Archive

Posts Tagged ‘Bengoetxea VI’

Lekeitio Final on ETB-Sat, 5th September 2010

September 5th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

The final of the Torneo Lekeitio will be between Bengoetxea VI and Apraiz, and Martinez de Irujo and Barriola. Apologies for the lack of report on the second semi final; I was unable to watch it and have been very pushed for time this weekend! Suffice it to say that Irujo and Barriola totally outclassed Xala and Begino, winning 22-7 to set up today’s clash against the Asegarce pair. Bengoetxea plays in his fourth festival final of the summer, having already won at San Fermin, Zarautz and San Sebastian. He is supported here by the less experienced Apraiz who played a storming semi final, and appears to be gaining in confidence on the highest stage. Barriola is on a monumental roll, having one sixteen matches on the bounce since returning from injury. Manomanista king Irujo, who joins him here, has been in variable form this summer, but will surely come out all guns blazing here. Much will depend on the duel between Barriola and Apraiz; if Apraiz can replicate the cool he has shown in his past two matches, this is anybody’s game.

Sunday 5th September, Lekeitio

17:00 (CEST) OLAIZOLA I – IBAI ZABALA v GONZALEZ – EULATE

18:10 (CEST) MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BARRIOLA v BENGOETXEA VI - APRAIZ Torneo Lekeitio Final

http://www.eitb.com/etb-sat/en-directo

Irujo and Barriola are partners today

Irujo and Barriola are partners today

Photo from Gara, by Juanan Ruiz

Lekeitio: Apraiz supports Oinatz to another final

September 3rd, 2010 Tiffany No comments

Thursday 2nd September, Lekeitio

BENGOETXEA VI – APRAIZ beat BERASALUZE VIII – ZUBIETA 22-15

Torneo Lekeitio, Semi Final

On Sunday, former Manomanista champion Oinatz Bengoetxea will play in his fourth festival final in a row when he lines up in Lekeitio alongside Alexis Apraiz. In the early part of last night’s match, Beraslauze and Zubieta held the upper hand, finding themselves 4-1 and 8-4 up, but some excellent pressure from the eventual winners, plus a deterioration in the play of Berasaluze, swung the game. Apraiz, who has often appeared nervous on the biggest stage of late, came of age here with a stunning display, supporting game-maker Oinatz like a man of experience. Oinatz took advantage of Berasaluze’s demise, punishing his opposite number while rarely taking undue risks. Zubieta began well, but perhaps influenced by his partner, dropped a level in the mid part of the match, to assist the rampage of the blue pair, who turned 14-14 into 22-15.

Scoring sequence: 2-0, 2-1, 4-1, 4-4, 8-4, 8-8, 10-8, 10-9, 11-9, 11-11, 12-11, 12-12, 14-12, 14-20, 15-20, 15-22

Winners/errors: Bengoetxea VI 6/4, Berasaluze VIII 8/8, Zubieta 2/5, Apraiz 1/1

Total match time: 72:12

Playing time: 3106

Balls played: 611

Apraiz: impressive

Apraiz: impressive

Image from: El Correo

San Sebastian Final: Victory for the Leitzarras after injury to Xala

August 29th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

Friday 27th August, Donostia-San Sebastian

BENGOETXEA VI – BARRIOLA beat XALA – APRAIZ 14-11 (Xala ret.)

It was an anti-climactic end to a match which had everything. With the score on 10-12 in favour of Bengoetxea and Barriola, the latter raced forward to retrieve a txoko from Xala. He got there, and dived, but the ball hit him on the rebound, giving the point to the opposing pair. Such was the drama of the point, in much the same vein as every point in this absorbing encounter, that one could have been forgiven for missing the stumble of Xala as his knee went sideways in the execution of his winner. As he sat, slumped against the wall, a resigned shrug told the story. He was hurt, and departed for treatment. He returned to the fray, briefly, but to continue was not worth the risk of lasting damage. Two points later it was all up for the pair in red, and thus came to an end a game, which although only partially played, was as long as a complete match of average length. Nobody can say what might have been.

