Basque pelota blog in english – Dos paredes

Sunday 18^th December, Eibar

BENGOETXEA VI  – APRAIZ beat ARRETXE II – BEGINO 22-18

The main interest in this match was in seeing how Begino would operate with Arretxe, and whether the latter as a debutante would be able to stand the pace of the elite tier. Begino won the title with Olaizola II in 2011 and might be forgiven for feeling a little aggrieved not to have been paired with him again, being ousted by Beroiz who has had a rather more visible year since. As it happened, Begino proved completely unable to lift Arretxe, who while he played with credit was outpaced by Bengoetxea. The game was characterised by long tough rallies and it exceeded 700 ball strikes in all, but the poetry was removed by the error count, for which Begino was especially responsible. The defender was a rock in last year’s championship, proving a splendid anchor for Olaizola’s attacking venom, but there was little sign of these qualities on Sunday. Bengoetxea and Apraiz were rarely troubled and were ahead throughout, but this win has done nothing to answer any questions about their credibility as a pair for the overall. Consistency is the name of the game in this mammoth championship and on this showing they look less than immovably solid. Still, it is very early days, and much can and will change between now and April.

Iker Arretxe made a creditable debut

Photo: mine

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Sunday 30^th October, Eibar

BARRIOLA beat XALA 22-15

Abel Barriola is unusual in being a defender who is an expert player of the Cuatro y Medio variety of pelota mano. It is a game more suited to forwards who are used to the lightning cut and thrust of play close to the frontis, a fact borne out by the identities of the tournament’s recent string of winners which has included Olaizola II. Irujo, Titin III and Gonzalez. Barriola was one of only two defenders to start in this year’s championship, and the other, Patxi Ruiz, fell at the first hurdle. The man from Leitza has twice been a runner up in the 2000s, both times to Irujo, and is once again flying the flag for his breed. Sunday’s win over Manomanista Champion Xala was a triumph of calm assurance and an unshakable will to overcome, qualities which could once again take him to the brink of greatness, or maybe even to its lofty heights.

From the outset it was clear than a high quality game was in the offing. The players, colleagues in the Pairs at the start of the year and now adversaries, went at each other hard and could not be separated at 4-4. The opening points featured a range of both skills and lapses from both, highlights being the accuracy of Xala’s dipping service and a quite stunning dos paredes from Barriola which gave him a brief lead at 2-3. However, from this early parity it was Barriola who forged an onward path, winning six points to Xala’s one to lead 10-4. He opened his run with another dos paredes, which expertly skimmed the frontis and then died on impact with the floor and continued with an unlikely return winner from Xala’s gantxo. Xala, obviously rattled and little helped by an emergency time out, hit wide and low in succession, before a Barriola service winner continued the rot. To go to 4-10, Barriola produced a ball to the wide court’s open spaces which Xala could only stand back and admire.

Barriola seemed unstoppable and Xala out of ideas, but his war councils with botillero Aitor Zubieta began to bear some fruit just when required. The next passage of play was all about the man from Iparralde, who emulated Barriola in seizing six points on the bounce to regain the lead at 12-11. Barriola’s sequence ended when his drop attempt faded and fell low. He regained the serve straight away with a dos paredes error from Xala , but then three errors and some textbook cross court play from his rejuvenated rival negated his admirable defensive efforts. At 11-11 Barriola had a golden chance to win the initiative back with the point at his mercy before his gantxo missed its target, and amazingly, Xala was ahead. The pair traded blows, tied once again at 12 and 13, and it seemed as if this tie may go to the wire.

However, Barriola, never worked up and always in control of his emotions, was in no mood to let his erstwhile colleague take the spoils and he set about calmly and gradually eking out a new advantage. Xala once again let mistakes creep into his game and this aided Barriola, now serving with venom, to a four point lead at 13-17. It was a gap which Xala proved unable to bridge. He pulled two back when Barriola pushed his reply to a dos paredes wide and then fluffed a close range dos paredes of his own, but Barriola kept building. Xala helped to drive the nails into his own coffin with a falta on 15-19, and Barriola wasted no time at all in sealing the deal with a fourth dos paredes winner and an easy txoko. Having kept his emotions behind a veil for the duration of the encounter, Barriola released them with a whoop of joy. His dream of another final is very much alive and while he is not there yet, he can eye the prize. Will 2011 be the year of the defender?

