NEWS

After a disappointing defeat in the 2-goal Spreckels Cup Final stolen in the final two minutes, Boss Polo (Piers Bossom, Corey Williams, Aaram Safai, Felipe Vicente Alberdi) was more determined than ever to win the 2-goal Pacific Coast Circuit Amateur Cup. Meeting Casa S3 (Cameron Smith, Pat Ringer, Bonnie Magill, Marcial Socas) on Sunday, March 21, Boss Polo controlled play in three out of four chukkers to claim the trophy 6–2 at Eldorado Polo Club in Indio, California.

As play got off to a slow start, Smith scored the only goal of the first to give Casa S3 an early lead. Playing an almost identical chukker, Boss Polo’s Williams matched the goal in the second chukker to tie 1-all after the first half. “We went into the final with a solid game plan, knowing who to mark and sticking with our positions,” Williams said. “We stuck to our plan and backed each other up which definitely contributed to the win.”

Play began to pick up in the second half with field goals by Bossom and Vicente in the third giving Boss Polo the edge as Casa S3 went scoreless for the second consecutive chukker. “We knew Casa S3 was going to be tough because of their combined years of experience together,” Safai said. “I went to their number two but also tried to float between the number one on knock-ins just in case I needed to get on defense right away!” With only one chukker separating them from the trophy, Bossom took advantage of a Penalty 2 conversion and followed it up with a field goal to increase Boss Polo’s lead to four goals 5–1. "Felipe [Vicente] and I started to rotate better in the second half," Bossom said. "We were playing as a team passing the ball, taking our men and then we started to put points on the board." Ringer answered back to add a goal to Casa S3’s tally for the first time since the first chukker, but they were rapidly running out of time. Vicente’s final goal signaled the win for Boss Polo 6-2.

Cory Williams was named Most Valuable Player. “I was honored to be chosen as MVP, there were so many talented players out there and it felt great to have all the hard work from the Eldorado season pay off.”

Best Playing Pony was presented to 9-year-old Carrot, played by Cory Williams in the second and third chukkers. “I bought him from Luis Saracco this year,” Williams said. “He is small but he has a big heart and plays really hard for me. I’m super excited to have him in my barn!” Originally named Caracoal, the gelding was renamed to better suit his personality. “He does love his carrots and is a very gentle horse.”

All photos courtesy of ©Kerri Kerley