In Sync

Scone’s Adolfo Cambiaso puts pressure on Tonkawa’s Sapo Caset in the final.

Team effort earns Scone Gold Cup title

By Gwen Rizzo

LOMINSKA / POLOGRAPHICS .COM DAVID

Scone came away the winner in the USPA Gold Cup, the second leg of the Gauntlet of Polo, March 28, at International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida.

Nine teams, divided into two brackets, competed in playoff games from March 8-21. After two weeks of bracket play, Tonkawa and Park Place topped Bracket 1, while La Indiana and Scone topped Bracket II, advancing them to the semifinals.

Tonkawa was the only team to arrive at the semifinals undefeated. It faced La Indiana in the first semifinal match. Tonkawa flexed its muscles early, doubling up La Indiana in the first two periods, 4-2 and 6-3. It increased its lead to six, 10-4, at the half. Tonkawa maintained the difference through the fourth period before La Indiana rallied, scoring four unanswered goals and getting back in the game, 11-9, going into the sixth period. After swapping Penalty 2s, La Indiana scored two more unanswered goals to knot the score and force overtime. Fran Elizalde scored the golden goal to send Tonkawa into the final.

The second semifinal pitted Scone against Park Place. It was a close game throughout with the teams level after the first three chukkers: 1-1, 3-3 and 4-4. Scone took the lead in the fourth with a pair of unanswered goals but Park Place outscored Scone, 21, in the fifth to come within one, 7-6, going into the last seven minutes. Park Place tied the match early in the sixth but Scone responded with two. Park Place was awarded a Penalty 1 to come within one at the seven-second mark but time ran out and Scone hung on to advance.

The final was played four days later. About a minute into the first chukker, Scone was awarded a Penalty 1, perhaps signaling what was to come for Tonkawa. Another minuted later, Scone capitalized on a broken knock-in, with Poroto Cambiaso

USPA Chairman Stewart Armstrong congratulates Scone’s David Paradice, Poroto Cambiaso, Peke Gonzalez and Adolfo Cambiaso. finessing a nearside neck through the posts. Tonkawa was awarded a Penalty 4 halfway through the chukker but Scone stopped Caset’s shot and sent it over its own backline. Caset sent the ensuing Safety wide. Cambiaso also missed on a Penalty 4 attempt a minute later. With a little over a minute left, Poroto Cambiaso found the goal after a 280-yard run. Tonkawa was whistled on a play as time ran out, giving Scone a Penalty 3 to start the next chukker.

Peke Gonzalez converted the Penalty 3 for Scone, giving the team a 4-0 lead. Caset put Tonkawa on the board after running to goal with Poroto Cambiaso in hot pursuit. At the halfway point, Caset, riding a rocket, out ran the pack to goal but the ball went wide. Cambiaso converted two more Penalty 4s while Tonkawa was kept off the board. Gonzalez battled for the ball, passing to Adolfo Cambiaso but what seemed like a sure goal, got away from him and went wide, ending the second chukker, 6-1.

Tonkawa’s struggles continued. Fran Elizalde knocked-in to a waiting Caset, hoping to get a run started but the ball went over the boards. Instead, Scone was given the ball and Adolfo Cambiaso didn’t waste the opportunity, passing to Gonzalez for another tally. Tonkawa was awarded a Penalty 3, which Caset eased between the posts. Both teams had missed goal attempts until Caset took the ball 90 yards with Elizalde getting the last touch to ensure it crossed the goal line. Spectators were hoping this was the icebreaker Tonkawa needed, but Scone was unyielding. Less than a minute later and with just seconds left in the half, Poroto Cambiaso stole the ball and passed to his father, who made one short cut shot through the posts for an 8-3 lead.

This was not the game anyone was expecting. The teams were well mounted so everyone was hoping for a fast, open and close game. Instead, Scone dominated with most of its players constantly shifting from offense to defense. David Paradice covered the opponents like a blanket and instead of the young pros being used as battering rams to open holes for the high-goal pro so often seen, Adolfo Cambiaso was getting the ball to Poroto and Gonzalez often. Tonkawa would try to cover a hitter, who would promptly pass the ball to an open teammate, leading the defender away from the play. Tonkawa tried harder to defend, sometimes double teaming, but that just left another Scone player loose to pick up the ball.

“My role is to open up space for them, but also we have a system where we rotate a lot. I think we’ve been doing well and hopefully we can keep it up ...”

Best Playing Pony Caña Monjita Coronada gives her all to Adolfo Cambiaso in the final.

Scone’s Peke Gonzalez covers Tonkawa’s Sapo Caset. said Gonzalez. “[Adolfo] pushed us, me and Poroto, on the field to be consistent with our attitude, keep on going, be tough, not lose any plays and be consistent all the time.”

