Monthly Archives: February 2010

Live Pelota 26th-28th February: Last Weekend of Pairs Quarter Finals

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It is do or die in the Pairs Championship. The top three are all but safe; all eyes will be on the match between Olaizola II-Mendizabal II (2008 winners and 2009 runners up) and Gonzalez-Laskurain. The winners in Eibar will probably take the final slot, the only caveat being if Berasaluze and Begino pull off a big win tonight, while Olaizola and Mendizabal also win. The odds are however against this, as the latter hold a decent advantage in points difference.

Table courtesy of Manista

Friday 26th February, Soria

22:20 (CET) CABRERIZO II – GONI III v IBAI PEREZ – EULATE

23:35 (CET) TITIN III – PASCUAL v BERASALUZE VIII – BEGINO Pairs Quarter Finals

Saturday 27th February, Pamplona

18:05 (CET) MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BEROIZ v BENGOETXEA VI – OTXANDORENA* Pairs Quarter Finals

*Otxandorena replaces Beloki

Sunday 28th February, Eibar

17:05 (CET) OLAZABAL – ARRUTI v URRUTIKOETXEA – PENAGARIKANO

18:15 (CET) OLAIZOLA II – MENDIZABAL II v GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN Pairs Quarter Finals

The other Pairs Quarter Final is on Monday 1st March (17:30, Tolosa) and is between XALA – ZUBIETA and SARALEGI – APRAIZ. There will be no live broadcast of this game.

To watch, visit https://www.eitb.eus/television/etb-sat

Xala-Zubieta qualify but Olaizola II-Mendizabal II must try again

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Apologies for these rather scanty reports; it’s been a very hectic week!

At Eibar on Sunday 21st February, MARTINEZ DE IRUJO-BEROIZ posted their sixth win of the competition, beating OLAIZOLA II-MENDIZABAL II 22-20. Astelena was packed to the rafters with noisy fans, eager to witness another tense encounter between these two great pairs. In terms of the quality of the play alone, many may have left disappointed, for the match was error strewn, but the occasion more than made up for this shortcoming. Although the final scoreline was tight, the Aspe pair held the lead for almost the whole match, with the exception of the point at which they were headed 19-20. The victors dominated the game almost throughout, although Olaizola turned in a healthy run of winners to pose some challenge. Mendizabal, though, has proved the weak link in the Aseagrce partnership and there were again too many mistakes from him. Irujo and Beroiz are of course safely in the semi finals. Olaizola and Mendizabal must beat Gonzalez and Laskurain in the final rotation of matches if they are to join them.

On Monday 22nd February, XALA-ZUBIETA booked their place in the semi finals with a win over BERASALUZE VIII-BEGINO in Tolosa. Thanks largely to the excellent crosscourt and volleying game of Xala and the errors of Begino, the Aspe pair surged ahead 1-7 early on. Their opponents closed in to 8-11 in an extremely tight scrap where each point was contested tooth and nail. However, several mistakes coupled with the greater efficiency of Xala and Zubieta put the game out of their reach. Berasaluze, as usual, fought gamely, but Begino was outplayed by Zubieta. 10-14 became 10-17, and then 12-21, and the game was up for the Asegarce combination, who have seldom played to their potential in this competition.

Source: Aspe, here and here.

Aitor Zubieta in control

Aitor Zubieta in control

Image from: Noticias de Alava

Titin and Pascual edge ever closer to the final four

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Saturday 20th February, Pamplona

TITIN III – PASCUAL beat BENGOETXEA VI – OTXANDORENA 22-15

Pairs Championship

Titin and Pascual achieved their fifth victory of the championship on Saturday and while not yet certain of a place in the semi finals, they have one foot over the finishing line. Their triumph came at the expense of Bengoetxea VI and Otxandorena, who have had an unhappy tournament almost throughout, with just one win to show for their efforts. They are now out.

