Basque pelota blog in english – Dos paredes

Sunday 14^th November, Logrono

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO beat TITIN III 22-17

Cuatro y Medio Semi Final

Titin III took on Martinez de Irujo in the Riojan fortress of Adarraga yesterday, and must have hoped that the baying home fans would give him the vital edge he required over the tournament favourite. For a few fleeting moments of optimism, it looked as if victory might be on the cards for the tireless veteran, but Irujo, lethal when he comes from behind, put well and truly paid to any false hopes.

Irujo started as he meant to go on, with precision, speed and venom. The man from Ibero put eight points past the local favourite to only two in reply, showing the full range of his shot play and landing winners with incredible accuracy. Titin survived remarkably error free, but had little answer to the onslaught of Irujo. Titin slowly clawed his way back into the game however, taking advantage of seven errors in the match from Irujo, who allowed his rival to close to 7-10, 8-11 and 12-12. From parity at 14-14, Titin surged forward with new found confidence, to lead at 17-14. However, it was not to be, much to the chagrin of the crowd of over 1000, as Irujo showed why he is the best in the game. The Manomansita champion pulled seven straight winners out of the fire, relentless and devastating.

Irujo made significantly more mistakes than Titin across the match, seven to only one, but he also piled up an astonishing seventeen winners, eleven more than his opponent, and it was this which swayed the match. In the middle period, many shots which would earlier have curled inside the line, went out by millimetres, but he relocated his radar in the nick of time, and there was nothing Titin could do in reply. He will now meet Barriola at Labrit on Sunday, while Titin plays this week’s other loser, Gonzalez, back in the bear pit of Adarraga.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 6-1, 6-2, 8-2, 8-5, 10-5, 10-7, 11-7, 11-8, 12-8, 12-12, 14-12, 14-17, 22-17.

Winners: Irujo 17, Titin 6

Errors: Irujo 7, Titin 1

Service winners: Irujo 2, Titin 3

Service errors: Irujo 0, Titin 0

4 ½ line errors: Irujo 1, Titin 0

Source: Diario de Navarra

Irujo marches on

Image from: Kiroljokoa

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Sunday 26th September, Logrono

BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – PASCUAL 22-20

In front of a large, enthusiastic audience at Adarraga, San Mateo’s two best pairs put on a show to remember on Sunday night. In a match full of drama, tension and emotion, the brilliant Oinatz Bengoetxea and his perfect foil Patxi Ruiz seized the prestigious tournament from favourites Irujo and Pascual to put the finishing touches to a wonderful summer. The Asegarce pair had already won at San Fermin and Zarautz (Oinatz also took the San Sebastian title with Barriola) but this was possibly their most satisfying win of all, coming as it did over Irujo, who battled like the champion that he is. Both forwards put on a show, striking eleven winners apiece, and attacking each other all out from the gun, each determined to impose his will on the match. The pace was feverish and there was nothing to chose between them. Despite the focus on the battle up front, it was the rejuvinated Patxi Ruiz, with his three winners from the back, who made the difference. Fittingly, it was he who sealed the win with a glorious forehand. The pair leapt with jubilation as Irujo and Pascual were left to rue their missed chances.

Oinatz and Patxi have been the partnership of the summer, but next time they meet on a fronton they will be opponents. The two have been drawn against each other in the second semi final of the Nitro Cuatro y Medio tournament in Zalla. The other semi involves Martinez de Irujo and Barriola, setting up the mouthwatering prospect of a possible rematch between Oinatz and Irujo in another final. Both games take place on Saturday with the final scheduled for 9th October.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-2, 2-2, 2-3, 3-3, 3-4, 4-4, 4-6, 5-6, 5-8, 6-8, 6-9, 9-9, 9-12, 10-12, 10-13, 11-13, 11-14, 15-14, 15-16, 17-16, 17-19, 19-19, 19-21, 20-21, 20-22.

