The Argentine season has begun. On Saturday 7 October, La Dolfina beat La Hache 18-13 in the final of the Hurlingham Open, the first of the three tournaments that make up the Argentine Triple Crown.
A twelfth title
For La Dolfina it was a twelfth victory in the Hurlingham Open, a tournament often described as the first and oldest of the Triple Crown events. The team was Adolfo Cambiaso, David “Pelón” Stirling, his son Poroto Cambiaso and Juan Martín Nero. Father and son were both rated at ten goals, which is a remarkable thing to say about a family team.
La Hache were beaten by a clear margin, but reaching the final at all was a good start for them, and the scoreline should not hide how competitive the leading Argentine teams are this season.
Why Hurlingham matters
The Hurlingham Open sits at the start of the Argentine high-goal calendar. It is followed by the Tortugas Open and then the Argentine Open at Palermo, and a team that wins all three completes the Triple Crown, one of the hardest feats in polo. Winning the opener does not guarantee anything, as the long run of fixtures in October and November tends to change the picture, but it sets the tone and gives a side its first real confidence of the new campaign.
La Dolfina were also the defending champions at Palermo, and a good start in Hurlingham is a step towards defending that title. Their main rival over the past few seasons has been La Natividad, the Castagnola family’s side, so we will be watching closely when the two meet in the coming weeks.
What to look out for
Followers in Britain often forget that the Argentine season is the time when many of the professionals who play at Guards and Cowdray return home and sharpen up in front of their own crowds. It is a good chance to see how they have developed since the summer. We will report as each leg of the Triple Crown reaches its final, starting with Tortugas later this month.
Sources: La Dolfina
