The final of the 82nd Tortugas Open Emilio de Anchorena Cup, the first leg of the prestigious Argentine Triple Crown, saw La Natividad and Ellerstina, go head to head on Saturday, October 8. Despite the extremely cold, windy and rainy day, spectators filled the grandstands at Tortugas Country Club to enjoyed a remarkable final. The match was fast-paced, with just a handful of fouls and plenty of field goals – the best way to start the prestigious Triple Crown.
Before the final, all seemed set for Ellerstina to add another Tortugas trophy to their vast collection. But it was denied to them by a determined La Natividad foursome. The Cañuelas-based lineup just needed a couple of minutes in the last chukka to claim the only title of the Triple Crown they hadn’t won so far – we must not forget that they are also the current reigning champions of the Hurlingham Open and the Argentine Open. While, La Natividad won the match, polo as a whole was the real winner, with Ellerstina playing one of their best contests in recent years.
Ellerstina got a 4-0 advantage over La Natividad in the first chukka, with Gonzalito Pieres scoring first, before Hilario Ulloa and Facundo Pieres followed. But La Natividad started bouncing back in the second chukka, with two goals from the extraordinary Jeta Castagnola, putting his team within a goal (3-4). Hilario Ulloa scored again to extend Ellerstina’s advantage to two goals in the last minute of that second chukka. The average goal difference between the two teams was just a couple of goals until the third chukka. Halfway through the fourth, Ellerstina widened their lead to three (9-6) following a 40-yard penalty conversion by Facundo Pieres. That was the second penalty awarded to the General Rodriguez team. Up until that moment they had only scored field goals.
At the beginning of the fifth, Polito Pieres scored to narrow the gap once again, but Ellerstina replied quickly, securing a four goal lead (11-7). With two chukkas left to play, Ellerstina seemed to be on their way to maintain their Tortugas winning streak. The flow of the game changed dramatically in the sixth chukka however. Jeta Castagnola converted a 40-yard penalty at the start of the penultimate chukka, and from then onwards, La Natividad were in control. Such was their force that Nicolás Pieres struggled to avoid La Natividad from scoring twice. Ellerstina caught a break after Facundo Pieres scored a neck shot goal to extend their advantage to three goals (12-9). But that was it, because the merciless Jeta Castagnola showed up to scored three unanswered goals and make possible the impossible, tying the score 12-all, with one chukka left to play.
And what a last chukka was! Ellerstina re-took the lead after a 40-yard penalty conversion courtesy of Facundo Pieres. But it would be their last; La Natividad kept pushing. With just a couple of minutes left to play in regulation time, Nachi du Plessis scored to tie the score again, a spectacular goal by Barto Castagnola quickly followed, securing the 14-13 win in the last minute of play. At the end of the day, and after leading for most of the match, luck was not on Ellerstina’s side. La Natividad, a formidable organization, never surrendered, and in the end, they claimed their first Tortugas Open title.
82° TORTUGAS OPEN – FINAL – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8
LA NATIVIDAD 14-13 ELLERSTINA
La Natividad: Camilo Castagnola 10 (10 goals, 4 penalties and 1 corner), Pablo Pieres 10 (1) Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. 10 (2), Ignatius du Plessis 9 (1) Total: 39.
Ellerstina: Facundo Pieres 10 (7 goals, 3 penalties), Hilario Ulloa 9 (3) Gonzalo Pieres Jr. 9 (2), Nicolás Pieres 10 (1). Total: 38.
Score La Natividad: 0-4, 3-5, 4-6, 6-9, 8-11, 12-12, 14-13.
Umpires: Guillermo Villanueva & Martín Pascual.
Third man: Gastón Lucero.
Francisco Dorignac MVP Award: Facundo Pieres.
Top scorer of the final: Camilo Castagnola (10 goals).
Top scorer of the tournament: Camilo Castagnola (28 goals).
Best Polo Argentino Bred: Open Chequera, ridden by Facundo Pieres.
BPP presented by the AAP: Open Chequera, ridden by Facundo Pieres.
The 82nd Tortugas Open saw eight teams, between 29 and 39 goals, in participation.