Tag Archives: Pascual

The Penultimate Week of Pairs Qualifying: Four in the Hunt for Two Places

The only pair certain of qualification before this past weekend was that of OLAIZOLA II – BEROIZ, but not content with taking their foot off the throttle and coasting through the final two weeks, they dished out another hammering, this time to XALA – LASKURAIN, whom they beat 22-13 in Vitoria-Gasteiz. In doing so, the dealt them a blow as the vanquished pair slip out of the qualification places into sixth, one point in arrears of Olaizola and Beroiz’s empresa colleagues Berasaluze and Albisu. The one negative for the top pair is that Beroiz sits out this coming weekend through injury. He will be replaced by Mendizabal II with whom Olaizola won the tournament in 2008. They play the ailing Lasa and Zubieta on Friday, or whoever may play in their place. Xala and Laskurain face Bengoetxea and Apraiz in their fight for survival.

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BARRIOLA look as though they made be overcoming their recent wobbles; a 22-15 win over BENGOETXEA VI – APRAIZ in Urduliz puts them third, level on points with Berasaluze and Albisu behind them. Irujo and Barriola were forced to come from behind against a partnership who realised it was very likely do or die. Bengoetxea dominated in the early stages but his hold disintegrated from 12-6 and Irujo upped the ante and Apraiz began to feel Barriola’s heat. Though they closed gamely to 13-14, the Aspe pair proved to be in possession of an extra gear and their pressure drove their opponents to a raft of costly errors. The defeated pair face an uphill challenge to qualify, but depending on other results, a win over Xala and Laskurain could still be enough.

In the dead rubber in Tolosa, ARRETXE II – BEGINO salvaged some pride from their sorry campaign by beating GONZALEZ* – PASCUAL* 22-8. Gonzalez and Pascual were playing in place of Aritz Lasa and Zubieta who are both injured, and for the second week running were forced to watch their proxies making a mess of things in their name. Gonzalez will have done little here to support his contention that he should have been in the tournament ahead of Lasa in the first place.

The table, ahead of the final week of qualification looks like this:

 

PAREJA

JUG.

GAN.

PERD.

Tf

Tc

COEF

1

OLAIZOLA II – BEROIZ

13

13

0

286

160

+126

2

TITIN III – MERINO II

13

8

5

255

230

+25

3

MTZ de IRUJO – BARRIOLA

13

7

6

249

210

+39

4

BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU

13

7

6

240

214

+26

5

XALA – LASKURAIN

13

6

7

230

234

-4

6

BENGOETXEA VI – APRAIZ

13

6

7

221

241

-20

7

ARITZ LASA  –  ZUBIETA

13

3

10

182

261

-79

8

ARRETXE II – BEGINO

13

2

11

152

265

-113

The final week’s fixtures are:

URRETXU, 23/03/2012

EIBAR, 25/03/2012

LABRIT, 24/03/2012

TOLOSA, 26/03/2012

OLAIZOLA II
BEROIZ
 
   
ARITZ LASA
ZUBIETA
 
XALA
LASKURAIN
 
   
BENGOETXEA VI
APRAIZ
 
BERASALUZE VIII
ALBISU
 
   
MTZ DE IRUJO
BARRIOLA
 
TITIN III
MERINO II
 
   
ARRETXE II
BEGINO
 

Irujo and Barriola put substitutes to the sword

Sunday 11th March, Eibar

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BARRIOLA beat RETEGI BI* – PASCUAL* 22-4

Pairs Championship

We were faced on Sunday afternoon with the unusual situation of a pair made up of two substitutes. Zubieta has now been out for several weeks with ongoing hand problems, and last week his regular partner Aritz Lasa joined the ranks of the ill and infirm. It fell therefore to Retegi Bi and Pascual to represent them, and although they were already out of the running for a place in the last four one could not help but conjure up visions of the injured duo watching this match from behind the sofa. The statistics make it look like a virtuoso showcase for Irujo, finishing as he did with fifteen winners to two errors, but in reality he had to do very little as Retegi Bi and Pascual looked utterly out of their depth and sealed their own fate.

The result was really never in any doubt. Right from the start, Irujo made his pressure tell and the opposing pair appeared to have no strategy for dealing with it and no cohesion. It appeared briefly as if a contest may be on the cards when Irujo made two careless mistakes in a row to turn 0-4 into 2-4, but that was as good as it was going to get for Retegi and Pascual. Irujo did not make another error in the match and Barriola, but for one low strike when falling backwards on 17-4, was faultless. Retegi had his chances but proved utterly incapable of making them count. On 2-9 for example, he had the easiest possible chance to seize a winner with a cross into the left wall but totally blew it, the ball clattering low. Too often he threw away position through a lack of imagination and an inability to break through Irujo’s control. Pascual meanwhile made matters worse and with every error he committed looked more and more disgruntled at having to be there at all. He was easy pickings for Barriola in the tactical stakes. The game was neatly summed up by the final point, in which Retegi hit the ball wildly wide directly from a disciplined and excellently directed Irujo serve.

