By Alex Webbe
Following the opening day of play in the 2011 Hurlingham Open that saw La Dolfina hammer Chapa Uno 23-11 and Pilara Piaget fend off a contentious Estancia Grande
foursome, 17-15, the 2010 defending championship Ellerstina team took to the
field.
In the opening match of the day, Facundo Pieres scored eight goals in leading Ellerstina to an 18-11 win over a struggling Alegria team.
Hard riding and precision shooting put Ellerstina up 4-0 after the opening chukker as
Alegria fought to organize an effective defense against a swarming Ellerstina attack.
Mariano Aguerre led the Alegria offense onto the field in the second chukker, outscoring the defending championship Ellerstina team 3-2, but trailing 6-3 after the
first two periods.
The Ellerstina onslaught continued to pose problems for the Alegria defenders as
they ran up a commanding 15-8 lead after six chukkers. With the Ellerstina team coasting through the final two periods, each team managed to score a final three goals and Alegria fell to the defending champions, 18-11.
LA AGUADA 15, CHAPA II 10
It’s been a while since the Novillo Astradas dominated play on the Argentine Open scene, but they systematically took care of business Wednesday afternoon by scoring a 15-10 win over Chapa II despite seven goals from Eduardo Heguy.
A slow start had La Aguada and Chapa II tied at 1-1 after the opening chukker, but the
Astrada brothers struck early and often in the second. Four unanswered goals in the second chukker had La Aguada ahead 5-1, and riding off with a 9-4 halftime lead.
Chapa managed to rack up a total of four goals in the fifth and sixth periods, but
the Astradas continued to roll, taking a 12-5 lead with two chukkers left in
the game.
La Aguada concentrated on defense in the final two chukkers as Chapa II pressed its
attack. La Aguada matched the three goals picked up by Chapa II, and took the contest 15-10. Javier Astrada led the La Aguada attack with seven goals.
Action will continue in the Hurlingham Open on Saturday, October 22 with Pilara Piaget (1-0) meeting Chapa Uno (0-1) in a 2PM contest followed by a matchup between La Dolfina (1-0) and Estancia Grande (0-1).