Winners: Bengoetxea VI 11 (plus 1 service winner), Irujo 11, Ruiz 3, Pascual 0

Errors: Bengoetxea VI 4, Irujo 2, Ruiz 5, Pascual 5

Balls hit: 776

Match time: 76 minutes, with 35:39 minutes of actual playing time

Source Diario Vasco

Oinatz on fire

Image from Deia

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Thursday 23^rd September, Logrono

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – PASCUAL beat SARALEGI – BEGINO 22-4

The fans at Adarraga last night anticipated an exciting forward battle between the master Irujo and the in-form Saralegi, who had played perhaps his best ever match as a professional in putting Xala to the sword last week. However, they left disappointed as the Manomanista Champion swept all before him in a display of breathtaking virtuosity. Saralegi and Begino hoped to spring a surprise, but the forward from Amezketa looked tense and anxious, and was never afforded any space to act. Irujo bossed the game from start to finish, doing what he liked, when he liked. Pascual, his reliable partner, did not put a foot wrong, but was for the most part a bystander as the star of the show made hay. To make matters worse for Asegarce, Begino ended the match with stitches in his elbow after a collision with the wall.

Irujo and Pascual advance to Sunday’s final. The identity of their opponents hangs on tonight’s game between Bengoetxea VI – Patxi Ruiz and Olaizola I – Apraiz. If Bengoetxea and Ruiz win, they are through, thanks to the narrow victory over Titin and Barriola they already have in the bag. If they lose, Titin and Barriola may go through on points difference.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 8-1, 8-2, 15-2, 15-3, 19-3, 19-4, 22-4

Winners: Irujo 13, Pascual 0, Saralegi 2, Begino 1

Service winners: Irujo 5

Errors: Irujo 1, Pascual 0, Saralegi 2, Begino 2

Match time: 43 minutes

Balls hit: 406

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Friday 24th September, Logrono

22:25 (CEST) MENDIZABAL – URRIZELKI v APEZETXEA – LARRINAGA

23:30 (CEST) OLAIZOLA I* – APRAIZ v BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ Torneo San Mateo

*Olaizola  replaces Berasaluze VIII

Sunday 26th September, Logrono

16:55 (CEST) OLAIZOLA I – BELOKI v ARITZ LASA – LASKURAIN

18:05 (CEST) MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – PASCUAL v ????? – ????? Torneo San Mateo Final

To watch, visit http://www.eitb.com/television/etb-sat/en-directo

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Wednesday 22^nd September, Logrono

TITIN III – MERINO II beat BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ 22-4

The young Riojan defender David Merino has been a professional a mere two months. Many in his position would have wilted under the pressure of being required to fill the shoes of the great Abel Barriola, arguably the best defender in the current game, but the 20 year old seized the game from the very first point and was the undoubted star of the evening. The game was brought to an abrupt halt as a contest with the cut to Berasaluze’s hand, which occurred with the score on 10-4 to the eventual winners. The Asegarce forward left the fronton to receive three stitches, and when he returned he was nigh on powerless to stop the rot, but the pattern had been set by then, and it is clear that the better side won. The solid Titin and his young foil made 11 winners between them, five of those coming from Merino, and committed no errors. Their opponents made four winners and nine errors, and from 4-4, they failed to win another point, showing no imagination, no spark and no potency.

Titin and Merino are not yet guaranteed a place in the final, as that will depend on the result of the game between last night’s losers and Bengoetxea VI-Patxi Ruiz. Tonight, Martinez de Irujo and Pascual take on Saralegi and Begino for a place in the last two.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 4-1, 4-4, 22-4

Winners: Titin III 6, Merino II 5, Berasaluze VIII 4, Apraiz 0.

