Monthly Archives: September 2012

Pelota on ETB, 28th-30th September

Friday 28th September, Arnedo

22:00 (CEST) ONGAY – ARRUTI v GORKA – SAINZ

Followed by TITIN III – MERINO II v XALA – LASKURAIN

Sunday 30th September, Bilbao

17:00 (CEST) APEZETXEA – PENAGARIKANO v ELEZKANO II – IZA

Followed by BERASALUZE VIII – BEGINO v MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – PASCUAL

To watch, go to http://www.eitb.tvhttps://www.eitb.eus/es/television/etb-sat/orhttps://www.eitb.eus/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/

Aspe plans for 2012 Cuatro y Medio

Ahead of the official presentation, Aspe have announced that they will hold a pre-round for entry to the 2012 Cuatro y Medio Championship. Idoate will face Merino II in Santo Domingo de la Calzada on 5th October. The winner will proceed to play Aritz Lasa in Eibar on 7th October. The rest of the first tier line up will be announced at the presentation next week.

In the Promocion championship, Aspe will field Merino, Olazabal, Ongay, Ezkurdia, Apezetxea, Jaunarena, Zabaleta and Gorka.

Zabaleta extends with Aspe until 2015

Jose Javier Zabaleta has extended his contract with Aspe until 2015. The 21 year old defender from Etxarren, who made his professional debut on 6th January 2011, previously had a contract up until the end of 2013 but will now remain with the empresa for at least another two years beyond that. Zabaleta expressed his excitement at the lengthy extension, saying he did not expect it. He also stated some clear goals: to play a good Cuatro y Medio Promocion championship and then to push for a place in the main Pairs Championship.

Source: Aspe, image is mine


Titin and Merino crown Logroño’s party with San Mateo triumph

Sunday 23rd September, Logrono
TITIN III – MERINO II beat BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU 22-19
San Mateo Final

Any team which lines up at Adarraga for the final of San Mateo against a pair containing Augusto Ibanez knows they will be up against it. Titin III is the undisputed hero of the pelota lovers of Logrono and claims near ownership of the fronton, over which his painted image looms with authority. Add into the mix the new darling of the sport in Rioja, David Merino, and you have an atmosphere fit to lift the roof. Facing the reigning pairs champions in any context is a stern challenge, but in one such as this the stakes are very definitely raised. Into this cauldron walked Pablo Berasaluze and Jon Ander Albisu, with the aim of upsetting a very considerable apple cart. The Asegarce partnership came into the final in sterling form, having defeated Olaizola II and Apraiz, and then Xala and Barriola on the way, but despite coming to the brink of triumph, the Riojan juggernaut proved one step too far.

The match was a tale of tension and attrition, marked more by errors than scintillating shot play. This theme was set from the start when Merino handed the opening point to the visitors with a high strike. Berasaluze then ceded the early initiative with an entirely unnecessary service error. However, the terrier like forward, again showing an iron determination, wrenched it back with a txoko winner, before his pair strode on to a 4-1 lead thanks to another error from Merino and an excellent rebote from Albisu. Although the Riojans steadied the ship initially, Berasaluze and Albisu maintained the upper hand in the early stages, taking an 8-3 lead thanks to some dynamic close play from the former and a lack of radar on the part of Merino, who desperately tried to exert pressure on his opposite number.

Merino finally cracked Albisu on 4-8 to put his pair within three and despite an error from Titin in the next play, Albisu handed them a reprieve by hitting low himself. The point on 6-9 was perhaps a turning point in the momentum of the match. Every single player found themselves in a hole at some point in the rally and to the delight of the crowd managed to salvage it. Attack followed attack before Titin grabbed the point with a stunning close range gantxo which seemed to pierce Berasaluze’s soul. Merino erred in the next point but there was a notable shift of mood in Adarraga and it took the Asegarce pair a full eight points to trouble the scorers again. As if to underline the new state of play, Merino demolished Albisu for 8-10, forcing him to hit wide from a steepling high ball. Rattled, both he and Berasaluze made errors in turn and from a position of clear weakness the Riojans now had an 11-10 lead. They did not let up as two winners from Titin were followed by a masterful flat ball to the corner from Merino which well and truly bamboozled Albisu.

