POLO REPORT DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF POLO PAC I F I C C OA S T
WILLIAM T. STACEY
STG PREVAILS IN GOVERNORS CUP
Ignacio Deltour does a stand-up job, along with teammate Carlos Rivas, in trying to block a penalty shot in the final of the Governors Cup.
S
TG Polo topped a four-team roster to win the Governors Cup at Wine Country Polo Club in Santa Rosa, California in July. Having won their games the day before, STG Polo (Ignacio Deltour, Jack Ziegler, Carlos Rivas, Cipriano Echezarreta) and Alumine Polo (Bautista Bello, Daniel Fernandez, Robert O’Donnell, Caroline Vissers) faced each other for the Governors Cup final. Once USPA umpire Dan Healy had bowled in to begin the
46 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
game, it was all on. A fast game ensued, as the Trione Field, looking almost perfect in the California sunshine, had been cut extra short, almost to the roots. STG Polo established a clear lead early in the final game, scoring three goals in quick succession in chukker one and three more early in chukker two. Despite Alumine showcasing two well-known professionals– Bello and Fernandez–only late in chukker two did teamwork pay off when they were able to add two to the
scoreboard. Alumine was not to be discouraged, however, and at the start of chukker three, it was clear it had reorganized. With the help of strong manto-man coverage, it began to dominate, winning the third chukker, 2-1, and outscoring its opponent in the fourth chukker, 3-2. By scoring six of his teams nine goals early, Deltour and his teammates basically set the tone for the rest of the match. It may have simply been too late for Alumine to turn the momen-
