La Dolfina needed a late rally to keep their Triple Crown bid on track. On Saturday 7 November they beat Ellerstina 15-14 in the final of the Hurlingham Open, scoring four times in the last chukker after trailing for most of the match.
The line-ups
- La Dolfina (40 goals): Adolfo Cambiaso, David Stirling, Pablo Mac Donough and Juan Martín Nero, all ten-goalers.
- Ellerstina (39 goals): Pablo Pieres, Nicolás Pieres, Gonzalo Pieres and Facundo Pieres.
How the final was lost and won
Ellerstina dominated the first seven chukkers. The scores by period show how they pulled away: 2-2 after the first, then Ellerstina 5-3, 7-5, 9-7 and 12-8 by the end of the fifth. La Dolfina closed to 10-12 after the sixth and 11-13 after the seventh, which set up a decisive final period.
That period belonged to Cambiaso and Stirling. The Uruguayan Stirling played a central role in the late surge, and La Dolfina scored four goals to Ellerstina’s one to win 15-14. It was the team’s fifth consecutive Hurlingham title.
The scorers
- La Dolfina: Cambiaso eight, Stirling four, Mac Donough three.
- Ellerstina: Facundo Pieres seven, Gonzalo Pieres four, Pablo Pieres three.
Cambiaso was the top scorer even though he came into the match with physical doubts. Facundo Pieres, the best of Ellerstina, took a heavy fall in the fourth chukker but was checked by the medical staff and played on.
The race for the Triple Crown
La Dolfina won the Tortugas Open three weeks earlier, so they now have two legs of this year’s Triple Crown. The Argentine Open at Palermo is next, and it begins on Friday 20 November with La Dolfina facing Magual and Alegria meeting La Aguada.
It is rare to see a team of this quality look beaten for so long and still find the answer. Ellerstina will rue the chances they let slip, but this is a team that has now won 15-14 when it counted.
Sources: Infobae