The match started with a whitewash by Bengoextea and Barriola, the men from the same small Navarrese town of Leitza. Bengoetxea was supreme, looking every inch the player who took the 2008 Manomanista by storm. The first point, which ended in the first of his nine winners, was a tactical tour de force. Apraiz took took it on and attacked his opposite number, but Bengoetxea wrested the initiative before whipping the ball into space in the wide court. Xala almost nailed the second point, but pushed his attempted winner wide, and the Asegarce forward continued his masterclass, with five winners in the next five points, showing the immense range of his skill. In the point which took the score to 3-0, he dealt Apraiz a merciless working over before barreling one above his head. The next was won with a drop before he flummoxed Apraiz again. A service winner stretched the lead to six, and a textbook long serve-gantxo-drop routine took it to seven. Barriola was faultless as Bengoetxea’s foil, and there was nothing their opponents could do.

However, the tide turned. Bengoetxea, who had been stretching throughout the game, left the fronton at 7-0 for attention, and when he returned, he found a changed opposition. The reds gained their first point from Bengoetxea’s first mistake, and the second came from a Xala serve. The leaders continued to score in ones and twos, but the real surge by Xala and Apraiz came at 4-10, upon which they added five points without reply. Notable here was the reverse in the fortunes of the defenders. Hitherto, Barriola had been irreproachable, but Apraiz was not intimidated by his reputation and seized the initiative. Barriola’s dip started when he got utterly mixed up close in to the wall and pushed one wide. He withstood some searing pressure in the point which followed, but subsequently cracked under Apraiz’s salvo, going short and low in consecutive points. Xala, too, moved up a gear, tricking Bengoetxea superbly at 2-8, and firing merciless winners at 6-10 and 8-10. With the reds only one point in arrears, it was anybody’s game.

Bengoetxea and Barriola relieved some pressure, restoring their two point lead after the former ended a full scale war of a point with a crosscourt winner, but threw it away immediately with miscued sitter of a txoko. The pattern repeated itself as Bengoetxea volleyed cleverly into space, before the txoko winner in which Xala’s knee gave out. After the treatment break, Apraiz struck low before Benogetxea grabbed a three point lead with an easy winner into the corner, but Xala appeared immobile and dejected; he could not go on.

There is no way of knowing what could have happened in the remainder of this extraordinary match, so full of gargantuan points, stunning defence and virtuosic winners. A rout had seemed on the cards, but Xala and Apraiz showed an iron will to fight, and stormed back to within an inch of the lead. When the accident happened, Bengoetxea and Barriola appeared to be in the process of regaining their calm, and one has to concede that the best pair in the tournament took the spoils. Their semi final performance was a display for the ages, and in the early part of this game they showed that their level there was no fluke. Barriola took home the trophy for the player of the tournament, and save for his momentary slip in the transitional part of the final, he was near faultless. Bengoetxea too was in a higher league, full of venom, attack and guile. The fans can only hope that they will be afforded the chance to renew their partnership very soon.

Xala was diagnosed with a sprained right knee in the aftermath of the match, and will undergo further medical tests tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury.

Scoring sequence: 0-7,2-7,2-8,3-8,3-9,4-9,4-10,9-10,9-11,10-11,10-12,11-12,11-14

Winners/errors: Bengoetxea VI 9/3, Xala 4/3, Barriola 0/3, Apraiz 1/2

Total match time: 1:02.03

Playing time: 22.45

Balls played: 471

Oinatz and Abel, victors in San Sebastian

Oinatz and Abel, victors in San Sebastian

Image from Gara, by Jon Urbe

San Sebastian: Crushing Victory for Leitza’s Famous Sons

August 25th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

Monday 23rd August, San Sebastian

BENGOETXEA VI – BARRIOLA beat TITIN III – ZUBIETA 22-5

Torneo Ciudad de San Sebastian Semi Final

This was an extraordinary match, in the main for the wrong reasons. It would be unfair to overlook the stunning play of Oinatz Bengoetxea and Abel Barriola, but inevitably the post mortem centres around Titin and Zubieta, both supposedly in excellent form, and their utter implosion. On the face of it, they should have been the better oiled partnership, having played together on many occasions. Bengoetxea and Barriola come from the same town, Leitza, in north western Navarre, and know each other well, but are unaccustomed to playing as colleagues. In the Manomanista final of 2008, which will go down in the civic annals and in local legend, Leitza ruled the sport, with Bengoetxea defeating Barriola to take the greatest prize of all, but the prospect of seeing the towns most famous sons in tandem was almost as enticing. Their collective virtuosity and their obvious empathy on Monday night makes one wish such a meeting could occur more regularly. They put Titin and Zubieta in the shade.

