As I arose early from my slumber on that Saturday, the one which was to hold the 117th final of the Argentine Open of Polo, my first step was towards the window, nothing but blue sky, yes!  Then, to begin this glorious day, I was off to Paul Pieres’ Polo Lodge, in Pilar, for some polo, lunch and a swim with the guests before the biggest of polo matches in all the world.  Early we arrived to the Palermo stadium grounds, the day was beautiful, the excitement palpable, people were seated in the stands more than an hour before the first ball was to be bowled in.  After walking the grounds, almost bumping into the Ellerstina players as they headed to their team tent, and wandering the endzone by the scoreboard, we then took our seats early as well, there was to be a pre-game show celebrating the history and culture of Argentina.  Gauchos unfurled their flags of Argentina and proceed to perform as the players took to the perimeter to stick and ball in preparation.  The horses danced beneath the gauchos as they swirled upon the field, now the indios entered, laying their horses on the field in wait, then the horses rose, the indios atop them, rearing, spinning, galloping, quite an athletic display of horsemanship!  While the show continued, in celebration of this country and the day, with couples taking the field to tango, the weather was quickly becoming ominous.  The show finished with a flourish and the band began Argentina’s anthem with the players at centre field…game time was tantalizingly close but the crowd was becoming concerned…the rain began to fall. No! Don’t cry for me Argentina!

The teams lined up for the first throw in of the match, a steady drizzle under a darkening sky, umbrellas popping open, people huddling under their polo magazines, a vain attempt to stay dry.  The players however remained focused and Ellerstina took the ball straight from the hand of the umpire and towards goal, Gonzalito alone in front with the ball he strokes it through the uprights!  I wiped my iPhone dry, took note of the goal, looked up and there he was again streaking towards goal, despite the conditions Ellerstina seemed determined to set the pace of this match.  Gonzalito with his second of this match….BOOM…a thunderclap, the heavens applaud!  Another throw in, this time La Dolfina with the pressure, Ellerstina quick to defend but La Dolfina would not be deterred, they strengthened their resolve, the rain did the same, Ellerstina fouled defending the goal and Adolfo Cambiaso tapped in a penalty 2 as the heavens opened up and the rain lashed down!  Play called.  The crowd to their feet, we scurried as one to the shelter offered below the grandstands, thunder boomed, lightening showed the way as darkness descended.  The masses huddled, coffee and food trickled over the counter warming the fortunate few who struggled to the front.  Water pooled at our feet as we shivered and awaited the decision.  What was to happen now?  We soon had our answer as the bar bell tolled, a roar from the crowd, there would be no more polo on this day but the party was on!  As the masses warmed with food and drink, the drums began to beat, the people began to move, bouncing almost, determined to make the best of the day.  Ellerstina 2, La Dolfina 1, 3:17 on the clock.  Would the weather begin to clear? Was there to be polo the next day?

As I arose on the Sunday, not so early this time, I was anxious to know if the final would be continued.  Word filtered down to me that the field was being checked by the grounds crew and players, a short time later the decision…Yes!  As I arrived to the stadium bright blue peeked from between clouds which hung heavy in the sky.  I moved to my new seat (new friends had departed as scheduled for their homeland of Belgium, devastated they would miss the remainder of the match), now but 5 rows from the boards, I watched the players warm up with some stick and balling and wondered, would this day see the conclusion of the final?  I must not have been alone in my thoughts as the crowd trickled in and sat, silent in anticipation.

