THE EDGE
POSTCARDS F OM
TCARDS FROM
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Polo & More 2014
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Opening ceremony Pomp & Ceremony at Pa
lermo
HUNTING FOR SILVER
The 120th edition of the world’s most prestigious tournament pits
definitely against unlikely
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PALERMO,ARGENTINA
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Cambiaso, t
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and wit
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Polo & More 2014
Pablo MacDonough taking a tumble
PALERMO,ARGENTINA
By Shane Chin Photos by Alice Gipps and Nacho Corbalan
alking into the “Cathedral of Polo” to watch the
historical 120th Argentine Open was electrifying.
The very unexpected arrival of Alegria to the finals
brought a fresh energy to the Palermo polo ground, one some
might say that has been missing in recent years, as the battle
for that number one position has
been bandied backwards and
forwards between the same two
teams.
For all intents and purposes,
this was a showdown that no
one wanted to miss, and the prematch pomp and circumstance
was suitably appropriate for the
illustrious occasion; the military
marching bands played as sky
divers dropped from the sky in
a dazzling display of control,
carrying the Argentine flag
floating behind them.
In the mind of many polo
players, questions abound, would
Alegria have what it took to beat
the mighty La Dolfina ? Was their
win against Ellerstina a fluke ?
Was this a new order making its
first stand ? Did Alegria have the
horse power to keep pace with
La Dolfina? Would nerves play
a part for the Alegria Team? And
last of all but not least was lady
luck on the side of Alegria? A
glimmer of hope for them, was
that the best back in polo was
missing for the La Dolfina team
as the 10 goal Juan Martin- Nero
had broken his thumb in the last
30 seconds the final chukker of
the semi-finals. In the final he
would be replaced by the 9 goal Sebastian Merlos, no slouch
in his own right, but still the next best thing.
I went past the Alegria camp before the match, the 8 goal
Canadian Fred Mannix Jr. looked relaxed and seemed to be
enjoying the moment as many fans and supports came by to
wish them luck. It’s the first time since 1994 that a foreign
player had gr aced these hallowed grounds in a Final. Was he
about to enter the record books as the first Canadian to hold
that giant sterling silver trophy aloft? Or would he just be
another footnote in history?
Determined to gain that
psychological advantage
La Dolfina ensured that they
were the first to get on the score
board, with a 30 yard penalty
shot. You could sense that the
Alegria team was battling some
stage fright, and this was as big
a stage as any that they would
ever play on. But Polito Pieres
helped calm the nerves somewhat when he put Alegria on
the score board by converting
a 60 yard safety. Cambiaso
responded by converting another
30 yard penalty ending the 1st
chukker with a 2-1 advantage to
La Dolfina.
At the beginning of the
2nd chukker La Dolfina put
the pressure on with a pair of
goals within the first minute
and half followed by a 30 yard
penalty that extended their lead
by 4-1. At this point, many
people wondered if this was
the beginning of a walkover.
Pablo MacDonough answered
that question when he scored
another field goal, taking
La Dolfina into the lead to 5 -1.
But Alegria hadn’t come this far
to fall at the last hurdle, It was
the young Polito Pieres who again came to their rescue. With
two minutes left in the 2nd chukker, he scored two quick field
goals, and the stadium erupted as Alegria supporters got to
their feet.
ABOVE: Sebastian Merlos, Pablo MacDonough, The injured Juan Martin Nero, Pelon Stirling & Adolfo Cambiaso, winners of the Argentine
Open & The 2014Triple Crown
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