Chapa Uno Toyota Polo Team (35 goals) had their regular line-up with changes in positions, with Marcos Heguy back. They beat La Dolfina Showmatch (36) by 18-10 today, Sunday, 10/1. La Dolfina Showmatch missed Adolfo Cambiaso (who, almost at the same time of this game, was winning with his unbeaten team of New Bridge in the finals of the USPA Gold Cup in Aiken, SC (USA). The Tortugas Open has as first prize the traditional Emilio de Anchorena Cup (instituted in 1907) and the Great BMW award. The Club organizing the tournament gives the winning team a BMW 650 Motorcycle. The field chosen for this match was again the organizer’s renewed Field 7 in Tortuguitas, (km 37,5 on the Panamerican Route – access to Pilar). They have made some improvements at Tortugas by adding new grandstands, boards and an electronic clock, impeccably displayed, just like the long railings surrounding the field. After Palermo’s Polo Cathedral, Tortugas is the most extensive field in the area.
The Tortugas Open is the first tournament during the high-goal season in Argentina that is part of the Triple Crown of Argentina. It is the only series of polo tournaments in the World at this level. The Triple Crown of polo in Argentina includes the participation of six 35- to 39-goal teams with an average handicap of 37. These six teams will compete in the 113th Hurlingham and Palermo Open Tournaments (from 10/17 to 11/04 the first one and from 11/18 to 12/09 the second one). Hurlingham’s 30-goal team and Coronel Suarez 28 goal teams will also participate in the tournament, but without competing for the Triple Crown. On Friday, 09/29, these two unbeaten teams gained the right to participate in those two great Opens beating successively Alegria 33 goal team and Santa María de Lobos 30 goal team at the qualifier tournament arranged by the APA (Argentine Polo Association).
The position changes made by Chapa Uno Toyota gave them remarkable results, erasing from the very beginning the rather negative collective performance of its debut game against their cousins Indios Chapaleufú II, winning the first partial by 4-1 due to the excellent spacing out, delivering the ball with one shot and covering every area of the field with sufficiency and depth, and finishing with perfect scores which caused deep cracks in the defense and performance of the losing team. In spite of Lolo’s Castagnolo’s yells, La Dolfina was able neither to organize its performance nor to neutralize the organization of the winning team led skillfully by Marcos Heguy. Heguy played his regular position as number 3, backed up by a solid and versatile Juan Martín Nero, blocking the way to their goal posts and providing deep balls. Horacito as number 2 did a good neutralization job and Bautista, always precise and effective, was working havoc in the loser’s hot area. The losing team suffered from this games layout up to the third chukker, trying to reduce the difference at the end of the second chukker with a blunt 7-2 that was clearly showing the different performances, and winning that partial by 3-2 based in their courage. However, the efforts made by Castagnola and Lucas Monteverde, who where finding it hard to organize with a very stressed Mariano Aguerre. This seemed to light the flame of the losing teams virtues, but they were only able to reduce the differences with a 10-7 scoreboard in the fifth chukker; this difference could have been two goals if only Alejandro Muzzio (Cambiaso’s replacement) hadn’t missed a 40 yard penalty. This team also seemed to be better mounted. The psychological effect on La Dolfina gave Chapa Uno more determination, finally taking the offensive, leaving La Dolfina with no reaction at all, after a wonderful goal scored by Marcos Heguy.
Chapa Uno finished its best game of the tournament, improving considerably its net goal difference; changing from -7 to +1. Meanwhile, La Dolfina waits for Cambiaso expecting a miracle against Indios Chapaleufú II, on Sunday 10/08, match that will also take place in Tortugas Country Club.
Sept. 16th 2006
Game 1
La Aguada def. El Paraíso 13-11
Tortugas CC
Sept. 28th 06
Game 2
I. Chapaleufú II def. Chapa Uno 15-8
Tortugas CC
Sept. 30th 06
El Paraíso def. Ellerstina 13-12
Tortugas CC
Oct 1st 06
Chapa Uno def. La Dolfina 18-10
Tortugas CC
Oct. 8th 06
Semifinal
I. Chapaleufú II def. La Dolfina 13-10
Tortugas CC
Oct. 9th 06
Semifinal
Ellerstina vs La Aguada
Tortugas CC
Oct. 14th ‘06
Final
I. Chapaleufú II vs Ganador Zona I
Tortugas CC
Las Tortugas Teams
Zone I Teams
Ellerstina: Facundo Pieres 10, Pablo Mac Donough 9, Gonzalo Pieres (h) 10 and Matías Mac Donough 9. Total 38.
La Aguada: Javier Novillo Astrada 9, Eduardo Novillo Astrada (h) 9, Miguel Novillo Astrada 10 and Ignacio Novillo Astrada 9. Total 37.
El Paraíso Polo Team: Agustín Merlos 10, Sebastián Merlos 9, Juan Ignacio Merlos 9 and Francisco de Narváez (h) 8. Total 36.
Zone II Teams
La Dolfina: Adolfo Cambiaso (h) 10, Lucas Monteverde (h) 9, Mariano Aguerre 10 and Bartolomé Castagnola 10. Total 39.
Indios Chapaleufú II: Alberto Heguy (h) 9, Ignacio Heguy 10, Milo Fernández Araujo 9 and Eduardo Heguy 9. Total 37.
Chapa Uno Toyota: Bautista Heguy 10, Juan Martín Nero 8, Horacio S. Heguy 8 and Marcos Heguy 9. Total 36.