Spring Polo Classic starts it off; Bunny Cup keeps it hopping

The 2006 Houston Polo Club season got off to roaring start April 9 under cloudless skies and mild temperatures with the appropriately named Spring Polo Classic.

And if the first two matches of this season are any indication, Houston fans are going to be getting a lot of Rice on their plates this year. That's Rice as in Shane Rice, the four-goaler from San Diego who in just two matches has made 16 of his teams' total 25 goals.

The season's first game, the Spring Polo Classic, paired Team Tres Osos against Team Sirius Solutions in a six-goal match. Even give two handicap points, however, Team Tres Osos fell behind in the second chukker and never recovered. Team Sirius Solutions took home the trophy 12-8.

But while the outcome of the match seemed fairly certain early on, the excitement began to rally around Mr. Rice who began an early affair with the goal posts. Team Sirius' Cody Woodfin, rated three goals, scored twice in the first chukker, but then Mr. Rice took over with three points in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth. Mr. Woodfin managed to get the ball long enough to score twice more in the match. That left three other players (Position one was alternated between Jenny Sharrock and Rebecca Killough) to do a lot of riding.

Team Tres Osos' three-goaler Daniel Fer was high scoremaker on that side, adding four points to the board. Chris Williams and Augustin Arrayagio brought in two more.

Easter Sunday, April 16, brought fans the annual Bunny Cup. It also brought back Mr. Rice who once again spent a lot of time around his goals and sharing a little of his spotlight with Mr. Woodfin.

The six-goal match pitted Team Vivace Polo against Team Sirius Solutions in six chukkers. The final score once again shined on Team Sirius with a 13-9 win.

This time, Mr. Rice opened the scoring with the first two goals of the match. He followed that with two goals in the second chukker (matched by Mr. Woodfin), two goals in the third and one in the fifth and one in the sixth. Mr. Woodfin made three additional goals. Once again, the other three players got some riding time.

Team Vivace spread the scoring around a little more with four-goaler Hernan Tejera the high scorer. Mason Wroe scored two goals and Trey Malachek added one.

With several major tournaments on the schedule later this spring, Mr. Rice has become one to watch among Houston fans. And so far you can watch him at one end of the field or the other. His time in the middle has been relatively short.

The Houston Polo Club, founded in 1928, is dedicated to the sport of polo and equestrian activities. The club is located on 26 beautifully wooded acres at Memorial Drive and Loop 610, near Memorial Park. The matches, championship fields and social events attract thousands of spectators each year. The Spring Series continues through June 25.