Bendabout,
Catamount Advance To Sunday's Final Of OF C.V. Whitney Cup At International
Polo Club Palm Beach
WELLINGTON,
Florida In a game featuring four 10-goalers, Bendabout scored
four consecutive goals in the final two chukkers, two apiece by
patron Gillian Johnston and Miguel Novillo Astrada, to break open
a close game en route to an 11-7 victory over Lechuza Wednesday
in the semifinals of the 26th annual C.V. Whitney Cup 26-goal polo
tournament Sunday at International Polo Club Palm Beach.
In
Wednesdays first semifinal, Catamount scored the first four
goals and coasted to a 10-6 victory over Everglades.
The
26-goal C.V. Whitney final is slated for Sunday at 3 p.m. at the
International Polo Club Palm Beach stadium field.
The
championship contest is a rematch of the seasons first high-goal
tournament, the 22-goal Joe Barry Memorial final, which Catamount
won 13-10. Bendabout also reached the title game of the seasons
last 22-goal tournament, the Hall of Fame Cup, losing 11-9 to ERG.
Bendabout
is led by 10-goalers Miguel Novillo Astrada and Adam Snow. Lechuza
features 10-goalers Pite and Sebastian Merlos. They are the only
teams in the 13-team tournament with a pair of 10-goalers.
Leading
7-6, Johnston converted a 1-yard penalty with 1:01 left in the fifth
chukker and scored on the ensuing possession to give Bendabout a
9-6 heading into the final chukker.
Bendabout
missed several scoring opportunities early in the sixth chukker
before clinching the victory on Astradas goals. The Argentine
10-goaler made it 10-6 on a 50-yard forehand with 3:18 remaining
and tapped in a loose ball with 2:02 left to make it 11-6.
Lechuzas
Sebastian Merlos scored on a tap-in with 47 seconds left to round
out the scoring.
Snow
and Astrada finished with four goals each while Johnston scored
two goals and Alejandro Novillo Astrada scored one goal for Bendabout.
Sebastian
Merlos led Lechuza with four goals while his older brother, Pite,
added two goals. Patron Victor Vargas and Gaston Urturi did not
score for Lechuza, which received one goal by handicap at the start
of the game.
Nine-goaler
Carlos Gracida scored six goals, all in the first half, as Catamount
took an 8-2 halftime lead. Patron Scott Devon finished with two
goals while 10-goaler Mike Azzaro and Pelon Escapite added one goal
each for Catamount.
Patron
Skeeter Johnston and Tomas Llorente scored two goals each for Everglades
while Owen Rinehart and Lucas Monteverde added one goal apiece.
Everglades
sliced the margin to 9-6 on Llorentes near-side shot with
4:32 remaining in the game. That was the closest Everglades was
since it trailed 5-2 30 seconds into the third chukker.
Thirteen
teams entered the tournament, which is a prelude to the Stanford
Financial Group 100th U.S. Open Polo Championship, the most
prestigious polo tournament in North America. The C.V. Whitney Cup
final is slated for Sunday, March 21 at 3 p.m. at the International
Polo Club Palm Beach stadium.
The
tournament is named in memory of Cornelius Vanderbilt Sonny
Whitney, who along with his brother John Hay Whitney, were important
polo patrons in the 1930's. The son of Hall of Fame patron Harry
Payne Whitney, C.V. won the U.S. Open three times (twice against
his brother), and was a renowned owner and breeder of thoroughbred
racehorses.
The
polo matches are open to the public. Tickets for the Sunday games
at the International Polo Club Palm Beach are available at the gate,
beginning at $10 each. For information or advance tickets, call
(561) 204-5687 or visit the club website at www.internationalpoloclub.com.
International
Polo Club Palm Beach is located at 3667 120th Avenue South in Wellington.
From I-95, take the Forest Hill Boulevard exit and go west approximately
12 miles. Turn left onto South Shore Boulevard and go two miles.
Turn left onto Pierson Road, travel about one mile and then make
a right onto 120th Avenue South. The club is on the right. From
Floridas Turnpike, take Exit 93 (Lake Worth Road) and go west
about six miles. Make a right onto 120th Avenue South. The club
is on the left.
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