The Asegarce pair knew that this was last chance saloon and took to the court with the correct attitude. Otxandorena confirmed in a post match interview that they had felt positive and were raring to go, but stated that when their opponents imposed their rhythm mid way through the encounter there was little they could do. Bengoetxea and Otxandorena started well, opening up a 1-4 lead, but Titin and Pascual managed to level the contest at 5-5 before opening up to 9-5. They did not waltz to this margin uninhibited for their rivals fought them tooth and nail in some long and involved rallies, but they could not muster the necessary fire power when the cards were on the table. Having secured this lead, they held it with some comfort. Bengoetxea and Otxandorena did close to within one point at 13-14, with the former instrumental, but Titin again took up the reins and the danger was past.

Titin played at his spectacular best, once again defying his 41 years. 15 winners were his reward. Pascual was again solid as a rock, although he admitted to early nerves. Bengoetxea, whose underperformance in this tournament has been a great sadness, played some of the best pelota we have seen from him in some weeks but it was to no avail. His day will surely come again.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-1, 1-4, 3-4, 3-5, 5-5, 9-5, 9-7, 10-7, 10-8, 12-8, 12-9, 14-9, 14-13, 16-13, 16-14, 18-14, 18-15, 22-15.

Source: Noticias de Navarra

Titin managed 15 winners

Titin managed 15 winners

Image from: Blog Kiroljokoa

 

Saralegi and Apraiz frustrate as victory goes to the local boy

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Friday 19th February, St Jean de Luz

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat SARALEGI – APRAIZ 22-16

Pairs Championship

On Friday, the Pairs Championship decamped to Iparralde, and specifically to the charming resort town of St Jean de Luz (or Donibane Lohizune in Basque), famous for its fishing, its architecture and its picturesque sands. The port across the harbour, Ciboure, is best known as the birthplace of composer Maurice Ravel and it is after him that the fronton of St Jean de Luz is named. While Ravel may be better known in the wider world, the town has another famous son in the shape of Sebastien Gonzalez; pelotari, Cuatro y Medio champion, and one of the protagonists here. He and his partner Aritz Laskurain were clear favourites in advance of the encounter, over opponents Ekaitz Saralegi and Alexis Apraiz who are both replacements for players who started the championship. A win for the underdogs would raise Asegarce spirits no end, but the faithful of Lapurdi sat squarely behind their home boy Gonzalez. In the end, the locals went away satisfied. 

All the early signs pointed to a rout for Gonzalez and Laskurain, who went ahead 5-0 without raising a sweat. Both hit winners with which they ran rings around their opponents, who looked ill at ease and error prone, just as they did in their last encounter. There was much relief from all supporters of the blue pair and many neutrals too when Saralegi found his range with a ripping gantxo to make the score 5-1. This was the start of an impressive comeback, in which he and Apraiz levelled the scored on 7-7 before taking a 7-10 lead. Saralegi harnessed all his vim and vigour into some excellent serves, two of which proved clean winners, and Apraiz defended outstandingly, notably in his staggering return of a near rebote. The defender in addition managed two consecutive winners in this period of play. The first was achieved with a large slice of serendipity, but the second, a spiralling long ball right into the back corner, was pure class. The scene looked set for a memorable tussle.

Sadly for Saralegi and Apraiz, this period of the match was to prove their high point, for they would never lead again. Gonzalez restored a modicum of control for the Aspe duo with two winners before two Saralegi errors won them back the lead. From here on, the home boy stamped his authority in impressive style. As Saralegi’s direction deserted him, Gonzalez offered up a crosscourt masterclass with two vicious airez winners. He was not immune to moments of carelessness as he proved in consecutive points at 14-11 and 14-12 but he had Saralegi’s number and controlled the front of the court in open play with an iron fist. Laskurain proved again to be a valued partner. He was not wholly consistent but was easily the better of the defenders, as Apraiz’s play grew increasingly wayward. Apraiz can be a frustrating player. That he has great talent is beyond doubt and early in the match he displayed moments of great inspiration, but these, as is often the case, were mixed with moments of inexplicable laxity. At 12-14 the Asegarce pair was still well in touch, but their strong position was thrown away in an instant when Apraiz played two wild shots, the first wide and the second high. Two rallies later he hit low and looked well and truly resigned to his fate, now six points in arrears. One wonders what he might be capable of if he could remain on top of his game. Saralegi too lost his earlier spark. He continued to pull impressive winners out of the bag in the form of two drops into the corner, but his crosscourt game failed to fire.

