Sep 18, 2019
With six teams vying for the 2019 Bella Vista Designs Regional President’s Cup, the competition was tough on Sunday, September 15. Undefeated teams Bensoleimani.com/JCPolo and Sapa/Gipsy Farms remain tied 2-0, but no one is guaranteed a spot in the final on Sunday, September 22.
Sunday morning began with a match up between Dundas and Spindrift. Substituting for Sarah Magness, her son Cable Magness took to the field, allowing Dundas to gain a one-goal advantage on handicap. Both teams went scoreless in the first chukker, each side showcasing excellent defense. The game was very close throughout, the score remaining within one, Dundas controlled the lead for most of the game. Although it seemed like Dundas would take home the victory in the final chukker, Spindrift’s Juan Curbelo pushed the game into overtime with only a few seconds remaining in regulation time. Winning the game for his team, Spindrift’s young player Piers Bossom scored the golden goal to end the game 11-10.
The second game of the afternoon featured Klentner Ranch/Llamado and Sapa/Gipsy Farms. Klentner Ranch took the early lead, however Sapa/Gipsy Farms fought back to take a commanding lead in the second half. Singlehandedly scoring seven goals total, Santi Wulff’s powerful plays on the field proved crucial to helping Sapa/Gipsy Farms win their second game 11-8.
The featured match of the weekend was between Bensoleimani.com/JC Polo and Navona/Sandalford. Bensoleimani.com assumed a two-goal lead after the first chukker, three goals coming off the mallet of Santi Von Wernich. Navona/Sandalford made their comeback happen in the third chukker to take the lead with two goals scored by Warwick Prendiville. However, their lead was short-lived once Bensoleimani.com came out swinging in the fourth chukker. All four players contributing to the scoreboard, Bensoleimani.com took a commanding lead and finished the game 13-7. “It was a fun game,” Santi Von Wernich said. “It is always a great time playing here in Santa Barbara.”
*Patrick Uretz is a member of Team USPA. Team USPA is a USPA program designed to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the United States by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and pro players and the resultant giveback to the sport of polo.
All photos courtesy of ©David Lominska/Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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