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T H E C H I L E A N O P E N , S A N T I A G O , C H I L E , D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6
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Verfrut celebrates becoming Triple Crown champions as David ‘Pelon’ Stirling
leads the team to victory at the Chilean Open, writes Carolina Beresford
In the evenly pitched final of the Chilean
Open on 18 December 2016, Verfrut beat
Casa Silva 8–7 in a thrilling match to become
champions at San Cristobal Polo Club in
Santiago. Verfrut’s advantage came from
their secret weapon: 10-goaler David ‘Pelon’
Stirling – recent winner and MVP of the
Argentine Open.
Despite their loss, Casa Silva fought
hard throughout the match, battling back
from a 1–4 disadvantage at halftime to tie
the game 4–4 by the end of the fourth.
Two quick goals by Pelon put Verfrut
back in the lead, but Casa Silva didn’t give
up; Matías Vial lead their attack and scored
in the last seconds to tie the game and send
the match into extra chukka. The seventh
period was marked by fouls as tension rose;
in the end it was Pelon who scored a 40-yard
penalty to win the title for Verfrut. The win
makes the team Triple Crown champions
after securing previous victories at the Club
and Handicap, which alongside the Chilean
Open are the three most prestigious
tournaments in Argentina.
‘It was a really tough final,’ says Pelon.‘We
started off well but things got complicated in
the fourth when they managed to level the
score. The match came to a head in the last
minute of the sixth chukka with a foul
against us; it’s always 50-50 when you go
into overtime but luck was on our side and
we managed to win.’
‘Our game plan was to get organised
and give Pelon time to steer the game, which
is what we did,’ explains Verfrut’s José
Donoso. ‘It was going to be a long game and
we knew that it would come down to the last
minutes of play.’ Donoso, one of the best
Chilean players in polo history, has now
won the Chilean Open ten times. ‘It is really
special coming back here and playing on
the no 1 ground. It brings back a lot of
memories, and winning here with all my
family watching is amazing.’
The Donoso family
celebrate José’s big win
