La Natividad and Ellerstina will go head-to-head to decide the 82nd. Tortugas Open Emilio de Anchorena Cup, the first leg of the most coveted polo trophy in the world, the Argentine Triple Crown. The championship match of the Tortugas Open, due on Saturday October 8, will be a true clash of the champions: La Natividad, the winners of the last Hurlingham Open and Argentine Open and Ellerstina, current reigning champions, and the team that won the tournament more than anyone else: 13 titles, the last three in 2019, 2o20 and 2021. In addition, they will be playing their sixteenth consecutive final in Tortugas.
The 82nd. Tortugas Open sees eight teams between 29 and 39 goals, in participation.
La Natividad qualified to the final, after defeating La Irenita Clinova by an impressive 18-10 in quarter finals. It wasn’t that easy for them in the semifinal, against La Dolfina Saudi. Following a very close match, a remarkable goal produced by Jeta Castagnola within the 30 additional seconds, secured them a tight 10-9 victory. Meanwhile, the road to the final for the title holders, Ellerstina, was quite similar: they defeated La Irenita GSquared 18-7, in quarter finals, while they had to struggle to beat Cria La Dolfina by a 11-9 score, in the semifinal.
It is worth to note that La Natividad and Ellerstina had already clashed in the semifinals of the Hurlingham Open, on November 18 2020, with the General Rodriguez foursome victorious 15-10. It was also Hilario Ulloa’s first year with Ellerstina, and oddly enough, that year marked Polito Pieres’ comeback to La Natividad, after leaving Ellerstina. So, it is expected a great contest indded, whether it is perhaps a rematch and the first title of the Tortugas Open for the Cañuelas-based foursome, or whether Ellerstina would prevail in Tortugas.
82° TORTUGAS OPEN – FINAL – SATURDAY OCTOBER 8
4pm: LA NATIVIDAD vs. ELLERSTINA
La Natividad: Camilo Castagnola 10, Pablo Pieres 10, Bartolomé Castagnola 10, Ignatius du Plessis 9. Total: 39.
Ellerstina: Facundo Pieres 10, Hilario Ulloa 9, Gonzalo Pieres Jr. 9, Nicolás Pieres 10. Total: 38.
Umpires: Guillermo Villanueva & Martín Pascual. Third man: Gastón Lucero.