It was expected that Irujo and Barriola would win this but the scale of their triumph must have filled them with considerable delight. They are embroiled in a close fight for a semi-final spot and a win plus a positive points difference of eighteen has done them the world of good. Having been out of the qualifying spots, they have leapfrogged Xala and Laskurain into fourth. Everything hinges on the next two weeks.

Scoring sequence: 4-0, 4-2, 10-2, 10-3, 18-3, 18-4, 22-4.

Winners/errors: Irujo 15/2, Barriola 0/1, Retegi Bi 1/2, Pascual 0/5.

Match time: 35:27 with 16:21 of actual play

Balls hit: 318

Pairs, week 11: five pairs now fight for three places

Saturday 3rd March, Pamplona: BENGOETXEA VI – APRAIZ beat ARITZ LASA – PASCUAL* 22-10

It is over and out for Aritz Lasa and the luckless Zubieta. There was talk of Zubieta returning this week but with qualification almost out of the question and a sensible desire to recover completely from the hand troubles which have plagued him this year, Pascual once again took up the mantle. Oinatz Bengoetxea has lacked consistency thus far in the tournament and needed a performance from the top drawer to remind both himself and us what a great player he is. At Labrit, he found his mojo with a staggering sixteen winners to no errors. Aritz Lasa, who showed flashes of brilliance last week, could not so much as hint at that this time round with a return of six to three. The defenders were more evenly matched, but in the face of a forward so completely on top of his game, their effect on the outcome of the match was minimal at best. Bengoextea and Apraiz are right in the frame for one of the remaining three semi-final places and with the unlikely demise of Irujo and Barriola, their chances look all the brighter.

Scoring sequence: 2-0, 2-2, 4-2, 4-5, 14-5, 14-6, 20-6, 20-10, 22-10

Winners/errors: Bengoetxea 16/0, Apraiz 2/2, Lasa 6/3, Pascual 1/1

Match time: 49 minutes

Pamplonas famous Labrit fronton

Pamplona's famous Labrit fronton

Saturday 3rd March, Amorebieta: BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU beat XALA – LASKURAIN 22-12

This match was all about Pablo Berasaluze. Perhaps sensing that things were getting exceedingly tight in the fight for semi-final berths, the man from Berriz utterly annihilated Manomanista champion Xala in a whirlwind display of dominance. Fifteen winners in open play plus two with the serve tells its own story. In the face of this, Xala could only muster only one winner to one error. Xala and Laskurain had previously taken four matches in a row, but their run was brought to an abrupt halt as the Asegarce pair took their second win in as many weeks to slip into second place in the standings.

Scoring sequence: 1-1, 1-2, 2-5, 2-6, 3-11, 3-12, 4-12, 7-13, 8-15, 9-15, 11-16, 12-20, 12-22

Winners/errors: Xala 1/1, Laskurain 1/3, Berasaluze 17/6, Albisu 1/3

Match time: 1:23

Balls hit: 703

Berasaluze appears to like Amorebieta

Berasaluze appears to like Amorebieta

Sunday 4th March, Logrono: OLAIZOLA II – BEROIZ beat TITIN III – MERINO II 22-16

One almost runs out of things to say when reporting on yet another win for Olaizola and Beroiz, but at Adarraga their lives were not made easy. The home pairing of Titin and Merino took the game to the undefeated duo with much verve and no fear. Olaizola and Beroiz went ahead early, leading comfortably at 8-2 and 10-4, but their rivals fought back, taking the lead, and the match became exceedingly tight. The favourites drew level again at 15 and 16 and it seemed as if it would go down to the wire, with Olaizola showing rare signs of weakness. However, one crack in the Riojan army and he was able to seize the initiative, adding to his total of fifteen winners on his way to a 22-16 win which was in reality a closer run thing than the score might suggest. Beroiz was, again, imperious in defence, shading Merino in a battle of exciting young talent.

Scoring sequence: 0-2, 1-5, 2-8, 4-10, 8-10, 11-11, 11-13, 13-13, 15-13, 15-15, 16-16, 16-22

Winners/errors: Olaizola 15/4, Beroiz 1/1, Titin 9/3, Merino 2/3

Match time: 64 minutes

Balls hit: 499

The Pairs table, with three weeks to go, looks like this:

 

PAREJA

JUG.

