Ellerstina defeated La Dolfina, 12-10 in the Final of 2012 Argentine Open in a dramatic match on Saturday 8 December.
Pablo MacDonough opened the scoring for the match for La Dolfina early in the first chukka. Gonzalito Pieres scored to tie it up at 1-1. Three minutes later, Nico Pieres put Ellerstina ahead, 2-1, to end the first chukka. Facundo Pieres scored the first goal of the second chukka, giving Ellerstina a 3-1 advantage, but La Dolfina stormed back. Ellerstina fouls allowed Adolfo Cambiaso to convert a pair of 30 yard penalty shots to tie it up at 3-3. Gonzalito Pieres’s second goal of the game had Ellerstina back on top, 4-3. A foul in the Ellerstina goal mouth gave Cambiaso a short penalty shot for a goal and the chukka ended 4-4.
Goals were hard to come by in the third chukka. Adolfo Cambiaso put La Dolfina up 5-4 on a 40-yard penalty conversion. Facundo Pieres followed up Nico Pieres and tied it up on a goal from the field. At the end of three periods of play it was all even at 5-5.
La Dolfina picked up a pair of goals from Cambiaso in the fourth (one by penalty one from the field) to lead, 7-5. Nearly six minutes into the chukka, Ellerstina’s Facundo Pieres scored on a neck shot through a crowd. La Dolfina led at the end of the first half, but Facundo’s goal cut the lead to a single goal, 7-6.
Mariano Aguerre scored his first goal of the game in the opening minute of the second half to level the match at 7-7. Facundo Pieres gave Ellerstina the lead on a 60 yard penalty conversion just two minutes later and Ellerstina was leading, 8-7. Facundo Pieres scored on a 60-yard penalty shot and the defending championship La Dolfina team found themselves trailing by two goals, 9-7 as the chukka ended.
Gonzalito Pieres scored from the field less than two minutes into the sixth, carrying the ball over two-hundred and fifty-yards down the field. Facundo Pieres converted a 30-yard penalty shot and Ellerstina was up, 11-7. Cambiaso cut the lead back to three goals but missed a 30 yard penalty shot to end the chukka trailing Ellerstina by three goals, 11-8.
Facundo Pieres put Ellerstina up by four goals again, 12-8, on a beautifully executed neck shot just a minute-and-a-half into the seventh chukka. Juan Martin Nero responded for La Dolfina with a goal from the field at 2:44, for a 12-9 score. Cambiaso cut the Ellerstina lead to a pair of goals on a short penalty shot and the chukka ended with Ellerstina defending a 12-10, two goal lead.
In the opening 30 seconds of play, Gonzalito Pieres fouled Pelon Stirling, but Cambiaso had the 60-yard penalty shot blocked. La Dolfina continued to press the attack with no result. An Ellerstina foul put Cambiaso at the penalty line once again, but the 10-goaler proved he was human, missing his second 30-yard penalty shot of the game. Moments later Cambiaso got another opportunity on a 60-yard shot, but once again it was blocked and cleared by Ellerstina. A defensive backhander by Mariano Aguerre last in the chukka reversed the field on La Dolfina and despite a final charge at the Ellerstina goal by La Dolfina, the shot by Nero went wide, and Ellerstina looked to have the game won. Ellerstina controlled the ball in the final seconds of regulation time, as neither team got on the scoreboard in the eighth. Time expired and Ellerstina celebrated an incredible 12-10 win.
Score Ellerstina: 2-1, 4-4, 5-5, 6-7, 9-7, 11-8, 12-10, 12-10.
THE TRIPLE CROWN 2012
The dates and details of the three tournaments that make up the Triple Crown 2012 are as follows:
Tournament: Tortugas Open, Argentina
Place: Tortuguitas
Club: Tortugas CC
Date: September 25 – October 13, 2012
Tournament: Hurlingham Open, Argentina
Place: Hurlingham
Club: Hurlingham Club
Date: October 16 – November 4, 2012
Tournament: 119th Argentine Open, Argentina
Place: Palermo
Club: Palermo
Date: November 17 – December 8, 2012
For more information, visit www.pololine.com.
ROLEX AND POLO
Rolex’s association with Polo began over 40 years ago, forming a partnership based on a shared appreciation of excellence. Success on the polo field is achieved only by those who, during the intensity of the match, deliver results with precision and seamless control, moving with a grace and elegance comparable to the intricate craftsmanship of a Rolex timepiece.
Such skill is evident in Rolex Testimonee Gonzalo Pieres Jr, one of today’s most accomplished and proficient polo players. The holder of a 10 goal handicap on three continents, Gonzalo Pieres Jr is synonymous with the world of professional polo, seen by many as the one of the greatest players of his generation. He made his debut on the professional circuit in 1999 at the Argentine Open – the world’s most important polo tournament – competing ever since at many of polo’s most celebrated events. Aged 29, Pieres Jr has already won the game’s most prestigious title, the Argentine Polo Open Championship, twice, in 2008 and again in 2010.
In the same year, with his team Ellerstina, Pieres Jr won all three tournaments in the Argentine Triple Crown – the Hurlingham Country Club Open Championship, the Tortugas Country Club Open Championship and the Argentine Polo Open Championship. This was Pieres Jr’s first Triple Crown, but Ellerstina’s second, having accomplished this feat in 1994, with the help of Pieres Jr’s father, Gonzalo Pieres Sr.
Rolex’s affiliation with polo extends beyond its finest Testimonees as the official sponsor of four of the most prestigious events on the international polo calendar: the Buenos Aires Jockey Club Open Championship (since 2005), the Tortugas Country Club Open Championship (since 2000), the Hurlingham Club Open Championship (since 1979) and the renowned Argentine Polo Open Championship (since 1979).
Held in Argentina, a nation passionate about polo, each of these championships attracts the world’s best players, whose ability to master the delicate balance between horse and rider is unrivalled. These four events are among the oldest tournaments in the sport, dating back to 1890 with the Hurlingham Club’s first match and 1893 with the start of the Argentine Polo Open Championship.
In 2011, Rolex consolidated its affiliation with polo by becoming the Official Timekeeper of the Asociación Argentina de Polo (AAP), the sport’s governing body, and its playing field in Pilar, a province just north of Buenos Aires.
Rolex’s decision to associate itself with the governing body of the disciplines it sponsors reflects its commitment to the continued progression of each sport. The AAP is dedicated to promoting polo while remaining true to the noble spirit and tradition inherent to the game.
Rolex’s sponsorship of today’s most impressive polo events reflects the brand’s long-standing and continued commitment to excellence in horsemanship.
Rod Kohler
Revolution Sports + Entertainment
E: rod@revolutionsports.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)207 592 1207