los Banditos polo team came into the 20th annual Skins Tournament -  fresh off their victory in the Jason Memorial - as the favorites and certainly appeared to be up to the task as they breezed through the qualifiers with a perfect record. Their opponent in the Sunday afternoon final would be another team with a perfect record out of the preliminaries - John Rooney and his Northern Blizzard invaders.The Bandit's lineup for the final - worth $5000 per chukker -  would be a little different as Craig Steinke suited up for the always busy Dollinger and Jake Devane would once again step in for the, once again, unavailable Chad Bowman. The strong duo of Mariano Fassetta and Jesse Bray filled out the card. The Rooney group would remain unchanged with Rooney, Joe Henderson, Juan Curbello, and Tim Rudy mounting up.The first $5000 period saw the Bandits jump out to a quick lead as Devane - much like his start in the Jason - grabbed a Fassetta pass at the initial throw-in and run easily to score. Fassetta himself scored a pair after that and the first 'skin' was in possession of Dollinger's bunch by a count of 3 - 0.The Bandits kept the pressure on in the early part of the second as Bray counted his first of the afternoon. Northern Blizzard, however, recovered as Henderson and Curbelo counted markers of their own and the Rooney group took the second award with a 2 - 1 'victory'.After two very fast chukkers, the third slowed down considerably as the teams traded goals. Bray started with a penalty three conversion and Henderson counted from the field. Bray then scored another free-throw from 40 yards and Henderson replied again - this time on a text book penalty four strike. With the tie score of 2 - 2, the first carryover of the afternoon was created and the half ended with each team taking $5000.00. The game score - the winner of which would receive the Richard Roenisch bronzes - at this point was 6 - 4 to favor Los Banditos.With the carryover from the third period, the fourth would be played for $10,000. Fassetta scored his third of the day, on a perfect setup from Bray, who then counted his fourth and the $10,000 available now belonged to the Bandits. They were also in control of the overall game score by a count of 8 - 4.The Canadian cold air raged in the penultimate stanza as the Rooney oil workers took control and struck for four unanswered goals. Rooney himself scored twice as Curbelo and Rudy grabbed one each. Northern Blizzard was back in it with the $5,000 royalty and trailed by only that amount with one 'game' left. The overall count was now tied at eight.Los Banditos came back in the final frame as Fassetta - again set up by Bray - scored two quick goals before Rooney scored again for his group. Unfortunately that was it for the invaders from the north as Fassetta notched another and the final chukker went to Los Banditos by a count of 3 - 1, and gave the Bandits the Polo Skins Game victory by a count of $20,000.00 to $10,000. Along with the larger payday, Los Banditos grabbed the bronzes with an overall game win of 11 - 9.Based on his ability to read situations and act correctly and unselfishly, Bray was selected as the Most Valuable Player and Naranjo, owned by Ron Bonaguidi and played by Fassetta in the fourth period, was named the Best Playing Pony.2014 Polo Skins GameLos Banditos 12 - Craig Steinke 1 (sub for Dollinger 1), Mariano Fassetta 5, Jesse Bray 4, Jake Devane 1 (sub for Bowman 1).Northern Blizzard 12 - John Rooney 1, Joe Henderson 4, Juan Curbelo 4, Tim Rudy 3.Tony Gregg