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

Xala: winners (6) errors (7) service winners (3) service errors (1) 4 ½ line errors (1)

Barriola: winners (10) errors (5) service winners (3) service errors (0) 4 ½ line errors (1)

Match time: 55:09 with 10:33 of actual play

Balls hit: 264

Botilleros: Aitor Zubieta with Xala  and Miguel Irigoien with Barriola

Abel Barriola: on course

Image from Noticias de Gipuzkoa, by David de Haro

In the Promocion Championship, the semi final played yesterday in Eibar was won by Mendizabal III, who beat Ongay 22-11. The neo-pro was always on top, leading 9-1, 10-2 and 15-4. A late rally from Ongay was nowhere near enough. The impressive debutante will play his second semi final against fellow first rotation victor Lemuno in Antzuola on Friday.

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Sunday 23^rd October, Eibar

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO beat BENGOETXEA VI 22-17

Juan Martinez de Irujo admitted himself that he had no idea how he beat Oinatz Bengoetxea on Sunday. Bengoetxea was up 12-5 and had the defending champion well and truly on the ropes and ‘out of options’. Even having let his opponent back into the game at 12-10, Bengoetxea marched on with ease, playing with pace and verve, to 16-11. Having once again opened a telling gap, it seemed as if Irujo was dead in the water. However, Irujo is the king of the improbable comeback, as he showed in the final last year when Barriola opened up a sizeable gap upon him but went on to lose. Playing with his chosen balls he made his serve count, using it to win six points outright. He moved ahead for the first time in the game at 17-16 and by this time, Bengoetxea was a different opponent, demoralised and unable to break the relentless streak of his rival.

Scoring sequence: 0-3, 6-3, 6-4, 7-4, 7-5, 12-5, 12-10, 13-10, 13-11, 16-11, 16-17, 17-17, 17-22.

Bengoetxea VI: winners (8) errors (7) service winners (2) service errors (0), 4 ½ line faults (0)

Martinez de Irujo: winners (9) errors (5) service winners (6) service errors (1), 4 ½ line faults (1)

Match time: 42:56, with 9:46 of actual play

Botilleros: Asier García with Bengoetxea VI and Patxi Eugi with Irujo

Irujo came from behind to qualify

Sunday 23^rd October, Longroño

XALA beat TITIN III 22-17

Titin had home advantage for this quarter final tie and the Riojan fans did everything they could to lift their hero. Well aware of the fact that this may be his last chance for Cuatro y Medio glory, his retirement possibly encroaching, the home favourite went at Xala hammer and tongs and put him seriously on the back foot. Falling to a 0-6 deficit, Xala appeared nervous and the crowds sensed blood. The Manomanista champion picked up points in ones and twos, moving from 1-7 to 5-7 and 6-10, but from 7-11 he found his feet in style, picking up seven points in a row to lead 14-11 and undo all of Titin’s early supremacy. Titin scrapped to stay in touch, but in reality no longer looked like a winner, his demeanour radically altered. Xala moved serenely towards the last four, wasting little time in closing the deal after establishing a five point lead at 20-15.

With Xala’s victory, the semi-final line up is complete and is in the eyes of most the dream quartet. Martinez de Irujo and Olaizola II kick off proceedings in Bilbao on Saturday, before Xala and Barriola meet on Sunday in Eibar in an effort to deal the opening blows of the elite round-robin stage.

Scoring sequence: 0-6, 1-6, 1-7, 5-7, 5-9, 6-10, 7-11, 14-11, 14-13, 16-13, 16-15, 20-15, 20-16, 21-16, 21-17, 22-17.

