The Californian summer circuit has finished with a new name on the trophy. On Sunday 1 September, ERG beat Lucchese 16-9 in the final of the Bombardier Pacific Coast Open at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club, ending Lucchese’s three-year run as champions.
How the final unfolded
ERG had won four straight games on the way to the final, and they started it fast, going 3-1 up in the first chukker. Lucchese pulled level at 3-3 in the second, but ERG moved ahead again and led 9-6 at half-time. Goals were exchanged in the fourth, leaving ERG 10-7 up, and they built a 12-8 lead in the fifth before Sugar Erskine scored twice early in the sixth to put the result beyond doubt.
Line-ups
- ERG: Scott Wood, Sugar Erskine, Paco de Narvaez and Jeff Blake.
- Lucchese: Tavi Usandizaga, Andres Weisz, Pelón Stirling and John Muse.
Paco de Narvaez led all scorers with eight goals and was named MVP, his fourth visit to the winner’s circle at this tournament. Erskine added six for ERG and Blake two. For Lucchese, Stirling scored six, Usandizaga two and Weisz one. Stirling’s mare Quinella was named Best Playing Pony, a small consolation for the losing side.
Why this one matters
The Pacific Coast Open is 104 years old, and this edition was the last 20-goal tournament of the Santa Barbara summer. It was ERG’s first title in the event. De Narvaez had previously lifted the trophy three times in the preceding decade with Michael Hakan’s Duende teams, so he arrived in the final knowing exactly what it takes to win it.
Lucchese had been the team to beat for three seasons, and it took a well-balanced line-up and an in-form Paco de Narvaez to stop them.
The action now drops down a level, with eight-goal polo resuming in the autumn, beginning with the Harry East Memorial final on 8 September.
Sources: The Santa Barbara Independent, Polozone