GAN.

PERD.

Tf

Tc

COEF

1 OLAIZOLA II – BEROIZ 11 11 0 242 135 +107
2 BERASALUZE VIII – ALBIS U 11 6 5 204 183 +21
3 TITIN III – MERINO II 11 6 5 211 198 +13
4 XALA – LASKURAIN 11 6 5 199 190 +9
5 BENGOETXEA VI – APRAIZ 11 6 5 194 197 -3
6 MTZ de IRUJO – BARRIOLA 11 5 6 205 191 +14
7 ARITZ LASA – ZUBIETA 11 3 8 170 217 -47
8 ARRETXE II – BEGINO 11 1 10 121 235 -114

 Photos: mine

A British Girl in the Basque Country, Part 2: Lezama and Hondarribia

(You can read Part 1 HERE!)

We awoke on Friday morning to brilliant blue skies. The Basque Country was in the throws of a heat wave and it was set to continue. Our first port of call in an action packed day was a visit to the EiTB offices where we would meet my contact there, Igor Lansorena, and be shown around. My blog has been hosted by EiTB for over two years now and it was fabulous to see where the organisation operates and how everything works, as well as to meet the person with whom I’ve exchanged so many emails over the months! As well as all the offices, we had a look at the news studios, so familiar from ETB Sat. Here I am, pulling my best Serious News Reader Face:

Trying to look the part

Trying to look the part

Up until the evening, cycling filled the agenda, for this was the day the Vuelta a Espana returned to the Basque Country for the first time in 33 years. It was a special day on so very many levels and even now, looking back, I can hardly believe we experienced what we did; Euskaltel Euskadi’s Igor Anton, from Galdakao, just a few kilometres outside Bilbao, broke away on his own roads in front of friends and family to win on the Gran Via amidst scenes of collective and uproarious joy. The sight of the small and somehow vulnerable figure, celebrating as he rode through a sea of orange and ikurriñas was both beautiful and moving, something we felt highly privileged to have witnessed. I won’t go into too much more detail here, as I wrote about it on the cycling blog Podium Café; take a look at that for more outpourings of my Euskaltel love! This historic win would have been quite enough to make our day one to remember, but there was still pelota to come…

Local boy Igor Anton is just slightly happy

Local boy Igor Anton is just slightly happy

After the cycling, we walked back to the EiTB offices to meet Igor (Lansorena rather than Anton, who was presumably still beaming in the midst of a packed press room at this point) who was going to drive us to Lezama for the evening’s televised matches. It certainly felt surreal to be attending rather than watching back at home in the usual Friday evening slot. Lezama is a short drive from Bilbao and is known mainly for being home of the Athletic Bilbao training grounds, but football is not the only sport to be practised here and we arrived in plenty time at the small and slightly provincial feeling fronton. This fixture had a decidedly local feel to it; players were jogging around in the car park and we stepped straight from the outside virtually onto the playing area to take out seats. I came to love the immediacy of pelota, the fact that such great athletes are so close and so accessible. We were in Lezama not as ‘public’ but as guests of EiTB, and the first moment of the evening to make me grin from ear to ear was an introduction to Xabier Euzkitze, pelota presenter and commentator whose voice I knew so well. It felt like a great honour and I was so touched when he told me he knew about this blog. I truly felt welcome and at home in a foreign land.

There were two games on the menu for the evening. The first was between Apezetxea and Larrinaga, and Jaunarena and Merino, the former pairing winning 22-19. I don’t remember all that much about the game itself, but I certainly recall the moment not far into it when I saw a man approaching from my left with a video camera and a microphone. Now, I know they like to interview members of the crowd at matches, but they usually pick upon former players, people from the empresas and the like. Now it seemed the target was me and my jaw nearly hit the floor. I suppose I can understand why an English girl watching pelota in Lezama is considered out of the ordinary, especially when she runs a blog on it! I had no time to think of what to say so I’m sure I didn’t sound at all erudite, but I don’t think I said anything too unfortunate. Once again I was overwhelmingly flattered and excited, and couldn’t stop grinning. Amusingly, when we got back to Bilbao later that night, my friend turned on the TV while I was in the bathroom and hollered through the door at me that I was on it. Out I rushed to see my face on the screen and hear my very English accent ringing around the room. I’ve maybe used the word ‘surreal’ too many times, but please can I use it again here?!

