Ellerstina Copa de Oro 2009 Final
After Ellerstina’s stunning last minute defeat of Sao Jose in the semi finals, the contrasting style of the final was marked. Whilst in the semis, the Brazilians played hard, fast, open polo, which was a joy to watch, the opposition this time, Las Monjitas, closed down the game, concentrated on possession and calculated that three skilful professionals adopting a tactical approach, ought to be able to defeat two of the world’s highest rated and most exuberant players. And so it unfolded, a game with flashes of brilliance, but played at a much slower speed than we have become used to watching in Argentina.
No doubt this will once again spark debate about the new rules as the victory of Las Monjitas. Piki Alberdi and his fellow professionals indubitably showed amazing ball control but combined this with a closed playing style, plenty of “el trencito†(the “little train†where each pro follows closely on the heels of the other as they gradually make progress down the field), blocking and counter-blocking, forced fouls and short passing.
This was a difficult game to umpire as Ellerstina were obliged to adopt similar tactics to retain possession. Sticks were constantly raised to claim the line and a more lenient attitude to turning the ball seemed to prevail. Ellerstina’s number one, Santiago Stirling played with heart, harrying the Las Monjitas pros but was out-horsed and outskilled. Jamie Packer did not seem to be at the top of his game and was several times intimidated out of plays he would have normally excelled in.
Ultimately the Las Monjitas ball skills, combined with the three against two dynamic prevailed. The Pieres brothers showed many of their trademark passing skills with Facundo controlling the ball at the back and then sending it to land in front of his brother’s stick, who by then moving at top speed, proved to be uncatchable. Facundo’s “pasaditasâ€, accelerating past the opposition also showed off the impressive power of his second string horses. However, great short play and stick and ball from the Las Monjitas pro contingent ultimately secured their victory. 11-11 in the dying 40 seconds of the last chukka and a foul was called in favour of Las Monjitas as Ellerstina struggled to clear the ball from in front of their goal mouth. After intervention from the 3rd man, a roll in was determined and victory secured for Las Monjitas as Novilla Astrada gained possession and circled round to convert it.
No one can deny this was a tough and skilful game or that the professional players did not make every effort to secure their team’s victory. It just wasn’t as fun to watch as the flat out, field long plays that we have been seeing recently. However, the beautiful facilities and excellent ambiance explain why this event is firmly established in Argentina’s patron based polo calendar.+
Progression (Ellerstina vs. Las Monjitas): 3-3, 4-5, 8-7, 8-8, 10-10, 11-12
The Teams:
Las Monjitas: Camilo Bautista (0), Alejandro Diaz Alberdi (8), Alejandro Novilla Astrada (7), Juan Gris Zavaleta (7)
Ellerstina: Santiago Stirling (1), Facundo Pieres (10), Gonzalo Pieres (10), James Packer (1)