La Indiana defeated Santa Clara 18-9 in the opening match of the the most important polo tournament in the United States – one of the highlights of the international calendar: the US Open Polo Championship. The competition will be played at International Polo Club Palm Beach, where nine teams, up to 22-goals, are set to compete. It’s worth noting that the 2020 edition was suspended due to the pandemic, meaning that Pilot are still the defending champions.
La Indiana took an early 4-0 lead in the first chukka. However, Santa Clara balanced the scores in the two following chukkas and managed to get consecutive ties (5-5 and 7-7). But the second half was a very different story – Michael Bickford’s foursome, led by an outstanding Polito Pieres, who produced nine goals, seized the reins and dominated the match and the score, to widen their advantage until they outscored Santa Clara 5-0 in the last chukka to seal the deal and claim a comfortable 18-9 win.
LA INDIANA 18-9 SANTA CLARA
La Indiana: Nico Escobar 4 (3 goals), Jeff Hall 6 (3), Polito Pieres 10 (9), Michael Bickford 2 (3). Total: 22
Santa Clara: Will Johnston 2 (1 goal), Pipe Vercellino 6 (8), Miguel Novillo Astrada 9, Luis Escobar 5. Total: 22
Score La Indiana: 4-0, 5-5, 7-7, 10-8, 13-9, 18-9.
The US Open Polo Championship will resume on Monday March 29:
10am: Park Place vs Scone
4pm: Aspen / Dutta Corp vs Cessna
The final is due on Sunday April 18.