In a final of the highest level, La Natividad defeated La Dolfina 13 to 10 and became champion of the 130th Argentine Polo Open for the second time – in its short history.the most important high handicap tournament in the world and which is the finishing touch of the Argentine Triple Crown.
For the third consecutive year, the teams from Cañuelas, province of Buenos Aires, met on Field No. 1 of the Argentine Polo Field to play another final, which should have been played this Saturday, but was moved to this afternoon Sunday due to the 50 millimeters of water that fell in the area on Friday.
Unlike last year, the organization that leads from the outside Bartolomé “El Lolo” Castagnola He took the victory against his brother-in-law’s team, Adolfo Cambiaso (n), owner and founder of the blue team.
Although the match remained even during the first seven chukkas, The Nativity managed to take a two-goal lead in the eighth and was able to maintain it until the end, where the final blow came from the hand of Facundo Pieres to close the partial 3 to 0 and seal the final score.
The performance of the green team went from low to high, although it was always close on the scoreboard due to the effectiveness and level of its players. The experience of Pablo MacDonough (former La Dolfina and La Irenita) led the young team to victory, accompanied by the temperance of Bartolome Castagnola (h) 23 years old.
To the performance of Mac Donough -the MVP of the final- and “Barto”, the goals of Camilo “El Jeta” Castagnola were added, who did not find his best version, but he did have touches that made the difference. The same for “Facu” Pieres.
It was the first season for The Nativity with these names. Mac Donough He came from playing a great Triple Crown 2022 with La Irenita Gran Champions and Pieres from fighting it in Ellerstina, his family’s historic club.
On the other hand, La Dolfina He was unable to find the necessary consistency to stay in the game until the final chukker. This time, the palenques did not make the difference as happened in 2022, a final that remained in the hands of the blues. The inclusion of Mac Donough and Pieres They nourished the La Natividad palenque with top mares.
The experienced team, composed, in addition to Cambiaso (h), by Juan Martín Nero, David Stirling and Adolfo “Poroto” Cambiaso, lacked the necessary freshness to make the final difference and block the attacks that La Natividad spread in a few minutes.
A final with pure history
Beyond the result, La Dolfina does not lose validity. Today he played his 23rd final of 24 Palermo Opens played since the creation of the club in 2000 (he was not only in the 2004 definition). The future of Cambiaso (h) is an unknown at 48 years of age. His goal of playing Palermo and winning it with his son, Poroto, has already been achieved in 2022.
Meanwhile, the organization created by “Lolo” Castagnola played its third consecutive final of the Argentine Open and in both matches it faced La Dolfina. In 2021, La Natividad won 15-13, while last season La Dolfina triumphed 13-9.
Among the four players of La Dolfina accumulated 41 titles (18 Cambiaso in 26 finals played; 12 Nero, in 15; 10 Stirling in 13; and 1 Poroto in the only definition they played). ANDOn the other hand, on the side of the green and white team, in 2021 they achieved the glory of winning the Palermo Open for the first time and today their second star.
“Jeta” and “Barto” played their third final in a row, while Mac Donough played his 16th final, achieving with this victory his 12th star in Palermo. For his part, Pieres played his 14th final and won his fourth title in “La Catedral”.
Formations
La Dolfina (40 goal handicap): Adolfo Cambiaso (h.), 10; David Stirling, 10; Adolfo Cambiaso (b.), 10, and Juan Martín Nero, 10.
La Natividad (39 goal handicap): Facundo Pieres, 9; Camilo Castagnola, 10; Pablo Mac Donough, 10, and Bartolomé Castagnola (h.), 10.
Source: Ambito
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