Dec. 13th, '05: Some people are just winners. Some people just need a little luck. Some people are called Cambiaso.
Having effectively stolen Ellerstina’s chances of winning the Argentine Open of 2004 in the last minute of their first game, La Dolfina did it again in the last game of the 2005 competition.
La Dolfina won their second Argentine Open title on Saturday, beating the much-fancied Ellerstina team 20-19 after captain Adolfo Cambiaso scored his fifteenth goal of the afternoon in extra time.
The man from Canuelas never ceases to surprise us. Cambiaso, who was 10 goals before his 19th birthday, produced the performance of the summer to guide his team home.
For Mariano Aguerre, who was in the losing team last year with Chapa I, he has now won the tournament for three different teams. For his brothers-in-law (Pieres brothers) in the Ellerstina team, they will be distraught, having come so close to winning the Triple Crown.
Lolo Catagnola fans will also be delighted as the rugged number 4 has been labelled as a phoney in recent years because he always has his best friend Adolfo Cambiaso in his team to make him look good. This year, however, Castagnola certainly performed.
It was the highest scoring final in years, but La Dolfina were the team to keep their cool at the key moments.
Ellerstina would also have become the first 40-goal team of the decade, had they won, thanks to a new ruling that says any team that wins the triple crown will become a 40-goal team.
But it wasn’t to be as Cambiaso seems to have that knack of taking the trophy away from you when it was in your grasp.
Dec. 7th, '05: La Dolfina booked the place in the 112th Argentine Open final to face the Triple Crown hopefuls Ellerstina.
La Dolfina, who lifted the trophy in 2002, have lost three previous finals in recent years, most notably in an extra chukker in the 2001 Open against Chapa I when Mariano Aguerre, - who now plays for La Dolfina, - slotted in the golden goal having trailed by three goals in the final chukker, before choking again in the eighth chukker against La Aguada in the 2003 final after leading by three goals.
Will La Dolfina buckle under the pressure again this year? Or will Ellersinta spare them the pain and play as they had been in the Hurlingham and Tortugas Opens to win the triple crown and become the first 40 goal team in the new millennium?
Ellerstina are odds on to win on Saturday after they dispatched La Aguada in the league A decider, while La Dolfina's dreary win against Chapa II ? Who had to beat La Dolfina by about 10 goals to qualify ? Saw the crowd booing by the time the final bell had been rung because both sides played as if it were a practice match.
Ellerstina 1 /2 favorites
La Dolfina 6/ 4 to cause an upset
Nov. 30th, '05: It's all hotting up. It's all hotting up now at Palermo. 2003 triple crown champions La Aguada ended Indios Chapaleufu I's chances of winning the 112th Argentine Open, beating the Heguy/Nero quartet 12-9 to book a game against tournament favorites and 2005 triple crown hopefuls Ellerstina for a place in the final.
Ellerstina, who have already won the Tortgas and Hurlingham Open in 2005, had to come back from two goals down in the final chukka to send El Metejon packing with a 15-14 win.
El Metejon and 2004finalists Chapaleufu I are out of the torneo.
On the other side of the competition, El Paraiso stepped up their performance, beating 2004 champions Indios Chapaleufu II 19-13, following the return of Paco de Narvaez at Back. El Paraiso are dark horses in this competition and should not be ruled out as possible winners. El Paraiso now have to rely on the result between La Dolfina and Chapa II, as long as they convincingly beat Centauros Beaufort. However, it looks as though Champions Chapa II will perish against La Dolfina meaning El Paraiso are likely to find themselves out of the competition.
Speaking of Adolfo Cambiasso's La Dolfina, they destroyed the Centauros Beaufort team 27 - 7. All they have to do to reach the final is beat the ailing Chapa II to reach the final. But watch out for Nachi Heguy who returns to Palermo for Chapa II following suspension. Anything could still happen.
Next weekend's match between La Aguada and Ellerstina will be a cracker, the winner of that clash likely to meet La Dolifina in the final, providing Nachi does not cause an upset.
Nov. 16th, '05: No High Goal but a sprinkling of pro polo to report - There was no high goal polo on offer last weekend in Argentina, but there was a sprinkling of professional 22 goal polo, as the world’s top players sold their services to fund their breeding operations and addiction to luxury living.
The Diamond Cup at Adolfo Cambiaso’s La Dolfina ranch began with the final to be played on Thursday. Outback and La Varzea reached the final of the La Dolfina Subsiduary Cup, while Cambiasso’s Black Polo Team take on the Italian patroned Loro Piana team.
Elsewhere the Camara de Diputados trophy was set to get underway, but was postponed due to rain. Fifteen teams entered for the competition as they try to take back the trophy from the Coronel Suarez Araya quartet.
From an American perspective, Mike Azzaro has been drafted in to cover for the injured Francisco de Narváez, Jr for the Merlos’s El Paraiso team. de Narváez was injured during a game played against Indios Chapaleufú II. Reports from Buenos Aires say that the 10 goal Americano has arrived in Argentina to start preparations for the Open in case Mr. Narváez is unable to attend.
Otherwise, all eyes are on Ellerstina to win the Argentine Open after the two Pieres brothers; Facundo and Gonzalo and the two Macdonough brothers Matias and Pablo, all of whom are cousins, won the first two tournaments of the triple crown; namely the Tortugas and Hurlingham Opens.
Nov. 8th, '05: Ellerstina have won both the Tortugas and Hurlingham Opens in 2005 and are on course to win the Triple Crown if they win the Argentine Open which begins this month.