All in all, this was a frustrating match. Gonzalez and Laskurain continued their solid form but did not have to produce magic to win. Saralegi and Apraiz had the potential to pull off an upset, but every time they gained a foothold they succumbed to a moment of madness. In their final match of the tournament, against Xala and Zubieta, they will play for pride alone. Gonzalez and Laskurain face the tough proposition of a match up with Olaizola II and Mendizabal II in the last rotation of quarter final matches. Much could hinge on their battle; the 2008 champions annihilated them in week four but both pairs are in the hunt to make the semi finals and big match nerves can play funny tricks. This tournament continues to march with intent, like Ravel’s Bolero, towards its Easter finale, but who will be there at its apotheosis?

Scoring sequence: 5-0, 5-1, 6-1, 6-7, 7-7, 7-10, 14-10, 14-12, 15-12, 18-12, 18-14, 19-14, 19-16, 22-16

Gonzalez won his home match

Gonzalez won his home match

Image from: Noticias de Navarra

Live pelota on the web, 19th-21st February

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Things are hotting up in the 2010 Pairs Championship, with just two weeks of matches to go before the four semi final places will be decided. Martinez de Irujo and Beroiz are virtually assured a safe passage, having lost just one game, but there are five couples in with a realistic chance of grabbing on of the other three spots. It is crunch time: who will sink and who will swim? The game of the week is that on Sunday between Irujo and Beroiz, and Olaizola II and Mendizabal II. Last time they played it was enthralling, as a storming comeback by Olaizola fell just short. The Asegarce pair need a result here if they are to emulate their performances of the last two years in this competition. Here is the table as it stands (courtesy of Manista):

Friday 19th February, St Jean de Luz

22:20 (CET) CHAFEE – ZEARRA v LEIZA – PENAGARIKANO

23:30 (CET) GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN v SARALEGI* – APRAIZ^ Pairs Championship

*Saralegi replaces Olaizola I, ^Apraiz replaces Patxi Ruiz

Saturday 20th February, Pamplona

18:00 (CET) TITIN III – PASCUAL v BENGOETXEA VI – OTXANDORENA* Pairs Championship

*Otxandorena replaces Beloki

Sunday 21st February, Eibar

17:00 (CET) RETEGI BI – CECILIO v URRUTIKOETXEA – IZA* 2nd Tier Pairs Championship

18:10 (CET) MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BEROIZ v OLAIZOLA II – MENDIZABAL II Pairs Championship

*Iza replaces Argote

To watch, visit https://www.eitb.eus/television/etb-sat

This week’s other Pairs Championship match is on Monday 22nd February (17:30, Tolosa) and is between BERASALUZE VIII – BEGINO and XALA – ZUBIETA

Xala and Zubieta win pulsating match at Beotibar

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Monday 15th February, Tolosa

XALA – ZUBIETA beat OLAIZOLA II – MENDIZABAL II 22-18

Pairs Championship

Beotobar was packed to the rafters on Monday for this tantalising encounter, with around two hundred turned away at the door. The crowd in Tolosa has never been as passionate or as partisan as that at Pamplona or Logrono, but this particular match boasted an atmosphere to rival any, and the ticketholders witnessed one of the best games of the championship so far.

Aimar and Oier had, prior to this game, been getting better and better, with the former in particular hitting the starry heights with consistency. However, they were brought back down to earth with a bump here by the pair which has now beaten them twice. This was a fourth straight victory for Yves Salaberry and Aitor Zubieta, who have turned their fortune on its head, having lost their first two matches. Xala has been a little out of form of late, relying on the play of Zubieta to hold things together, but here he was emphatically back to his best. He managed five gantxos, including three consecutively, and defended impressively against the wall. The Aspe pair bombed Mendizabal throughout and his inability to break loose from this deadlock put extra pressure on Olaizola. The forward from Goizueta, while not at his brilliant best, played a solid game, but the dominance of his opposing pair was too great. He also, unfortunately for him, blotted his copybook by missing the final two balls.