Xala: winners (9) errors (8) service winners (1) service errors (0) 4 ½ line faults (0)

Titin III: winners (8) errors (10) service winners (2) service errors (0) 4 ½ line faults (1)

Match time: 75:00

Balls hit: 391

Botilleros: Aitor Zubieta with Xala and Joaquín Plaza with Titín

Xala saw off the threat of Titin

The semi-final line up is also now complete in the Promocion Championship. On Friday in Beasain Mendizabal III thrashed Rico IV 22-6, In Pamplona on Saturday Ongay beat Tainta 22-16, in Logroño on Sunday Albisu triumphed 22-15 over Apezetxea while Lemuno beat Olazabal 22-12 in Eibar. The first semi-final is on Saturday in Balmaseda where Lemuno takes on Albisu. On Tuesday, Mendizabal III plays Ongay in Eibar.

Images from: Noticias de Navarra and Argia. Source: Diario Vasco

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Sunday 9^th October, Eibar

SARALEGI beat IDOATE 22-11

This was a first round result which surprised many, with Ekaitz Saralegi easily outplaying Mikel Idoate, the 22-year old who is tipped for great things. Idoate won his place in the 2011 main championship by winning last year’s Promocion competition in grand style, trouncing Merino II 22-7 in the final after an unbeaten campaign. Saralegi, not immune to creating upsets in major competitions, went out of last year’s championship in the first round, but has already gone one better in 2011 and will meet Xala in the quarter finals.

The game at Astelena was an uninspiring one. Idoate was never in the game from 2-3 onwards, going behind 2-8, 5-16 and 9-19 before succumbing without much real fight. Saralegi was dominant in all areas, creating space through tactical nouse and hitting winners with aplomb. He notched up fifteen winners in open play with an additional two on service. Idoate won seven of his points with winners, relying on the lapses of his opponent for the remaining four. Sadly for him, Saralegi was not well disposed to the granting of gifts, and it is the Gipuzkoan who marches on.

Scoring sequence: 3-0, 3-2, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4, 9-4, 9-5, 16-5, 16-6, 18-6, 18-8, 18-9, 19-9, 21-11, 22-11.

The other two main Championship matches to be held over the weekend also yielded easy winners. Both took place on Saturday in Pamplona, affording the Labrit fans a potentially intriguing double header which in the end fell rather short of drama. In the first game, PATXI RUIZ was outplayed by OLAETXEA, a pelotari very much in the ascendant, having won both the second tier Pairs and Manomanista so far this year. He won the second tier Cuatro y Medio in 2008, and showed his readiness for the major stage here, beating Ruiz 22-13. The second game of the evening saw BERASALUZE VIII put ARRETXE II to the sword by 22 points to 8. This was plain sailing for Berasaluze but he will face tougher times ahead; his next opponent is four-time Cuatro y Medio champion Aimar Olaizola.

In the second tier Promocion Championship, ARGOTE beat the spirited UNTORIA 22-16, ONGAY compounded CECILIO’s recent lack of form in a 22-8 drubbing, MENDIZABAL III withstood a comeback from ZABALETA to win 22-15, OLAZABAL, a recent returnee from injury, beat MERINO 22-8, TAINTA beat an off-colour IZA 22-9, and GORKA goes through after an injury to JAUNARENA forced the cancellation of their game.

For the full schedule of quarter final matches, see Asegarce.

Delight for Ekaitz Saralegi

Image from Deia

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Sunday 27th March, Eibar

XALA – BARRIOLA beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – MERINO II 22-17

Xala and Barriola, the outstanding combination of the tournament thus far, are inches from a place in the final after their battling defeat of the ever improving Martinez de Irujo and Merino II, in front of a large crowd at Astelena. As long as they score fifteen points against Olaizola II and Begino next week, they will proceed to the showdown on 17^th April. After their loss here, Irujo and Merino will have to beat Gonzalez and Laskurain.