3:17 into the 1st chukka and play began anew, Ellerstina leading La Dolfina by a score of 2-1.  Ellerstina to goal from the initial throw in again, this time Juan Martin Nero, wide.  La Dolfina with the ball, Adolfo slowing, controlling.  It seemed La Dolfina meant to assert themselves and the pace they had played with throughout the tournament.  As I looked up from noting this, Cambiaso laced a long pass to a streaking David “Pelon” Sterling, who shot to goal, glanced the ball off the post and through to tie the game at 2.  Perhaps this was not a game to be slowed by either team.  The teams began by feeling each other out on this second day of the final, moments of controlling the ball lead to long hits and attacking offensive play, I think the defence of both squads was too great for slower play.  Something was different about Ellerstina to begin this day, occasional dropped balls and miss-hits, they seemed a little off their game.  La Dolfina took advantage, Cambiaso finished from the field and the 1st chukka closed 3-2 in their favour.  The boys in black quickly regained their usual form as Gonzalito potted his third goal 19 seconds into the 2nd chukka to tie the game at three.  Then Pelon for La Dolfina, then Facundo for Ellerstina and another tie.  This game was moving now!  In the entire tournament I had not seen La Dolfina moving like this, this was not the Cambiaso show, this was teamwork, they were flying up and down the field matching horsepower with the reknown string of Ellerstina.  I was almost giddy, this was something to behold!  Back and forth they went, the two powerhouses pounding away at each other, blasting along the boards just in front of where I sat.  Ellerstina knocked in and Gonzalito again at full speed streaked towards goal, it looked as this one was going wide…wait…he went faster still, caught up to it, leaned back and out and with a chip shot dropped it through the goal!  La Dolfina roared right back at Ellerstina but this was to go wide as the chukka came to a close with a whistle that also cued the conversation in the stands.  I remarked that I hadn’t seen La Dolfina run like this all tournament and the lady beside me exclaimed that La Dolfina “puts their skates on for the final”, I laughed and, as a Canadian, I almost gave her a hug.  The score stood at 5-4 for Ellerstina to begin the 3rd chukka and it saw more of the same action.  At one point La Dolfina broke with the ball from Ellerstina’s end and it looked to be a sure goal, then there was a blur, Gonzalito from way back, made the defensive play, Ellerstina now with it, a long pass to…Gonzalito?!?  How did he get out front again so fast?  I took a quick glance at the board which displays the horses on the field, Fina Pepa, the horse he had purchased earlier in the year for nearly a half million dollars…wow… she may have been a bargain!  The 4th chukka began, 7-5 in favour of Ellerstina but the defending champions had something to say about that as they showed their grit, none more passionate than Bartolome “Lolo” Castagnola, his roars could be heard from the stands and the team, as one, bore down on defence.  Ellerstina with more pressure took it to goal, La Dolfina’s defense strong, a shot defended, the post hit, once, twice more La Dolfina fights off attempts from the goal mouth…the crowd is leaping in their seats, hands in the air, on their heads, over their mouths…incredible action!!!  Just as the crowd was settling back into their collective seats La Dolfina bursts up the boards from the knock in and just into Ellerstina’s end, suddenly, with a crack, the ball is launched into orbit, Pelon with a neck shot goal that set the flags from Uruguay to waving and the La Dolfina fans to roaring!  La Dolfina had closed the gap to one and now had a penalty from the spot near centre with seconds left until half.  Adolfo tapped, looked, tapped again.  What was he to do?  To the left he tapped one more time, centred himself and with a good look at the goal raised up and obliterated a ball from at least 110 yards out dead centre through the uprights!  7-7 to close the chukka and the half, the crowd could now, finally, breathe.