Both sides are still in ranked in the top four and could thus both progress to the semi finals, but this point for Xala and Zubieta may prove crucial. With a seminal game against Irujo and Beroiz still to come, last year’s runners up may have their work cut out.

Scoring sequence: 0-2, 1-2, 1-3, 2-3, 2-8, 11-8, 11-10, 12-10, 12-12, 14-12, 14-13, 16-13, 16-17, 18-17, 18-22

Source: Diario Vasco

Rioja rejoices in emotionally charged night at Adarraga

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Sunday 14th February, Logrono

TITIN III – PASCUAL beat SARALEGI – APRAIZ 22-14

Pairs Championship

Sunday night was an emotional one for the Riojan pelota fan. Nominally, the main match on the bill at Adarraga was the championship game, featuring Titin III, their most famous son, but the curtain raiser starred another pelotari from the region, Miguel Capellan, in his last professional match. Fittingly, ‘Cape’ went out victorious, with an easy win over Apezetxea and Goni III, aided ably by Eulate. In a touching tribute, Capellan was showered with gifts and mementos to mark the end of a career which has spanned over eighteen years. He departed, finally, swathed in the flag of Rioja, and the local crowd were primed to perfection to shout their beloved Titin to victory.

Nobody gave Ekaitz Saralegi and Alexis Apraiz a hope in the run up to the main match. They formed the couple which had originally featured Asier Olaizola and Patxi Ruiz, both currently out of action and there naturally seemed a makeshift air about their partnership; most believed them ripe for a trouncing. As predicted, they succumbed to the greater force of Titin and Pascual but they came to Adarraga for a fight, and a fight they delivered. To their great credit, the underdogs went for their shots with determination and their spirit often paid dividends. Between them they scored twelve winners, three more than their opponents managed. Saralegi showed in the second point that he was not there to make up numbers with some scrapping defence followed by a txoko winner. It was a shot he used to good effect throughout the game and he also demonstrated his ability to go crosscourt, encapsulated in his lightning bolt of an airez on 3-6. Apraiz also got in on the act, pulling off an excellent rebote, much to the chagrin of Pascual, on his way to three outright winners in the match. However, for every winner they scored there was a mistake and it was their inconsistency which put them out of the running. In the early part of the game, their errors gave Titin and Pascual a platform which they never surrendered. Some of these errors were the fruit of too much ambition, such as Saralegi’s three missed gantxos in the first half of the match, but some were wild and careless. Apraiz was especially guilty of the latter at times, showing misdirection and inaccurate timing once too often.

Titin and Pascual, in contrast to their rivals, finished the match almost error free, the one indiscretion coming from Titin in the third point. Pascual in particular was exemplary. In the very early exchanges, Apraiz looked to have his number but the man from Abarzuza proved to have an extra gear. He was particularly effective in fielding balls which dipped into the left hand wall and in the length department, only Apraiz’s rebote foxed him all night. He proved an excellent support for Titin, who although not on his best form, had the better of Saralegi by some margin.

Saralegi and Apraiz are realistically out of the running for a semi final birth, with one win out of six games. It remains to be seen which incarnation of this pair will take to the fronton over the next two weeks, in which they will face Gonzalez-Laskurain and Xala-Zubieta. Pascual and local hero Titin have one foot in the last four, needing only one point to make their place secure. They will in all likelihood start as favourites in their remaining matches, against Bengoetxea VI-Beloki and Berasaluze VIII-Begino. All in all, this was a good night to be a Riojan.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-2, 2-2, 2-3, 6-3, 6-4, 8-4, 8-5, 9-5, 9-7, 13-7, 13-8, 17-8, 17-9, 18-9, 18-10, 19-10, 19-14, 22-14