Despite this clear shift in the ebb and flow of the match however, Berasaluze and Albisu refused to cave. Proving that he was not intimidated by the brilliance of Merino, Albisu nailed him back to reduce the deficit to 11-14. They maintained the gap at three at 13-16 but infuriatingly for their fans, failed to make the pressure pay with an error apiece. At 18-13, Titin and Merino had breathing space. Again though, they came back, defying the partisan local crowd to push their heroes to the utmost limits. It was Albisu who inspired the final revival, adding three superb points to their tally, the best of which was an extraordinary skimming txoko from deep, which took everyone by surprise. A gantxo from Berasaluze, now goading his partner on, and and error a piece from Titin and Merino produced a tie at 19-19. The match was impossible to call; would the momentum stay with the Asegarce pair who had showed such determination to storm back, or would the home crowd lift Titin and Merino, so desperate to win the tournament which seemed theirs by the force of local will? As it happened, the ending was tame and disappointing. The comeback ended abruptly and Berasaluze and Albisu reverted to error making to hand San Mateo to the jubilant favourites, the toasts of the city of Logrono.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 1-1, 1-4, 3-4, 3-8, 5-8, 5-9, 7-9, 7-10, 14-10, 14-11, 16-11, 16-13, 18-13, 18-18, 19-18, 19-19, 22-19
Winners/errors: Titin 6/2, Berasaluze 4/6, Merino 3/9, Albisu 4/7
Balls hit: 540
Match time: 1:16.55 with 26:43 of actual play

David Merino made errors but performed when it mattered

David Merino made errors but performed when it mattered

 Photo from Aspepelota under Creative Commons

Pelota on ETB, 21st-23rd September: San Mateo

Friday 21st September, Logrono

22:40 (on ETB-Sat) 23:30 (on Deporte en Directo) OLAIZOLA I – MENDIZABAL II v IDOATE – PENAGARIKANO

Followed by TITIN III – MERINO II v BENGOETXEA VI – BEGINO San Mateo Semi Final

From the schedules, this appears to be on at different times on the two different channels, which is unusual. I recommend you check at 22:40 if you want to make sure not to miss it. The games actually take place at 19:30 so are not live on any internet channel.

Sunday 23rd September, Logrono

17:00 (CEST) URRUTIKOETXEA  – IBAI ZABALA v ARITZ LASA – CECILIO

Followed by SAN MATEO FINAL (pairs TBC)

To watch, go to http://www.eitb.tvhttps://www.eitb.eus/es/television/etb-sat/orhttps://www.eitb.eus/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/

San Mateo: the story so far

Moving house this week has rather messed with my intended coverage of San Mateo, Logrono’s major festival, but there is still much excitement to come in the Riojan capital this weekend. Six pairs squared up when the tournament opened last Saturday, with Olaizola II-Apraiz, Berasaluze VIII-Albisu and Xala-Barriola in Group A, and Gonzalez-Zubieta, Titin III-Merino II and Bengoetxea VI-Begino in Group B. Each pair plays each of the others in their group with the winners of each group progressing to the final, to be held on Sunday. The results of the group matches played thus far are as follows:

Group A

Saturday 15th September
BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU beat OLAIZOLA II – APRAIZ 22-20

Tuesday 18th September
OLAIZOLA II – APRAIZ beat XALA – BARRIOLA 22-12
7-0/7-1/7-2/10-2/10-3/13-3/14-4/15-5/15-6/17-6/17-9/19-9/20-9/20-10/20-11/21-12/22-12

Thursday 20th September
BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU beat XALA – BARRIOLA 22-19

As the only unbeaten pair, Berasaluze VIII – Albisu progress to the final.

