The Argentine Triple Crown has begun, and La Dolfina have the first leg. La Dolfina Sancor Seguros beat Ellerstina 11-9 in the final of the 78th Tortugas Open at the Tortugas Country Club, winning the Copa Emilio de Anchorena for a sixth year in a row.
A first for Tortugas
This final was the first time that two teams with a 40-goal handicap had met for the title. It was also the eighth consecutive Tortugas final between these two teams. With the win, La Dolfina matched Ellerstina’s record of six straight titles in the tournament.
- La Dolfina Sancor Seguros (40): Adolfo Cambiaso, David Stirling, Pablo Mac Donough and Juan Martín Nero, each rated 10
- Ellerstina (40): Pablo Pieres, Gonzalo Pieres, Nicolás Pieres and Facundo Pieres, each rated 10
How the scoring went
The score progressed 3-0, 3-1, 5-2, 5-4, 9-6, 9-7, and finally 11-9 after the seventh chukker, and La Dolfina led all the way. Cambiaso and Stirling each scored five, with two of Cambiaso’s coming from penalties. Nero added one from a corner. For Ellerstina, Gonzalo Pieres scored four (one from a penalty), while Pablo Pieres and Facundo Pieres scored two each and Nicolás Pieres one. The match was played on field 7 at the club.
Awards
- Copa Emilio de Anchorena: presented to Pablo Mac Donough by Francisco Dorignac, the president of the Tortugas Country Club.
- Best Player: David Stirling, who also received the Sancor Seguros prize.
- Gran Premio Macro: awarded to all four La Dolfina players.
What comes next
The Tortugas Open is the first of the three tournaments that make up the Triple Crown, with the Hurlingham Open and the Argentine Open at Palermo to follow. La Dolfina missed out on the Triple Crown in both 2016 and 2017, and with Ellerstina matching them at 40 goals this year, the 2018 season looks like one of the closest in years.
Two 40-goal teams and two goals between them at the end: that is exactly why the Argentine season is such a treat. We will be watching Hurlingham.
Sources: Diario La Capital de Mar del Plata
