No surprises in The Hurlingham Open
Tournament organisers for The Hurlingham Open took an opportunity in the break in the weather to cram in the remaining games for the placings in Zone A and Zone B to produce the Finals teams. It comes as no surprise that Ellerstina and La Dolfina have taken the two top spots for the second title in The Triple Crown.
El Paraíso, who have had a strong campaign so far, faced their toughest opponents yet, Triple Crown and Hurlingham Open current title holders La Dolfina. Agustín ‘Tincho’ Merlos and his dream team put up a strong fight, but failed to lead the scores, always a few goals behind their powerhouse opponents despite Cambaiso’s Cañuelas team failing to score in the final chukka. However the world’s number one did manage 9 goals for his team whilst El Paraíso’s top scorer was Agustín ‘Tincho’ Merlos with 5 goals, three of which were penalties.
Hurlingham 1875 Brand Ambassador Fred Mannix’s team Alegría took on the favourites for the Final, Ellerstina the following day on Sunday 6 November. The Pieres quartet had up until this point sailed through the rounds with some depressing scores for their opponents, but Alegría were thirsty for a win and didn’t go down without a fight. Falls, fouls and even a yellow card were all part of the proceedings and a dangerously close score of 16-14, for eventual winners Ellerstina.
In the remaining two games La Irenita took a brutal loss against Washington with a final score of 26-10 and La Aguada Las Monjitas defeated Cría Yatay 13-11. The Final between La Dolfina and Ellerstina has been scheduled for Wednesday 9 November. To view all the team lists and scores click here.
Photograph: Facundo Pieres celebrates his win against Alegría. By©www.imagesofpolo.com/Eduardo Grunberg