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Two Sunday wins give World Gym league title

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The World Gym team of (L to R)- Tom Schuerman, Todd Randall, Claudia Uretz and Wiley Uretz finished two days of competition with an undefeated record for the title in the week’s 1-goal competition at the Empire Polo Club Sunday.

In the second day of 1-goal league competition at the Empire Polo Club, World Gym (Claudia Uretz, Sydney Jordan, Tom Schuerman and Wiley Uretz) recorded wins over the Flaming Chickens (Joey Gallemore, Devon Gallemore, Victor Soto and Hayward Pardue) and Grande Prairie (Ross Adam, Lolo Payan, Craig Nelson and Suki Piper) to take first place in the six-team field Sunday afternoon.

The Flaming chickens opened the noon round-robin scoring a narrow 3½-3 win over Grande Prairie behind the offensive push of Victor Soto.

Soto and Grande Prairie’s Lolo Payan exchanged goals in the opening chukker of the four-period mini-match with Soto giving the lead to the Flaming Chickens with the final goal of the chukker for a 2½-1 lead (Flaming Chickens received one-half goal by handicap).

Soto’s third goal of the match had the Flaming chickens on top, 3½-1 before Grande Prairie responded.  Consecutive goals from Payan ended the game with the Flaming Chickens riding off with the win, 3½-3.

World Gym 5, Grande Prairie 2

World Gym exploded for four first chukker goals against a shell-shocked Grande Prairie lineup.  Two goals apiece from Wiley Uretz and Tom Schuerman were complimented by shutout defense as World Gym went up, 4-0.

Tod Randell’s first goal of the day made it 5-0, World Gym with Grande Prairie struggling for an answer.
Grande Prairie got single goals from Craig Nelson and Payan in the final period, but it was World Gym riding off the field at the end of the contest with a 5-2 victory.

World Gym 4, Flaming Chickens 2½

It was Wiley Uretz with the hot hand as the final two chukkers of the round-robin got underway.  He former college All-American scored the first three goals of the chukker while the World Gym defenders held the Flaming Chickens scoreless.

Soto and Devin Gallemore scored the first two goal of the final chukker, cutting the World Gym lead to one -half goal, 3-2½.  Tom Schuerman scored the final goal of the game for a 4-2½ win.

Club Polo Cabo takes consolation

Earlier in the day, Club Polo Cabo (Tony Yahyai, Scott Walker, Domingo Questel and Alyssa/Ella/Clair) defeated Gold Rush (David Barnett, Manny Rodriguez, Jeffrey Rewald and Zinta Rewald) and Vashon (Stephanie Davidson,  Kim Bergman and Jessica Bailey) to win the consolation 1-goal round-robin.

Club Polo Cabo got first chukker goals from veteran Domingo Questel and Club Polo Cabo team captain Tony Yahyai while Gold Rush had to settle for a 30-yard penalty conversion.  After the first seven minutes of play Club Polo Cabo held a narrow 2-1½ advantage (Gold Rush received one-half goal by handicap).

Questel’s second goal of the match extended the Club Polo Cabo lead to 2-1½, with Gold Rush in hot pursuit.  Disciplined defense held Gold Rush to another penalty goal that had Club Polo Cabo escaping with the 3-2½ victory.

Vashon 4, Gold Rush 2½

In the second mini-match of the morning, Vashon handed Gold Rush their second defeat of the day in a 4-2½ bout.

Vashon rattled off the first three goals of the opening chukker with JMG coring twice and Kim Bergman adding a goal, 3-½ (Gold Rush received one-half goal by handicap). Jeffrey Rewald got Gold Rush on the scoreboard with his first score, 3-1½.

Jeffrey Rewald cut into the Vashon lead with his second goal of the match, 3-2½, but it wasn’t to be. JMG scored the final goal of the match for the 4-2½ win.

Club Polo Cabo 4, Vashon 3

The final two chukkers of the round-robin pitted Club Polo Cabo against Vashon, with the winner capturing the consolation round-robin.

Club Polo Cabo picked up goals from Yahyai and Questel while Vashon countered with a pair of goals from Gutierrez.  After their first chukker the two teams remained tied at 2-2.

