The Tortugas Country Club Open Polo Championship is currently underway, as six teams compete
for the Emilio de Anchorena Cup in the highest level of polo competition in the
world.
The Tortugas Open signals the start
of the high-goal polo season in Argentina, unveiling familiar names and faces
but a number of different combinations as the first of Argentina’s Triple Crown
got underway.
The Novillo Astrada brothers took
the field in their familiar La Aguada line-up Tuesday afternoon, where after a
slow start turned it on to capture a 12-8 win over a disorganized Pilara
foursome.
An injury to the wrist of Pilara’s
back, Tomas Garcia del Rio (not expected back until the Hurlingham Open at the
earliest) brought Chilean 8-goaler Jaime Huidobro into the lineup, supplying
the spark that allowed Pilara to jump out to an early 3-2 first chukker lead on
the strength of a pair of goals from 9-goaler Hilario Ulloa and a single score
from Magoo Laprida. Javier Novillo
Astrada drove the ball through the goal posts for both of the La Aguada scores,
but Pilara led 3-2 going into the second period.
Javier and brother Nacho Novillo
Astrada combined for three goals to tie it up at 5-5 in the second, with
Bautista Heguy scoring twice for Pilara.
Pilara continued to give La Aguada
fits in the third chukker, limiting the veteran team to a single goal from
Nacho Novillo Astrada while getting another goal from Ulloa to keep it all even
at 6-6 after the first three periods of play.
The veteran La Aguada team settled
into its familiar rhythm in the fourth chukker, however, and four unanswered
goals put La Aguada on top of a 10-6 score as they carried the lead through the
balance of the seven chukker match for a final 12-8 victory.
Shutout defense in the fourth and
fifth chukkers really put the game on ice as the Novillo Astradas held Pilara
to single goals in the final two periods of the game; one from Heguy in the
fifth and another from Huidobro in the seventh.
Javier and Nacho Novillo Astrada
combined for all twelve of the La Aguada goals as the brothers looked to be getting
ready to take on all comers in the 2011 season.
Action will continue at Tortugas on
Wednesday when Estancia Grande makes its debut with Lucas Monteverde and Lolo
Castagnola joining Agustin and Sebastian Merlos against Indios Chapaleufu II
(Pepe and Eduardo Heguy, Negro Novillo Astrada and Marcos di Paola).
We won’t get to see the remnants of
last year’s Argentine Open finalists until the weekend with a 39-goal La
Dolfina team of Adolfo Cambiaso, Pablo MacDonough, Juan Martin Nero and Pelon
Stirling facing Pilara in a Saturday contest, followed by a Sunday contest
between Ellerstina’s Pieres brothers (Gonzalito, Facundo and Nicolas) and Nachi
Heguy against the loser of Wednesday’s game.