There was a surprise at Tortugas. La Hache, the team led by Hilario Ulloa, beat Ellerstina in the final of the 84th Abierto de Tortugas, giving them their first title in the Argentine Triple Crown tournaments. Neither of the two 40-goal super teams, La Natividad and La Dolfina, reached the final.
How the final was set
Ellerstina won Zone A and La Hache won Zone B on the tie-break system, which meant two sides outside the usual duel contested the Copa Emilio de Anchorena. It was the first time those two had met in a final. Two published reports gave different dates for the match, either Friday 1 November or the following day, and the score appears in only one outlet, so we have left both out.
The big two fall short
La Natividad beat Cría La Dolfina 21-9 in Zone A, but that was not enough to reach the final. La Dolfina, meanwhile, lost 12-11 to La Hache in Zone B. In that match Lorenzo Chavanne, only 16, came in for Polito Pieres, who was unwell, and scored in the final seconds. It was a notable moment for a young player. La Dolfina’s line-up of Adolfo Cambiaso, Pelón Stirling, Poroto Cambiaso and Juan Martín Nero was eliminated as a result.
La Natividad, who won the first leg at Hurlingham, could not follow it up here.
La Hache’s moment
La Hache’s line-up in that Zone B match was Hilario Ulloa, Lorenzo Chavanne, Francisco Elizalde and Tomás Panelo, with a combined 33 goals. For a team playing with a lower rating than the favourites, this was a breakthrough, and it reflects well on Hilario Ulloa, who leads the side.
What next
The Argentine Open at Palermo begins shortly, and it is hard to know what to expect. La Natividad and La Dolfina will both be hungry after Tortugas, and La Hache will want to show that their win was no one-off. We will be following the Palermo draw closely.
Sources: La Nación, Pilar a Diario
