Tournament Profile
...................................................

  USPA Gold Cup
Polo Master Cup
...................................................


Place: Wellington, Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Club: International Polo Club Palm Beach
Date: February 25 - March 21, 2010

Level: 26 hcp
Tournament type: Open
WPT Category Ranking: WPT Championship Cup
Winner Points: 100
Finalist Points:
50
Semi Finalist Points:
30
Rest of player Points: 15
Tournament Director: Jimmy Newman
Website: - - -

Crab Orchard Polo Team - Winners 2010

Review

Crab Orchard's dreamed comeback is still on - by YA Teitelbaum

It’s two down and one to go for Crab Orchard.

Ten-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso scored five goals to lead a balanced attack en route to a 12-7 victoryover Las Monjitas in the USPA Piaget Gold Cup Sunday at International Polo Club Palm Beach.

Crab Orchard has now won both 26-goal tournaments with only the U.S. Open remaining as they attempt to be the first team to win all three major tournaments in the same season at IPC since White Birch accomplished the feat in 2005. “This is step two,” said Crab Orchard patron George Rawlings. “We’re a very focused team with a lot of confidence. Everybody is playing hard.”

Crab Orchard, which won the 26-goal C.V. Whitney on February 28, clinched the victory in the fourth chukker with four unanswered goals, including two by 8-goaler Julio Arellano, to take a 10-3 lead. “Everything just clicked (in the fourth chukker),” said Arellano, who grew up in Wellington but now lives in Aiken, South Carolina. “We were able to take advantage of opportunities. That was the key to whole match.”

“We made silly mistakes in the fourth chukker and against this team you cannot do that,” said Javier Novillo Astrada, who led Las Monjitas with four goals.

Rawlings said the first half was more of a feeling-out process before making several slight changes in the second half. “I played a littlemore aggressive on blocking,” said Rawlings, who also won the 2007 USPA Gold Cup. “And I wasn’t staying as far back. I was a little closer.”

Las Monjitas, the 2008 USPA Gold Cup champion, was playing with a revamped lineup as 10-goaler Eduardo Novillo Astrada missed the game because of a concussion suffered in the semifinals. He was replaced by 10-goaler Facundo Pieres. And Las Monjitas patron Camilo Bautista was playing in his first game of the season after missing almost two months after suffering an injury during an early-season practice. “It was a tough situation for them,” said Arellano, who won the USPA Gold Cup in 1997 while playing for White Birch. “Having Camilo playing for the first time and not having Eduardo, I think it was very tough on them. It was a tough break for them.”

This was Cambiaso’s eighth USPA Gold Cup victory, tying him with Mariano Aguerre for the most by a professional. Peter Brant of White Birch has won 12 USPA Gold Cup titles. Gonzalo Pieres has won seven Gold Cups while Alfonso Pieres has won six Gold Cups.

Rawlings knows Crab Orchard will be prepared to win its third consecutive 26-goal tournament at IPC. “Adolfo has organized the horses and we’re better (organized) than we were in 2008,” said Rawlings.

2010 Winner
Crab Orchard 12 vs Las Monjitas 7
Crab Orchard
  Name
 Hcp
George Rawlings
0

Hilario Ulloa

8

Adolfo Cambiaso

10

Julio Arellano

8
 Total 
26
Las Monjitas
  Name
 Hcp
Camilo Bautista
0

Facundo Pieres (filled in for Eduardo Novillo Astrada Jr.

10

Javier Novillo Astrada

9

Alejandro Novillo Astrada

7
 Total 
25

2009 Winner
Lechuza Caracas 11 vs Audi 10
Lechuza Caracas
  Name
 Hcp
Victor Vargas
1

Guillermo Caset Jr.

8

Nicolás Espain

7

Juan Martín Nero

10
 Total 
26
Audi
  Name
 Hcp
Marc Ganzi
1

Gonzalo Pieres Jr.

