Tag Archives: Pairs Championship

Pelota on ETB, 3rd-5th May: Manomanista first week!

Friday 3rd May, Legazpi

22:00 (CEST) BARRIOLA v ARRETXE II Manomanista Championship

Followed by XALA – ZUBIETA v MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – MERINO II

NB this is not live on the web channels so avoid the result if you want to watch it not knowing!

Sunday 5th May, Eibar

17:00 (CEST) ARITZ LASA – PENAGARIKANO v GORKA – PASCUAL

Followed by OLAIZOLA I v JAUNARENA Manomanista Championship

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

Promocion Pairs Final: triumph for Ezcaray as Gorka and Cecilio are crowned

Saturday 27th April, Logrono

GORKA-CECILIO beat RICO IV-UNTORIA 22-15

Adarraga was in full scale party mode on Saturday evening for the Promocion final, in which all four players were Riojan. Each pair had its faction in the crowd but the biggest single group of supporters came from Ezcaray, the home town of both Gorka Esteban and Cecilio Valgañón, and they did not leave disappointed as the dominant pair of the championship took the spoils. This is a second Promocion crown in a row for Cecilio, who won last year with Jon Jaunarena. Despite the emotion of the occasion, the match itself was not a vintage one. The contest was riddled with errors, especially from Rico, who never found any rhythm. Cecilio, too, was below his best but provided dogged defence and just enough of a platform for the player of the match, Gorka, to do what was necessary. Seven winners in open play plus four on serve represented an excellent return for the forward in such an error strewn match.

Gorka and Cecilio fought their way through the semi-finals by the skin of their teeth, living very dangerously after losing their penultimate match 21-22, and relying on a 22-21 win in their last for their final place, but they came good again when it mattered. They were easily the class act of the round robin stages, winning nine of their eleven games with one of their losses coming while Gorka was injured and replaced by Aritz Lasa. It is justice that it is they who stand atop the podium. While Cecilio has won this title before, it is a first professional txapela for Gorka who has looked more and more solid this year. It could prove a springboard into greater things. For the moment though, Ezcaray’s finest will revel in their local celebrity and the adulation of the wider pelotazale.

There is a short video with highlights and footage of the presentation here.

Scoring sequence: 3-0, 3-7, 6-7, 6-9, 7-9, 7-10, 10-10, 10-14, 13-14, 13-20, 15-20, 15-22
Service winners/errors: Rico 2/0, Gorka 4/0
Winners/errors: Rico 3/7, Untoria 2/2, Gorka 7/3, Cecilio 2/5
Match time: 64:02
Balls hit: 493

Photo: mine

Pairs Championship: all set for the semis

Apologies for yet more silence from the blog in the past week or so. Things have been difficult in many ways at my end, while the world of pelota has moved on apace. The semi-finalists are set and the first of the matches in the last four take place this weekend. Last week’s results were as follows:

Friday 22nd March, Mutilva: MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – ZABALETA beat ARRETXE II – BEGINO 22-8
Saturday 23rd March, Pamplona: BENGOETXEA VI – BEROIZ beat TITIN III – MERINO II 22-8
Saturday 23rd March, Bilbao: XALA – BARRIOLA beat BERASALUZE II – ALBISU 22-20
Sunday 24th March, Eibar: OLAIZOLA II – IBAI ZABALA beat EZKURDIA – ZUBIETA 22-11

Three of the semi-finalists, Irujo-Zabaleta, Bengoetxea VI-Beroiz and Olaizola II-Ibai Zabala had been set but the big story of the past two weeks has been the fight for the fourth spot between Berasaluze-Albisu and defending champions Titin-Merino. In the end, it was the former who squeezed in, ending the defence of the Riojans who suffered a heavy defeat in Pamplona. Berasaluze and Albisu also lost, but did enough given their superior points difference. The final table looks like this:

Pair Games Won Lost Points for Points against Points diff.
1 MTEZ IRUJO – ZABALETA 14 11 3 291 224 +67
2 OLAIZOLA II – IBAI ZABALA 14 10 4 287 209 +78
3 BENGOETXEA VI – BEROIZ 14 10 4 283 244 +39
4 BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU 14 6 8 256 271 -15
5 TITIN III – MERINO II 14 6 8 243 284 -41
6 EZKURDIA – ZUBIETA 14 5 9 254 255 -1
7 XALA – BARRIOLA 14 5 9 241 287 -46
8 ARRETXE II – BEGINO 14 3 11 210 291 -81

The first semi-final pits Olaizola II-Ibai Zabala against Martinez de Irujo-Zabaleta (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Saturday) while Bengoetxea VI-Beroiz play Berasaluze II-Albisu in Eibar on Sunday. For a full round up of all the results from the round robin stages, see Aspe’s webpages.