In the second match, Retegi Bi and Zubieta beat Titin III and Zabaleta 22-13. We had seen Zabaleta accidentally injure Aritz Lasa the night before, and tonight it was his turn to do himself a mischief, landing literally at my feet on his right shoulder before leaving the fronton for treatment. Thankfully for him, he was able to return, but could not prevent Retegi and Zubieta from taking a classy win.

After 'The Interview'

After 'The Interview'

Lezama

Lezama

Merino

Merino

Titin

Titin

On Saturday, we went to Oier Zearra’s farewell match in his home town of Galdakao. I won’t write about that as I did a separate post on it, which you can read here. I felt it really deserved its own piece.

Sunday was our final full day in the Basque Country and for the first time, we left Bizkaia. The day’s matches, televised by ETB, were in Hondarribia which nestles up against the French border, across the estuary from Hendaye. We left Bilbao in the morning on the bus to San Sebastian, along with legions of people wearing the bottle green supporters’ garments of Kaiku, for today it was the famous Bandera de la Concha, one of the greatest of the traditional summer rowing competitions which are held up and down the Basque coast each. When we arrived in San Sebastian we realised swiftly just how big this day was in the local calendar. Kaiku’s fans were joined by those of all the other boats, including many for the eventually victorious Urdaibai, creating a colourful and good natured throng. We failed to see much at all of the actual competition save a boat or two in the distance, but merely being there was a fabulous experience.

A boat!

A boat!

Lots of people

Lots of people

We saw....very little!

We saw....very little!

The heaving old city

The heaving old city

However, we couldn’t while away the day in San Sebastian, beautiful and vibrant though it was, for we had to catch another bus to Hondarribia. We got there intentionally early in order to have a look around the old town, and we found yet another Basque gem, full of cobbled streets and gorgeous traditional houses, overlooking the water in one direction and the mountains in the other. Hondarribia, seemingly like almost everywhere else, was in the midst of its fiesta and food and drink was flowing in its pintxo bars.

Hondarribia's old town

Hondarribia's old town

Cobbled street

Cobbled street

In advance of the 5pm start time, we made the short walk to the fronton, which is on the edge of the town centre, outside its old protective walls. Hondarribia’s fronton was the largest one we had been to and it was almost full. It felt far more like a big sporting event than the other, rather cosier feeling evenings in smaller frontons had. We sat further from the frontis this time, in order to get the defenders’ perspective and gain an understanding for the vast distance they are required to hit.  In the first match of the evening, Zabaleta put his bad week behind him, teaming up with Gorka to beat Idoate and Cecilio 22-19.

Xabier Euzkitze got a helping hand from Abel Barriola

Xabier Euzkitze got a helping hand from Abel Barriola

Idoate

Idoate

Zabaleta throws to Idoate

Zabaleta throws to Idoate

Idoate and Zabaleta discuss

Idoate and Zabaleta discuss

Gorka is interviewed

Gorka is interviewed

The feature match once again included my favourite Zubieta, this time playing with Xala with whom he won the Pairs Championship in 2010. We were very excited to see this Rolls Royce of a couple in action, but they failed to fire with Xala especially off colour, losing to Irujo and Pascual 22-13. This was a small disappointment, both to me and to the middle aged woman on my right who was either Zubieta’s mother or was madly in love with him. Much to our amusement, his every strike of the ball was met with a whispered ‘aupa Aitor!’ from the terribly tense sweaty palmed fan, and his every error with a shriek of dismay.

Irujo smiles

Irujo smiles

All set

All set

A laughing Manomanista Champion, Xala

A laughing Manomanista Champion, Xala

Children take to the fronton once the pros have left

Children take to the fronton once the pros have left

When the last point came to an end, hands had been shaken and the players had retreated out of sight, I felt suddenly empty and rather sad. It was over. We hung around the fronton like lost souls, wandering onto the playing area to take in every vista, to commit everything to memory. We were just about to leave when Zubieta, still in kit, came jogging past. With pure reflex action, I somehow managed to ask him for a photograph in some bizarre mixture of Spanish, English and a little Basque. He apologised for having to run straight to a TV interview but came over when he was finished and happily posed for me. I have little clue what he said, but he was delightful. Milesker Aitor! Zabaleta also smiled for the camera. And so, that really was it. The next morning we were back in England, a little numb and a little sad, but brimming over with wonderful memories, of people, places and sporting action as well as a greater appreciation for the culture, the rhythms and the soul of Euskadi and its wonderful sport of pelota. I will be back, and soon.

No caption needed!

No caption needed!