The favourites should have waltzed away with this game from their early ten point lead, maintained from 13-3 to 15-5. Xala was able to dominate Irujo crosscourt in this spell, as the Manomanista champion perhaps too often went for the txoko, leaving himself open to attack when it did not come off. Barriola, again reminding one of a metronome, played his virtuoso supporting role to perfection. However, with the game half an hour old, Irujo sizzled into life. Key to his transformation was the newfound power of his serve, which at times baffled Xala and Barriola, sending them into uncharacteristic confusion. Merino , too, got in on the act, rushing in with both hands to pull off some of the best shots of the day. Having drawn level at 15-15 with their flurry of dominance, it seemed as if, with the momentum on their side, there was no stopping Irujo and his young partner. However, they were able to add only two more points, as Xala and Barriola restored the status quo. Xala volleyed and hooked with stunning intensity, adding a further five winners as his gallant opponents were extinguished

It is clearly possible to beat Xala and Barriola, but they have the stoicism and tenacity to come back time and again from deficits which might finish others off. This is the mark of champions in waiting, although they cannot afford to be complacent for a second, as anything can happen in a final. Key to their consistency is the bombproof defence of Barriola; his worth was proved here time and again as he contained Merino, who failed to reach the stellar heights of his performance in Bilbao last week. Still, the game is not up for Irujo and Merino; nobody is out and nobody is through. These semi finals will go down to the wire.

Abel Barriola: consistent and unflappable

Image from Astore, source Diario Vasco

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Sunday 20^th March, Eibar

XALA – BARRIOLA beat GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN 22-17

Xala and Barriola were the clear favourites for this, the second Pairs semi final, but they made heavy work of defeating Gonzalez and Laskurain, who are seen by many as the dark horses of the last four. True, there were mitigating circumstances, in the form of a pull to the left buttock of Xala. He started the match with all of his recent form, allowing his pair to keep pace with their opponents, despite the uncharacteristic early errors of Barriola, who looked significantly off colour. From 5-6, they surged forwards, a now more consistent Barriola playing like clockwork with his excellent partner. They added nine points with no reply, and Gonzalez and Laskurain, less incisive and lacking in imagination, looked dead in the water. Gonzalez in particular paid the price of his errors, which by the end of the match totalled seven. When they proceeded to lose the next three points, there was no immediate cause for panic, but brows were furrowed in their camp when Xala retired to the locker room for treatment. Upon his return, he looked stiff and attacked with less venom, becoming more reliant on the defence of Barriola. Thankfully for him, the man from Leitza played like a rock, even under vicious attack from Laskurain. The momentum in the back division shifted several times over, but once Barriola found his rhythm, his class told, and Laskurain became ever more prone to error, his body language deteriorating with his fortunes.

Xala and Barriola allowed their opponents to come within striking distance at 15-16 and 16-18, but in the end rode out the storm thanks to their greater tactical nous and ability to manipulate Gonzalez and Laskurain, who while threatening, never quite had enough. They did not win as many expected them to do, and some may be quick to point out holes in their armour, but the fact that they came through proves how tough they will be to dethrone. With Xala fit, they are still very much the number one pair.

Scoring sequence: 2-0, 2-2, 3-2, 3-3, 5-3, 5-5, 6-5, 6-14, 9-14, 9-15, 12-15, 12-16, 15-16, 15-18, 16-18, 16-20, 17-20, 17-22.

