Basque pelota blog in english – Dos paredes

SundSunday Sunbday 11^thDecember, Bilbao

OLAIZOLA II beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO 22-12

When Aimar Olaizola saw Irujo miss the ball which gave him the 2011 Cuatro y Medio title, his reaction was one of relief, perhaps infused with disbelief, rather than unabashed joy. It has been a tortuous month for the great forward, who broke his finger in his semi-final win over Abel Barriola on 13^th November, causing the final to be delayed twice, and then had to endure the death of his father from a long illness only days before his date with sporting destiny. Nobody truly knew the state of his afflicted finger. Although he stated that he practised on Wednesday and experienced ‘good sensations’, playing a major final with a finger in a plastic brace is clearly far from ideal. Irujo warmed up in a more conventional manner, playing two pairs games to keep his match fitness nicely tuned, and although his year has been disappointing in comparison with Aimar’s, he started as clear favourite in these somewhat rarefied circumstances. However, conventional reasoning rarely applies to finals, where dead certs can crumble and underdogs can be crowned; Aimar showed no sign of distress or mental disquiet, while Irujo disintegrated with devastating effect to give the former his ninth professional txapela and his fifth in Cuatro y Medio. He now stands alone amongst the champions of this specialism, ahead of the great Retegi II, and while he dismisses obsession with records his place in the pantheon of the sport is fully assured.

The opening exchanges were torturously tight and high on both excitement and nerves. The pace was frenetic but neither played with consummate assurance. Irujo stamped an early mark, taking the first point by passing Aimar on the left but cancelled it out with an error in the next. Irujo took the next rally with a ball down the wall but then Aimar sent a warning of his presence with a cross court bullet. 2-2 became 3-3 after an error apiece and nobody had the ascendency. All cagey looks and concentrated stares, the protagonists seemed deep in a subtle mind game. Aimar was the first to make his move, taking the game from stalemate to 6-3. His run of three points was kick started by Irujo completely missing a ball against the side wall, much to his scowling disdain, and he broke clear with a wonderfully worked point in which he pinned Irujo to the wall before whipping the ball to the right. This was followed by a service winner which his opponent totally misjudged. 6-3 could easily have been 7-3 had his attempted gantxo winner made contact with the frontis but his three point cushion was restored when Irujo made an almost identical error in the next point, although he was possibly hard done by with the referee’s call. Aimar, however, was unable to break free and despite flashes of his customary brilliance, the typical nervous errors of such a momentous match crept into his play. He doggedly fought off a barrage of txoko attempts in the next point before somewhat needlessly hitting high and then miscued a sotomano which he sent clattering into the metal. His lead extended once more to two when Irujo went wide, and dropped again to one when he went low.

From this impasse, the colour of the encounter changed as Aimar exerted the control he had hitherto struggled to find. From 8-7 he advanced to 13-8 and the only point he lost in the sequence was due in part to Irujo’s unintentional blocking of his path, which lay just on the right side of the law as far as the officials were concerned. Aimar is renowned as an excellent tactical thinker and he showed his aptitude here in getting Irujo exactly where he needed him as he controlled the open spaces. This was especially evident in the point on 10-8 in which he completely out-foxed Irujo, hitting left to right as he hared the other way. His served also increased in potency, giving him the upper hand in rallies from the off, and the point which gave him his five point lead was brought about by his second sakez.

Aimar was obviously the more composed and the more potent, but as he stated in his post match press conference, you can never be sure to have buried Irujo until you reach 22. This being the case, his fury with himself at letting his great rival back into the game was fully understandable. Once again Irujo hauled himself back to within one point thanks to four errors in a row from Aimar which sprang more from a slippage of his own standards than a raise in Irujo’s. It seemed the championship would go to the wire, but what occurred over the following twenty minutes must constitute one of the most startling meltdowns in of the current era. Irujo would not win another point as Aimar strode towards the txapela with unshakeable assurance. He realised the importance of the point on 13-12, not wanting to give Irujo the mental boost of drawing level with him for the first time since 3-3 and pumped the air as if to signal the dawn of Irujo’s demise when he won it. If that was crucial, the next play was more truly the turning point, a momentous, never-ending whirl of hitting in which Irujo had Aimar running for his life, falling and tumbling in his desperate efforts to recover. The destination of the point appeared obvious, but Aimar thrillingly turned straining defence into glorious attack with a gantxo from nowhere, followed by an unreachable txoko. Irujo, dejected, must have wondered what he could possibly do to get past the obstacle in his path. Aimar did not celebrate, but leant his forehead against the wall, a picture of concentration, focussed on what he still had to do to make the prize his. The mentality of a champion.

