By Alejandra Ocampo
Last year Orchard Hill lost the final of the CV Whitney Cup to Valiente; this year, Steve van Andel’s foursome had another shot at winning the trophy. Orchard Hill defeated Alegria 16 goals to 13 to win the first tournament of the American Triple Crown. The final was played at Palm Beach International Polo Club on Sunday afternoon.
The final had a strong start, with a total of nine goals scored in the first chukker, putting Alegria 5-4 up.
Orchard Hill then scored three goals in the second chukker, allowing them to take the lead (8-6). Led by the Pieres cousins, Facundo and Polito, Orchard Hill took a 10-6 advantage by half time.
Steve van Andel and his Orchard Hill boys took charge during the second half, displaying their best polo and dominating the match, while Alegria struggled to score. Julian Mannix’s team cut the margin to two goals in the sixth chukker (12-14), but Orchard Hill showed no mercy. The explosive combination between Facundo and Polito, very well supported by Ezequiel Martinez Ferrario, was strong enough to give Orchard Hill the victory and claim the first title of the Triple Crown in the United States.
Score Orchard Hill: 4-5, 8-6, 10-6, 12-9, 14-10, 16-13
MVP: Facundo Pieres
BPP: Nutrasweet (Facundo Pieres)
BPP of the tournament: Machitos Maradona (Mariano Aguerre)
Prior to the final, Nico Pieres scored the golden goal in extra chukker for Lechuza Caracas to win 12-11 and claim the the Subsidiary Les Armour Cup.
Score Lechuza Caracas: 2-1, 4-5, 5-7, 6-8, 7-10, 11-11, 12-10
Orchard Hill vs. Alegria
Lechuza vs. Las Monjitas
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