Service winners: none

Winners: Gonzalez 6, Laskurain 2, Xala 9, Barriola 0

Errors: Gonzalez 7, Laskurain 6, Xala 3, Barriola 6

Match time: 79:26, with 30:54 of actual playing time

Balls hit: 628

Sweat and toil for Xala

Image from Deia

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Sunday 13th March, Eibar

XALA – BARRIOLA beat BENGOETXEA VI – ALBISU 22-8

This match was all about Oinatz Bengoetxea and Jon Ander Albisu, and by extension, Patxi Ruiz. Yves Sallaberry (Xala) and Abel Barriola, the favourites, had already secured their berth in the semi finals, but for their opponents, this was crunch time. Their Asegarce colleagues, Iker Arretxe and Ibai Zabala had done their best to eliminate Martinez de Irujo and David Merino, but squandered a match point to lose 22-21, meaning that Bengoetxea and Albisu had to score at least ten points against Xala and Barriola to qualify. For Bengoetxea and his usual partner, Patxi Ruiz, this should have been a formality. However, with Ruiz injured, grave responsibility fell on the head of his replacement, inexperienced twenty year old Albisu. Given the track record of Bengoetxea and Ruiz as a pair over the past year, a semi final line up devoid of them would seem perverse, but Xala and Barriola were in no mood for charity, and Albisu was forced to leave the fronton, head in hands, with Bengoetxea high and dry.

The encounter started in the worst possible way for the Asegarce pair; Albisu hit high in open play, and then again from a Xala serve, allaying no fears about the possible state of his nerves. Bengoextea steadied the ship with a crosscourt flick, ending a hard fought point, to get his partnership on the board, but Xala showed that he could beat him at his own game in the very next point, before Albisu miscued twice more in the next three points. Bengoetxea subsequently rushed into a potential drop winner which met the ground instead of the frontis. Scoring was an arduous trial for the blue pair, who picked up points periodically, but could not establish any momentum. Bengoetxea’s class shone through with the winners he managed, notably in the two excellent drops on 2-8 and 3-8, the second of which revealed disorganisation in the red camp for the first, and perhaps only time in the game.

However, despite the sterling defensive efforts for which he has become renowned, Bengoetxea was unable to compensate for the lack of attacking platform afforded him by Albisu. It was assumed that Xala and Barriola would target the young defender as the weak link, but as things unfolded, it became clear that he would dig his own grave. Time and again he hit too high, perhaps attempting in vain to put some pressure on the relentless Barriola. More frustratingly for the blues, he threw away points which should have been theirs; on 5-12, Barriola was forced forward to cover a txoko, but was let off the hook by an error, the result of either carelessness or tension. Again, and more crucially, on 8-20, with the magic ten points almost in reach, he undid all the excellent scrapping forward work of Bengoetxea to concede match point.

While the flailing Asegarce duo tried in vain to accrue points, Xala and Barriola moved forward with all of their customary ease and grace. So reliable and efficient was Barriola that one hardly noticed his presence. He ran rings around his young counterpart without breaking a bead of sweat, to the extent that there was an almost audible gasp when he finally made an error on 20-7. Watching such a consummate master at work, it seems baffling that he has won as few major championships as he has. Consistency throughout the year, as in an individual match, is Barriola’s byword, but maybe this time around the rewards will come. Xala’s showing was less than totally perfect, but so dominant was he over Bengoetxea that his two errors were hardly noticed. Most of his mounting winners were achieved with brutal ease, whether rocketed crosscourt or tapped delicately into the corner. On the occasions when Bengoetxea did engage him in a scap, Xala more often than not had his number. Even in the close fight on 3-8 which Bengoetxea won, Xala’s pick-up off the floor, adjudged to have bounced twice, was an extremely close run thing.

So, it is over and out for Bengoetxea and Ruiz. With Ruiz in place, the necessary ten points would surely have come more easily. Albisu fought as hard as he could, and showed talent in spurts, but in truth he leaked points, and gave Bengoetxea little room to manoeuvre. The qualifying concerns of their rivals were of little import to Xala and Barriola, who continued on their serene journey through this championship. They head the final quartet, and it would be brave in the extreme to predict their exit before four becomes two.

Scoring sequence: 2-0, 2-1, 4-1, 4-2, 8-2, 8-4, 9-4, 9-5, 17-5, 17-6, 20-6, 20-8 and 22-8.