Errors: Titin III 0, Merino II 0, Berasaluze VIII 3, Apraiz 6

Balls hit: 245

Match time: 41 minutes

New boy David Merino is living up to his promise

Image from Diario de Navarra, sources Diario Vasco, El Correo

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Tuesday 21st September, Logrono

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – PASCUAL beat XALA – LASKURAIN 22-20

Last night, Manomanista Champion Juan Martinez de Irujo made his first appearance at San Mateo, and his presence was reflected in the box office, for Adarraga was expectantly full. Sadly for the fans however, this was a match to forget, characterised more by errors than by brilliance. Despite their winning scoreline, Irujo and Pascual shared thirteen unforced errors between them, four more than were struck by their opponents. Irujo also managed nine winners, which saved the day, and he was the best of the quartet, but there was nothing flashy about the triumph. Xala was easily below par, just as he was in his first match where he was utterly undone by Saralegi. Laskurain, standing in for the injured Zubieta, played with enthusiasm but too little accuracy, and was just shaded in the defensive stakes by Pascual, who was the more potent. So, Irujo and Pascual proceed to play Saralegi and Begino on Thursday, their hopes still burning brightly. For the losers however, it is the end of the road.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 1-1, 1-2, 4-2, 4-4, 7-4, 7-5, 9-5, 9-7, 10-7, 10-9, 12-9, 12-12, 18-12, 18-16, 20-16, 20-20, 22-20

Winners: Irujo 9, Pascual 2, Xala 5, Laskurain 1

Errors: Irujo 5, Pascual 7, Xala 4, Laskuarin 5

Balls played: 486

Match time: 61 minutes

Playing time: 23:33 minutes

Tonight’s match is between Berasaluze VIII – Apraiz and Titin III – Merino II. Merino II replaces Barriola who rests a minor injury to his left wrist. It starts around 20:15 (CEST) and can be followed at pelotalive.

A night to forget for Aritz Laskurain

Image from: Deia, sources: Deia, Diario Vasco, El Correo

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The San Mateo tournament got underway in Logrono, Rioja, on Sunday and the first two matches have gone rather against the expected. On Sunday, reigning pairs champions XALA and ZUBIETA lost to SARALEGI and BEGINO, 22-16. Ekaitz Saralegi was the undoubted star of the show, notching up 17 winners to Xala’s 5. Whereas Xala was below par, the 31 year old from Amezketa was inspired, displaying dogged defence as well as lethal attack. The defenders were more evenly matched. Xala broke free in an extent in the second part of the match the champions came between three points of their rivals at 16-19, but despite a minor strain to Begino’s arm, the Asegarce pair finished the job.

On Monday, BENGOETXEA VI and PATXI RUIZ scraped through 22-21 against TITIN III and BARRIOLA. In a game full of emotion, the Asegarce pair held sway for the majority of the encounter, leading 13-8, 16-12 and 20-13, with Bengoetxea rampant and Ruiz his perfect foil. However, to rapturous approval from the Logrono faithful, Titin and Barriola scrapped their way back to 17-20, before saving four match points to reach 21-21. The fifth proved one too far though, as a txoko from Ruiz won the day.

The battle continues tonight, as MARTINEZ DE IRUJO and PASCUAL take on XALA and LASKURAIN, who stands in for Zubieta. Tomorrow, Wednesday, TITIN III and BARRIOLA take on BERASALUZE VIII and APRAIZ. There will, sadly, be no coverage on ETB Sat.

The impressive Saralegi

 Image from: Noticias de Gipuzkoa, by Jose Sampedro

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Sunday 21^st March, Logrono

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat TITIN III – PASCUAL 22-16

Pairs Semi Finals

After Saturday’s starter, in which Xala and Zubieta cemented their credentials as txapela contenders, came Sunday’s main course which would decide who would meet them at the top table. The eyes of the pelota world alighted upon Adarraga, in the Riojan town of Logrono, the home fronton of Titin III, and the stage seemed set for the local hero to grasp the last pass to the final. The baying crowd certainly hoped and prayed for such an outcome, and for Gonzalez and Laskurain, this fixture must have felt like running headlong into the jaws of the enemy. However, the ‘away’ couple were not to be overawed, and clinched their ticket to Ogueta in commanding style.

