& More 2015
Pablo Crespin who took the lead with a beauty of a long ball that found
Rhys Odle who made no mistake putting the home team up 2-0.
Not wanting to be in too much of a deficit too early in the game, the
Villages team applied tightened ranks and applied pressure. Campbell
and Parr teamed up for their first response, as Barbados fought hard to keep
them off the score board, but none of the Barbados players were able to
clear Parr’s back hand attempt and Campbell was there to smoothly finish
off the play. With less than two minutes left in the chukker, the visitors
continued to force Barbados to play defensively. Once again Campbell was
instrumental in the play that led to the equaliser; playing the ball off the
boards, Campbell found Baisch who was clinical with his levelling strike.
The assault on the Barbados goal continued and Baisch looked as though
he was on his way to convert his second goal, but Barbados’ defence
held strong and fast and cleared his attempt off the line, however the
umpire deemed not fairly. The whistle went in favour of the visitors and
Campbell made light work of the ensuing penalty to put his team up 3-2
by the end of the first chukker.
Paige Boone’s light shone brightly in the second chukker for the Villages.
After a solid defensive opening chukker she began to turn her efforts
into goals. Boone put her team up 4-2 in the opening seconds of this
chukker, but she wasn’t finished there, she made them pay again
displaying some masterful stick work and launching a cracker from a
distance that lifted the Villages to 5-2; the march was on...
In need of goals, the home team found a spark in Wayne Archer,
who impressively linked a play with Odle who scored yet again.
Archer’s hard work got him on the score sheet shortly thereafter when
he steered his mount onto a badly breaking ball,drawing the home side
to within one goal by the end of the chukker.
Campbell was on a roll, and converted two goals in the third chukker,
while Crespin had a lone response for Barbados to keep the game within
reach. Alex Cole had an opportunity to level the scores before the end of
the chukker but his final shot skidded just wide of the mark.
The crowd was on the edge of their seats as both sides pushed hard
A ride off between Justin Baisch and Pablo Crespin
for a victory, with both Campbell and Odle missing obvious chances.
The battle on the field continued and Barbados started to claw their way
back into the game, a 30 yard penalty was converted by Crespin followed
by Odle, who galloped away from the subsequent line out for an easy
goal. With the scores levelled for the first time since the first chukker
both teams knew the next goal was going to be crucial.
The Villages converted the next goal after Campbell found Baisch to go
up 8-7. Keen to at least eek out a draw from this game if they couldn’t
manage a win, in the dying seconds of the game, Barbados bombarded
the Villages goal with no less than two balls going dangerously close
across the goal mouth of the visitors. But the final touch to divert it in
never came, at the final horn the Villages were victors.
The next day the two sides met again at the Lion Castle Polo Estate;
suiting up for the Hyundai sponsored Barbados team was Stephen
Williams, Marc Atwell, Phillip Tempro and Jamie Dickson, while the
LIME sponsored Villages team remained unchanged.
Dickson who plays off a three goal handicap got two goals on the board
in the first chukker through 2 penalties. It wasn’t the rip-roaring polo
of the first game of the series with a number of fouls being called on both
teams throughout the chukker. The Villages Stewart Campbell, who
was on commanding form in the first game, seemed to have lost
momentum in this second game, and could only watch as his penalty attempt
went agonisingly wide whilst Barbados added yet another two goals in the
second chukker, compliments of Jaime Dickson. By now, light rain was
falling, and it made the field of play a bit tricky. Both teams were
cautious as some of the horses could be seen slipping. In the third
chukker the Villages finally opened their account with a short penalty shot
which Campbell converted; a cracking shot with the ball coming to rest on
top of the ridge behind the goal. Barbados though were still very much in
the lead, however in attempt to widen this deficit Dickson’s golden touch
diminished as he slid the ball wide of the upright. But Atwell ensured that
Barbados did not end the chukker goalless streaking away from the
defenders to score his first goal.
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