The season's inaugural 12 goal tournament, the Lisle Nixon Memorial, was played for by eight teams over 10 days, May 11- 20 . The preliminary games threw up Stone Canyon Entertainments to meet Windsor Capital at 1pm in the consolation game and Springbok to meet Tuscany Oaks Farm in the final at 3pm in front of a crowded grandstand.

Springbok played in white, with Enaki Echezarreta at 1, Guillermito (Sapo) Caset at 2, his father Guillermo Caset at 3 and sponsor Jeff Kazmark at 4.


The teams were very well matched and the game looked to be anyone's at half time with a score of 6-5 to Springbok, and some spectacular play from the Caset team in the middle of the field for the white team in the fourth and fifth chukkers saw Springbok pull ahead to 8-5 going into the fifth. Tuscany Oaks made a strong comeback in the fifth chukker with a goal from Matthew Gonzalez and two (penalties) from Julio Arellano to leave Springbok up by only one goal at 9-8 going into the final chukker.

The sixth chukker was dominated by Guillermo and Sapo Caset in a family double act which saw three field goals by the two (including one huge 80 yard drive from Guillermo Caset which rolled into the goal mouth just ahead of Matthew Gonzalez' defense). Another lovely goal Ðstarted at half-way by Guillermo and picked up by Sapo at 40 yards for a figure-of-eight manoever around the red team's determined defence into goal Ð finished the game with 30 seconds to go and the scoreboard at 13-9.
The Caset family triumphed again with home-bred horses winning both Best Playing Pony Awards - for Jeff Kazmark's Macarena and Guillermo Caset's Princessa.

The Lisle Nixon Memorial trophy awarded two Best Playing Pony prizes Ð one for best pony owned and played by a professional, and the other for amateur.
Jeff Kazmark's mare Macarena took the patron's pony prize for her play in the 2nd and 6th chukkers. She is a lovely bay mare, 9 years old, from Guillermo Caset's Argentine ranch. Both she and the professional BPP winner are by Guillermo's American stud, Barty. Guillermo played her in the U.S. Open then sold her to Jeff a couple of years ago.
Guillermo Caset's mare Princessa, also bred by him from the same horse at home in Argentina, is a six year old mare ( also bay). She has been in America for two years and Guillermo played her in the 5th chukker.

Springbok won the Lisle Nixon Memorial Finals. From left to right: Jeff Kazmark, Guillermo Caset, Sapo Caset and Enaki Echezarreta.

The Consolation Game

In the consolation, Stone Canyon stuck with its lineup of Artie Cameron Jr. At 1, Alfonso Giannico and Carlos Avendano at 2 and 3 and Brad Schlei at back. Windsor Capital's lineup was changed due to Chad Lane's injury (making a rapid recovery we hear) to Tom Barrack up the front, Matthew Ladin in his first game of the season at 2, with the tried and true combination of Mariano Gonzalez at 3 and patron Pat Nesbitt at back.

In the game, Stone Canyon made a big comeback from a slow start (0-4 after the first chukker) to take the game by 12 goals to 10. Mariano Gonzalez played a great game for Windsor Capital, making 7 goals (of which four penalties including 3 60 yard penalty goals of 3 tries). However, even with assistance from his teammates Pat Nesbitt (1 goal), Matt Ladin (one goal each) and a goal off Carlos Avendano's pony, the white and blue team could not hold off a concerted second-half comeback from Stone Canyon. Four goals from Alfonso Giannico, two from Carlos Avendano, and five from Artie Cameron put the black and red team two goals ahead at the final bell.