La Dolfina and Ellerstina faced off, once again, in an Open Championship Final for the second time in one month. Following a closely fought Tortugas Open Final, where Ellerstina snatched victory away from La Dolfina with a last-second goal, the two teams were ready for a repeat match.
The first two chukkas saw both teams go head-to-head, with all eight players displaying enormously high levels of skill and class in a closely fought competition. It wasn’t until the third chukka that La Dolfina broke away following a string of goals from Adolfo Cambiaso and Pablo MacDonough.
Leading the next four chukkas, La Dolfina extended their lead to 19-14 in the final chukka, and looked certain to secure their first Open Final win of 2011. However, when Ellerstina’s, Facundo Pieres, scored four goals La Dolfina’s lead was reduced to 19-18. With only seconds remaining La Dolfina defended the ball deep in their own half following wave after wave of attacks from Ellerstina to win the match at the final bell.
This is La Dolfina’s first Hurlingham Open Final win since 2006. The teams will now prepare for the third and final championship of the Argentine season – the 118th Argentine Polo Open Championship – from November 19 – December 10, 2011.
Score La Dolfina: 2-2, 4-4, 8-6, 10-6, 13-7, 15-10, 16-14, 19-18. Adolfo Cambiaso, who scored 12 goals for La Dolfina, was named MVP. Facundo Pieres’s Open Tarantula of Ellerstina took BPP honours. Facundo Pieres was the Final’s top scorer, with 14 goals.
The Triple Crown 2011
The dates and details of the three tournaments that make up the 2011 Triple Crown are detailed below:
Tournament: Tortugas Open, Argentina
Place: Tortuguitas
Club: Tortugas CC
Date: September 27 – October 16, 2011
Tournament: Hurlingham Open, Argentina
Place: Hurlingham
Club: Hurlingham Club
Date: October 18 – November 6, 2011
Tournament: 118th Argentine Open, Argentina
Place: Palermo
Club: Palermo
Date: November 19 – December 10, 2011
The Triple Crown 2011: The Teams
On 17 August 2011, the Asociación Argentina de Polo announced the six teams that will take part in this year’s Triple Crown, together with the five that will compete in the qualifying tournament from where two of the five teams will qualify for the Hurlingham and Palermo events.
There are changes in five of the six teams for this year’s events, with teams announced as below:
La Dolfina: Adolfo Cambiaso, Jr. 10, David Stirling, Jr. 9, Pablo MacDonough 10, Juan Martín Nero 10. Total: 39
Ellerstina: Facundo Pieres 10, Gonzalo Pieres, Jr. 10, Nicolás Pieres 8, Ignacio Heguy 9. Total: 37
Estancia Grande: Agustín Merlos 9, Lucas Monteverde, Jr. 9, Sebastián Merlos 9, Bartolomé Castagnola 9. Total: 36
La Aguada: Javier Novillo Astrada 9, Eduardo Novillo Astrada, Jr. 9, Miguel Novillo Astrada 9, Ignacio Novillo Astrada 9. Total: 36
Pilará: Bautista Heguy 8, Tomás García del Río 8, Hilario Ulloa 9, Cristian Laprida, Jr. 8. Total: 33
Indios Chapaleufú II: Alberto Heguy, Jr. 8, Julio Arellano 9, Alejandro Novillo Astrada 8,
Eduardo Heguy 8. Total: 33
Teams that will be qualifying for (two places in) Hurlingham and Palermo events:
Chapa Uno: Pablo Pieres 8, Guillermo Caset, Jr. 8, Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade 8, Jaime García Huidobro 8. Total: 32
Alegría: Frederick Mannix, Jr. 7, Francisco Bensadón 8, Mariano Aguerre 9, Francisco de Narváez, Jr. 8. Total: 32
La Quinta: Joao Paulo Ganon 7, Mark Tomlinson 7, Julio Novillo Astrada (grandson) 8, Luke Tomlinson 8. Total: 30
Miramar: Diego Cavanagh 7, Pablo Jauretche 7, Joaquín Pittaluga 7, Alejandro Agote 8
Total: 29
Enigma: James Beim 7, Valerio Zubiaurre, Jr. 6, Guillermo Willington 7, Matías MacDonough 8. Total: 28
For more information visit www.aapolo.com.
Rolex and Polo
Rolex’s association with Polo began over thirty years ago, forming a partnership based on a shared appreciation of excellence. Success on the polo fields 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, Pieres held the highest rankings throughout the 2009 season. 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 28, 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.