Bengoetxea is in, but Titin is out

Bengoetxea is in, but Titin is out

The Promocion championship has also reached the semi-final stage, with standout pair Gorka-Cecilio sitting proudly atop the table.

Pair Games Won Lost Points for Points against Points diff.
1 GORKA – CECILIO 11 9 2 225 157 68
2 APEZETXEA – LARRINAGA 11 8 3 215 182 33
3 RICO IV – UNTORIA 11 7 4 215 184 31
4 TAINTA – LADIS GALARZA 11 6 5 215 195 20
5 MENDIZABAL III – MERINO 11 5 6 205 204 1
6 OLAZABAL – ARRUTI 11 3 8 177 209 -32
7 ELEZKANO II – LARUNBE 11 3 8 159 205 -46
8 LEMUNO – ARETXABALETA 11 3 8 148 223 -75

Both of the opening semis take place on Saturday. Gorka and Cecilio get a home match in Ezkaray against Rico IV and Untoria, while Apezetxea and Larrinaga play Tainta and Ladis Galarza in Vitoria-Gasteiz. For all the results from the round robin, see here.

Untoria and Gorka will face off on Saturday

Untoria and Gorka will face off on Saturday

Photos: mine

Pairs Championship: the past two weeks

Apologies for the silence over the past couple of weeks; I have been away. Sadly there are not enough hours in the day to write a comprehensive report of everything which has happened in this time, so a potted results list will have to suffice! The matches from 1st-3rd March saw the following:

Friday 1st March, Urduliz: BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU beat EZKURDIA – ZUBIETA 22-17
Saturday 2nd March, Pamplona: BENGOETXEA VI – BEROIZ beat XALA – BARRIOLA 22-10
Sunday 3rd March, Bilbao: MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – ZABALETA beat OLAIZOLA II – IBAI ZABALA 22-11
Sunday 3rd March, Logrono: ARRETXE II – BEGINO beat TITIN III – MERINO II 22-19

The following week, this is what occurred:

Friday 8th March, Zarautz: BENGOETXEA VI – BEROIZ beat ARRETXE II – BEGINO 22-15
Saturday 9th March, Anglet: OLAIZOLA II – IBAI ZABALA beat XALA – BARRIOLA 22-12
Saturday 9th March, Etxebarri: TITIN III – MERINO II beat EZKURDIA – ZUBIETA 22-21
Sunday 10th March, Eibar: BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – ZABALETA 22-20

Thus, with two weeks remaining in the marathon round robin section of the championship, the table looks like this:

Pair Played Won Lost Points for Points against Points diff.
1 MTZ. DE IRUJO – ZABALETA 12 9 3 247 198 49
2 BENGOETXEA VI – BEROIZ 12 9 3 248 214 34
3 OLAIZOLA II – IBAI ZABALA 12 8 4 243 186 57
4 TITIN III – MERINO II 12 6 6 221 240 -19
5 BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU 12 5 7 214 235 -21
6 EZKURDIA – ZUBIETA 12 4 8 221 220 1
7 XALA – BARRIOLA 12 4 8 201 245 -44
8 ARRETXE II – BEGINO 12 3 9 190 247 -57

