Polo is back in Argentina, and Ellerstina have taken charge of it. The 2020 Triple Crown, compressed into 49 days and played without spectators, has now delivered two winners from the same team: Ellerstina won the Abierto de Tortugas on 10 November and the Hurlingham Open on 22 November.
Polo under protocol
The Argentine Polo Association spent months negotiating with the authorities for the season to be allowed, and the plan that emerged is very different from the usual one. Matches are played at the Association’s own Alfredo Lalor grounds in Pilar, rather than at the usual club venues. There are no spectators, and the plan allowed for no media beyond the official television broadcast. The Tortugas and Hurlingham tournaments each have eight teams and are played as straight knockouts, while the Argentine Open at Palermo, which comes last, keeps its round-robin format.
The first official polo match in Argentina since the pandemic began was played on 1 November, when Ellerstina beat La Irenita 21-8. Facundo Pieres scored nine goals and Hilario Ulloa seven. The match was streamed online and drew around 23,751 viewers worldwide, which is more than such an early-round game usually attracts in person.
Tortugas and Hurlingham
- Tortugas final, 10 November: Ellerstina 16, La Dolfina 6, in the 80th edition. Facundo Pieres scored eight.
- Hurlingham final, 22 November: Ellerstina 16, RS Murus Sanctus 11. Facundo Pieres scored ten, and Hilario Ulloa and Gonzalo Pieres were also among the goals.
La Dolfina were short-handed in the Tortugas final, without three regular players who were injured, and Adolfo Cambiaso played with a rib injury. Cambiaso’s 14-year-old son Poroto played and scored, and was the youngest man on the field. RS Murus Sanctus, who reached the Hurlingham final, had Facundo Sola, Francisco Elizalde, Sapo Caset and Alfredo Cappella Barabucci.
What it means for Palermo
Ellerstina, who have won both knockouts, now head into the Argentine Open with a chance of the Triple Crown, and with Hilario Ulloa adding to their attack in his first season with the team. The Palermo tournament is the toughest of the three and the one that matters most to the Argentine public. It will be played in a country in which the pandemic is still very much part of life.
We will have the Palermo final for you in December. In the meantime, congratulations to Ellerstina on two fine victories, and to the association for getting the season on at all.
Sources: La Nación, La Capital, Pololine