If it was the stunning defence of Aimar which turned the tide, it was the force and accuracy of his serve which broke Irujo’s resolve. He moved from 17-12 to 19-12 with three straight service winners, pushing Irujo from flat, to dejected, to utterly incredulous. Irujo is not a player renowned for bottling his emotion deep within and although the lid was on, one sensed that it was about to blow in dramatic fashion. Sure enough, the next point did it. Irujo battled throughout its lengthy course, hitting as an equal, but when he threw his chances away with a ball which went well wide, it was more than he could bear. He walked purposefully towards Patxi Eugi, his botillero, as if to take a time out but then snapped in the blink of an eye, stamping on his chair with such force that pieces of plastic snapped from its legs before hurling it towards the floor of the fronton which he had come to hate so much. He stormed off the field of play past a slightly stunned looking Aretxabaleta, warming up for the third match, to a barrage of whistles from Bizkaia’s mighty throng. The game was obviously in Aimar’s hands, but to his immense credit, his focus never left him. He knew the dangers of playing Irujo, of assuming the prize is yours before the scoreboard confirms it. When Irujo returned, it was business as normal as Aimar registered his sixth service winner. This time his opponent left the furniture unmolested and resorted to a mere shrug. The magical 22, for which he had so patiently grafted, fell into Aimar’s grateful lap when Irujo missed the ball completely.

The new champion, engulfed by his friends, his brother and the press, looked serene and calm, and it was these virtues which took him to victory. Irujo was so rattled by the end of the game that he was barely recognisable as the great player we know him to be. Many would have become impatient and
bolted for the line, but not Aimar, who accumulated his points with quiet determination, never content until the job was done. The txapela of triumph upon his head, he pointed skywards in memory of his father, who had scarcely missed a match involving either him or his brother Asier, in a very public but also touchingly private tribute. Irujo, to his credit, mustered a wan smile on the podium and joined in the heartfelt applause for a worthy and truly great champion.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2, 3-2, 3-3, 6-3, 6-4, 7-4, 7-6, 8-6, 8-7, 10-7, 10-8, 13-8,
13-12, 22-12.

Winners/errors: Olaizola 14/9, Irujo 3/8

Balls hit: 263

Match time: 48:18 with 9:55 of actual play

Botilleros: Asier Olaizola with his brother Aimar, and Patxi Eugi with Irujo

Olaizola II, king of 4 1/2

Image from Deia

Share on Facebook

After two postponements, the final of the Cuatro y Medio Championship takes place this Sunday in Bilbao. Juan Martinez de Irujo starts as favourite after Aimar Olaizola’s injury lay-off and possible resulting lack of match fitness, but as with any game between the two top players of the past decade, it promises to be a closely fought and fascinating encounter. The finalists selected their balls at Bizkaia yesterday with Olaizola choosing weights of 104.8g and 105.4 g, and Irujo 105.6g and 105.3g. Their press conferences (in Spanish) can be viewed on the Asegarce website. An excellent weekend of action begins in Ezcaray tonight with some Rioja’s finest on show in a festival which combines players from both empresas.

Friday 9th December, Ezcaray

22:10 (CET) RICO IV – UNTORIA v GORKA – CECILIO

Followed by BERASALUZE VIII – MERINO v OLAETXEA – MERINO II

Sunday 11th December, Bilbao

17:00 (CET) TITIN III – LASKURAIN v BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ

Followed by OLAIZOLA II v MARTINEZ DE IRUJO Cuatro y Medio 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/

Irujo and Olaizola II meet again on the biggest stage

Image from Noticias de Gipuzkoa, by Luis Gomez

Share on Facebook

Saturday 3^rd December, Tolosa

MENDIZABAL III beat LEMUNO 22-15

Aitor Mendizabal has only been a professional pelotari since 17^th July but on Saturday he took the first steps towards realising his staggering potential, beating Stephane Lemouneau to the Promocion Cuatro y Medio crown. The 22 year old from Antzuola played a consistently excellent tournament, beating Zabaleta and Rico IV comfortably on his way to the semi-finals, before comprehensive wins over Ongay and Albisu. His only significant challenge came from his eventual final opponent Lemuno, whom he squeezed past 22-21 in his second semi-final, halting a charging comeback at the very last minute. Given the closeness of their previous encounter, another tight match was expected here, but in the event Mendizabal was easily superior to his more experienced rival and showed little by way of nerves as he strode to victory.