9

Nicolás Pieres

6

Facundo Pieres

10
 Total 
25

2008 Winner
Las Monjitas 12 vs Skeeterville 7
Las Monjitas
  Name
 Hcp
Camilo Bautista
0

Eduardo Novillo Astrada Jr

9

Javier Novillo Astrada

9

Ignacio Novillo Astrada

8
 Total 
26
Skeeterville
  Name
 Hcp
Will Johnston
1

Julio Arellano

8

Adam Snow

9

Owen Rinehart

7
 Total 
25

2008 Winner
Crab Orchard 12 vs Lechuza Caracas 10
Crab Orchard
  Name
 Hcp
George Rawlings
0

Matias Magrini

9

Adolfo Cambiaso

10

David Stirling Jr.

7
 Total 
26
Lechuza Caracas
  Name
 Hcp
Victor Vargas
1

Sebastian Merlos

10

Juan Ignacio Merlos

9

Jeff Blake

6
 Total 
26

2007 Winner
New Bridge 12 vs Goose Creek 12
New Bridge
  Name
 Hcp
Russ McCall
0
Gonzalo Garcia del Rio
3
Adolfo Cambiaso
10
Matias Magrini
9
 Total 
22
Goose Creek
  Name
 Hcp
Maureen Brennan
0
Adam Snow
9
Mariano Gonzales
8
Martin Zeggers
5
 Total 
22

2005 Winner
Millarville 11 vs Bendabout 8
Millarville
  Name
 Hcp
 Cristian Laprida (arg)
5
 Federico Von Wernich (arg)
7
 Eduardo Novillo Astrada jr (arg)
9
 Daniel Roenisch (can)
5
 Total 
26
Bendabout
  Name
 Hcp
 Gillian Johnston (us)
2
 Alejandro Novillo Astrada (arg)
7
 Miguel Novillo Astrada (arg)
10
 Tommy Biddle jr (us)
7
 Total 
26
 
2004 Winner
White Birch 17 vs Black Watch 11
White Birch
  Name
 Hcp
 Del Walton (us)
3
 Lucas Criado (arg)
9
 Mariano Aguerre (arg)
10
 Peter Brant (us)
4
 Total 
26
Black Watch
  Name
 Hcp
 Neil Hirsch (us)
1
 Ignacio Figueras (arg)
6
 Gonzalo Pieres (arg)
9
 Facundo Pieres (arg)
8
 Total 
24
 
2003 Winner
White Birch 14 vs Outback 12
White Birch
  Name
 Hcp
 Jeff Blake (us)
6
 Guillermo Caset jr (arg)
6
 Mariano Aguerre (arg)
10
 Peter Brant (us)
4
 Total 
26
Outback
  Name
 Hcp
 Chris Gannon (us)
2
 Lucas Monteverde (arg)
8
 Lucas Criado (arg)
8
 Ignacio Figueras (arg)
6
 Total 
25
 
2002 Winner
White Birch 13 vs Lechuza 11
White Birch
  Name
 Hcp
 Del Carroll Walton (us)
2
 Peter Brant (us)
4
 Mariano Aguerre (arg)
10
 Bautista Heguy (arg)
10
 Total 
26
Lechuza Caracas
  Name
 Hcp
 Victor Vargas (ven)
2
 Sebastian Merlos (arg)
10
 Juan Ignacio Merlos (arg)
10
 Brandon Philips (us)
4
 Total 
26
 
2001 Winner
Boca Polo 10 vs Templeton 6
Boca Polo
  Name
 Hcp
 Charlie Muldoon (us)
6
 Juan Badiola (arg)
7
 Joey Casey (us)
6
 Juan Bollini (arg)
7
 Total 
26
Templeton
  Name
 Hcp
 Gillian Johnston (us)
1
 Jeff Hall (us)
6
 Javier Novillo Astrada (arg)
9
 Miguel Novillo Astrada (arg)
9
 Total 
26