WPL: Palm Beach Open

Catamount’s Comeback

Palm Beach Open

Grant Ganzi chases down Polito Pieres

9MAR

27 MAR FINAL

With both teams going into the Final with high goal scores, the match was expected to be an offensive battle from both sides. Catamount pounced into the first half, controlling the possession and with Nacho Novillo Astrada using his defensive position at back to pump the ball forward, while Toro Ruiz thwarted several offensive attempts by Richard Mille, which saw Catamount enjoying a 5-3 lead at half-time.

The second half saw even play from both sides and although Catamount had a scoreless fourth chukka, by the fifth chukka they were still ahead by two goals, 7-5. In the first few minutes of the sixth chukka, Grant Ganzi converted a 30 yard penalty for Richard Mille to cut the margin to 7-6, swiftly followed by a field goal from Pablo MacDonough just a minute later to level the scores, 7-7. With less than three minutes left on the clock, Ruiz and Novillo Astrada teamed up to regain the lead for Catamount, 8-7, while Richard Mille fluffed their next scoring opportunity. In the last 60 seconds a Richard Mille foul gave Catamount the ball, which Novillo Astrada wasted no time passing to MacDonough for one last chance at goal; however, Ruiz cleared both the ball and Juan Martin Nero out of the action. As the clock ticked down, it was Polito Pieres, later named Most Valuable Player, who scored the last match of the day for Catamount, securing them The Palm Beach Open title with a score of 9-7.

Catamount are no strangers to success, having won seven major tournaments, including The C.V. Whitney Cup, in the mid-2000s, patron Scott Devon commented, “We had a really good run with a good team with Mike Azzaro and Carlos Gracida, that was my goal back then to have a competitive team in the high goal. Coming into this season I didn’t have a lot of expectations. I was going to play the 16 goal but got talked into playing the 26 and I’m glad I did. To play against some of the best players helped my game.”

Where: Grand Champions Polo Club

Catamount, winners of the 2022 World Polo League Palm Beach Open

The Palm Beach Open Final Teams

Catamount (26)

Scott Devon (1) Toro Ruiz (7) Polito Pieres (10) Nacho Novillo Astrada (8)

Richard Mille (25)

Santos Bollini (2) Grant Ganzi (3) Pablo MacDonough (10) Juan Martin Nero (10)

MVP

Polito Pieres

Photography by Candace Ferreira

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World Polo League Final Best Playing Pony:

Bienvenida, played by Polito Pieres

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World Polo League tournament Best Playing Pony:

Irenita Libanela, played by Pablo MacDonough

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