With the exception of the first point, Mendizabal was ahead throughout, extending his advantage as far as 11-4 and 17-7. Lemuno, at whose behest the final was delayed from the previous weekend as a result of his hand injury, looked aimless and lacking in ideas. Many had Lemuno down as their favourite for the title, despite his sketchy performances in qualifying, and he was not without his chances to fulfil his billing. He threatened another comeback against his young opponent in closing to 11-17 and 15-19 but in the end his errors were his own undoing. Two late service fouls were the nails in his coffin and Mendizabal showed no sign of choking, deploying his customary verve and pace to pick up the first txapela of what promises to be a successful career.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-5, 3-5, 3-6, 4-6, 4-11, 7-11, 7-17, 11-17, 11-18, 12-18, 12-19, 15-19, 15-22

Service winners: Lemuno 5, Mendizabal 1

Service errors: Lemuno 2, Mendizabal 0

Winners: Lemuno 7, Mendizabal 11

Errors: Lemuno 5, Mendizabal 3

4 ½ line faults: Lemuno 1, Mendizabal 0

Match time: 53 minutes

Botilleros: Salva Vergara with Lemuno y and José Mari Mendizábal with his son Mendizabal III

Aitor Mendizabal, an impressive prospect

Picture: mine

Share on Facebook

The Cuatro y Medio final, originally due to be held on 27th December, has been delayed for the second time. It will now take place on 11th December. The new postponement was requested by Aimar Olaizola, who is still in pain due to a fracture to the tip of the middle finger of his left hand. This is the second time this year that the LEP.M has authorised a two week postponement after the Manomanista final was delayed on the appeal of Xala, who was stuck by appendicitis. At first, the injury to Aimar’s finger was thought to be a minor crack, but when the swelling failed to abate, further scans were carried out and a fuller fracture was revealed. The player, his doctor and Asegarce met on Tuesday to discuss a course of action after a training session in which it became clear he would not be able to play this week.

Image from Diario Vasco by Eduardo Buxens

Share on Facebook

In addition to the main Cuatro y Medio final, postponed until 4th December due to Aimar Olaizola’s broken finger, the Promocion final has now been delayed. Stephane Lemouneau and Aitor Mendizabal were due to play this coming Saturday but their match has been moved to Saturday 3rd December because of Lemouneau’s hand problems.

On another note, I am going to the Basque Country tomorrow, despite the fact that there are no Cuatro y Medio finals to attend. The best laid scheme failed to work out, but I will be in Pamplona on Saturday and Eibar on Sunday and will report back on the matches when I’m home! Until next week, agur!

Share on Facebook

The Cuatro y Medio final between Juan Martinez de Irujo and Aimar Olaizola, due to be held on Sunday 27th November, has been postponed until Sunday 4th December. Asegarce requested the delay after Olaizola’s finger injury failed to heal as quickly as expected. The star from Goizueta stuck the middle finger of his left hand on the ground attempting to scoop up a serve in his semi final win over Abel Barriola last Sunday, suffering a hairline fracture. The Asegarce medical staff were confident that he would be able to resume training after four days of complete rest and a course of anti-inflammatories, but the injury has not improved significantly and still causes a lot of pain. Certain in the knowledge that Olaizola would not be able to play on the 27th, his empresa requested the match be postponed by one week, as is their right.

On a personal note, the postponement means I will no longer be able to go. I was intending to make the trip over to Bilbao next weekend for the match and cannot manage the following week. I am still going to go to the Basque Country for a few days however, and will try to get to whatever matches are accessible. This may involve the Promocion final, if it happens on the 26th; there may be a postponement there as well as Lemuno has an injured hand. He will visit a specialist today before a decision is made. If the news is bad, it will be delayed until Friday 2nd December and will take place in either Tolosa or Zarautz. It seems I am jinxed!

Aimar must rest further

Image from Noticias de Navarra by Juan Lazkano

Share on Facebook

It was do or die at Bizkaia. The baying capacity crowd knew it and the players knew it. The atmosphere was that of a final and the intensity almost overwhelming as Aimar Olaizola and Abel Barriola battled for their lives in the championship. The winner would net automatic qualification and the chance to take on Juan Martinez de Irujo for the txapela and the loser would leave with nothing. Aimar, the best player of the year, was the clear favourite, especially in the light of Barriola’s drubbing at the hands of Irujo the previous week, but the majority of the support was for the underdog who pushed the more fancied player for almost every minute of the hour it took to decide the winner. Aimar took the spoils in each department but was forced to scrap as hard as he has done all year, always ahead of Barriola but never able to bang the final nail into his coffin until the very end. Barriola’s refusal to lie down made for scintillating theatre but his beligerence must surely have pushed the nervous of disposition on both sides of the fence to the limits of their endurance.

