The 131st. Argentine Polo Open Championship resumed through Saturday November 9 and Sunday November 10, with three games, that saw La Hache, Ellerstina and La Dolfina Saudi victorious over La Aguada, La Zeta Kazak and Cría La Dolfina, respectively.
La Hache, recent winners of the Tortugas Open, made their debut at the Open against La Aguada, in the first of the two contests played on Saturday November 8. La Hache got off to a stronger start by closing the first chukka 3-0, but La Aguada managed to remain close during the first part of the match; by half time, La Hache had a three goal advantage, 10-7. However, and led by the remarkable Tomás Panelo and Fran Elizalde – the top scorers with seven goals each – La Hache widened the gap and displayed their best polo in the last three chukkas. La Aguada did their best to get closer in the scoreboard, mostly thanks to Pedrinho Zacharias accuracy to convert penalties, but at the end of the day, La Hache claimed the 20-12 win.
Ellerstina, runner up of the Tortugas Open, made their debut against La Zeta Kazak, Sébastien Aguettant French organisation led by Nico Pieres. So it was the clash of the brothers, Gonzalito (Ellerstina’s only remaining Pieres within the lineup), and Nico. Following a 2-all in the first chukka, Ellerstina seized the reins, to control the match. Sapo Caset delivered another spectacular performance (he produced ten goals), very well supported by the extraordinary Gonzalito Pieres and the young Lukin Monteverde. In the meantime, La Zeta Kazak managed to play well against their “elder brother”; it’s worth a mention to another young and very skilled player, La Zeta Kazak’s Lorenzo Chavanne, who scored no less than eight goals. Finally, Ellerstina took the 21-11 win home.
The Cañuelas neighbours, La Dolfina Saudi and Cría La Dolfina, clashed on Sunday November 10, on a very cloudy and rainy day. La Dolfina Saudi were the dominant force thoroghout the eight chukkas of play, with Juan Martín Nero delivering a remarkable performance, not only in his usual position as a back but also as a accurate scorer – Juanma and Poroto Cambiaso produced six goals each. And although Cría La Dolfina (who made a fantastic debut against La Ensenada, bouncing back to win an almost impossible game) never gave up, the truth is that La Dolfina Saudi, as usual, felt at home in Palermo, with a simple and effective team play that make things so easy for them, and four players who fit perfectly together. By half time, La Dolfina Saudi had a five goal lead (9-4), and extended the gap to 17-10 by the time they reached the eighth and last chukka. With the match almost said and done, Juan Martín Nero, Poroto Cambiaso and Pelon Stirling produced three unanswered goals to secure the 20-10 victory.
The 131st. Argentine Polo Open Championship will be back through Friday November 15 and Sunday November 17, as follows:
- Friday November 15
4,30pm: La Hache Cría & Polo vs. La Aguada
- Saturday November 16
2pm: Cría La Dolfina vs. La Zeta Kazak
4,30pm: La Hache vs. Indios Chapaleufu
- Sunday November 17
4,30pm: Ellerstina vs. La Ensenada
The final of the 131st. Argentine Polo Open Championship is due on Saturday December 7.
131st. Argentine Polo Open Championship – Teams & Fixture
Cover photo by Matias Callejo.