Zabaleta, relaxed

Zabaleta, relaxed

All photos are mine

Lekeitio Semi Final: Stunning Berasaluze puts Irujo to the Sword

Friday 2nd September, Lekeitio

BERASALUZE VIII – BEGINO beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – PASCUAL 22-13

The one abiding memory from the first Lekeitio semi-final is the scintillating play of Pablo Berasaluze. He was utterly superior to the great Juan Martinez de Irujo in all areas, and the game revolved around him, his irrepressible spirit, insatiable drive and stunning shot making. He manoeuvred Irujo around the fronton as if he was a puppet on a string, supported excellently by champion defender Aritz Begino, who was a pillar of strength from the back and rarely lapsed in his delivery. 

Berasaluze gave the first point away with an almost-perfect gantxo which just skimmed the board, but the two winners which followed signalled his intent, as a looping ball to the corner forced Irujo low and a txoko into space induced a fist pump in its creator. Begino also got in on the act with a  low skidder which foxed Irujo, and soon 0-1 was 6-1. Irujo and Pascual recovered to 9-6 with a run of three points, two of which were rare errors from their opponents and the other a cross court winner handed to Irujo on a plate by Begino. They again briefly threatened a comeback when they closed to 13-10, but Pascual let their momentum slip when his ball from the rear of the fronton hit Berasaluze in the back. From 14-10, the trailing pair managed to accumulate another three points in the game, and the one which took the score to 19-12 showed that Irujo had not completely lost his shot making abilities, as he whipped a gantxo towards the crowd.

However, it was one way traffic in the latter part of the game as Berasaluze, like a never-relaxing terrier, pounced on everything and turned the screw. Irujo was run ragged, with his opponent winning even points where he was forced to scrap, turning defence into searing attack. There was never any doubt about the result, and the Asegarce pair wasted no time in closing out the match as three winners turned 19-13 into 22-13 in the blink of an eye. Berasaluze and Begino embraced in genuine joy at a job stunningly done. They will find out today who they will meet in tomorrow’s final, as Titin III and Zubieta take on Olaizola II and Apraiz.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 9-3, 9-6, 12-6, 12-8, 13-8, 13-10, 16-10, 16-11, 19-11, 19-12, 19-13, 22-13.

Winners/errors: Berasaluze 15/3, Irujo5/2, Begino 3/4, Pascual 1/2

Balls hit: 329

Match time: 50:24 with 15:50 playing time

Pablo Berasaluze: irrepressible

Pablo Berasaluze: irrepressible

Image from Deia, by Javier Bergás

Pairs Championship: Irujo-Merino, Olaizola-Begino and Gonzalez-Laskurain qualify

Friday 11th March, Mutilva

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO  – MERINO II beat ARRETXE II – IBAI ZABALA 22-21

Juan Martinez de Irujo and David Merino needed to win in Mutilva on Friday to have any hope of making the last four, and they scraped through against the substitutes, Iker Arretxe and Ibai Zabala, who squandered two match points. Arretxe threw all caution to the wind and well and truly took the game to Irujo, who was not on his best form, finishing with seven errors to his rival’s one. Irujo and Merino kept their noses in front for the first portion of the match, largely thanks to Merino’s mastery of Ibai Zabala, but they increasingly found themselves behind, and it seemed as if an upset was on the cards. However, they found their nerve when it mattered most and could breathe again; a loss by 13 points for Bengoetxea and Patxi Ruiz’ replacement Jon Ander Albisu would out them through.

Saturday 12th March, Pamplona

OLAIZOLA II – BEGINO beat TITIN III – PASCUAL 22-11

Aimar Olaizola and Aritz Begino had been on the cusp of the semi finals for four weeks, but the elusive seventh victory escaped them until Sunday. With their comprehensive defeat of Titin and Pascual they ended their run of indifferent form and ensured qualification in second place behind Xala and Barriola. Titin and Pascual began the better, opening up a 5-0 lead, but once the Asegarce pair hit their stride, there was no stopping them. They closed to 9-10 thanks largely to the play of Begino, who thrilled the crowd with two robotes and left an out of sorts Pascual reeling. He supported Olaizola excellently, and the Goizuetarra hit eleven winners in all, easily outclassing Titin for pace and guile.

Saturday 12th March, Gernika

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat SARALEGI – APRAIZ 22-15

Sebastien Gonzalez and Aritz Laskurain put their slow start in the championship behind them when they made certain of their place in the semi finals, defeating Ekaitz Saralegi (replacing Pablo Berasaluze) and Alexis Apraiz on Saturday. Until the mid point, the game was evenly balanced, and was notable for some superb attacking play from Saralegi. However, the wheels fell off for the Asegarce combination as their opponents raced unopposed to 18-11. Although they managed four more points, in fits and starts, there was no way back, and class told.

