Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu and La Hache qualified to the semifinals of the 133rd. Hurlingham Open

The two last quarter final games of the 133rd. Hurlingham Open, the first leg of the Triple Crown in Argentina, were played on Wednesday September 23, and the two last semifinalists have been revealed – Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu and La Hache, who defeated Don Ercole and Hiper Polo, respectively.

 

Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu and Don Ercole opened the second matchdate of quarter finals, that took place at the Argentine Association of Polo Headquarters, in Pilar. The former with the two Pieres brothers (Facundo and Gonzalito) and the two Heguy cousins (Cruz and Antonio); and the latter are playing their first Triple Crown, a spot they earned last year when they defeated Kazak in the playoffs, and features the same lineup – Facundo Cruz Llosa, Pedro Zacharias, Felipe Vercellino and Kristos Magrini. However, Magrini was unable to play in the debut, due to an injury, and was subbed in by Ignacio Viana.

The first half was quite balanced, that saw Don Ercole 4-3 up halfway in the third chukka, when the match was stopped after Pedro Zacharias received a hit from a ball, with no consequences for the player. Once the contest resumed, a reloaded Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu scored to make it at 6-4. But Don Ercole never gave up; Zacharias closed the gap to one goal. However, the fourth chukka saw Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu at their best – goals by Antonio Heguy, Facundo Pieres (x2) and Gonzalito Pieres earned the General Rodriguez-based foursome a 9-5 lead by half time. Then, Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu widened their advantage to 10-5 in the fifth, but Don Ercole persisted, and replied quickly through Facundo Cruz Llosa.

Matters became increasingly complicated in the sixth chukka; a collision between Facundo Cruz Llosa and Facundo Pieres delayed the match a great deal; but once both players were safe to keep playing, the match resumed, with Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu still on the lead (10-6).

At the end of the day, Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu left the deal said and done in the last two chukkas; goals by Cruz Heguy (3), Facundo Pieres, Antonio Heguy (2) and Gonzalito Pieres, secured them the 16-9 win and the ticket to the semifinal.

 

The second game of the day, and the last quarter final, saw a brand new La Hache lineup vs. a new team, Hiper Polo. The former with two pair of brothers, the Ulloas (Hilario and Carlos María, “Toly”) and the Panelos (Tomás and Benjamín), and the latter featured Victorino Ruiz Jorba (a/k/a ” Torito”), Gonzalo Ferrari, Francisco Elizalde and Teo Lacau.
La Hache’s Toly Ulloa opened the scores, but Hiper Polo replied quickly through Torito Ruiz and Fran Elizalde, to close the first chukka with a 2-1 advantage for Hiper Polo. If anyone thought of a balanced contest, well, it must be said that La Hache had another ideas in mind. In the second chukka, La Hache outscored Hiper Polo with an impressive 5-0; the scoreboard read now a 6-2 advantage for the Ulloas and Panelos. Hiper Polo managed to put pressure on them, but La Hache demonstrated to be a more solid lineup both in attack and defense – this led them to a commanding 11-6 lead by half time. And when it came to convert penalties, La Hache’s Benjamin Panelo and Hiper’s Torito Ruiz showcased their remarkable accuracy.
Following half time, the remaining of the game belonged to La Hache; mostly, in the fifth chukka, which was kind of a repetition of the second chukka. The indomitable Hilario Ulloa produced three unanswered goals, to give La Hache a 14-8 lead, while Hiper was mostly supported by Torito Ruiz’s skills. By the moment to play the eighth and last chukka, La Hache were 18-9 up. Benjamin Panelo added one more goal to seal the 19-10 win (Torito Ruiz scored for Hiper Polo in the last seconds, but the damage has already been done), and the last spot in semifinals.
THE SEMIFINALS OF THE 133rd. HURLINGHAM OPEN WILL BE PLAYED ON FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25 AND SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26, WITH THE FOLLOWING ORDER OF PLAY:
  • FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25
1pm, SF #1 DRYSDALE CUP – La Ensenada vs. La Aguada
4pm, SF #1 HURLINGHAM OPEN – La Natividad La Dolfina vs. Las Monjitas
  • SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26
1,pm, SF#2 DRYSDALE CUP – Hiper Polo vs. Don Ercole
4pm, SF #2 HURLINGHAM OPEN– Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu vs. La Hache. 
Cover photo by Matías Callejo / Prensa AAP.