A roar of anticipation rose from the crowd as Aimar took the first serve but fell rather flat as he opened his account with a falta. This was not the way the four time champion would have wished to start and although he negated the error in the next point when a powerful gantxo clattered into the seating like a warning shot, he lost the next two points to an error and a dos paredes from Barriola. Barriola seemed the more assured on this first assessment, and Aimar appeared unusually nervous. Two winners, and airez into space and a gantxo returned the score to parity at 3-3 but Barriola moved again, taking a 5-3 and 6-4 lead. Barriola controlled the space better and picked and executed the better shots, while Aimar chased the game, fighting like a demon to stay in each point. In this early passage of play, the does paredes proved both Barriola’s ally and his downfall. Two he hit with aplomb and two missed their target, ultimately handing the serve back to Aimar, and bringing him back to within one point. Given Aimar’s apparent unease, it seemed likely that the game would continue to hang in the balance, but from 6-6 he lit the fuse and pulled away, a different player in sweeping unopposed to 14-7. Barriola had a chance to stem the tide when an airez winner gave him the serve back at 7-11, but he handed it straight back with a most untimely falta. He was unable to counter the power of Aimar’s shot play, paticularly the searing strength of his left arm crosscourt play; five of his points in this run were taken with either a gantxo or an airez from left to right.

The Olaizola camp breathed a sigh of relief, for it was difficult to see how Barriola could overcome their man’s resurgent force. However, Barriola was anything but bowed by his predicament and set about plugging the gap in the scoreline. He gradually played his way back into the match and started his retaliation with three straight points to stand at 10-14. He closed further still to 12-15 before coming withing two points at 14-16 with a powerful service winner. Aimar eeked out a three point lead once more with a textbook ganxto-followed-by-txoko routine and then a service winner of his own and it appeared as if calm had been restored; four points stood between him and the final and his opponent stood a further four points in arrears. Barriola, though, never gives up and when Aimar carelessly hit high to make it 18-15, the door was open once again. Within three points Barriola had put himself firmly back in the frame, sitting at 17-18 and with his tail up. Aimar, rattled, retreated to the chair for the counsel of his brother Asier. When he returned he achieved three point lead once again but he was forced to fight tooth and nail for it. The first of the two points was gifted to him by an error from Barriola but the next was unbearably tense, a salvo of balls flying back and forth before he somehow, maybe through willpower alone, turned Barriola’s dos paredes into a miraculous winner across the frontis to the left hand wall. As the adage goes, no guts no glory. Abel, extraordinarily, came back again with a stunning gantxo eliciting a furious fist pump. Aimar was two points from victory but the line still seemed so very distant. Fortunately for the favourite, Abel gave him the help he craved, hitting low twice in a row to crown an auspicious effort with an inauspicous ending.

The relief was written for all to see across the faces of both Olaizola brothers as they embraced, but as we were later to find out, a lingering worry lurked behind their smiles. Aimar had hurt his finger trying to sccop up Barriola’s point-winning serve at 18-17 and went straight to hospital for a scan. The scan revealed a small crack in the tip of the middle finger of his left hand. This injury puts into a cetain degree of doubt the date of the final, due to be held in Bilabo on Sunday 27th November, All the signs are that he will be able to play and the Asegarce medical staff see no major cause for concern, but a decision will be taken after he has trained tomorrow or Friday following four days of rest. In the event that he cannot play on the 27th, the final will be moved to the 4th December. Whatever the outcome, Olaizola II and Irujo will renew their scintillating rivalry on the biggest stage in a match not to be missed.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-1, 3-1, 3-3, 5-3, 5-4, 6-4, 6-11, 7-11, 7-14, 10-14, 10-15, 12-15, 12-16, 14-16, 14-18, 17-18, 17-20, 18-20, 18-22.

Balls hit: 270:

Match time: 59:51 with 12:22 of actual play

Olaizola II: winners 13, errors 8

Barriola: winners 14, errors 5

Aimar Olaizola will go for his fifth title against Irujo

Image from El Correo by JM Lopez

Share on Facebook

Friday 12th November, Pamplona

XALA beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO 22-17

Yves Salaberry walked out to play against Juan Martinez de Irujo on Friday knowing that his Cuatro y Medio challenge had already shuddered to a halt following defeat to Barriola and Olaizola II. Conversely, Irujo was already assured of a place in the final. Though this was a dead rubber, it was no dud match as both players went for the jugular, Xala to salvage some pride and Irujo to maintain his status as favourite. After a scintillating comeback from a position of 9-16 in arrears, it was Xala who took the victory to soften the blow of his exit.