Group B

Sunday 16th September
BENGOETXEA VI – BEGINO beat GONZALEZ – ZUBIETA 22-15
3-0/ 3-2/ 4-2/ 4-5/ 5/ 10-5/ 10-8/ 11-8/ 11-16/ 12-16/ 12-17/ 15-17/ 15-22

Wednesday 19th September
TITIN III – MERINO beat GONZALEZ – ZUBIETA 22-21
4-0/4-1/5-1/5/5-12/6-12/6-15/10-15/10-19/14-19/14-20/20/20-21/21/22-21

The final group match, between TITIN III – MERINO II and BENGOETXEA VI – BEGINO takes place tonight, with the winner progressing to the final. TV coverage details to follow!

Titin, along with Merino II, aims for home glory

Titin, along with Merino II, aims for home glory

Image by Yon Garin under Creative Commons

Olaizola II and Apraiz defend title in Lekeitio

Tuesday 4th September, Lekeitio

OLAIZOLA II – APRAIZ  beat BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU 22-18

The final of the Lekeitio San Antolin tournament was held on Tuesday and saw victory for the 2011 champions in a hard fought duel. I only saw brief snippets so cannot report in too much detail, but the game was extremely close for the first half an hour, with neither pair able to get more than two ahead after Olaizola and Apraiz had overcome an early deficit of 0-4. The match up between Olaizola and Berasaluze, who has been in great shape of late, left nothing to be desired. Berasaluze came at the Manomanista champion all guns blazing, several times passing him crosscourt with his left arm, with an air of ‘anything you can do, I can do better’. Greater consistency put Berasaluze and Albisu into a handsome lead at 16-10 but where Olaizola is involved, almost no comeback is too much of a challenge. He shifted up a gear when his back was the the wall and was able to get on top of his forward rival. At the same time, Albisu’s error count increased in contrast to Apraiz who grew in confidence as the match progressed. Once the favourites got ahead at 19-17, their opponents had few answers and the match was sealed. Aimar Olaizola was deservedly named player of the tournament as he notched up his third festival victory of the summer.

Scoring sequence: 0-4/6-4/6/7/8/9/10-11/10-16/17-16/17/19-17/19-18/22-18
Olaizola II: 2 service winners, 8 winners
Berasaluze VIII: 2 service winners, 7 winners
Match time: 66 minutes with 22:43 of actual play
Balls hit: 444

Alexis Apraiz: confident display

Alexis Apraiz: confident display

Photo: mine


Pelota on ETB, 7th-9th September

Friday 7th September, Zestoa

22:00 (CEST) EZKURDIA – PENAGARIKANO v ARITZ LASA – CECILIO

Followed by TITIN III – ZUBIETA v BENGOETXEA VI – LASKURAIN

Sunday 9th September, Lezama

17:00 (CEST) OLAZABAL – LADIS GALARZA v MENDIZABAL III – CECILIO

Followed by IDOATE – BARRIOLA v JAUNARENA – ZUBIETA

To watch, go to http://www.eitb.tvhttps://www.eitb.eus/es/television/etb-sat/orhttps://www.eitb.eus/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/


Lekeitio Final: Today!

The final of Lekeitio’s Sanantolines tournament takes place today at 5pm CEST. It pits defending champions Olaizola II and Apraiz against Berasaluze VIII and Albisu. In 2011 they took the title 22-14 over Berasaluze and Begino, meaning that Albisu is the only difference in the line up this time around. In the first semi final, which took place on Saturday, a brilliant Berasaluze led his pair to a 22-16 win over Martinez de Irujo and Merino II. On Sunday, Gonzalez replaced Xala in a pair with Zubieta, and despite a strong start, they proved unable to overcome Olaizola, who hit his stride in the second half of the game just as Gonzalez’s form dipped. They took the victory 22-12. Olaizola and Apraiz will be the favourites thanks largely to the presence of the former, but Berasaluze’s form of late will give he and Albisu a genuine chance.

Tuesday 4th September, Lekeitio

17:00 (CEST) APEZETXEA – PASCUAL v ELEZKANO II – LASKURAIN

Followed by OLAIZOLA II – APRAIZ v BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU Lekeitio final

To watch, go to http://www.eitb.tvhttps://www.eitb.eus/es/television/etb-sat/orhttps://www.eitb.eus/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/