Match time: 47.04 minutes, with 21.22 minutes of play

Service winners: Xala 4, Bengoetxea 0

Winners: Xala 9, Barriola 0, Bengoetxea 4, Albisu 0

Errors: Xala 2, Barriola 1, Bengoetxea 3, Albisu 5

No joy for Oinatz

Image from Diario Vasco

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Sunday 30^th January, Eibar

OLAIZOLA II – BEGINO beat XALA – BARRIOLA 22-19

This match was billed as the clash of the titans, a contest between the only two undefeated pairs in the championship. Opinions were divided as to who deserved favouritism. Xala and Barriola had shown themselves to be a Rolls Royce of a pair, a well oiled machine. Barriola had been the defender of the tournament, and his solidity and invention had been key in setting up Xala for his nonchalant killer blows. Despite the huge strength of Begino, almost all discussion of the Asegarce pair centred on Olaizola. Nobody knew, when the pairings were announced at the end of last year, how he would fare, having returned so recently after a seven month injury lay off. He appeared to lack some of his pre-injury speed, though his left arm seemed just as potent a weapon as ever. However, this showdown gave the Goizuetarra a golden opportunity to demonstrate his enduring class, and he seized it with both hands, the right as well as the left.

The 1200 baying fans who filled Astelena to the rafters expected virtuosity, and at first they were surely disappointed; of the first eleven points, eight ended with errors. The pairs refused to be separated in either winners or faults, as both forwards blew hot and cold. Aimar was the playmaker in the first two points, almost grasping the first one with a sizzling, but just wide, gantxo, and finding his range in the second with an easy txoko. The Aspe pair edged ahead when Begino blew the work of his partner, followed by a strike from Xala, but a falta from the latter, followed by a working over by Aimar of Barriola brought affairs level again at 3-3. 4-4 gave way to 6-6 as stalemate continued.

The game then began to shift in favour of Xala and Barriola, who increasingly exerted their accustomed control. Xala’s serve was key to the kick starting of this passage of play as three aces brought easy points, and an increasingly rattled Begino appeared unable to put hand to ball. Barriola joined his partner in the pressurisation of Begino, who made two errors in a row, first hitting wildly wide in a tame end to an otherwise virtuosic point, and then rather inevitably succumbing to the onslaught of his opposite number. An error apiece from the blue pair brought the reds back within two points of parity, but Xala upped his game once again, wrong footing Aimar with a beautifully executed set piece, and striking two winners into clear open space. They suffered a slight lapse when Xala left a ball for Barriola, who was nowhere to be seen, but a five point lead was restored emphatically with two further aces.

It was hard to imagine a comeback from Aimar and Aritz, given the calm ease with which the gap over them had been created, but that was to reckon without the class of the seven-time txapela winner. Aimar, great and cool match player that he is, grasped the nettle and slipped into an altogether new gear. 11-16 became 14-16 in the blink of an eye, as he did for Barriola with a gargantuan long ball before striking two emphatic hammer blows in the form of a txoko and a gantxo. A revived Begino then got in on the act, foxing Barriola with a dipping ball to the side wall which he drove wide. It was then Xala’s turn to feel the heat, as Aimar found width and movement, sending him back and forth until he seemed fit to drop. His second successive error gave the Asegarce pair the lead at 17-16. Not content with this, Aimar forged ahead with two expertly worked points in which the inevitable outcome was two winners to his growing tally. There was a hint of resurgence from the blues, as Xala managed a txoko, and Begino succumbed to a moment of carelessness, but two further errors gave Aimar and Aritz a deserved win.

There is no doubt that Aimar Olaizola was the difference here; he found another gear into which his opponents were unable to shift. His ten winners showed the full range of his shot play and his movement, dispelling any doubts that his injury may have dampened his potency for the long term. Xala had his moments, but was stuck in a lower league on this occasion, managing only half the winners of his rival, and committing six costly errors. Barriola, for the most part, held sway at the back of the fronton, making fewer mistakes than his counterpart, but Begino was more than able to support Aimar when it mattered most, and Barriola was impotent to overcome the gap between the two forwards. On present form, we may have witnessed a preview of the final, though much can happen in the lengthy course of this championship. If these stellar pairs do meet again on this elevated stage, it will be a fight for the ages.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 1-1, 1-3, 3-3, 3-4, 4-4, 6-4, 6-6, 6-10, 8-10, 8-13, 11-13, 11-16, 16-16, 20-16, 20-18, 21-18, 21-19, 22-19.