Bergman’s second goal of the day and first of the game had Vashon on top, 3-2, but Club Polo Cabo wasn’t through.  Two goals from Questel (one on a penalty conversion) ended the game with Club Polo Cabo riding of with the win, 4-3.

Flaming Chicken, Grande Prairie and World Gym record Saturday wins

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Club Polo Cabo’s Tony Yahyai made his 2018 debut in league play at the Empire Polo Club Saturday afternoon.

Six teams lined up for the second 1-goal league of the season at the Empire Polo Club Saturday, with the competition getting started with a 10:15AM game on Field 9.

Grand Prairie (Ross Adam, Lolo Payan, Craig Nelson and Suki Piper), Gold Rush (David Barnett, Manny Rodriguez, Jeffrey Rewald and Zinta Rewald) and Club Polo Cabo (Tony Yahyai, Scott Walker, Domingo Questel and Alyssa/Ella/Clair) joined last week’s World Gym (Claudia Uretz, Sydney Jordan, Tom Schuerman and Wiley Uretz), Vashon (Stephanie Davidson, JMG, Kim Bergman and Jessica Bailey) and Flaming Chicken lineup (Joey Gallemore, Devon Gallemore, Victor Soto and Hayward Pardue) as the Empire Polo Club kicks off the season with its official Opening Day.

Flaming Chicken 11, Gold Rush 6

Flaming Chicken got the ball rolling as they scored the first three goals of the game on their way to an 11-6 win over Gold Rush in the morning match.

Consecutive goals from Joey Gallemore, Hayward Pardue and Victor Soto were answered by a single goal from Gold Rush’s Zinta Rewald as Flaming Chicken took the early 3-2 lead.

Soto added two more goals in the second.  Goals from Joey and Devin Gallemore expanding the Flaming Chicken advantage to four goals, 7-3.  Jeffrey Rewald scored the only goal of the chukker for Gold Rush.

Both defenses stepped it up in the third and goals were scarce.  Zinta Rewald added her second goal of the game, 7-4 with Soto recording the only other goal of the period.  With one period left to play, Flaming Chicken continued to lead by four goals, 8-4.

Two more goals from Joey Gallemore and a single goal from Pardue boosted Flaming Chicken to an 11-6 win in spite of goals from Gold Rush’s Jeffrey Rewald and David Barnett.

Soto and Joey Gallemore led the Flaming Chicken attack with four goals apiece.  Pardue added two goals and Devin Gallemore added a goal for the win.  Jeffrey Rewald and Zinta Rewald each scored twice for gold Rush.  Barnett added a goal in the losing effort.

Grande Prairie 8, Club Polo Cabo 7

Lolo Payan scored four first chukker goals, giving Grande Prairie built an early 4-1 lead over Club Polo Cabo in first period play.  Club Polo Cabo came up with a single goal from veteran Domingo Questel in the chukker.

Club Polo Cabo fought their way back into the game in the second.  Club Polo Cabo scored consecutive goals from Questel, Scott Walker and team captain, tony Yahyai to level the score at 4-4.  Payan scored the final goal of the first half for Grande Prairie for a narrow 5-4 halftime lead for Grande Prairie.

Questel tied the game at 5-5 with the opening goal of the third, but back-to-back goals from Payan gave the lead back to Grande Prairie, 7-5.  Questel closed out the period with his fourth goal of the day, but trailed Grande Prairie, 7-6.

Craig Nelson’s first goal of the afternoon had Grande Prairie in front by two goals, with Club Polo Cabo struggling to stay alive.  Questel scored the final goal of the match to bring Club Polo Cabo to within a goal of the lead, but that was where it ended as Grande Prairie held on for the 8-7 victory.

Payan was top scorer in the game with seven goals.  Nelson added a goal for the Grande Prairie win.  Questel cored a team-high five goals for Club Polo Cabo.  Yahyai and Walker each added goals in the loss.

World Gym 4, Vashon 3

World Gym and Vashon fought to a 2-2 halftime tie before World Gym managed to eke out a 4-3 victory in the final 1-goal game of the day.

