The finals of the 130th. Hurlingham Open, the first leg of the 2023 Triple Crown in Argentina, have been already set, following the two remaining semifinals for the Ayshire Cup and the Subsidiary Drysdale Cup, that were played on Sunday October 1. It is worth noting that La Dolfina Saudi and Cria La Dolfina are already waiting in the tournament’s last stage, after their wins on Saturday September 30, having earned their spots in the championship games of the Ayshire Cup and the Subsidiary Drysdale Cup, respectively.
In the morning, in the match that took place at the AAP Headquarters, in Pilar, La Ensenada and La Hache Cría & Polo clashed for the second spot in the final of the subsidiary. La Ensenada managed to hold their opponents back, but La Hache Cría and Polo bounced back and tied the scores in the fourth and fifth chukkas. But the ice on the cake came up when Lukin Monteverde – who made his debut in the Triple Crown, subbing in for Tito Ruiz Guiñazu – produced two spectacular goals in the last minute of play, that secured La Hache Cría & Polo to their first win of the year and a spot in the final.
Later in the afternoon, La Natividad and La Hache Polo Team went head-to-head, at Palermo, in a much anticipated contest. And it didn’t dissappointed at all. La Hache dominated right from the start, only losing one chukka, and always managing to bounce back to close the gap every time La Natividad produced two or three goals. La Hache delivered a remarkable performance as a whole, but above all Hilario Ulloa played one of his best matches ever, by scoring the most important goals in the right time. At the end of the day, and in his first experience playing with his own organization in the Triple Crown, he is ready to play his first final.
130th. Hurlingham Open – Sunday October 1
SEMIFINAL #2: LA HACHE CRÍA & POLO 19-16 LA NATIVIDAD
LA HACHE POLO TEAM: Rufino Bensadón 8 (3 goals), Hilario Ulloa 9 (5), Guillermo Caset 9 (5), Francisco Elizalde 9 (6). Total: 35.
LA NATIVIDAD*: Camilo Castagnola 10 (9 goals), Pablo Mac Donough 10 (2), Barto Castagnola 10 (3), Facundo Pieres 9 (1). Total: 39.
*1 Goal on Penalty 1.
Score La Hache Polo Team: 2-1, 5-2, 7-4, 11-6, 14-9, 16-13, 19-16.
Umpires: Matías Baibiene & Gastón Lucero. Third man: José I. Araya.
SEMIFINAL DRYSDALE CUP #2: LA HACHE CRÍA & POLO 14-13 LA ENSENADA
LA HACHE CRÍA & POLO: Lukin Monteverde 7 (3 goals), Toly Ulloa 7 (1), Facundo Sola 8 (2), Joaquín Pittaluga 8 (8 penales). Total: 30.
LA ENSENADA: Juan Britos 9 (3, two penalties), Alfredo Bigatti 9 (2), Juan Martín Zubía 9 (5, four penalties), Jerónimo del Carril 8 (3). Total: 35.
Score La Hache Cría & Polo: 1-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6-6, 9-9, 10-11, 14-13.
Umpires: Guillermo Villanueva & Gonzalo López Vargas. Third man: Rafael Silva.
The Hurlingham Open will continue as follows:
Thursday October 5, AAP Pilar:
16:00 h, Final Drysdale Cup: Cría La Dolfina vs La Hache Cría & Polo
Saturday October 7, Hurlingham Club
16:00 h, FINAL Hurlingham Open: La Dolfina Saudi vs La Hache Polo Team