Mon 20th Apr 2015Valiente win The U.S. Open Third time lucky for Cambiaso’s crew
Valiente and Orchard Hill took to the Engel & Volkers field at International Polo Club, Palm Beach for the Final of The U.S. Open on Sunday 19 April. Valiente were making their third straight attempt at the title having taken on Zacara in 2013 and Alegria in 2014 with no success. With Cambiaso plagued by injury and the Valiente side failing to find their form for most of the US 26 goal season, the team’s supporters were delighted to see the original line-up take to the pitches for The Open. The return of Cambiaso and patron, Bob Jornayvaz to the Valiente team sheet reignited the team’s game plan as they progressed through the league stages before defeating Audi for their place in the Final. C.V. Whitney winners, and Gold Cup Finalists, Orchard Hill had been playing consistently well throughout the season and overcame Gillian Johnston’s Coca-Cola to meet Valiente in Sunday’s game. The match began with the Pieres duo making a confident goal-scoring flurry ending the first chukka with Valiente trailing 3-1. In the second chukka they extended their lead, but it wasn’t until the third when their confident start began to crumble as Valiente were awarded a Penalty 1, opening the way for them to catch-up to 5-4, with Orchard Hill just holding onto the lead. Cambiaso matched Orchard Hill’s score 5-5 in the fourth chukka as his team began to gain momentum and closed the chukka in the lead for the first time in the game, 7-5. However, Valiente took a step back in the fifth, failing to score at all, whilst Orchard Hill staged a second offensive to end the fifth in the lead by one goal, 8-7. The sixth and final chukka was a nail-biting end to the game. Orchard Hill extended their lead by another goal after no scoring action for the first three minutes of the game. A foul in front of the goal gave away a second Penalty 1 to Valiente as Cambiaso and his teammates took on the final few minutes of the game. Valiente then scored the equalising goal to make it 9-9 with just over two minutes left on the clock. Taranco then followed by converting a 30-yard penalty – his fourth goal of the game – to take Valiente into the lead with just a minute left before the final whistle. It was, however, Cambiaso who closed the match with his final goal of the tournament to make it 11-9 and so finally secure The U.S. Open for Bob Jornayvaz. Alejo Taranco was awarded Most Valuable Player, whilst Cambiaso’s seven-year-old mare, Romana was named Best Playing Pony. The 10 goaler played her in the fourth chukka and scored three goals taking Valiente into the lead for the first time in the game. Valiente Bob Jornayvaz 2 Alejo Taranco 6 Guillermo Terrera 8 Adolfo Cambiaso 10 Orchard Hill Steve Van Andel 0 Ezequiel Ferrario 7 Polito Pieres 9 Facundo Pieres 10 Photograph: Valiente triumphant in the 2015 US Open. By Alex Pacheco.
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