JMG scored the first goal of the game, giving Vashon the 1-0 lead when the World Gym defense clamped down.  Tom Schuerman countered with a goal for World Gym in a hotly-contested opening chukker that ended in a defensively-dominated first chukker, 1-1.

JMG and Wiley Uretz exchanged goals in the second period as both sides struggled to generate an effective attack, but the defenders won out.  At the end of the first half the score remained tied at two goals apiece.

Goals continued to be elusive in third period play, with the only scoring coming from penalty conversions from Wiley Uretz and Sydney Jordan.  Vashon was unable to score, and fell behind, 4-2.

Both defenses continued to set the pace for fourth chukker play.  A single goal from the field from Jessica Bailey was the only score of the period as World Gym held the lead in a 4-3 victory.

Wiley Uretz scored twice for world Gym with teammates Jordan and Schuerman each adding a goal.  JMG was credited with two goals for Vashon with Bailey accounting for the team’s only other goal in the loss.

The 1-goal competition will field two round-robin matches on Sunday with Gold Rush, Club Polo Cabo and Vashon meeting at 10AM followed by a noon contest featuring Flaming Chicken, Grande Prairie and World Gym.  Both round-robins will take place on Empire Polo Club’s Field 9.

Pheasant Hollow runs past Granite Bay and Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch for Holiday Cup win

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Empire Polo Club’s 2017 Holiday Cup winner, Pheasant Hollow (L to R) Debra Vermoch, Cameron Smith, Tim Rudy and Suki Pier. The tournament win was the third of the month for Pheasant Hollow.

Building on their dominance of both Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch (Dave Carlson, Shannon Mendez, Ashton Wolf and Alonso Andrade) and Granite Bay lineup (Julie Fernandez, Caroline Anier, Eric Hammon and Goyo Mariscal) in Friday’s round-robin competition, Pheasant Hollow (Debra Vermoch, Cameron Smith, Tim Rudy and Suki Piper) finished the Holiday Cup with a 7-3 win over Granite Bay and a 9-6 victory over Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch.

Pheasant Hollow faced Granite Bay in the first two chukkers of the day and rode onto the field with a 4-2 edge from the previous day’s play (a cumulative total of goals scored determine the ultimate outcome).  Tim Rudy scored the first goal of the day followed by a 30-yard penalty goal from teammate Debra Vermoch.  Granite Bay was held scoreless for a 2-0 Pheasant Hollow advantage.

Granite Bay took control of the second period, picking up single goals from Goyo Mariscal and Eric Hammon and shutting down the Pheasant Hollow attack, but it wouldn’t be enough.  On the strength of the 5-1 lead Pheasant Hollow amassed on Friday, they would record the win, 7-3.

In the highest scoring showdown of the tournament, Pheasant Hollow and Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch matched one another goal for goal in the opening seven minutes of the third chukker of the day for a 2-2 tie.  A pair of goals from Rudy were offset by single goals from Shannon Mendez and Alonso Andrade.

Rudy pushed Pheasant Hollow ahead on a goal from the field and a 60-yard penalty conversion, 4-2.  Mendez and Cameron Smith exchanged goals, with Pheasant Hollow remaining on top, 5-3. Dave Carlson scored the final goal of the game for Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch, but the two-day total saw Pheasant Hollow celebrating the 9-6 win and the 2018 Holiday Cup title.

The final two periods of the tournament saw Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch and Granite Bay play to a 2-2 tie, giving the win to Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch on the strength of a two day total of 5-2 two day total.

Goals from Ashton Wolf and Alonso Andrade had Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch in front in the opening chukker, 2-0.  Caroline Anier got Granite Bay on the scoreboard, but trailed 2-1.

Anier’s second goal of the day went unanswered with Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch taking the win with a two-day total of 5-2.

The Holiday Cup win was the third of the month for Peasant Hollow and was powered by a total of 11 goals from Tim Rudy over the two-day event.

The Holiday Cup was the Empire Polo Club’s fourth and final tournament of the month, but plenty of action is in store with the Opening Day/Hat Day of the 2018 season and the beginning of the Stagecoach Challenge on Sunday, December 31st.

The 2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers there months of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.

The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA.  For further information go to the club website at http://www.empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.

