Team ERG wins Mother’s (Rain) Day Match 11-7

It was certainly the kind of match one would want to bring home to mother. Making up for a rain-out the week before, the annual Mother’s Day Match played at the Houston Polo Club on May 20 gave Texas spectators their first 12-goal play of the 2007 polo season as Team ERG and Team Rockin P took to the field.

Of course, being the Mother’s Day match and having the Houston tradition of hosting its “Hats on to Polo” headgear competition, there was as much a show in the stands as in the sport. Imagination was in no short supply as spectators donned their most creative hats in all sizes, colors, themes and ingredients. Sponsor Neiman Marcus joined local media celebrities including Roseann Rogers, Ernie Manouse and Laura Pennino in awarding prizes to the most elegant and most creative hats.

In the six-chukker match featuring such favorites as six-goalers Jeff Blake and Ravina Martin on opposing teams and four-goalers Cote Zeagors and Agustin Molinas, the Mother’s Day match tipped its hat to Team ERG for an 11-7 win.

The final score had to be a sour blow to Team Rockin P which had come on strong and in command during the first half of the match. Scoreless the first chukker, the team rallied up six scores by halftime, leading Team ERG six to three. Where the Rockin went the second half is anyone’s guess.

In the fourth chukker, Team ERG made up the deficit and then continued scoring right up to the final horn, making nine points in the last half. Team Rockin P’s two-goaler Ramiro Tizon made the only point his team could claim in the final three chukkers.

Mr. Molinas for Team ERG was the high-score man for the day with six goals.

The excitement, pleasant temperatures and clear skies had all the ingredients for a perfect Texas afternoon - along with big hats, fast horses and many moms. That alone seemed to draw a near capacity crowd as the Houston Polo Club gave the public an afternoon of hats, horses and a lot of motherly praise for its annual “Hats on to Polo” Mother’s Day Tournament.

Official sponsors of Houston Polo Club’s 79th anniversary season include 17, Acqua Panna, Active Imagination, Bombardier, Catena USA, Cayman Islands Tourism Board, Cowboys & Indians Magazine, David Yurman, Earth Color, Gittings, Houston Magazine, La Veranda, Lockton, Maker’s Mark, Mint in Uptown Park, Momentum Jaguar, Neiman Marcus, The Palm Restaurant, Paper City Magazine, and Stanford Private Wealth Management.

The Houston Polo Club, founded in 1928, is celebrating its 79th anniversary season this year and continues its dedication 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.