The game promised much, and the early exchanges did not disappoint. It was the eventual losers who drew first blood, when Barriola could not return a stunning long ball from Pairs Champion Zubieta. The second point was staggering in its variety, and was won by Barriola who came forward to whip the ball wide, having survived intense pressure. Titin took the lead again with an airez, before allowing his rivals to draw level once more at 2-2 with a low txoko attempt. All seemed set for an epic tussle. However, for Titin and Zubieta, the wheels fell off in spectacular fashion. They managed only three more points in the match, two of which came from the errors of their opponents, and the third from Titin’s second and last winner in the game.

The statistics tell the story of the gulf between the forwards. Bengoextea was on fire, striking nine winners to only one error. Five of his winners came from serves, a part of his game which clicked excellently well. He was striking in his speed and verve, never resting, always scrapping, and made space for his winning shots with ease and grace. In contrast, Titin looked leaden footed. He possessed none of the spark of his recent matches, and appeared stiff and immobile alongside Bengoetxea’s dexterity. He barely looked in a position to go for the kill, and when he attempted it he was found wanting. He provided no kind of platform for Zubieta, who also looked off colour. He showed his class in the course of many of the rallies, but missed the spot on four occasions, trying vainly to create some pressure on his opposite number, the irrepressible Abel Barriola. The great defender continues to go from strength to strength since returning from his enforced break. Here he was once again magisterial, striking cleanly and elegantly from all positions. Not content to simply field the long ball, he often came forward to mix it in the front half of the court, notably pulling off an astonishing dos paredes on 10-3 which sent Titin into a rage. It is telling that Titin’s opposing defender scored more winners, four, than he did.

Titin and Zubieta had a day to forget but will come back and prove their class soon enough. For them, it was a case of bad turning to worse, the one affected by the woes of the other. The game started well for them, and they appeared increasingly in shock that things could have taken such a dramatically bad swing, as did the gathered crowds. Bengoextea and Barriola in contrast look like an irresistible partnership, belying their inexperience as a couple. They will represent a tough obstacle in the final as they aim once more to make Leitza proud.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, 2-6, 3-6, 3-7, 3-11, 4-11, 4-12, 4-17, 5-17, 5-22.

Winners/errors: Bengoetxea VI 9/1, Titin III 2/4, Barriola 5/2, Zubieta 0/4.

Balls played: 354

Total match time: 40.28

Playing time: 16.42

Oinatz and Abel united

Oinatz and Abel united

Image from Diario de Navarra by JA Goni

Zarautz Final: Oinatz and Patxi at a Canter

August 18th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

Tuesday 17th August, Zarautz

BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ beat XALA – BEROIZ 22-12

Torneo de Villa de Zarautz Final

The healthy crowd which forwent the various other pleasures of Zarautz in summer must have left Aritzbatalde with more than a twinge of disappointment last night. The performances of the two pairs in their respective semi finals hinted at a close match, with San Fermin winners Oinatz Bengoetxea and Patxi Ruiz pitted against the continuing phenomenon that is Xala in 2010. However, the reality turned out to be somewhat different, with Xala and Beroiz barely extending their opponents due a great deal of streaky and haphazard play, especially from the former. Bengoetxea and Ruiz left as deserved winners, putting barely a foot wrong, but in reality we had hoped for so much more.

The tone for the performance of the pair in red was set from the very outset, with three errors in the first three points from Beroiz, who looked on edge and ill at ease. Xala restored some semblance of calm with a txoko in the fourth point, but the rot continued as miscommunication between him and Beroiz handed Oinatz a winner he perhaps did not deserve, before the forward missed the front wall on the rebound of a high ball. At 5-1 to the blue pair, the die was already cast.

Xala and Beroiz picked up points in ones and twos as the match went on, only stringing together a sequence of four late in the game when there was no hope of reprieve. Xala, for all his faults, scored seven winners, offering several reminders of his dizzying reputation, notably a fizzing gantxo at 11-19, but eight errors is beyond the pail for a forward of his calibre. Beroiz steadied somewhat after his opening debacle and defended solidly, showing nerve under the high ball and an astute sense of positioning, but he could not rescue the sinking ship. The second key passage of play came with the score at 8-4 to Oinatz and Patxi. At this juncture the gap was bridgeable; the red pair had settled a little and had exerted some good pressure on Patxi Ruiz, but five errors in a row put the nail in the coffin of any proposed comeback. Bengoetxea kick started this particular rot with a dos paredes at full stretch, which Xala prodded wide. Beroiz then his carelessly high, before three misdirected shots in a row from Xala, the first of which was unforgivably tame. At 4-13, they needed a miracle. They rallied a little, closing to 8-14, with Xala showing signs of life, but there was no way back.

