Chapter 181 - 179: 5th Of May IX
Serena could not stop her scream when Charlton blocked Geoffrey"s attempt to hit the ball. "Oh my G.o.d!!!!!" she was about to yell Charlton"s name when Via covered her mouth.
Blushing, remembering where they were, she went with "go team red!!!" what? No one can say anything about it as her brother was in that team.
Anyway, back to the game. Geoffrey did not let that hook deter him. Now, in possession of the ball again, he rode in, turned the ball, and took off for goal.
All the players went in for the chase, but they all fell a step behind. Only Charlton was able to match up his speed. Charlton attempted a ride-off, but Geoffrey was the more experienced player between them. He hit the ball from its bottom, giving it an upward trajectory. Charlton was about to attempt for another hook, but before the ball hit the ground, Geoffrey used his mallet to hit it midair. And Goal!
"Wonderful! Fantastic! Beautiful! Unbelievable! shot by blue player #2! The score is now 5-4, blue team on the lead!" Diether complimented through the speakers.
It was a very beautiful shot indeed and the crowd went wild. People started chanting Geoffrey"s name.
Serena covered her cheeks with her hands screaming "no!!!". Although she knew the outcome of the game, she still wanted Charlton"s team to win. Besides, the plot has already deviated. Anyway, she didn"t expect that she will be enjoying the match this much.
Leonard took possession of the ball, and made a pa.s.s to Kylo, Kylo"s counterpart can"t keep up with him, but Geoffrey was now in his line, and they were shoulder to shoulder. Geoffrey"s pony made contact with Kylo"s and managed to push him off the line of the ball and prevented him from hitting the ball.
However, Charlton was just right behind them, and with Geoffrey busy with Kylo, he managed to take possession of the ball. With no one to guard him, he"s gone clear. He hit the ball across the field with his pony galloping until he reached the goal.
"And would you look at that, beautiful goal made by red team player number 2! I"m so loving this game! The score is now tied again at 5-5!" Diether announced.
The crowd was also getting more and more excited. This has got to be one of the most exciting polo match they watched.
Geoffrey again took possession of the ball, and this time, Leonard signaled Joshua to stay put on defense making him ensure that the ball doesn"t enter the goal post. Joshua nodded his head understanding what he meant.
This time, Geoffrey"s opponents were all focusing their attention on him. So, he pa.s.sed the ball to Rainier, and Leonard went to guard Rainer. Rainier, a little less experienced with a neck-to-neck battle, went on ahead and tried for a goal. Joshua was able to block the ball and pa.s.s it to Leonard. Leonard took on the offensive. From 60 yards away, he hit the ball straight to the goal post, and it went in.
"And Goal! Wonderful save by team red player number 4 and beautiful shot by player number 3! Now, the tides have turned, red team on the lead with a score of 6-5, and we only have one minute left."
Serena yelled "Go Leonard!!!!!" as she went gaga with her friends. G.o.ds, they all saw his muscle flex as he made the effort for that long goal.
"sorry for that Geoffrey" Rainier said.
Geoffrey shook his head, "it"s alright, game is not yet over." He replied as he took a deep breath.
Taking possession of the ball, Geoffrey took off fast. With his experience and ability, he outmaneuvered his opponents. They were hounding him on all sides, so he hit the ball so that it directly went in front of his pony, then he made the hooves of his pony hit the ball to score the goal.
"That was unexpected! Marvelous game play! Unbelievable! Superb goal by team blue player number 2, or should I say pony of player number 2? The score now is again tied at 6-6. The air horn just sounded ending the 6th chukka. This means that we"re going on an overtime for a sudden death seventh chukka! The suspense is killing me!"
"Yes Diether, I have seen ponies accidentally making the goal for the team, but this was the first time I have seen it done deliberately. That is one fine trained pony."
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As the 6th chukka ended with a tie, teams were given a 10-minute break interval before the sudden death match. The players went to strategize as they dismounted their horses.
"This is the most intense match I"ve ever had. But deym! Geoffey using the hooves of his horse to get that goal is really out of this world. Wonder what he fed that horse." Kylo suddenly said.
Joshua laughed at his words, "Yeah, I never thought of that myself. But I hate that they chose the sudden death rather than the shoot-out. Shoot-out gives us a higher probability in winning."
Leonard shook his head, "I think that sudden death is fairer. Anyway, for the next chukka, I"m not sure what Geoffrey has in mind. Will he go all out and score the goal himself or pa.s.s. He"s pretty unpredictable now. Anyway, for this, let"s just focus on the offensive. I hope we take possession of the ball first."
They all mounted their changed horses as the air horn sounded, signifying the start of the 7th chukka.
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"Since the scores are tied at the end of the 6th chukka, we will have the overtime play which is the sudden death seventh chukka." Diether announced.
"Yes indeed, by the way Diether, I think you should explain what that is to our audience." Artemis instructed.
"Oh, yes. Anyway, like a normal chukka, the sudden death lasts for seven minutes, thirty seconds. However, the difference is that the first team to make a goal wins the game. If no goals were made during the seventh chukka, we will continue with the eighth." Diether explained.
"Thank you for that Diether." Artemis said as they heard the air horn make a sound.
"Alright, that"s the cue for the 7th chukka to begin. Now, I see the players are again back on the field and have lined up. And, the umpire has thrown in the ball!"
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TBC