Winners/errors: Olaizola II (10/4), Xala (5/6), Begino (2/5), Barriola (1/1)

Aimar Olaizola seized the day

Image from Deia

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Sunday 23rd January, Eibar

BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ beat BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ 22-17

The crowd at Astelena this afternoon seemed strangely subdued, perhaps not helped by the one sided opening match (Apezetxea and Arruti dismantled Idoate and Cecilio in their Promocion Championship game), and in similar fashion, the main event never really took off. The game between the two Asegarce pairs was a close one, but lacked sparkle, despite the best efforts of Pablo Berasaluze, who was on fire, and Alexis Apraiz who exerted sterling pressure. Bengoetxea and Ruiz were the favourites on paper, having won two of their three matches thus far, and holding an excellent prior track record as a combination, but they were uncharacteristically lacklustre, and surprisingly disorganised. Their defeat leaves the middle of the table wide open, and promises some tense encounters ahead.

Momentum traded hands several times over in the opening half of the game, and as the 12-12 scoreline suggested, the combinations were extremely evenly matched. Berasaluze and Apraiz were in the ascendency early, and proceeded to a 7-2 lead. Three of these points came from Berasaluze winners, and the forward from Berriz had his eye very much in from the off, but the reds were aided by four errors from a blue pair who seemed lacking in shape and direction. The game shifted for the first time when Apraiz hit carelessly high to allow Oinatz and Patxi the serve, and the next point, miraculously won by a gantxo from a covering Ruiz meant their tails were firmly up. Berasaluze pulled one back with a beautifully controlled point, but then three errors from the reds, and an easy crosscourt winner from Bengoetxea brought the game level at 8-8. In the period of play thereafter, neither team could break free, as Berasaluze and Apraiz went one up only to go two down thanks to two moments of Bengoetxea brilliance. Bengoetxea’s attempted third winner in a row went wide however, and Patxi miscued to make it 12-12. It was anybody’s game.

Most would have put money on Bengoetxea and Ruiz to slip up a gear at this juncture, being, in theory at least, the classier pairing, but the opposite happened, and the favourites began to look more and more out of sorts. Berasaluze went on the attack like a terrier in the next three points, forcing desperate defence from his opponents. Ruiz was heroic in his covering efforts in the first of them, but could do nothing to prevent the winning airez. Berasaluze’s gantxo in the next was pinpoint perfect, and the second of two beautifully timed drops in the third proved too much for Bengoetxea, who fell awkwardly and retired for treatment. On his return, Bengoetxea pulled his pair back to 13-15 with a dipping ball into the wall which he appeared to enjoy greatly, but the resurgence was not to be. In the next two rallies, the blue pair got themselves in what can only be described as mess. Several times previously, Bengoetxea had found himself out of position, making Patxi cover for him, and here they were forced round the wrong way twice in a row. Each made a valiant effort to carry out the other’s job but they were sitting ducks for both Apraiz, who pressured the unwilling defender, and Berasaluze who finished the job. A service winner and an unreturnable volley from Berasaluze ensued, and in quick time it was 19-13. The blues pulled two points back, before another mishap made it 20-15; this time Bengoetxea left a ball for Patxi, which Patxi could not reach. There was a miniature late rally from the pre match favourites, but it was too little too late, as the star of the show, Pablo Berasaluze, finished things off with a gantxo and a serve.