The halftime break didn’t bring a big change in the game as most had hoped. Sapo shot to goal early in the fourth but over cut the ball, sending it wide. He redeemed himself with an incredible 90-yard shot through the posts at the five-minute mark. Soon after, Elizalde took possession of the ball with Adolfo on his hip, giving fans hope that the momentum was beginning to swing in Tonkawa’s favor but luck was not on his side. Elizalde lost the head of his mallet and the ball went outside the posts.

Conversely, everything seemed to be going Scone’s way. Poroto got a hold of the ball along the boards, left it for his dad, ran towards goal, took the pass and scored. Later, Caset got the ball, passed to Elizalde but the ball took a bad bounce and a teammate caught the umpires’ whistles. Adolfo made the most of the Penalty 5, aiming at the goal from 135 yards, making two shots and connecting. Elizalde tried in vain to back the bouncing ball out of the goal, but the Scone lead swelled to six, 10-4.

Tonkawa started the fifth with Elizalde passing to Caset, but he sent the ball wide yet again. Escobar managed a bouncing pass from Elizalde two minutes later and sent the ball to goal. But once again, Scone responded. Adolfo shot from the boards under two horse’s necks, threading the needle. Less than a minute later, Poroto necked to goal to increase the difference to seven.

A Tonkawa foul in the opening seconds of the sixth gave Scone a midfield hit, which it made the most of. Cambiaso hit to Gonzalez to finish it off, putting the team up by eight, 13-5. At that point the game was out of reach for Tonkawa. The team wouldn’t let up but its struggles continued. Caset took the ball out of the lineup and ran uncontested toward goal but couldn’t finish it off. Elizalde was there for cleanup, but was fouled. The team received a Penalty 1.

Scone was whistled twice more in the next few minutes, giving Tonkawa a Penalty 2, then a 3. Caset made the most of them, to cut the difference to five with half a chukker left. In the last 90 seconds, Caset drove to goal but the ball went wide. Elizalde followed up with a goal, dodging traffic to hit the target. Elizalde won the next throw-in, passing to Caset who was out front by himself. Caset passed the ball through the posts with just seven seconds on the clock. Scone had the win, 13-10.

Scone’s Poroto Cambiaso gets away from Tonkawa’s Fran Elizalde on the way to scoring one of four goals in the final.

MVP honors went to 15-year-old Poroto Cambiaso while Best Playing Pony honors went to Adolfo Cambiaso’s Caña Monjita Coronada, a flashy 9-yearold bay mare. The win was Adolfo Cambiaso’s 15th Gold Cup title in 30 years. Scone went home with the $100,000 prize money, while Tonkawa settled for $25,000.

It was the first Gold Cup win for Poroto Cambiaso, though likely not the last. “It’s a pleasure to play with Scone and incredible to play with my father,” he said. “Winning with my dad is an opportunity that very few people have so I am very grateful for that, and I really have to thank David Paradice.”

The Australian-born Paradice is enjoying his time with the team. “To play with the Cambiasos and be part of this historical win is amazing,” he said. “I love the intensity, but it’s hard work, really hard. An older guy like me having the opportunity to play with some of the best in the game isn’t something that happens in other sports. It is great being told where to go on the field by the greatest player that’s ever played.”

The team immediately shifted its focus to the U.S. Open. “The truth is the U.S. Open is the most important tournament so now we only have a little time to celebrate this win,” Poroto Cambiaso said.

Bracket I

Tonkawa

David Hildebrand

22

3

Lucas Escobar

4 Sapo Caset 5 Francisco Elizalde 10

Park Place

Andrey Borodin Juan Britos Hilario Ulloa Matt Coppola

22

0 8 10 4

Aspen/Dutta Corp 21 Timmy Dutta 4 Lucas Diaz Alberdi 6 Gringo Colombres 8 Stewart Armstrong 3

Cessna

22

Camp Campbell 2 Ezequiel Martinez Ferrario 7 Mariano Obregon 7 Jared Zenni 6

Bracket II

Scone

David Paradice Poroto Cambiaso Peke Gonzalez Adolfo Cambiaso

La Indiana

Nico Escobar Jeff Hall Polito Pieres Michael Bickford

22

0 6 6 10

22 4 6 10 2

Coca-Cola

Gillian Johnston Mackenzie Weisz

22

1.5 4 Nico Pieres 9 Julian De Lusarreta 8

Pilot 21

Curtis Pilot 0.5 Kristos Magrini Gonzalito Pieres Facundo Pieres 2 10 10

Santa Clara 22

Will Johnston

2 Felipe Vercellino 6 Miguel Novillo Astrada 9 Luis Escobar 5