Pheasant Hollow positioned to capture their third tournament of the season

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Three-goaler Tim Rudy led the Pheasant Hollow charge Friday afternoon at the Empire Polo Club, scoring six times as he led his team to wins over Granite Bay and Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch. Final six chukkers of the round-robin are on tap for Saturday morning at 11am.

Dave Carlson made an auspicious debut in Holiday Cup play at the Empire Polo Club as he scored the first goal of the tournament for Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch (Dave Carlson, Shannon Mendez, Ashton Wolf and Alonso Andrade) but it was Pheasant Hollow (Debra Vermoch, Cameron Smith, Tim Rudy and Suki Piper) that made the opening statement.

Two goals from Tim Rudy and a goal from Cameron Smith ended the first chukker with Pheasant Hollow on top of a 3-1 score.

Rudy’s third goal of the two-chukker mini-match had Pheasant Hollow in the lead by three goals, 4-1, before Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch was heard from again.  A single goal from Shannon Mendez closed out the period with Pheasant taking the first two chukkers of the day, 4-2.

A determined Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch team held the field for the ensuing two chukkers against a new look Granite Bay lineup (Julie Fernandez, Caroline Anier, Eric Hammon and Goyo Mariscal).

Mendez scored the first goal of the contest from the field and added a 40-yard penalty goal for the early lead.  A disciplined defense held Granite Bay scoreless.  After their first chukker of lay, Granite Bay trailed, 2-0.

Another 40-yard penalty conversion from Mendez accounted for all of the scoring in the second chukker.  Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch recorded their first win of the day, 3-0, and leveled their record at 1-1.

Pheasant Hollow returned to the field for the final two chukkers of the round-robin to face a struggling Granite Bay foursome.

Rudy scored the first goal of the chukker followed by back-to-back goals from Smith.  For the third straight chukker Granite Bay was unable to get on the scoreboard, falling behind, 3-0.

Rudy rang up two more goals in the final period, extending the lead to five goals, 5-0.  Goyo Mariscal kept Granite Bay from being shutout with the final goal of the day, but it was Pheasant Hollow with the 5-1 win.

Round-robin play will continue on Saturday, December 23 at 11AM on Field 7 for the final six chukkers of play.  Pheasant Hollow appears to be in the driver’s seat with a 4-3 advantage over Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch and a 5-1 lead against Granite Bay.

Pheasant Hollow had captured the Desert Challenge and the Coyote Classic before losing in Jackalope Cup play.  A strong finish would give them three of the month’s four tournament titles.

Pheasant Hollow, Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch and Granite Bay will play one another for an additional two chukkers apiece on Saturday with the totals of their head-on-head competition added together for the final standings.  The team with the best record will be declared the winner.

The Holiday Cup is the Empire Polo Club’s final tournament of the month with the Stagecoach Challenge being played on Opening Day/Hat Day on Sunday, December 31st.

The 2017-2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers fourteen weekends of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.

The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA.  For further information go to the club website at http://www.empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.

Three new lineups for Holiday Cup

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French polo veteran Caroline Anier will join Granite Bay for the Holiday Cup at the Empire Polo Club this weekend.

Three altered lineups will take the field for the opening round of the Holiday Cup in the final tournament of the year at the Empire Polo Club.

Pheasant Hollow team (Deb Vermoch, Cameron Smith, Tim Rudy and Suki Piper),  Granite Bay (Julie Fernandez, Caroline Anier, Eric Hammon and Goyo Mariscal) and Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch (Dave Carlson, Shannon Mendez, Ashton Wolf and Alonso Andrade) will battle one another on Feld 3 in a 2pm round-robin.

The 2015 winner, Alpha Omega (Dayelle Fargey, Hayward Pardue, Eileen Duffy and John Eicher) will not be on hand to defend their title in this year’s 2-goal Competition.

Julie Fernandez, Caroline Anier, Suki Piper, Dave Carlson and Shannon Mendez will be making their first tournament appearances of the season.

Round-robin play will begin at 2PM on field 3.

The 2017-2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers fourteen weekends of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.

The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA.  For further information go to the club website at http://www.empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.

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