Titin is revered at home in Rioja

Titin is revered at home in Rioja

Image from: Rioja Deporte

Irujo and Beroiz suffer first defeat as Berasaluze and Begino breathe again

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Saturday 13th February, Pamplona

BERASALUZE VIII – BEGINO beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BEROIZ 22-20

Pairs Championship

Pablo Berasaluze and Aritz Begino succeeded on Saturday in keeping their semi final hopes alive by becoming the first pair to beat favourites Juan Martinez de Irujo and Mikel Beroiz. Irujo and Beroiz looked at first like blitzing their opponents as they rocketed to a 7-0 lead after only six minutes, thanks to some trademark brilliance from the former and an excellent rebote from the latter. However, Berasaluze stemmed the flow with a txoko to mark their scoresheet for the first time and from there on things became a good deal more interesting. The game developed as an enthralling fight between the Asegarce defender, Begino, and the Aspe forward, Irujo. Begino played as much as he possibly could behind the five line and Irujo sought to grasp every rally within a few strikes. The scoring fluctuated between the sides, dependent on which of these two was able to impose his style of play at any given moment. In contrast, their partners were bit players.

The Asegarce pair, largely thanks to Begino, managed to overturn the Aspe advantage to tie the scores at 9-9. They lagged behind again at 9-13 and Irujo looked to have broken the pressure on his pair when he opened the score up to 18-14. However, Berasaluze, for the first time in the match, chose to impose himself and succeeded. Pablo had earlier struggled to match the stellar display of his partner, looking tense and unable to cut loose, but he pulled winners out of the bag when it mattered most and with the help of a pair of late Irujo errors, the game was won.

Scoring sequence: 7-0, 7-3, 8-3, 8-5, 9-5, 9-9, 13-9, 13-11, 14-11, 14-13, 15-13, 15-14, 18-14, 18-17, 19-17, 19-21, 20-21, 20-22

Source: Diario Vasco

Berasaluze and Begino live to fight another day

Berasaluze and Begino live to fight another day

Image from: Noticias de Navarra

Victory for Gonzalez and Laskurain in Urretxu

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Friday 12 February, Urretxu

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat BENGOETXEA VI – IBAI ZABALA 22-18

Pairs Championship

Oinatz Bengoetxea and Ibai Zabala journeyed to the Gipuzkoan town of Urretxu on Friday in desperate need of a result. Little has gone right for the pair involving Bengoetxea in this championship. The 2008 Manomanista champion is now on his third partner, with Beloki and then Otxandorena falling to injury. The latest in the string was Ibai Zabala who was thrown into the deep end in week six to attempt to help secure a much needed second victory. Bengoetxea, perhaps unsettled by the changes thrown his way, has rarely played his best pelota in this competition, retaining all his drive and perseverance but lacking in bite. Could the real Oinatz stand up to be counted? Sebastien Gonzalez and Aritz Laskurain were looking for their third victory here and had themselves had a topsy turvy tournament, beating their opponents here 22-9 in the second week before being crunched by Olaizola II and Mendizabal II two weeks later. Despite their inconsistency, the Aspe pair started as favourites; could they live up to this billing or could Oinatz and Ibai stop the rot?

The match started in a tight and nervous fashion as the pairs each tried to set out their stall. Bengoetxea rushed into an attempted crosscourt winner in the first point only to push his effort wide. The first four rallies, after which the scores were tied at 2-2 saw two further unforced errors, one apiece from Ibai Zabala and Gonzalez. From this early point, Gonzalez and Laskurain started to edge ahead of their rivals, and they were never overtaken, despite constant pressure. Although he managed eight winners in the course of the match, Bengoetxea seemed ill at ease, perhaps the cumulative result of a championship where he has never been at his brilliant best for more than a point here or there. There certainly were some flashes of brilliance from him in this game, such as his crosscourt bullet on 7-11, his gantxo on 13-17 and several clever drops into the corner. However, these high spots were tempered by some hurried and tense play which led to unnecessary errors. This was apparent in his attempted dos paredes on 4-6, where he seemed so desperate to make the shot and grab the point that his direction and poise quite deserted him. Tension may have been the cause of his falta on 6-9, for he must surely have realised the necessity for a win. His usual positive and strident demeanour was strangely absent for much of the match.

