The 130th. Argentine Open resumed on Saturday November 18. It was a very unusual day, since the games saw the two teams from the same organisation clashing against each other. On one side, the Ulloas family’s La Hache La Roca and La Hache Cría & Polo; on the other side, the Cambiasos’ La Dolfina Saudi and Cría La Dolfina. In addition, the latter hosted a very special tribute.

The two Lincoln-based teams, La Hache La Roca and La Hache Cría & Polo, opened fire on ground 2. Sapo Caset and Polito Ulloa produced the two goals to secure La Hache La Roca a 2-1 lead in the first chukka, while Joaquin Pittaluga scored La Hache Cría & Polo’s single goal, through a 30-yards penalty conversion. The first two chukkas were very close, and that was it. La Hache La Roca took off in a remarkable third chukka, when they earned an impressive 10-3 lead, and widened their advantage to 14-4 by half time. It is worth noting that La Hache La Roca’s Polito Pieres was the team’s outstanding player and at the end of the day, the top scorer, having produced eight goals.

La Hache La Roca overwhelmed their opponents in the second half, despite La Hache Cría & Polo struggled and managed to stay in the game thanks to their flagship man, Joaquín Pittaluga. The deal was almost said and done in the sixth chukka, when La Hache La Roca already had a heavy 19-9 lead. Perhaps the biggest news was that Manuel Elizalde made their debut in the Open, when he had to sub in for his brother, Fran, due to an injury, at the start of the eighth chukka. And it was in that last chukka when La Hache La Roca sealed the deal with three more goals to secure the 23-13 victory.

Up next, La Dolfina Saudi and Cría La Dolfina played the second match of the day. Prior to the game, there was a moving tribute to the legendary Dolfina Cuartetera, one of the best mares of Argentine polo. Dolfina Cuartetera and Adolfo Cambiaso made an unbeatable combination – they won the Triple Crown three times and seven times the Argentine Open. In addition, Dolfina Cuatetera was presented with the Lady Susan Townley award three times. The legendary mare was born in February 2001 and sadly passed away last May. Her many clones continue to make history and have already received many awards. As a part of the tribute, the eight players were mounted many of those clones.

With regards to the match between the two Dolfinas, the reigning champions had a stronger start by outscoring their “little brother” 4-0 in the first chukka, with goals split between Adolfo Cambiaso and Juan Martin Nero (two each). The whole match belonged to La Dolfina Saudi, who seized the reins from the start. Bu half time they reached a 7-2 advantage.

La Dolfina Saudi played the second half slow and easy, like they were in their own home; they had no trouble at all to dominate their opponents, in a match that had few goals – an average of two per chukka, but well enough to maintain their lead. The game was already solved by the time they played the last chukka, and it was Poroto Cambiaso who closed all the scores for the final 13-4 win.

130th. ARGENTINE OPEN – SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18

MATCH# 1 – LA HACHE LA ROCA 23-13 LA HACHE CRIA & POLO

La Hache La Roca: Pablo Pieres 9 (8 goals, three penalties, one corner), Hilario Ulloa 9 (5, one Penalty 1), Guillermo Caset 9 (4), Francisco Elizalde 9 (6) (Subbed by Manuel Elizalde 7, at the start of the eighth chukka, due to an injury). Total: 36.

La Hache Cría y Polo: Rufino Bensadón 8 (1 goal), Carlos M. Ulloa 7, Facundo Sola 8 (2), Joaquín Pittaluga 8 (10, eight penalties). Total: 31.

Score La Hache La Roca: 2-1, 5-3, 10-3, 14-5, 17-6, 19-9, 20-10, 23-13.

Umpires: Gonzalo López Vargas & Guillermo Villanueva.       Third man: José Ignacio Araya.

MATCH #2 – LA DOLFINA SAUDI 13-4 CRIA LA DOLFINA 

La Dolfina Saudi: Adolfo Cambiaso 10 (4 goals), David Stirling 10 (3), Adolfo Cambiaso Jr. 10 (3, one penalty), Juan Martín Nero 10 (3). Total: 40.

Cría La Dolfina: Guillermo Terrera 9 (1 goal), Tomás Panelo 9, Diego Cavanagh 8 (3 penalties), Alejo Taranco 9. Total: 35.

Score La Dolfina Saudi: 4-0, 4-1, 6-1, 7-2, 9-2, 11-2, 12-4, 13-4.

Umpires: Martín Aguerre & Gastón Lucero.                           Third man: Federico Martelli.

The 130th. Argentine Open will resume on Monday November 20, with the following order of play:

2pm: La Irenita Clinova vs. El Overo Z7 UAE

La Irenita Clinova: Facundo Fernández Llorente 8, Tomás Fernández Llorente Jr. 8, Matías Torres Zavaleta 8, Isidro Strada 8. Total: 32.

El Overo Z7 UAE: Lucas Monteverde Jr. 7, Victorino Ruiz Jorba 7, Cruz Heguy 7, Teodoro Lacau 7. Total: 28.

Jueces: Guillermo Villanueva & Rafael Silva.                          Árbitro: Federico Martelli.

4,30pm: La Natividad vs. Ellerstina

La Natividad: Facundo Pieres 9, Camilo Castagnola 10, Pablo Mac Donough 10, Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. 10. Total: 39.

Ellerstina: Bautista Bayugar 8, Gonzalo Pieres Jr.  9, Nicolás Pieres 9, Ignatius du Plessis 9. Total: 35.

Jueces: Gastón Lucero & Matías Baibiene.                                     Árbitro: José Ignacio Araya.

130th. ARGENTINE OPEN: Fixture & Teams

Cover photo by Matías Callejo / Prensa AAP.