by Kerri Kerley
The Alberta polo team of Cam Clark Ford travelled down to Santa Barbara, California, to play in the Wickendon Cup 8-Goal Tournament from October 7 to 15, 2006 and came back winners!
There were five teams entered in the tournament, with each team playing each other once over the course of the eight-day event. The Cam Clark Ford team consisted of the following players: Cam Clark (A); Dayelle Fargey (2); Kyle Fargey (2); and Mariano Gutierrez (4).
The tournament started slowly with Cam Clark Ford losing their first tournament game to Glen Holden’s Gehache team. The team played well in the first half and was up 5-2 by halftime. However, Gehache made some changes in the second half that served them well and eventually managed to win 12-10.
With little time to rest, Cam Clark Ford faced Mansour the following afternoon. The team played a more complete game and managed to post a 12-8 victory. With a week of rest and further practice, Cam Clark Ford then faced off against the Prime Source/Klentner Ranch team in what many considered to be the game of the tournament as Prime Source/Klentner Ranch had dominated the 8-goal league at Santa Barbara, only losing one game all season.
The game certainly lived up to its billing as the teams battled back and forth and there was never more than a two goal margin. At the half, Cam Clark Ford retained a narrow lead of 7-5.
The second half was just as close as each team sensed that the game may well determine the eventual winner of the tournament. In the final seconds there were a number of very close calls, but Cam Clark Ford managed to prevail with a narrow 11-10 victory.
By the morning of October 15, the final day of the tournament, there were three teams (Gehache, Prime Source/Klentner Ranch, Cam Clark Ford) tied with an identical record of three wins and one loss.
In the first game of the day, the Mansour team (with a 0-3 record) played their best game of the tournament to create a huge upset and knock Gehache out of the running. This result provided Cam Clark Ford the opportunity to win the Wickendon with a victory in their match that afternoon.
The 2:00 p.m. Sunday game saw Cam Clark against the Chadmar team in front of the clubhouse in the final game of the year in Santa Barbara. Chadmar got off to a quick start with Chuck Lande tallying two fast goals off the throw-ins. Mariano Gutierrez answered back, as did Kyle Fargey, and the score was tied at two by the end of the first chukker.
Chadmar continued its early pressure and managed three more goals in the second chukker, while Cam Clark only managed to notch one on the scoreboard.
The flaggers were kept busy in the third chukker with four goals by Mariano Gutierrez and one by Kyle Fargey, while Chadmar was held off the scoresheet. At the half, Cam Clark held an 8-5 lead.
The fourth chukker was a draw as each team came out playing hard and tallied three goals a piece. Kyle Fargey managed to convert two penalties in the fifth while Roberto Zedda had a convert for Chadmar.
Dayelle Fargey and Cam Clark played a great defensive game throughout the second half, and in the final chukker Mariano Gutierrez managed to increase the lead by one more goal for Cam Clark Ford.
The final score in the game was 13 to 9 in favour of Cam Clark Ford, the winners of the 2006 Wickendon Cup!
To contact the Calgary Polo Club, call (403) 938-0182 or visit their website at www.calgarypoloclub.com
