Friday 10th May, Tolosa
22:00 (CEST) ARITZ LASA – LASKURAIN v EZKURDIA – PENAGARIKANO
Followed by BEROIZ v ALBISU Manomanista
Sunday 12th May, Eibar
17:00 (CEST) APEZETXEA – PENAGARIKANO v EZKURDIA – LARRINAGA
Followed by JAUNARENA v ZABALETA Manomanista
To watch, go to http://www.eitb.tv, http://www.eitb.com/es/television/etb-sat/or http://www.eitb.com/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/
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.tv, http://www.eitb.com/es/television/etb-sat/or http://www.eitb.com/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/
Iñaki Iza returns to competition on Friday after a five month absence. He will play in Najera on Friday after overcoming a nerve problem in the biceps of his left arm which has seen him sidelined since 1st December. The Asgegarce defender, who hails from Amorebieta, has been training normally for three weeks and has decided to take the plunge and play. He will pair up with Olaetxea against Saralegi and Aretxabaleta. We wish him well!
Photo: mine
Friday 26th April, Altsasu
22:00 (CEST) ARITZ LASA – MERINO v MENDIZABAL III – PENAGARIKANO
Followed by MERINO II v EZKURDIA Manomanista preview
Sunday 28th April, Bilbao
17:00 (CEST) XALA – LASKURAIN v IDOATE – BEGINO
Followed by BERASALUZE II – ALBISU v MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – ZABALETA Pairs Championship Final
To watch, go to http://www.eitb.tv, http://www.eitb.com/es/television/etb-sat/or http://www.eitb.com/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/
This weekend also sees the Promocion Pairs final between RICO IV – UNTORIA and GORKA – CECILIO. This will take place on Saturday in Logrono, with the first match of the evening commencing at 17:30 (CEST).
There is no pelota on this Friday evening, but Sunday should in part make up for this as the two top pairs in the championship play each other at Bizkaia. Whoever wins this will have one foot in the final.
Sunday 7th April, Bilbao
17:00 (CET) TITIN III – LASKURAIN v JAUNARENA – BARRIOLA
Followed by BENGOETXEA VI – BEROIZ v MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – ZABALETA Pairs Semi-Final
To watch, go to http://www.eitb.tv, http://www.eitb.com/es/television/etb-sat/or http://www.eitb.com/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/
The other Pairs Semi in this rotation is on Saturday at Labrit, where Olaizola II-Ibai Zabala play Berasaluze II-Albisu in what is a crunch match for both. In the Promocion tournament, Apezetxea-Larrinaga face Rico IV-Untoria in Beasain on Friday while Gorka-Cecilio play Tainta-Ladis Galarza on Sunday after the main championship semi at Bizkaia.
Asegarce yesterday announced the signing of Mikel Idoate from Aspe for two years. He follows in the footsteps of Mikel Beroiz and Ladis Galarza who have both left Aspe for the Bilbao company in recent times. The move is likely fuelled the abundance of talent in the forwards department at Aspe, counterbalanced by the relative lack of it at Asegarce. Idoate has fallen into the gap between top tier pairs selection and the promocion tournaments, and is increasingly losing out to new talents like Ezkurdia and Jaunarena who are being pushed into the limelight. He is too good to be allowed to fall by the wayside. This move should revitalise the career of the 23 year old from Txantrea and afford him plentiful opportunities in the top flight. Asegarce have struggled for two or three years for a fourth elite forward to sit alongside Aimar Olaizoola, Bengoetxea VI and Berasaluze II. Asier Olaizola has been on the wane for a while and Iker Arretxe has failed to rise to the task on too many occasions. Idoate gives them new young blood and a talent bursting to show itself. He will play his first match for his new empresa on Saturday in Pamplona, where he is paired with Apraiz against Urrutikoetxea and Begino.
As well as the start of the Pairs Championship semi finals (the first is on Saturday and not on ETB, the second is available to watch on Monday), this weekend sees an innovation, a pairs 5 1/2 tournament. This competition involves Aspe pairs only in its inaugural run out, but may expand in the future.
Friday 29th March, Zarautz
22:00 (CEST) OLAZABAL – PENAGARIKANO v ARITZ LASA – MENDIZABAL II
Followed by IDOATE – LASKURAIN v JAUNARENA – ZUBIETA Zarautz 5 1/2 tournament semi final
Sunday 31st March, Zarautz
17:00 (CET) OLAZABAL – PASCUAL v MENDIZABAL III – LASKURAIN
Followed by XALA – PENAGARIKANO v WINNERS OF 29th MARCH Zarautz 5 1/2 tournament final
Monday 1st April, Eibar
17:30 (CET) GONZALEZ - MENDIZABAL II v ARITZ LASA – LASKURAIN
Followed by BERASALUZE II – ALBISU v BENGOETXEA VI – BEROIZ Pairs Championship semi final
To watch, go to http://www.eitb.tv, http://www.eitb.com/es/television/etb-sat/or http://www.eitb.com/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/
Asegarce today announced two pieces of news, both concerned with Pablo Berasaluze. Firstly, the forward from Berriz has renewed his contract with the empresa for another three years, keeping him in their service until 30 April 2016. In addition, Berasaluze has made a formal request to Asegarce, which has been accepted, to change his playing name to Berasaluze II in honour of his late father.
Friday 15th March, Aizarnazabal
22:00 (CET) OLAZABAL – ARRUTI v LEMUNO – ARETXABALETA Promocion Pairs
Followed by BENGOETXEA VI – BEROIZ v EZKURDIA - ZUBIETA Pairs Championship
Sunday 17th March, Eibar
17:00 (CET) IDOATE – PENAGARIKANO v JAUNARENA – PASCUAL
Followed by XALA – BARRIOLA v MARTINEZ DE IRUJO - ZABALETA Pairs Championship
To watch, go to http://www.eitb.tv, http://www.eitb.com/es/television/etb-sat/or http://www.eitb.com/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/
The other Pairs Championship games are Titin III – Merino II v Berasaluze VIII – Albisu (Bilbao, Saturday) and Olaizola II – Ibai Zabala v Arretxe II – Begino (Pamplona, Saturday)
Friday 22nd February, Donibane-Garazi
22:00 (CET) LEMUNO – ARETXABALETA v MENDIZABAL III – MERINO Promocion Pairs
Followed by TITIN III – MERINO II v XALA – BARRIOLA Pairs Championship
Sunday 24th February, Eibar
17:00 (CET) RETEGI BI – PASCUAL v JAUNARENA – LASKURAIN
Followed by OLAIZOLA II – IBAI ZABALA v BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU Pairs Championship
To watch, go to http://www.eitb.tv, http://www.eitb.com/es/television/etb-sat/or http://www.eitb.com/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/
The other Pairs games are Bengoetxea VI – Beroiz v Martinez de Irujo – Zabaleta (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Saturday) and Arretxe II – Begino v Ezkurdia – Zubieta (Pamplona, Saturday). In the Promocion, the big news is that Gorka is out injured for an estimated three weeks. He will be replaced by Aritz Lasa. The fixtures, other than the above, are Apezetxea-Larrinaga v Elezkano II-Larunbe (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Saturday), Aritz Lasa*-Cecilio v Tainta-Ladis Galarza (Pamplona, Saturday) and Olazabal-Arruti v Rico IV-Untoria (Eibar, Sunday).
