Young Guns

Photos courtesy of ChukkerTV

Casablanca’s Grant Ganzi holds out an opponent while looking for a pass in 20-goal action at Grand Champions Polo Club last fall.

Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Florida, hosted a pair of 20-goal events, highlighting its fall season. Casablanca, which fielded a team of three young up-and-coming players, guided by the experienced 8-goal Nic Roldan, captured both titles.

The tremendous amount of rain that plagued South Florida throughout the summer continued into the fall, forcing the schedule to be moved back a few days.

The North American Cup, which dates back to 1974, took place from Nov. 15-18. Four teams competed in the event, played in a single elimination. Grand Champions has hosted the event since 2011, with the exception of 2019 when it was played at Aspen Valley Polo Club in Carbondale, Colorado.

In the first semifinal, Newport (Gene Goldstein, Michel Dorignac, Sugar Erskine, Juan Bollini) advanced over Sebucan (Pablo Pulido, Pablo Spinacci, Horacio Heguy, Brandon Phillips), 13-10, while Casablanca (Henry Porter, Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Juancito Bollini) advanced over La Indiana (Michael Bickford, Nick Manifold, Jeff Hall, Kris Kampsen), 13-12.

The final was held three days later under ominous skies. Roldan wasted no time, negating the handicap goal given to Newport within 30 seconds. Porter followed with a goal of his own before Roldan scored on a possession play after Newport knocked it over the boards.

Dorignac scored for Newport early in the second but Juancito Bollini answered. Erskine brought Newport within a goal, 4-3, as the chukker ended. Roldan backed a ball into the goal just a minute into the third and Ganzi sunk a Penalty 3. Roldan added his fourth goal, this time on a breakaway to end the half with Casablanca ahead, 7-4.

Casablanca held the momentum into the second half. Erskine and Juancito Bollini traded goals in the

fourth and Ganzi extended the Casablanca lead to four early in the fifth. Goldstein responded, then held Roldan wide, allowing Erskine to reach the goal and cutting the difference to just two, 9-7. But just when things were going Newport’s way, Porter scored a hat trick to put Casablanca ahead, 12-7. Newport kept fighting in the final period, with Erskine and Dorignac matching goals by Ganzi and Roldan, but Casablanca had the win, 14-9.

Roldan was named MVP and Erskine’s Tessita was Best Playing Pony.

A week later, the same four teams battled for the USPA National Twenty Goal title. The first semifinal had La Indiana defeating Newport, 13-9, while Casablanca got the best of Sebucan, 10-9.

In the final, Casablanca, with Gussie Busch taking over for Porter, faced La Indiana. Ganzi struck first but Hall responded and Bickford followed with a Penalty 3 conversion to take a 2-1 lead. Kampsen added a goal after making the most of a spot hit, but Roldan took the ball out of the throw-in and Bollini got past Bickford to tie the score at 3-3. Hall broke the tie early in the third, and Kampsen converted a Penalty 4 while Casablanca was silenced, giving La Indiana the 5-3 halftime lead.

Casablanca rallied in the second half with Roldan taking less than two minutes to tie the score. The teams battled for control until Bollini broke the tie with a breakaway in the last 30 seconds of the chukker. Hall leveled the score with a lone goal in the fifth.

Kampsen converted a Penalty 4 to give La Indiana

Sugar Erskine’s Tessita was Best Playing Pony in the North America Cup final.

back the lead but Roldan took it back and then some. He scored four consecutive goals, the last a Penalty 6 conversion, to give Casablanca a comfortable 10-7 lead with little time left. Kampsen got another opportunity from the 60-yard line to bring La Indiana within two but time ran out with Casablanca ahead, 10-8.

Juancito Bollino was MVP and Bickford’s Narval was Best Playing Pony. •

Casablanca’s Nic Roldan, Juancito Bollini, Grant Ganzi and Gussie Busch won the National Twenty Goal.