Ibai Zabala carried a wealth of pressure on his shoulders as the latest in a line of partners for Bengoetxea. As a win was so crucial for his side, he had no time to find his feet in the championship. He played well at times, showing impressive defensive skills and an ability to field the long ball with interest, but he committed too many errors. Some, like the ball which struck the wall high on 6-10, were either careless, or the product of nerves, or both. Neither Gonzalez nor Laskurain had stellar games but they were considerably more consistent, more measured and more composed than their opponents. Gonzalez actually scored fewer winners than Bengoetxea but he also let less through his grasp. Laskurain, who never looks happy with his performance even when he has cause to be, was solid and dependable for the most part and certainly more in control of his game than Ibai Zabala.

Despite the air of malaise hanging over the performance of the Asegarce duo, they never lost their ability to fight, and this is to their great credit. For most of the game, their opponents held them at a distance of three or four points, but much to the delight of the sizeable crowd, they mounted a comeback, sparked by an excellent skidding shot down the wall by Bengoetxea on 14-18. Their run would take them to within one point of parity at 18-19 by way of a Bengoetxea airez, a Laskurain error and a comedy of miscommunication by the red pair. However, a total miss by Ibai Zabala restored order for the eventual victors, who capitalised on two more errors, the first forced by Gonzalez, to take the tie 22-18, a close result which belies their control of the match.

Bengoetxea, and whoever his future partner may be, are now in dire straights, and can in all likelihood wave goodbye to the semi finals. In contrast, Gonzalez and Laskurain are still in the fight. If they wish to be true contenders they will have to maintain their best level over a series of weeks, something they have been unable to do thus far, but the competition is still very open as far as qualifying berths two, three and four are concerned. Their next match, against Saralegi and Apraiz, will in all probability go their way but in the final week they face the formidable challenge of Olaizola II and Mendizabal II, who pulverised them in week four. We are in for a fascinating fortnight.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2, 3-2, 5-2, 5-4, 7-4, 7-5, 9-5, 9-6, 11-6, 11-8, 12-8, 12-9, 14-9, 14-10, 15-10, 15-12, 17-12, 17-14, 18-14, 18-15, 19-15, 19-18, 22-18.

Ibai Zabala: in at the deep end

Ibai Zabala: in at the deep end

Image from: Noticias de Alava

Pelota on the web this weekend, 12th-14th February

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Friday 12th February, Urretxu

22:25 (CET) DIAZ – OTEIZA v ARITZ LASA – MERINO 2nd Tier Pairs Championship

23:35 (CET) GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN v BENGOETXEA VI – IBAI ZABALA* Pairs Championship

*Ibai Zabala replaces Inaki Otxandorena, who has problems with his hands. Otxandorena was himself a replcement for Ruben Beloki, who is still injured.

Saturday 13th February, Pamplona

17:55 (CET) MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BEROIZ v BERASALUZE VIII – BEGINO Pairs Championship

Sunday 14th February, Logrono

17:00 (CET) CAPELLAN – EULATE v APEZETXEA – GONI III

18:10 (CET) TITIN III – PASCUAL v SARALEGI* – APRAIZ^ Pairs Championship

*Ekaitz Saralegi replaces Asier Olaizola due to an injury to his hamstring muscle which occured in his match on 5th February. He hopes to be able to return within two weeks. As an aside, Saralegi has just renewed his contract with Asegarce for another two years, until 24th February 2012.

^Alexis Apraiz replaces Patxi Ruiz for the foreseeable future.

To watch these matches, visit https://www.eitb.eus/television/etb-sat

This week’s other match (Monday, 17:30, Tolosa) is between OLAIZOLA II – MENDIZABAL II and XALA – ZUBIETA.

Saralegi replaces Olaizola I

Saralegi replaces Olaizola I

Image from: Gara