The top three pairs are all but safe as far as semi-final qualification is concerned, although Martinez de Irujo and Zabaleta saw their dominance challenged by a resurgent Bengoetxea and Beroiz. The latter had looked like the pick of the crop at the start of the tournament before falling under the shadow of their Aspe rivals, but two straight wins coupled with a surprising loss for Irujo and Zabaleta have seen them draw level at the top. Olaizola and Ibai Zabala saw their excellent run end in an easy defeat by Irujo and Zabaleta but a comprehensive win over Xala and Barriola, who now seem out of it, restored them to safety. The interest now lies in the fourth qualification place, which would seem to be between Titin and Merino, the defending champions, and Berasaluze and Albisu, who have pulled themselves from the mire in these past two weeks. The Riojans have the upper hand in terms of points but it could go either way, and happily as far as the drama of the situation is concerned, they meet each other this Saturday in Bilbao. Ezkurdia and Zubieta could still qualify, mathematically but they squandered two golden opportunities in the past two weeks. They went into their game on 1st March as probable favourites over Berasaluze and Albisu but were never really in it, and then lost by the smallest possible margin to Titin and Merino a week later. If the final point of that match had gone the other way, they could now face the final two weeks with some confidence. They need to win and for results to go for them in a big way, but at least they have a relatively healthy points difference when compared to Xala and Barriola, who are level in terms of wins and losses. They would need a miracle to turn things around.

The Promocion Championship also has another two weeks of round robin matches left, and again there is a tough fight underway for the fourth qualifying spot. For results and remaining fixtures, see here.

Pair Played Won Lost Points for Points against Points diff.
1 GORKA – CECILIO 9 8 1 190 126 64
2 APEZETXEA – LARRINAGA 9 7 2 183 154 29
3 RICO IV – UNTORIA 9 6 3 175 142 33
4 MENDIZABAL III – MERINO 9 4 5 165 164 1
5 TAINTA – LADIS GALARZA 9 4 5 171 172 -1
6 ELEZKANO II – LARUNBE 9 3 6 145 161 -16
7 OLAZABAL – ARRUTI 9 2 7 135 180 -45
8 LEMUNO – ARETXABALETA 9 2 7 118 183 -65

Pairs Championship: a brief round up

I am away this week so do not have time to write reports on this week’s Pairs games, but these are the results from the past weekend:

Friday 22nd February, Donibane Garazi: TITIN III – MERINO II beat XALA – BARRIOLA 22-9
Saturday 23rd February, Vitoria-Gasteiz: BENGOETXEA VI – BEROIZ beat RETEGI BI* – ZABALETA 22-8
Saturday 23rd February, Pamplona: EZKURDIA – ZUBIETA beat ARRETXE II – BEGINO 22-13
Sunday 24th February, Eibar: OLAIZOLA II – IBAI ZABALA beat BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU 22-11

In the Promocion Championship:

Friday 22nd February, Donibane Garazi: MENDIZABAL III – MERINO beat LEMUNO – ARETXABALETA 22-12
Saturday 23rd February, Vitoria-Gasteiz: APEZETXEA – PENAGARIKANO* beat ELEZKANO II – LARUNBE 22-14
Saturday 23rd February, Pamplona: TAINTA – LADIS GALARZA beat ARITZ LASA* – CECILIO 22-14
Sunday 24th February, Eibar: RICO IV – MENDIZABAL II beat OLAZABAL – ARRUTI 22-15

The main championship table now looks like this, and the Promocion table like this.

Hard fought Pairs wins for Bengoetxea-Beroiz and Xala-Barriola

Sunday 17th January, Bilbao
BENGOETXEA VI – BEROIZ beat BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU 22-17

This match went to the form book in the end, allowing Bengoetxea and Beroiz to maintain their qualifying spot and consigning their opponents to a lowly seventh after some considerable improvement in recent weeks. However, it was rarely easy for the favourites.  In fact, it was Berasaluze who took the game on initially, powering ahead 6-1 with some scintillating winners. However, Bengoetxea grew in defence and managed to turn the tables, putting pressure on Albisu and mastering Berasaluze who was unable to maintain his earlier lightning pace. The game remained very close until the death, when the favourites broke the shackles and strung together a sequence of points to take the tie. They now sit level on points with Olaizola and Ibai Zabala, but their relatively poor points difference keeps them third, with one win in hand over Xala and Barriola in fourth.

Monday 18th January, Tolosa
XALA – BARRIOLA beat ARRETXE II – BEGINO 22-17

The scoreline in Tolosa was exactly the same as that in Bilbao the day before, with Xala and Barriola taking an expected win over the bottom pair. Also in common with the Bilbao match was the closeness of the competition. On paper, the eventual winners should have won this with more comfort but although they repeatedly edged ahead on the scoreboard, they proved incapable of leaving Arretxe and Begino behind. Arretxe fought tooth and nail with the more illustrious Xala and matched him. It was only from 17-17 that the Aspe pair managed to make inroads, their experience at dealing with tight situations in championship games perhaps coming to the fore. Five straight points at the death and the game was theirs. They cling onto a qualifying spot narrowly, but with three pairs in all likelihood competing for the last place, there is much struggle ahead.