Aritz Laskurain, the unassuming but quietly devastating defender from Soraluze in Gipuzkoa, was the man of the match. He has played this year as if newly invigorated, and can now eye his first major final since 2008, when he along with Titin lost in the final of this very competition to Olaizola II and Mendizabal II. He seems a more consistent player these days, having held his form almost the tournament through, and read the game on Sunday with aplomb. He dominated Pascual, who himself has turned in some stellar performances of late, including that of last weekend, which eliminated Irujo and Beroiz. He and Gonzalez went for the jugular from the drop of the flag, racing to a 14-2 lead, and putting Titin under extraordinary pressure in the process. That the eventual losers pulled the score back to 22-16 by the end could be seen as something of a triumph but in reality their comeback ensued only after Gonzalez and Laskurain had let their foot off the gas. All Rioja was stunned into silence.

Many believed that the insatiable desire of Titin, coupled with the ruthless form of Pascual, would see them through, but they reckoned without the emergence of a rival pair who’s eyes are focussed firmly on the prize. The upshot is that Gonzalez will face Xala in attack on April 4^th in the first all-French-Basque forward battle in the history of championship finals. Xala has been the more consistent across the tournament as a whole but Gonzalez on his day can beat anyone in the world, as he showed in the Cuatro y Medio final against Irujo in December. The defensive battle will be no less fascinating, with a white hot Laskurain fighting Zubieta, who has grown by ten feet since January. After nearly three months of enthralling sport, all is set for the Eastertide showdown in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Scoring sequence: 0-3, 2-6, 2-14, 4-14, 4-15, 5-15, 7-15, 6-16, 10-16, 10-17, 13-17, 13-18, 13-20, 16-20, 16-22.

Aritz Laskurain: in form

Image from: Gara

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Sunday 7th March, Logrono

XALA – ZUBIETA beat TITIN III – PASCUAL 22-19

Pairs Semi Finals

The second semi final in the Pairs Championship saw the second upset as Yves Salaberry and Aitor Zubieta defeated Augusto Ibanez and Inigo Pascual in a tight and suspense filled encounter at Adarraga. The main thrust of the action took place at the rear of the fronton, as Pascual and Zubieta battled for supremacy through the lengthy and punishing rallies which characterised the match. Pascual pummelled his opposite number throughout, with power in defence and attacking verve but the excellent Zubieta held him off with aplomb. He spoke afterwards of his pair’s plan to target Pascual, and while his rival would not be bowed, Zubieta fought and survived. The forward game was not of the same quality, with Titin largely squeezed out, but Zubieta’s support gave Xala an excellent platform and it was he who did the majority of the damage.

In the post match analysis, much of the talk, at least from Titin and Pascual, centred on the balls, which they claimed showed excessive flight. Despite a resignation about the supposed state of the playing material, the losing pair remained upbeat. Next week they face Irujo and Beroiz in a do or die encounter after which the losers will go home, but the reputation of their opponents notwithstanding, Pascual emphasised their belief in their game. If anyone can fight to the death, it is he and the dogged Titin.

Xala and Zubieta, with their precious point pocketed, face Gonzalez and Laskurain in the next rotation. Zubieta spoke of the ‘unbelievable’ play of Pascual and was under no illusions as to the defensive battle he will face against Laskurain, who is in excellent form. Xala focussed on the atmosphere of the evening, characterised by a hugely partisan Riojan crowd which never ceased in its vocal support for Titin. A minority whistled the winning pair but instead of denting their fight, this served only to spur Xala on in greater courage. As the forward stated, any game against Gonzalez and Laskurain will be ‘complicated’ but he declared he and Zubieta ready for ‘work and sweat’. From here on, every point matters.

Scoring sequence: 2-0, 3-1, 5-1, 5-4, 8-4, 8-7, 13-7, 13-13, 14-14, 16-14, 16-15, 17-17, 17-20, 18-20, 19-21, 19-22.

Xala: 'work and sweat'

Sources: Aspe, Diario La Rioja; Image from: Manista

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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

Image from: Rioja Deporte

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