While Xala and Beroiz increased their score in small steps, Oinatz and Patxi kept the scoreboard ticking relentlessly. In truth, Oinatz was never put to much of a test but he handled the job in hand with superb ease, registering seven winners and no errors. He mixed his shots well, displaying his sharp cross court game as well his defter touch, and as is his wont, he defended like a terrier, frequently turning apparently hopeless positions into ones of strength. Patxi was as solid as one could hope from a first class defender, and he was also pleasingly inventive, pulling off three winners which showed excellent spatial awareness. He also acted as the perfect cover for his partner when Xala managed to manoeuvre Oinatz out wide. 

Oinatz and Patxi, both of whom have struggled for form at various times this year, deserved this victory, their second in the round of summer festivals, and they looked justly delighted. Xala, who has conversely been excellent for most of the year, will put this behind him as a bad day and march on, ever the dangerous opponent. San Sebastian will offer new challenges for both he and Oinatz, both of whom play with partners from the opposite empresa. This is an enticing prospect, and we live in hope that the play will match the promise.

Scoring sequence: 0-3, 1-3, 1-5, 2-5, 2-6, 3-6, 3-8, 4-8, 4-13, 6-13, 6-14, 8-14, 8-19, 12-19, 12-22.

Winners/errors: Bengoetxea VI 7/0, Xala 7/8, Patxi Ruiz 3/3, Beroiz 2/4

No sweat for Patxi Ruiz

No sweat for Patxi Ruiz

Image from Manista, by Carlos Zuluaga

Zarautz: Oinatz and Patxi battle to final berth

August 16th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

Sunday 15th August, Zarautz

BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ beat BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ

Torneo de Villa de Zarautz Semi Final

On Sunday night, recent San Fermin winners Oinatz Bengoetxea and Patxi Ruiz confirmed their fine form by taking the second semi final in Zarautz. They will now meet Xala and Beroiz in the final, which takes place tomorrow. The game was tight and fluctuating, with neither side asserting full dominance until the blue team’s final push for the line.

In the early part of the encounter, Berasaluze and Apraiz set the pace as the eventual victors played a game of catch up. An error apiece from the red pair gave Bengoetxea and Patxi their first two points, but they soon found themselves trailing 2-5, courtesy of three winners from Berasaluze and a golden but rather fluky shot from Apraiz, who was also tactically instrumental in his partner’s successes. They clawed their way back to 5-5 however as Apraiz temporarily lost his mojo, going wide and then long, and Bengoetxea, conversely, found his touch. In reaction, Berasaluze and Apraiz surged forwards once more, aided by the latter’s excellent use of the long ball against Patxi. At 5-9 down, Bengoetxea and Patxi gathered themselves again and once more achieved parity, this time at 10-10. Bengoetxea showed his class here, probing the gaps, serving with verve and dominating his forward opponent. He almost took the next point with an opportunist flick into space out wide, but it missed the line, and Berasaluze hit home his newfound advantage with a gantxo winner.

At this juncture, the balance of power turned; Bengoetxea and Patxi again reacted to the points deficit but this time drew level and kept going, turning 10-12 into 16-12. Bengoetxea followed his third service winner with a gantxo, and also wrong footed Berasaluze with a tap into the corner, showing the full range of his skill. The difference between the defenders became more apparent in this second phase of the game, with Patxi ever more secure and Apraiz leaking more points than was ideal. The latter boosted his flagging spirit with an excellent rebote to bring the gap back down to two, and when Patxi struck high in the next point there was renewed hope for the reds, now only 16-17 down. A miscued service return from Bengoetxea brought the match back to level pegging once again however, and this time, when the blue couple seized control there was no looking back. Bengoetxea raised his game to a new level, with two uncompromising winners into the corner, followed by a service winner, before Berasaluze, perhaps sensing that the die was cast, misjudged a ball from close range.