In the final analysis, both Berasaluze and Apraiz were a cut above their opponents. Despite collecting all the plaudits with a haul of twelve winners, Berasaluze must owe much of his success to the excellent delivery from the back of Apraiz. Apraiz also placed considerable pressure on Ruiz, who was unable to return many balls with the necessary air to evade the cutting arm of Berasaluze. Bengoetxea, though he was below his best, did produce seven winners, but he had little to work with, and often failed to do enough with his chances. There is no need for the losers to panic; despite a below par display, they still occupy third place in the table, level on points with their vanquishers who are in fourth. At this early stage, Xala-Barriola and Olaizola II-Begino appear to be the class of the tournament, but below them there is much to play for.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 4-1, 4-2, 7-2, 7-4, 8-4, 8-8, 9-8, 9-9, 10-9, 10-10, 10-11, 10-12, 12-12, 15-12, 15-13, 16-13, 19-13, 19-15, 20-15, 20-17, 22-17.

Pablito on song

Image from Noticias de Alava

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Sunday 16th January, Eibar

OLAIZOLA II – BEGINO beat ARITZ LASA – MERINO II 22-15

At the start of the week, this match was anticipated as the first meeting, not only in the 2011 championship but for a long while, of the two great rival forwards, Aimar Olaizola and Juan Martinez de Irujo. When it was announced that Irujo had not recovered in time from his hand problem, many doubtless emitted sighs of disappointment. However, nobody who saw the display at Astelena on Sunday can have left feeling short changed, for the game was scintillating from first until last. Although the unbeaten pairing of Olaizola and Begino in the end had a gear in reserve, nobody expected replacement Lasa, and thrilling young talent David Merino to exert the pressure they did.

In their first two matches, Aritz Begino had been the match winner for the Asegarce partnership, wearing their opponents down with sheer accuracy and dominance from the back of the fronton. However, on Sunday the match winner was Aimar, who finished the game with not one single error to his name. Aritz Lasa, determined to show that he is more than a second choice forward, threw everything at Goizueta’s finest but Aimar was in domineering mood and heaped pressure upon pressure. Lasa pulled off some startling winners, none more strident than the whipped airez which gave him the opening point, but Aimar forced him to take risks, and errors accompanied the flashes of brilliance. Time and again, he sent the blue pair into freefall. On occasion, such as on 5-8, and again at 9-12, they escaped drowning with all or nothing defence, and many of the mid-match rallies were extremely evenly matched, to the extent that they seemed as if they would last for eternity. The points on 12-9 and 12-10, for example, were titanic in scale, the latter in particular, but from 14-16, at which point they were very much still in the game, the constant barrage heaped upon Lasa and Merino began to tell. Lasa blew an easy chance for a txoko winner, and all defiance crumbled, as Aimar called the shots. The point on 19-14, in which Lasa and Merino found themselves the wrong way round just as Begino found the rebote, was symptomatic of their inability to match the increased tempo of the reds. Lasa held a candle to Aimar in patches, but the latter was too intelligent, too astute, and too relentlessly accurate to emulate.

Despite the loss, plaudits rained on David Merino, who at 20 is drawing comparisons with the greatest left-handers of the age. He kept pace with the far more experienced Begino, drawing gasps with his ability to return the ball from the furthest and unlikeliest of places. The errors came as the pressure grew, but at the outset at least, it was the young Riojan who looked the most assured of the defenders. In the end, the two were fairly evenly matched, but Merino it is who is making the headlines, for his promise, his elegance and his fearlessness. He has come of age since the debacle of his opening match with Irujo, and it will be fascinating to see if he can continue in this spirit when his original partner returns.

Olaizola and Begino remain unbeaten, and alongside Xala and Barriola must have moved into favouritism for the championship win. They combine experience, consistency, brilliance, intelligence and coolness in equal measure, and will be hard to stop. Lasa and Merino demonstrated here that in individual points at least, they can be tested, but they were also unable to respond when the heat was turned up. The championship is but young and fortunes can change like the tide, but a clear marker has been laid by the aces of the Asegarce pack.

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

Winners: Olaizola II 7, Begino 3, Aritz Lasa 8, Merino II 3

Errors: Olaizola II 0, Begino 4, Aritz Lasa 6, Merino II 5

Match time: 75.03 minutes, with 33.46 minutes of actual playing time

Balls played: 681

Aimar Olaizola: astute and relentless

Image from Diario Vasco, by Jose Carlos Cordovilla

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