Gonzalez, along with partner Laskurain, is through

Gonzalez, along with partner Laskurain, is through

Image from: Noticias de Navarra

Pairs Championship week 10 round up

Friday 4th March, Amorebieta

TITIN III – BEROIZ* beat ARRETXE II – IBAI ZABALA 22-6

Mikel Beroiz stood in for Inigo Pascual on Friday, and helped Titin to an extremely valuable win over another pair of substitutes, Iker Arretxe and Ibai Zabala, who have no hope of making the last four. The Aspe pair looked like an established partnership, and moved with unity of purpose towards an easy win, in which they were never remotely troubled. Both players were leagues ahead of their opponents, who proved unable to exert any pressure at all. As a contest, this was a non-event, but many aficionados surely revelled in an excellent and cool display of pelota from the victors. Titin and Pascual now lie in fifth, one place out of the qualifying spots, but they are level on points Gonzalez and Laskurain one place above them, so everything is to play for.

Scoring sequence: 4-0 / 4-1 / 10-1 / 10-2 / 15-2 / 18-3 / 18-4 / 20-4 / 20-6 / 22-6

Sunday 6th March, Eibar

BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ beat GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN 22-18

This was always likely to be a closely fought game, given the similarity in fortunes of these two pairs in the championship thus far, and so it proved as the advantage swung back and forth throughout. Gonzalez and Laskurain held sway early on, but Oinatz Bengoetxea was instrumental in the Asegarce duo’s resurgence in the second half of the match, as he turned the tables on Gonzalez in expert fashion. He finished with a whopping fifteen winners. The defenders were evenly matched; Laskurain played a more involved part in the game, but Ruiz was excellent when called upon. The winners now sit third, level on points with Olaizola II and Begino in second. Gonzalez and Laskurain are a further point back in fourth.

Scoring sequence: 0-3 / 1-3 / 2-3 / 2-5 / 5 / 9-5 / 9-7 / 10-7 / 10 / 11 / 14-11 / 14 / 14-16 / 16 / 16 – 21 / 18-21 / 18-22

Monday 7th March, Tolosa

XALA – ZABALETA beat OLAIZOLA II – BEGINO 22-21

Tolosa witnessed the shock of the week.  Had Xala lined up with his normal partner, Barriola, they would have been the favourites, but with Barriola injured, the young and inexperienced Zabaleta stepped in. Aspe clearly wanted to give him a test, safe in the knowledge that the star pair had qualified anyway, and he did not disappoint, helping to condemn the former leaders, now in second to a fourth straight defeat. It took Zabaleta a while to settle, but once he did, there was little stopping his pair. Xala was majesterial form, putting thirteen Winters past his opponents. With Barriola back and healthy, it will take much to stop this pair. Despite their recent meltdown, Olaizola and Begino still sit second, thanks to their six straight wins at the start of the tournament. The odds are that they will be safe.

Scoring sequence: 0-1/1/3-1/3-2/6-3/8-4/10-5/15-11/18-14/18/19/20/21-20/21/21- 22

Tuesday 8th March, Tolosa

BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – MERINO II 22-18

Pablo Berasaluze and Alexis Apraiz will struggle to make the semi finals, but this victory has at least given them the chance. The red pair of Juan Martinez de Irujo and David Merino looked the better almost throughout thanks to the play of Irujo and the hesitancy of Apraiz. However, at 15-18 down, Berasaluze took the game into his hands, unleashing a barrage of left handed hooks to condemn Irujo to a bit part. The blues scored seven points unanswered to take the tie and keep their hopes alive, though they lie second from bottom. Irujo and Merino are one place, and one point, above in sixth.

Scoring sequence: 0-2/4-2/4-3/6-3/6/10-6/10-11/15-11/15-12/17-12/17-15/18-15/18-22

 

PAREJA JUG. GAN. PERD. T. FAV. T. CON COEF
1 XALA – BARRIOLA 10 8 2 216 147 +69
2 OLAIZOLA II – BEGINO 10 6 4 197 186 +11
3 BENGOETXEA VI – P. RUIZ 10 6 4 187 179 +8
4 GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN 10 5 5 191 174 +17
5 TITIN III – PASCUAL 10 5 5 190 186 +4
6 MTZ IRUJO – MERINO II 10 5 5 168 183 -5
7 BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ 10 4 6 180 189 -9
8 OLAIZOLA I – BELOKI 10 1 9 119 214 -95
                 

Pairs Championship: Bengoetxea/Ruiz and Gonzalez/Laskurain take their places in the qualification fight