Neither pair looked wholly comfortable, and although there were myriad long rallies, neither forward looked to have the flow of which they are capable. Bengoetxea and Berasaluze managed eleven winners apiece, but the former was the more consistent, and the more astute. Apraiz was at times impressive, and often played the long ball with aplomb, but he lacked the dogged consistency of Patxi, making six errors to his opponent’s two. The victors can and will up their game in tomorrow’s final, where Xala and Beroiz will present a significantly greater challenge.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-1, 3-1, 3-2, 5-2, 5-5, 9-5, 9-6, 10-6, 10-10, 12-10, 12-16, 13-16, 15-16, 15-17, 16-17, 17-18, 18-18, 18-22.

Winners: Bengoetxea VI 11, Berasaluze VIII 11, Patxi Ruiz 1, Apraiz 3

Errors: Bengoetxea VI 2, Berasaluze VIII 4, Patxi Ruiz 2, Apriz 6

Bengoetxea VI: job done

Bengoetxea VI: job done

Image from: Diario Vasco, Jose Mari Lopez

Torneo Virgen Blanca: Titin and Zubieta finalists after stunning semi at Ogueta

August 7th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

 

Friday 6th August, Vitoria-Gasteiz

TITIN III – ZUBIETA beat BENGOETXEA VI – BEGINO 22-18

Torneo Virgen Blanca

Titin and Aitor Zubieta last night became the first pair to book their place in the final of the Virgen Blanca doubles tournament in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The near capacity audience at Ogueta was treated to a high octane display of pelota from all four protagonists, who employed practically every tactic in the book in an effort to wear their opponents down. In a game where the lightening fast exchanges of the two forwards often dominated, it was the defenders who made the difference, with Zubieta a tower of strength behind the irrepressible Titin.

In the first passage of play, it was the eventual victors who held the upper hand, albeit by a tiny margin. Their lead never stretched beyond three, but they succeeded in keeping Bengoetxea and Begino in their rear view mirror. There was, however, little to choose between the sides. Titin and Bengoetxea took the hammer and tongs approach to forward play, showing incredible speed, fire and willpower. The defenders started less positively than their partners, with two high balls from Zubieta, who pushed the ball to the limits in an attempt to pressurize Begino, and several more mistakes from Begino himself, who while at times excellent, showed a lack of consistency.

Finding themselves behind 4-7, Bengoetxea and Begino upped the anti, surging back to tie 10-10 and then 11-11. Oinatz it was who controlled the fronton here, varying his shot play and his placement to seize upon every opening afforded him. Upon drawing level, the momentum was firmly with the Asegarce pair and they marched on, Bengoetxea now looking to have the upper hand over Titin. A run of six points was interrupted only by an error from Begino, and at 13-17, Titin looked both disgruntled and resigned. However, the motivational talk handed to him by Zubieta must have struck a chord, as four astonishing winners in a row, three txokos and a gantxo, from the 41 year old catapulted the Aspe duo back into the match with a vengeance. It was clear from every gesture, every yelp of delight, that they wanted the spoils very badly. When Titin struck a crosscourt just wide on 19-17, Zubieta buried his head in his shirt in anguish, but there was no need for panic as a Titin gantxo and a Begino error forced by the excellence of his opposite number gave them match point, and the game was sealed when Bengoetxea fell low.

In the final analysis it was hard to separate the two forwards for quality. Each played with incredible mastery and imagination. Bengoetxea committed four errors to Titin’s five, but the winner-count for each was nine. The real different lay in the defenders, where Zubieta had much the better day, making only two errors to Begino’s eight. Not only did he field the long ball with aplomb, but he showed himself willing to cover for Titin by coming forwards to great effect. In a close, tense and thrilling game, this edge was to prove telling. Titin and Zubieta therefore proceed to the final on Monday, where they will face either Xala-Barriola or Martinez de Irujo-Beloki, whichever pair wins tonight.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2, 4-2, 4-4, 7-4, 7-6, 8-6, 8-7, 10-7, 10-10, 11-10, 11-11, 11-14, 12-14, 12-16, 13-16, 13-17, 19-17, 19-18, 22-18.

Winners: Titin 9, Bengoetxea VI 9, Zubieta 1, Begino 1

Errors: Titin 5, Bengoetxea VI 4, Zubieta 2, Begino 8

 Also last night, Merino II reached the final of the Torneo Manomanista Promoción La Blanca, defeating Ladis Galarza 22-16.

