Pony Express defeats Grand Champions, 7-6, in 2011 Spring Classic: Polo Recap
Francisco Ayala scored the game-winner in the final moments to carry Pony Express to a 7-6 victory over Grand Champions in the second of the two consolation matches of the 2011 Spring Classic. The cliff-hanging contest was played at the Grand Champions Polo
Club in Wellington, Florida.
The Pony Express team had some key blows in the final chukka, wrapped up points from Mark Cann and Francisco Ayala to conclude the long journey with a win.
The two sides opened the game quite aggressively and scored five goals in the first seven and half minutes of play. It was not anyone else than Grand Champion who opened the scoring. Whistle Uys and Alex Hawes scored two and one goal respectively, to put
Pony Express ahead on the score-board. But the strikers from Pony Express were not sitting silently and watching the game go by. Francisco Ayala and Bob Daniels scored one goal apiece and trailed by a single point, 3-2.
The Grand Champions team continued to dominate the field and scored two goals in the second frame, while holding Pony Express only for a single point. Hawes notched another two points for Grand Champions while Daniels added a solitary goal in the score of
Pony Express. The two chukkas of play concluded with Grand Champions sitting on top with a two-goal lead, 5-3.
Only one goal was scored in the third period, as the defensemen from the two sides further tightened their positions. Ayala scored the solitary goal from the field to decrease the Grand Champions lead down to a single point, 5-4 at the halftime. The resilient
defence from Pony Express kept opponent strikers off the score-board in the period.
Interestingly, the players from Grand Champions showed impressive game and obtained one goal while holding Pony Express scoreless in the period. Tommy Biddle managed the solitary goal for Grand Champions to regain their two goals edge, 6-4.
The second last set of play was also a low-scoring period, as only one goal was scored in the seven and half minutes of play. Tomas Goti of Pony Express finally chipped in a goal in the period while holding Grand Champions goal-less. The Pony Express attack
was revitalised in the final set of play and it crushed the Grand Champions completely.
Major Mark Cann, the fabled polo pro from Britain, scored a goal in the last seven minutes on a penalty shot. With this goal, he tied the knots at 6-all. In the very next minutes, Ayala scored a goal and sealed the victory by a single goal, 7-6.
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