Friday 25th February, Azkaine

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat ARRETXE II – IBAI ZABALA 22-19

Gonzalez and Laskruain were the overwhelming favourites for this game, which took place in front of a crowd of 700 in the former’s backyard. However, Iker Arretxe and Ibai Zabala caused them no end of worry, and pushed them all the way to the line, maintaining stalemate at 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17 and 18, before finally succumbing to the cool heads of their more seasoned rivals, after a whopping 1030 balls. Arretxe was the player of the match, resourceful and successful in attack, as the underdogs threw caution to the wind; as substitutes for Olaizola I and Beloki they had little to lose, and a gilt edged opportunity to make a name for themselves. In the end though, Gonzalez and Laskurain joined the group of five vying for the remaining three qualifying spots behind Xala and Barriola.

Scoring sequence: 0-1/1/4-1/4/4-6/6/9-6/10-7/10/11/12/14-12/14/14-16/16/17/18/20-18/20-19/22-19

Duration 106 minutes, with 53 minutes of playing time and 1030 balls struck

 

Sunday 27th February, Logrono

BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ beat TITIN III – PASCUAL 22-19

This was as close as it gets to a crunch game: both pairs needed a victory to avoid the predicament of having to win both of their remaining matches to qualify. In a tense affair, full of emotion, it was the Asegarce pair who prevailed. Bengoetxea and Ruiz kept their noses in front for most of the match; they led 5-0, before their opponents came back and took over by eight points to five, but once they regained the lead, they never let it go. The Aspe duo gave the Titin tifosi something to cheer about when they came to within one point of parity at 19-20, but they lacked the killer punch of their opponents. All played with skill and passion, but Patxi Ruiz’ was the standout performance. Asegarce will no doubt be delighted that he controlled the game as he did, with no hint of discomfort from his lately rather troublesome hands.

Scoring sequence: 0-5 / 5 / 5-7 / 7 / 8 / 8-6 / 9-10 / 9-11 / 10-12 / 12 / 12-14 / 12-13 / 13-17 / 15-17 / 16-19 / 17-19 / 18-20 / 19-20 / 19-22

Duration 81 minutes, with 30 minutes of playing time, and 671 balls struck.

Iker Arretxe almost engineered an upset

Iker Arretxe almost engineered an upset

Image from Deia, by Iban Aguinaga

Pairs Championship: improving Gonzalez-Laskurain cause an upset, and Titin-Pascual cement their position

Apologies once again this week for the lack of in depth reporting; I was in Manchester all weekend at the track cycling World Cup, so rather too busy with other things to watch any pelota! However, here is the first of two instalments in my round up of the Pairs action from this rotation.

Friday 18th February, Zestoa

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat OLAIZOLA II – BEGINO 22-10

We begin in Zestoa, which witnessed the shock of the week. Aimar Olaizola and Aritz Begino suffered their first lost of the competition the previous weekend, and here it became two in a row as they were taken apart by Sebastien Gonzalez and Aritz Laskurain. Their previous loss was a close one, but this was far more worrying for the former table toppers, who are now usurped by Xala and Barriola by virtue of points difference, both having played eight and won six. Gonzalez and Laskurain are very much on the up, having now won four matches in a row. They sit third in the table, at the head of the group of four pairs on four wins from eight. The Aspe partnership dominated the game, with Laskurain the pick of the bunch, improving his performance beyond recognition from past weeks. Neither Asegarce player had their best day to put it mildly, but Begino was especially ill at ease, conceding six errors. Gonzalez was at his potent best, chalking up three aces, and eight winners in open play, alongside only one error.

Scoring sequence: 0-4 / 1-4 / 1-6 / 2-6 / 3-6 / 3-10 / 4-10 / 5-10 / 5-16 / 6-16 / 7-16 / 7-18 / 8-18 / 8-19 / 9-19 / 10-19 / 10-22.

Match time was 48 minutes, with 19 minutes of playing time. 366 balls were hit.

Sunday 20th February, Logrono

TITIN III – PASCUAL beat BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ 22-11

Pablo Berasaluze and Alexis Apraiz dealt their chances of qualification a severe blow down in Rioja on Sunday, by mailing to beat local hero Titin and his partner Inigo Pascual at Adarraga. Their loss means that they slip out of the mid table group of pairs who are tied on points for the third to sixth spots, and languish only one off the foot of the table. Titin and Pascual now sit fifth, and are very much in the hunt for qualification. The Aspe pair were by far the better in this tie, with the greatest disparity in quality coming at the back, where Apraiz could make no inroads into the dominance of Pascual. Pascual provided the perfect attacking platform for Titin, who was rarely troubled and largely kept Berasaluze locked out of the match. His twelve winners to Pablo’s five demonstrated the greater attacking potency of the winning pair,

Scoring sequence: 2-0 / 2-1 / 9-1 / 9-2 / 9-5 / 10-5 / 12-5 / 12-6 / 12-7 / 16-7 / 16-8 / 17-8 / 17-9 / 18-10 / 22-11

Match time was 49 minutes, with 17 minutes of playing time.

