Photo Credit: Polo Feeling
In the neighboring lands of the Argentine Republic, a new edition of the most prestigious tournament in Uruguayan polo took place: the Uruguayan Polo Open. Held in Punta del Este, the glamorous city of South America, the 72nd edition of this championship, which grows year by year, crowned Cibao La Pampa as the winner. This team included Poroto Cambiaso, the ten-goaler who previously wore the colors of La Dolfina in the Argentine Open and finished as the tournament’s runner-up.
The tournament format featured eight teams with a handicap limit of up to 18 goals. The clubs were divided into two zones of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals, and then to the grand final. Additionally, this was the first time that temporary stay for Argentine horses was allowed in Uruguay, enabling the participation of players like Poroto Cambiaso.
The teams participating in this Open were: LS Unicoin Estating, Las Sierras, LM Cibao La Pampa, PDEPCC Toyota, LS Bragard Polo Team, RN El Águila Polo, RN Los Tapiales and SPC Dole.. Among these teams, six players had participated in the Argentine Triple Crown: Poroto Cambiaso, Benjamín Panelo, Alfredo Bigatti, Lukin Monteverde, Diego Cavanagh, and Felipe Vercellino. The tournament also featured up-and-coming players like Rufino Laulhé and Paquito de Narváez, who will be present in next year’s Argentine Open.
The grand final, held on Sunday, January 5th, was contested between Cibao La Pampa and SPC Dole. The team featuring Poroto Cambiaso and Paquito de Narváez clinched the trophy by defeating their rival 8-5. Thus, the two Argentine players added another achievement to their collection. As for the runner-up, they were unable to turn their luck around from last year and once again fell short of glory.