The table looks like this, with nine rounds down and five to go:

Pair Matches played Wins Losses Points for Points against Points difference
1 Martinez de Irujo-Zabaleta 9 8 1 197 143 54
2 Olaizola II-Ibai Zabala 9 6 3 188 141 47
3 Bengoetxea VI-Beroiz 9 6 3 182 181 1
4 Xala-Barriola 9 4 5 170 179 -9
5 Titin III-Merino II 9 4 5 158 188 -30
6 Ezkurdia-Zubieta 9 3 6 161 163 -2
7 Berasaluze VIII-Albisu 9 3 6 159 176 -17
8 Arretxe II-Begino 9 2 7 140 184 -44

In the Promocion Championship, Gorka-Cecilio maintained their unbeaten record, defeating Elezkano II-Larunbe 22-16 in Bilbao on Sunday. The most dramatic match of the week came the following day in Tolosa however, where Apezetxea-Larrinaga came back from 8-18 and 13-21 down against Olaetxea-Ladis Galarza to win 22-21. In the other games, Lemuno-Mendizabal II beat Olazabal-Arruti 22-16 and Rico IV-Untoria beat Mendizabal III-Merino I 22-12. The Promocion table now looks like this.

Olaizola and Ibai Zabala put champions to the sword

Saturday 16th January, Pamplona
OLAIZOLA II – IBAI ZABALA beat TITIN III – MERINO II 22-8

The defending champions were well and truly humbled on Saturday by a stunning performance from Aimar Olaizola and Ibai Zabala, who now sit second in the table and look ever more secure as a pair. In contrast, Titin and Merino will need to turn things around merely to make the semi-finals. At the start of the championship, it was obvious that Olaizola was the predominant player in the partnership, shielding his inexperienced partner from pressure. However, as the tournament has progressed, Zabala looks more confident and Olaizola seems happier to give him his head. He is playing with great security and not a little style, with an especially strong right. With greater equality in the pair, it is now easy to see them challenging right to the end of the championship.

In contrast to Zabala’s assured play, David Merino looked extremely out of sorts, making a catalogue of errors. This left Titin running for scraps in the face of a dominant Olaizola. The Asegarce pair looked to dominate matters from the outset with a faster ball than their opponents may have liked. Their choices, both in this and in the tactical sphere, worked perfectly and the crowd could hardly believe what they were seeing when they raced into a 14-0 lead. There was no way back from here for the Riojans. The champions managed a reaction of sorts, netting five points in a row thanks to some classy finishing from Titin but Olaizola and Zabala continued to dominate, leaving nothing to chance in a 22-8 annihilation. In under three quarters of an hour the game was up and the 2012 winners left to lick their considerable wounds.

Winners/errors: Olaizola 10/1, Titin 7/2, Zabala 1/1, Merino 1/6
Match time: 44 minutes
Balls hit: 321

Irujo and Zabaleta resist late surge to take eighth win

Friday 15th January, Irun
MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – ZABALETA beat EZKURDIA – ZUBIETA 22-18

Martinz de Irujo and Zabaleta maintained their excellent record, and with it their place at the top of the tree, but despite clear early supremacy here they were forced to fight off a determined comeback from Ezkurdia and Zubieta, who looked a different pair as the game progressed. The favourites raced ahead almost immediately, going up 6-1, and built their advantage with ease. The game was at their mercy with the score at 18-9. Ezkurdia proved no match whatsoever for Irujo, who out-thought him time and again. The older player controlled the fronton and consistently found space into which he could hit winners, having worked his opponent out of position.