The first part of the encounter was all about Irujo, who controlled every aspect of the play. The pace of the match was infernal, but Xala was outdone by Irujo who hit strongly to all areas. The game turned when Irujo retired to the locker room without permission to protest about a call which went against him. Upon his return, Xala, ever calm and collected, was a different player. Irujo appeared suddenly out of sorts, and his opponent quietly and efficiently accumulated points, nine in a row before Irujo could put a halt on his progress. This halt was as temporary as could be however; he won only one further point before Xala took a further string of four to seize the day.

This championship has assuredly not ended in the way Xala would have liked. The Manomanista champion had his chances to reach his third major final of the year but was lacking in his first two semi finals. This win will, however, serve as a reminder of the stellar year he has had.

Scoring sequence: 0-1/ 1/ 2-1/ 2/ 3-2/ 3/ 4/ 4-5/ 5/ 5-11/ 8-11/ 8-14/ 9-14/ 9-16/ 18-16/ 18-17/ 22-17

Match time: 40:00 with 10:00 of actual play

Balls hit: 222

Xala won but failed to reach his third final in a year

Image from: Pelota, Mano y Remonte

Share on Facebook

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.

Share on Facebook

Saturday 29^th October, Bilbao

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO beat OLAIZOLA II 22-20

This encounter been the old foes Olaizola II and Martinez de Irujo was so hotly anticipated that all 3000 seats in Bilbao’s Bizkaia fronton sold out, producing an atmosphere more usually found at a final. The mind games had already begun before the pair took to the field of battle, when Aimar objected vehemently to Irujo’s choice of balls. His selections stood, and his rival accepted his situation, but the venom overflowed into their style of play, which was faster and more furious than anything seen in the competition so far.

Aimar took the game to defending champion Irujo and held the upper hand for most of the first half of the match, going ahead 3-0, 7-1, 9-2 and 11-6. Irujo, who had been caught napping at the off, sprung into a certain kind of life with third point which he was convinced was too long. The judges let it stand, despite Irujo’s furious protestations and his anger counted against him, as a calmly brutal Aimar played the crosscourt game to perfection. Finding himself on the receiving end of an enormous salvo, Irujo was called to the chair by his botillero Patxi Eugi. Something his confidant uttered helped to turn the tide, for the player who emerged after the break was altogether different. He gradually pulled the deficit back and with five points in a row took the lead at 15-13. Aimar, by nature a grand competitor, would not let him escape and came past again to a 16-15 lead, This he extended to 20-18 after a period of tense stalemate, and it seemed as if the game was his. However, Irujo unleashed one last furious torrent and took four points in a row to take the tie. When Aimar failed to return the last ball, he released all his tension and pent up fury as he pumped the air with immense force. Aimar left the fronton without a moment’s delay.

Few people come from behind to beat Aimar Olaizola, least of all in Cuatro y Medio, a discipline where he has been champion on four occasions. The fact that Irujo won in this manner sends a warning shot to the other semi finalists who must now wonder how his insatiable will to win can be quelled. Irujo now sits in the driving seat in the league, but Aimar has more chances and the fact that his loss was so narrow may yet come to his aid as the finalists are decided.

Scoring sequence: 3-0, 3-1, 7-1, 7-2, 9-2, 9-6, 11-6, 11-10, 13-10, 13-15, 16-15, 16-17, 17-17, 17-18, 20-18, 20-22.

Olaizola II: winners (7) errors (9) service winners (4) service errors (1) 4 ½ line errors (0)

Martinez de Irujo: winners (9) errors (8) service winners (3) service errors (0) 4 ½ line errors (1)

Match time: 54 minutes

Balls hit: 277

Botilleros: Asier Olaizola with his brother Aimar and Patxi Eugi with Irujo

Smiles were few and far between in Bilbao on Saturday

Image from Deia. Source: Diario Vasco

There was one match in the Promocion Championship this weekend and it saw an easy win for Lemuno over a highly out of sorts Albisu, by 22 points to 12. It could have been far worse for Albisu, but a late rally ensured some respectability. The second semi final of the rotation takes place tomorrow and pits Mendizabal III against Ongay.

Share on Facebook