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July
23, 2006 Both teams had attacks on their opponents’ goal within the first two minutes of the first chukka but Ellerston scored first after Facundo Pieres sent the ball through the goal from a Penalty 4. The Bears, as in last year’s final, were fast out of the blocks and raced to a 4-1 lead at the end of the first chukka, with 3 of the goals from penalties and one a great nearside backhander from Eduardo Novillo-Astrada. Early in the second chukka a penalty from the spot to the Bears was run towards goal by Javier, who left the ball for Eduardo, who hit to Javier but the shot went wide. An Ellerston attack with great passing from Gonzalito to Facundo and then a blistering gallop by Gonzalito to receive his brother’s subsequent pass ended with Gonzalito’s shot going just wide to the right of the goal. After a couple more plays Eduardo’s defensive shot went over the back line and Gonzalito scored from the ensuing Penalty 6 (60 Safety). In their next attack, Gonzalito scored a field goal to put Ellerston 3-4 at the end of the second chukka. The Bears had not scored in that chukka and Ellerston were beginning to get back into the game. At the start of the third chukka Javier got a great run from the lineout to score. Their next attack was a combination of shots from the two Novillos and the ball just went over the back line off an Ellerston stick. Javier then missed the Penalty 6. Ellerston’s next attack resulted in a superb shot from near the sideline by Gonzalito to bring the score to 4-5. A further raid on the Ellerston goal by the Bears ended with their shot going wide. A strong hit out from the back line by James Packer was taken up field by Facundo but he was fouled. The Penalty 5B set up another attack, which saw Facundo Pieres scoring and the teams were now on level terms at 5 goals apiece. Another run late in the chukka by Facundo was ended by the half time bell. Ellerston, somewhat shell-shocked by their opponents start, had taken until half time to even up the scores at 5 goals each. Tight marking of the Pieres brothers by the Novillo-Astrada brothers throughout the game left little opportunity for their fast open running game and Lucas James more often than not got the better of Jacinto Crotto and set up plays for the Novillo-Astradas. Guy Schwarzenbach did a great job keeping James Packer fully occupied. The fourth chukka was close with both teams only scoring once each. Gonzalito took the ball from the lineout to run in a field goal early in the chukka, the first time that the Ellerston team had been in the lead during the match. A Penalty 5B to the Bears was taken up field but then the Bears fouled and Ellerston got a 5B. James Packer’s hit reached Facundo Pieres who just put his shot wide of goal. From their back line Javier hit to Eduardo and a brilliant run the length of the field to even the scores at 6-6. Two further attacks, one from each team, did not yield a goal, so the chukka ended scores level. There was always a gasp of excitement when the Pieres brothers got the ball and they often showed glimpses of their brilliance but so often they were closed down or were not able to convert their attacks into goals. The fifth chukka was a tough and relatively unproductive chukka with both teams mounting attacks and strong defensive plays breaking them down. Near the end of the chukka Jacinto Crotto missed a difficult cut shot that could have been his moment of glory but after a spot hit by Facundo Pieres, the ball was moved forward and a foul occurred which gave Facundo the chance to score from a Penalty 2. At the end of the fifth chukka the score stood at Ellerston 7 to Black Bears 6. At this level of game, missed opportunities come back to haunt and that is what happened to Ellerston as they went into the last chukka leading 7-6 and scored quickly from a Penalty 4 to go 8-6 up. Lucas James then had a great field goal after a long run and pegged the score back. The Bears were now 7-8 down with half a chukka left. Gonzalito then missed a chance to put the game away when he put a shot wide to the right of goal. During the match, Ellerston had missed a total of 6 shots at goal (1 air shot and 5 balls struck but missed to the right of goal – Ellerston coach take note!) and the Bears had missed 4 shots. The Bears came back to score 2 more goals, one from Guy Schwarzenbach, despite being closely marked by James Packer after an exciting passage of play and then snatched the victory with a fine goal from MVP Javier Novillo-Astrada. The final score was 9-8 to the Black Bears. Congratulations to the Bears on their hard fought win and a well deserved reward for the support team. Commiserations to Ellerston White, who were visibly upset at the loss but will be back next year to have another shot at the British Open Championship Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup. Black Bears: Ellerston
White: Score: 4-1; 4-3; 5-5; 6-6; 6-7; 9-8. |
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The
Bears narrowly beat Ellerston White