It was Ezkurdia finding his feet which sparked a near miraculous rival on behalf of the trailing pair. They put together a run of seven straight points, and even when Irujo and Zabaleta regained the serve and extended their lead back to three at 19-16, Ezkurdia and Zubieta rallied once more, standing a mere point behind at 19-18. The play in this late spell of the game was of the highest quality. Both defenders were excellent throughout but here raised their level even more, neither willing to budge an inch. Zubieta’s tail was up and the former champion goaded and cajoled his young partner into ever greater confidence and resolve. The change in their body language from the first half of the match was marked, and the crowd responded in kind, sensing a grandstand finish. However, unfortunately both for them and for the comeback kings, Irujo put all ambitions of an upset to bed, taking control as a great player can. Three straight points sealed the deal and the table toppers surged to their eight win of the campaign. Time is running out for Ezkurdia and Zubieta, who need to start winning again soon. Things are close in the middle of the table though and this recovery must give them confidence in both their skills and their fighting spirit.

Scoring sequence: 2-1/ 6-1/ 6-2/ 7-2/ 7-4/ 8-4/ 9-4/ 9-6/ 10-6/ 10-7/ 11-8/ 15-8/ 15-9/ 18-9/ 18-16/ 19-16/ 19-18/ 22-18
Winners/errors: Irujo 13/4, Ezkurdia 10/3, Zabaleta 1/4, Zubieta 0/3
Match time: 72 minutes with 32 minutes of actual play

Irujo on top

Irujo on top

Pairs Championship: Arretxe and Begino net second win

Tuesday 12th February, Tolosa

ARRETXE II – BEGINO beat BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU 22-10

This year as last, there has been little joy in the Pairs Championship for Iker Arretxe and Aritz Begino, but the level they found in their game on Tuesday was something far more exalted. There is no question that Berasaluze and Albisu, who had put together a run of wins after a shaky start, were the favourites going into this match but their play was nervous and error strewn. In contrast, their opponents barely put a foot wrong. The game was close in the early stages and stood at 9-10 before Arretxe and Begino pulled away to win at a canter. This result means the table is now packed tightly, with the partnerships disputing fifth, sixth and seventh level on points and only one point off the qualifying spots. Arretxe and Begino are still bottom, but moving up is now a possibility; they are a mere two points off fourth place.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 3-4, 6-6, 6-10, 9-11, 9-18, 10-18, 10-22

In the Promocion Championship, Gorka-Cecilio went clear at the top, beating Apezetxea-Larrinaga who were also previously undefeated. The margin of victory was 22-16. Elsewhere, Mendizabal III-Merino I beat Aritz Lasa (replacing Olazabal)-Arruti 22-6, Rico IV-Untoria beat Lemuno-Mendizabal II (replacing Aretxabaleta) 22-17 and Olaetxea (replacing Tainta)-Ladis Galarza beat Urrutikoetxea (replacing Elezkano II)-Larunbe 22-17. Their table can be seen here.

Pairs Championship: Ezkurdia-Zubieta on the charge in Tolosa

Ezkurdia and Zubieta yesterday registered their second win in a row, defeating Xala and Barriola comprehensively in a carnival atmosphere at Beotibar. The main protagonist was Ezkurdia, who played with impressive power and confidence. Perhaps some allowances can be made for Xala, returning to the fronton after a hamstring injury, but there was little he could do to stop the rampant young forward who has turned the fortunes of this pair on their heads after coming in to replace Gonzalez two weeks ago. The verve he has brought to the front appears to have pushed Zubieta to new heights. The defender has not played badly all championship, even with Gonzalez in tow, but in the past two weeks he has ridden the crest of a wave. Barriola was unsettled by him and ultimately outplayed. Ezkurdia and Zubieta were in control for the majority of the encounter, save for a period early in the game when their opponents came from 1-5 down to 6-5 up. From there on however, they put their stamp on the game, advancing to 6-13, and from that point, their lead never fell below four. Whatever happens in the match today, at the same venue, between Berasaluze-Albisu and Arretxe-Begino, Ezkurdia and Zubieta will have made giant strides up the table. A win for Arretxe and Begino could see them fifth and on the fringes of qualification, with all the chances in the world. This would have been unthinkable a mere two weeks ago.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-5, 6-5, 6-13, 7-13, 7-15, 11-15, 11-18, 12-18, 12-20, 14-20, 14-22
Service winners/errors: Xala 1/0, Ezkurdia 3/0
Winners/errors: Xala 7/5, Ezkurdia 9/3, Barriola 0/5, Zubieta 0/3
Match time: 67 minutes
Balls hit: 559