 

Gonzalez and Laskurain are on a roll

Gonzalez and Laskurain are on a roll

Image from: Manista, by Carlos Zuluaga

Pairs Championship Week 7 Round Up

Friday 11th February, Urduliz

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ 22-18

Friday’s match in the Bizkaian town or Urduliz was expected to be a close one, and so it proved. Sebastien Gonzalez and Aritz Laskurain had one their previous two matches after an extremely slow start in the championship, and Pablo Berasaluze and Alexis Apraiz were coming off two wins, and a near upset against the table toppers. The crowds were treated to an exciting and tough exhibition, which lasted 76 minutes and 612 balls. Although it was always close, and there was little to choose between the pairs, Gonzalez and Laskurain ran out the deserving winners. The latter was the difference between the sides, coming out on top in a tit for tat fight with Apraiz, and ending as the best player of the night.

Saturday 12th February, Pamplona

BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ beat XALA  – BARRIOLA 22-21

Oinatz Bengoetxea and Patxi Ruiz seized their fourth point of the championship with a tense and thrilling win over pre-tournament favourites Yves Salaberry and Abel Barriola. Both forwards and backs fought tooth and nail. Patxi Ruiz just shaded Barriola, but both pulled off impressive feats. Xala’s vehement attack was repelled time and again by Bengoetxea, whose defence was magnificent. He also took the attack to Xala with a wide range of shot play. Patxi Ruiz strained his calf with the score on 18-17, and when he returned from the locker room was restricted in the shots he could manage. Xala and Barriola went ahead 21-19, and looked as if the momentum would stay with them, but Bengoetxea and Ruiz fought back doggedly to take the win by the smallest possible margin.

Saturday 12th February, Tafalla

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – MERINO II beat OLAZOLA I – BELOKI 7-4 (Olaizola I retired injured)

The game in Tafalla was brought to an unfortunate and abrupt end when Asier Olaizola was forced to retire with a knee injury. With the score at 7-4, and with everything still to play for, the forward from Goizueta twisted awkwardly and had to be helped from the fronton. He underwent a scan in Vitoria-Gasteiz this morning, and we await word from Asegarce on the extent of his injury.

Sunday 13th February, Logrono

TITIN III – PASCUAL beat OLAIZOLA II – BEGINO 22-21

Table toppers Aimar Olaizola and Aritz Begino suffered their first loss of the competition, succumbing by one point to Titin and Pascual at Adarraga. In a match full of emotion and excitement from first until last, the Asegarce duo looked to have matters under control, going ahead 3-10, 6-13 and 13-17. However, Titin masterminded a comeback, playing with passion and intensity in front of his home fans. Supported excellently by Pascual at the back, he drew his pair level at 17-17, before they surged ahead 20-17. Aimar and Aritz fought their way back to 20-21, but two errors from Begino handed the game to Titin and Pascual, who have reversed their fortunes dramatically from their drubbing by Gonzalez and Laskurain last week. Olaizola and Begino, however, remain in isolation at the top of the standings. This result will have provided them with a shock, but they are as good as safe and will put it behind them.

The championship now moves into its second round robin phase, in which each pair plays the four from the opposing empresa across four weeks of games. The schedule for this section of the competition can be viewed at Asegarce. The table at this point in proceedings indicates the closeness in ability of many of the couples. Olaizola II-Begino and Xala-Barriola have served up the most quality, and looked virtually assured of places in the semi finals, but behind them things are very tight. Bengoetxea VI-Patxi Ruiz are next best, having won four of their seven matches, while four pairs are tied on three wins. Olaizola I-Beloki seem out of it, but for everyone else, it is all to play for. See here for the full table.

The Second Tier championship, which mirrors to pattern of the main competition, also moves into its next phase next weekend. There, it looks to be a six-pair fight for the semi final berths. Apezetxea-Cecilio top the table, while Jaunarena-Larrinaga and Urrutikoetxea-Iza appear down and out. For the full table, see Manista, and for remaining fixtures see Asegarce.

Titin and Pascual: giant killers

Titin and Pascual: giant killers

Image from Manista, by Carlos Zuluaga