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hurlinghampolo.com
E V E N T N A M E L O C A T I O N D A T E
A C T I O N
T O R T U G A S O P E N , H U R L I N G H A M O P E N A N D A R G E N T I N E O P E N , A R G E N T I N A , S E P T E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7
Right
: Hilario Ulloa (left) out
of the saddle in the Hurlingham
Open Final against Polito Pieres
Below:
Gonzalito Pieres (left) hooks
Inaki Laprida of Cria Yatay in the
Argentine Open
chukka until halfway through the fifth
chukka, based on high speed and powerful
plays, overwhelming a somewhat confused
Ellerstina. But halfway in the fifth chukka
(Facundo Pieres suffered a heavy fall,
fortunately with no serious consequences;
he had to leave the match and was replaced
by Lucas James), the confusion was Alegría’s:
the Pieres played brilliantly, a great
comeback that secured them the 16–14 win.
Finally, the icing on the cake: the most
awaited polo competition in the world
arrived: the 124th Argentine Open Polo
Championship, that also showcased 10
teams between 29 and 40 goals, broken
down into two leagues, led by the title
holders, La Dolfina, and Ellerstina.
It’s worth noting that Adolfo Cambiaso
played his 25th Open. He also reached 100
matches and scored his 900th goal. This
fantastic player keeps breaking records.
With regards to the competition, the
tournament had 10 qualifying games and the
T H E S E A R E T H E 1 0 H I G H E S T- R AT E D
T E A M S I N T H E WO R L D . N O O T H E R
C OMP E T I T I O N R E A C H E S S U C H A L E V E L
final. There’s not much to say about these
games; only a bunch of them showcased the
so-called best polo in the world. It’s a level
of excellence, because these are the 10
highest-rated teams in the world, in line-ups
comprising players between 6 and 10 goals.
No other competition reaches such a level.
To be very analytical and strict, the only
good matches were held within League B:
Ellerstina vs Cría Yatay, and the league
decider, Ellerstina vs Alegría. Both were great
matches that featured fast polo, several good
goals and a very close score. There were
a couple of other good matches, but more
because of the balanced scores than the
overall play. The rest weren’t good enough.
Meanwhile, La Dolfina overwhelmed all
their rivals.They scored a total of 84 goals and
received only 17 in four games.They played
the polo everybody expects from a first-class
EDUARDO GRUNBERG/IMAGESOFPOLO.COM
