By Jorge Andrades
La Dolfina frustrated Ellerstina´s hopes of winning the Triple Crown by beating them 17-16 with a goal scored by Mariano Aguerre in a supplementary chukka. The winners also took revenge of their defeat in the Hurlingham Open this year (13-19) and the Argentine Open final in 2008 and obtained it for their fifth time (2002,2005,2006,2007, 2009) .
It was the fifth time in a row that the most important tournament in the world finished in extra time, but despite of that the match did not result as good as expected. Just the small difference in the score during most of it and the unknown winner up to the final bell made it exciting.
From the start both teams showed more interested in marking than in building open play. Their players looked nervous and thus they committed many fouls which made the actions boring and with continuous stoppages. A proof of that was the fact that by the final of the fourth chukka Cambiaso had scored just two field goals while Facundo Pieres could not score any during the whole match.
In this poor scene, Ellerstina did things better than La Dolfina in the first two chukka and managed to put 7-4 ahead by the half of the third, but thanks to three penalties scored by Cambiaso who was the top scorer of the match with 11 and also of the tournament with 47, and one field goal by Aguerre, the winners put ahead for the first time of the game (8-7). From that moment up to the end of the encounter both teams went go goal-to-goal what, as said, made the actions exciting.
La Dolfina started the last chukka 15-14 ahead, but Facundo Pieres netted two penalties to put Ellerstina 16-15 with just 85 second to go. Then after a confusing play, the umpires gave La Dolfina a place penalty close to the losers´ post which was scored by Cambiaso to equalize 16-16 in regular time.
Thus they had to play an extra chukka, which started with a speedy and lonely ride by Cambiaso who missed a goal in an incredible way in front of the loser´s posts. Nevertheless, a few seconds latter, Cambiaso took the ball again and built one of his well known superb self plays, dribbling some rivals and leaving the ball close to Ellerstina´s posts and it was Aguerre, who with a short hit gave his squad the victory.
Pablo Mac Donough received the prize for the MVP of the final, while Cambiaso obtained the prize for the best player of the tournament.
TEAMS
La Dolfina (17): Adolfo Cambiaso 10, Lucas Monteverde 10, Mariano Aguerre 10, Bartolomè Castagnola 10. Total, 40
Ellerstina (16): Facundo Pieres 10, Gonzalo Pieres jr 10, Pablo Mac Donough 10, Juan MartÃn Nero 10. Total,40
SCORERS:
La Dolfina: Adolfo Cambiaso 11-7 pen, Lucas Monteverde 2, Mariano Aguerre 3, Bartolomè Castagnola 1
Ellerstina: Facundo Pieres 6 pen , Gonzalo Pieres jr 5-2 pen, Pablo Mac Donough 4, Juan MartÃn Nero 1.
Chukker scores: La Dolfina 2-2,3-5,7-7,10-10,11-12,13-13,15-14,16-16,17-16.