It was a good night for Zubieta

It was a good night for Zubieta

Image from Diario Vasco, by Jose Mari Lopez

Bengoetxea VI and Patxi Ruiz take San Fermin crown

August 5th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

My blog was out of action for a while, and then there was a Tour de France related hiatus on my part, so my report of the San Fermin Pairs Final rather fell by the wayside. However, belatedly, I can report that the showpiece was won by Asegarce pair Oinatz Bengoetxea and Patxi Ruiz, who defeated Titin and Inigo Pascual in a surprisingly one sided final. The 22-12 scoreline was an accurate reflection of a game in which the Aspe duo never really gained a foothold, in the face of some quick-witted, inventive and brutally accurate play from Bengoetxea, who looked better than he has all year. Ruiz too appeared a pelotari reborn, offering sterling support to his forward partner, who struck nine winners on the way to a compherensive win. The pair looked justly delighted, revelling in their success and also no doubt the party atmosphere of the final night of the great Pamplona festival.

EiTB has a video summary of the match here

Success for Oinatz and Patxi

Success for Oinatz and Patxi

Image from: Noticias de Alava, by Patxi Cascante

San Fermin Final…LIVE!

July 14th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

22:25 (CEST) TITIN III – PASCUAL v BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ

Tonight sees not only the culmination of the world famous San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, but the climax of the prestigious pelota tournament which accompanies it. Labrit, the city’s historic fronton, will be packed with fans and revellers alike tonight, as Augusto Ibanez (Titin III) and Inigo Pascual take on Oinatz Bengoetxea and Patxi Ruiz for the prize, in one of the biggest tournaments outside of the three major championships.

Titin came through Group B playing alongside Abel Barriola, but he is forced to miss the final with sore hands. Pascual should prove an able substitute, though that will be no comfort to Barriola, who appears to be regaining his form after his long injury layoff. They reached the final thanks to a tense 22-21 win over Martinez de Irujo and Beroiz on Monday, in sweltering conditions. They had previously defeated Saralegi and Apraiz 22-9.

Bengoetxea and Patxi Ruiz experienced a tough ride through Group A, and showed great character to remain unbeaten. Both their matches, first against Berasaluze VIII and Begino (22-20) and then against Gonzalez and Zubieta (22-19) were tight.

Logic suggests Titin and Pascual will be favourites. Despite coming in at short notice, Pascual is a regular partner of Titin so there will be no problems of coordination. Titin is clearly in form, and few have beaten Irujo in recent months. However, although Bengoetxea has not been at his best this year, this run suggests a growing confidence, and Titin will have to overcome his never say die attitude and scrapping defence to reach 22. A grand occasion is on the cards.

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

Inigo Pascual steps in for Barriola at San Fermin

Inigo Pascual steps in for Barriola at San Fermin

Image from: Diario de Navarra

Manomanista: Ruthless Irujo makes short work of Oinatz

May 19th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

Sunday 16th May, San Sebastian

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO beat BENGOETXEA VI 22-10

Manomanista Group A

On Sunday, Manomanista favourite Juan Martinez de Irujo made short work of Oinatz Bengoetxea to make absolutely sure of his place in the last four. Bengoetxea, the 2008 champion needed a big victory to progress, but he came up against an Irujo in a typically aggressive mood, and never came close. The result also means that Asier Olaizola is assured of his semi final slot. He will probably play Xala, while Irujo will face either Patxi Ruiz or Retegi Bi.

As if to state his intent to finish his opponent off as quickly as possible, Irujo raced to a 5-0 lead. Bengoetxea rallied to 5-4 but that was as close as he got to the tournament favourite, who surged to 13-5 and 20-6. He relaxed a little as he reached the finishing line, but he had plenty breathing space, and though he moved on to 10, Benogetxea was in an inferior league to Irujo here. The former champion committed ten errors, and the lack of competition between the two was reflected in the short duration of many of the rallies. Irujo simply had too much power and played with too much speed, and only 117 balls were required to seal the win.

This is the third consecutive visit to the Manomanista semi finals, and he has arrived at this point with three wins from three in the contest. He must now be the favourite, although Asier Olaizola uncovered weaknesses in his armoury. Xala may have something to say about the supposed top status of the man from Ibero, and as the form pelotari of the year as a whole, may prove his most formidable rival. A final between the two would be a match to savour.

Scoring sequence: 5-0, 5-4, 13-4, 13-5, 13-6, 20-6, 20-7, 21-8, 21-10, 22-10

Oinatz is out

Oinatz is out

Image from Noticias de Alava, by Javi Colmenero