Mon 27th Oct 2014La Dolfina and Ellerstina to meet yet againIt’s déjà vu for those watching The Hurlingham Open after both teams secure wins to take them to the Final
Following victories over the weekend, La Dolfina Hope Funds and Piaget Ellerstina will meet once again on Sunday 2 November when they take to the field for the Final of The Hurlingham Open. Following on from La Dolfina’s win of The Tortugas Open over Ellerstina earlier in the month, and both teams playing true to form, the majority of polo fans would have rightly predicted another Final between the two great teams of the Argentine season. However, both line-ups were severely put to the test over the weekend, with neither side achieving an easy victory. Defending champions La Dolfina had to defeat last year’s Open Finalists Alegria in order to cement their place in the second Triple Crown Final. Alegria’s Polito Pieres, Hilario Ulloa, Lucas Monteverde and Alfredo Capella (replacing an injured Freddie Mannix), arrived at the field determined not to let the perfection of a 40 goal line-up faze them, and they succeeded. Pieres led his side with confidence, causing La Dolfina to have to dig deep in order to achieve a win. At the end of the sixth chukka the scores were tied with Alegria proving to be a real threat to the opposition. Unfortunately for the lower-handicapped 34 goal team, victory was not to be this time around, as La Dolfina producing a late attack to give them a 13-12 win. While La Dolfina were resting after their tough match against Alegria, the last place in the Final was still all to fight for. Piaget Ellerstina and La Aguada were both arriving at the match unbeaten, therefore the strongest in their league and so a win for either side would take them through to next weekend’s Final. It was La Aguada who were first to make their mark, with Sapo Caset leading the way for his teammates, Miguel and Nachi Novillo Astrada and Facundo Sola. Their early control earned La Aguada a 7-5 advantage at half-time, leaving Ellerstina with quite a lot of work to do. The three Pieres brothers and Mariano Aguerre returned aware of the challenge ahead and seemed to get to work quickly – an undeniable concern for La Aguada. Gonzalito rediscovered the Ellerstina flair, creating chances for both himself and his teammates, and suddenly the tables had turned. Ellerstina were producing the top-form polo that has become expected of the team and which, and consequently left La Aguada struggling to keep control. With La Aguada’s early efforts forgotten, Ellerstina stormed into the lead, 14 goals to 12. La Dolfina and Ellerstina will now come up against each other for the second time in a Triple Crown Final this season. With La Dolfina achieving a confident 14-8 win over Ellerstina in The Tortugas Open, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top for this weekend’s Final. The Hurlingham Open is the second installment within the Triple Crown series, the third and final being the prestigious Open, where all eight teams will once again be seen in action. The Open is scheduled to start on November 15 with the Final taking place on December 6. Photograph: La Dolfina and Alegria in action in last year's Open Final. | | Other top stories Wed 17th Apr 2024 Polo Times April Issue Out Now This issue packed with insights, reports & features
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