The 5th chukka began the second half with much more of the same, from end to end, one set of boards to the other, balls blocked by both man and beast, unrelenting offensive pressure, unwavering defensive strength the battle waged on in the the stadium known as the cathedral of polo.  A cathedral it most certainly was on that day, the crowd sat as if attending mass, silent, intent, watching, afraid to miss a second of the sublime action.  Facundo converted a penalty to take a lead, Adolfo made it a brief one, Pelon took one out of the air for a lead La Dolfina can could their own, Adolfo and his mallet to control in the air and score to extend the lead.  Back and forth they went, the chukka ended with mallets clashing and raised voices as the teams battled over the boards, 10-8 for La Dolfina now!  Had this game turned for the defending champs?  Was this new found lead one they would not relinquish?  The 6th began with another clash of mallets and words as the ball was thrown in by the boards, Ellerstina out with it but there was almost no room to run or even swing a mallet as La Dolfina was swarming on defense.  Even a called penalty 3 could not contain the defence as Pelon charged from the end line to block Facundo’s attempt and La Dolfina was off to the races only to receive the same swarming defensive treatment as they had meted out.  Pablo MacDonough with it, first offside, then the nearside with Lucas Montaverde climbing all over him, ball bouncing towards goal, Lucas reaching, swinging but only clipping the ball as it skipped through the goal.  Now a perfectly placed backshot and Facundo on a rocket past the goal with a chip shot and it was Ellerstina now leading by 2, 12-10.  The crowd speechless, breathless as the chukka ended, only able to ooh and ahh at the exhausting display.  I’m emotional, my chest tight, the game is almost too much to watch, the passion the players have for this game is obvious.  I desire the release of emotion afforded them in this spectacular setting, I needed the time between chukkas to gather myself, I don’t know that I can describe what I was seeing, feeling, experiencing…perhaps awe.  The 7th chukka began with Adolfo and a penalty 3…wide! Unbelievable.  Then both teams somehow turn it up another notch, blazing speed, Lolo necks a ball from the goal line, from what looked like millimetres from being a goal and the game blazed on…Adolfo with it whirling, swirling, somehow created space from Nero’s suffocating defence and a shot to goal closed the gap again to one.  Immediately from the throw in it’s Adolfo again, just barely in front of Nero, he can’t pull away, Nero can’t close, at full speed they approach goal, Adolfo completely focused on the ball, Nero flung across his horse’s neck, almost leaving his horse behind, he can’t reach far enough for the hook…the game knotted at 12 now!  Now Gonzalito, now Adolfo…the chukka ends 13-13, the Dorrego stands which house the fan sections for each side were absolutely delirious, the match almost too much, the passion, the emotion…exhausting.  The beginning of the 8th and final chukka of regulation finds Gonzalito on his way to goal again, nearside, nearside, nearside as he bends to the right towards the uprights placing it perfectly where Lolo cannot make a play on it, leaving him no choice but to attempt to do just that in order to prevent a goal…foul…Facundo converts and Ellerstina had the slimmest of leads once again.  On and on the battle of  attrition waged…La Dolfina with pressure, wide…Pablo MacDonough dismounted for a moment with what looked to be cramping…the battle taking it’s toll…Gonzalito peeling up the turf behind Fina Pepa once again…a sure goal necked clear by Lucas to keep the game in reach…action swirling…balls deflecting and picked from the air…bruising ride offs…Ellerstina wide…Adolfo Cambiaso with it, 30 seconds left, the air is sucked from the stadium…These have been his moments of pure brilliance…What was to come from the master?  Along the boards he worked it on the famous Cuartetera, moving down field, defended well, Pablo MacDonough backed it away, somehow it was Cambiaso and Cuartetera first to the ball again, and again he moved down field it, and again the defence pressured, Cambiaso and Cuartetera running, desperate for an opening to goal and suddenly, perhaps the only thing Cuartetera could not outrun strikes….the clock…the umpire’s whistle cut the air and the crowd raised to it’s feet as one, hands extended to the heavens, breathless, still stunned by what they had witnessed, still in awe from a most incredible match.  The Ellerstina supporters poured onto the field, the players being carried above the throng on shoulders, flags swinging, cheers and chants rocking the cathedral now.  What an incredible match, the best performance of the tournament by both squads, perhaps the best seen in years…amazing, simply amazing.

The awards podium was brought to the field, the people surrounded it waiting for the teams, the speeches, the awards, the autographs, the chance to discuss the game with friends, the parties to follow.  What a tournament.  What a final!

I was exhausted then…I am exhausted again now, having re-lived the game in the writing of it…nothing left to say but…

Thanks for reading.

Chau for now!

Dylan Foster

The Awards…

MVP…Juan Martin Nero

Top Scorer of Tournament…Adolfo Cambiaso

Gonzalo Tanoira Award for Best Mounted Player…Adolfo Cambiaso

BPP (Susan Townley Award)…Dolfina Cuartetera (Adolfo Cambiaso)

Argentine Polo Horse Breeders Association Award…Dolfina Toro (Bartolome Castagnola)