The Joe Barry Action Resumes with Semi Finals
After heavy rains and stormy weather the rescheduled Semi Finals of the Joe Barry Cup were played on Monday 1 February at the International Polo Club, Palm Beach. The players and ponies were well rested and raring to go, resulting in two exciting Semi Finals.
The Final of the 2016 Joe Barry Memorial Cup is going to be a family affair this year with Jim Zenni’s Villa del Lago facing his son, Jared’s Palm Beach Illustrated line-up. The finalists were decided after Monday’s Joe Barry Memorial Cup Semi Finals saw Palm Beach Illustrated knock out the previously undefeated Enigma, winning 9-6, while Villa del Lago sent Dubai packing after an 11-10 win in the second match of the day.
Palm Beach Illustrated dominated the game from the first chukka, maintaining a solid lead throughout and never letting the Enigma side within a couple of goals, shutting down any offensive opportunities and racking up goals on the scoreboard, leaving the field with a score of 9-6.
The second Semi Final of the day was much closer as reflected by the 11-10 final score line but this was not the case throughout the match. By the fourth chukka Villa del Lago were enjoying a healthy 10-5 lead, no doubt relaxing as they felt themselves out of the woods. Dubai’s dramatic comeback came in the second half when, in the fifth chukka, they lessened the gap to 11-8. Despite not allowing any more goals from Villa del Lago, Dubai just couldn’t quite catch up and the end result was a tight 11-10.
The culmination of all the Joe Barry action will take place in the Final scheduled for Friday 5 February.
The Joe Barry Cup Final teams:
Palm Beach Illustrated (20): Nacho Badiola (6), Jared Zenni (3), Facundo Obregon (6) & Jesse Bray (5)
Villa del Lago (20): Jim Zenni (0), Agustin Obregon (5), Hilario Ulloa (9) & Gringo Colombres (6)
Photograph: Ulloa keeps the ball just out of reach of a long range Dubai hook. By Alex Pacheco
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