Ellerstina and Cria GT opened fire in a new qualifying round for the 127th Argentine Open, on Palermo’s number two ground. Joaquin Pittaluga was back in the saddle for Cria GT after missing out on the first matches due to injury. Ellerstina displayed their usual dominance, overwhelming Cria GT, who, despite their efforts, weren’t able to do that much against such a powerful contender. Ellerstina held them back and blocked every attempt they made to close the gap.
Cria GT were unable to stop Ellerstina, with their lethal weapon in attack, Facundo Pieres, who, when not scoring, he worked well with his brother Gonzalito–who is playing at his best–to put the ball between the goalposts. Hilario Ulloa’s powerful performance in midfield and Nico Pieres’ solid role at Back made all the difference, meaning that the General Rodriguez-based foursome took a spectacular 19-7 victory. They are still the prime contenders to take the most coveted polo trophy in the world.
Up next, La Ensenada La Aguada took on La Dolfina Polo Ranch in a fierce battle of the unbeaten on Palermo’s number one ground. Following a very balanced first chukka, that ended 1-all, La Dolfina Polo Ranch began building a wide difference in a spectacular second chukka. Diego Cavanagh (1) and Juano Britos (2) scored fantastic goals to outscore La Ensenada La Aguada 4-0, which meant that the scoreboard read a 5-1 in favour of La Dolfina Polo Ranch. Throughout the first half, La Dolfina Polo Ranch played perfect polo against a young, talented contender, even though La Ensenada did not have their best day. The combined skills of La Dolfina Polo Ranch with their spectacular horse string–which included a little help from Adolfo Cambiaso–helped them seize the reins of a match and secure a 10-2 lead by half time.
Halfway through the fifth chukka, Juano Britos suffered a heavy fall. Fortunately, he was well enough to continue, but the accident delayed the match for a few minutes. The game resumed, and La Ensenada La Aguada kept struggling to get back into it. They managed to score a couple of goals, but La Dolfina Polo Ranch had done more than enough to secure the match, with two chukkas left. La Dolfina Polo Ranch played an extraordinary game against a gifted foursome, who were short on luck, taking home an unexpectedly heavy 18-8 win.
ELLERSTINA 19-7 CRIA GT
Ellerstina: Facundo Pieres 10 (7 goals, two penalties), Hilario Ulloa 10 (4), Gonzalo Pieres Jr. 9 (7), Nicolás Pieres 10 (1). Total: 39.
Cría GT: Valerio Zubiaurre 8 (1), Cristian Laprida 8 (2), Joaquín Pittaluga 8 (1 penalty), Ignacio Laprida 8 (3, one penalty). Total: 32.
Score Ellerstina: 2-0, 5-1, 8-2, 9-3, 13-3, 16-3, 18-4, 19-7.
Umpires: Gonzalo López Vargas & Matías Baibiene.
Third Man: Rafael Silva.
BPP Polo Argentino: Lavinia Graciosa (Lavinia Naipe x Macana), player Hilario Ulloa.
Nominees:
Open Perdiz (Ellerstina Pícaro x Lindsay), player: Gonzalo Pieres.
CP Sonia (Sportivo x Machitos Sabona), player: Facundo Pieres.
LA DOLFINA POLO RANCH 18-8 LA ENSENADA LA AGUADA
La Dolfina Polo Ranch: Guillermo Terrera 8 (2 goals), Juan Britos 8 (7 goals, two penalties), Diego Cavanagh 9 (7, three penalties), Alejo Taranco 8 (2). Total: 33.
La Ensenada La Aguada: Segundo Bocchino 6 (1 goal), Alfredo Bigatti 8 (2), Matías Torres Zavaleta 8 (2), Jerónimo Del Carril 7 (3 penalties). Total: 29.
Score La Dolfina Polo Ranch: 1-1, 5-1, 9-1, 10-2, 12-4, 13-4, 16-6, 18-8.
Umpires: Gastón Lucero & Guillermo Villanueva.
Third Man: Federico Martelli.
BPP Polo Argentino: Anay Sur Capuchina (Machitos Jit x Chueca), player: Juan Britos.
Nominees:
Latia Venus (Ellerstina Pícaro x Grappa Estrella), player: Segundo Bocchino.
Sol de Agosto Tagua (225) (Sol de Agosto x Sol de Agosto Urraca), player: Juan Britos.
The 127th Argentine Polo Open resumes on Thursday, December 9:
12pm: La Irenita vs. La Irenita II
4pm: La Dolfina Saudi vs. RS Murus Sanctus
127° ARGENTINE POLO OPEN: Fixture & Teams
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