Aug 21st, '05: GENE’S CLEANING/TACKERIA WINS RITZ CUP, BARRANTES FINAL
Pelon Escapite had 8 goals to power Gene’s Cleaning/Tackeria to capture the Ritz Carlton Club Cup on Sunday at Saratoga Polo. The Ritz Cup was also the final for the Hector and Susan Barrantes Memorial Cup Tournaments, one of the highlights of the Saratoga Polo season.
The match was tight from the start. Gene’s Cleaning/Tackeria’s Tony Coppola opened the scoring early in the first chukker, but Bloomfield’s Julian Hipwood was quick to respond. Pelon Escapite got the first of his 8 to close out the chukker and put Gene’s Cleaning/Tackeria back in the lead. This fast-paced back and forth characterized almost the entire match.
The Escapite family was responsible for the bulk of the match’s back and forth scoring. While Pelon Escapite had 8 goals for the champions, his cousin Cuko Escapite matched that total for the tournament’s runners-up. Like his cousin, Cuko’s goals were spread out over many chukkers, always quick to respond to keep his team in the thick of it.
By the end of the fifth chukker, Gene’s Cleaning/Tackeria had itself a somewhat comfortable 3-goal lead to bring itself to the final period, but their own mistakes almost cost them the tournament. All of Bloomfield’s goals in the sixth chukker, the last 2 of Cuko Escapite’s 8 and another one from Cathy Brown, came off of penalty shots. While Bloomfield had generated enough offense to head into overtime, Gene’s Cleaning/Tackeria got in 2 goals in the sixth, with the last of Pelon Escapite’s 8 markers and another from Juve Baez, to close out the match in front by 2.
The Autumn Plates is the next tournament at Saratoga Polo. It kicks off with a match on Wednesday, August 24 at 5:30pm. For more information, call 518-584-8108 or call saratogapolo.com.
Total Goals Scored
Gene’s Cleaning/Tackeria – 13
Tony Coppola – 2
Juve Baez – 3
Pelon Escapite – 8
Gene Gass – 0
Bloomfield – 11
Cathy Brown – 1
Will Orthwein – 0
Julian Hipwood – 2
Cuko Escapite – 8
CORRECTION: It was previously reported that teams other than Gene’s/Cleaning Tackeria and Bloomfield were competing in the Barrantes Cup final. We apologize for the error.
