Basque pelota blog in english – Dos paredes

Tuesday 9th August, Vitoria-Gasteiz

BENGOETXEA VI – BEGINO beat OLAIZOLA II – BEROIZ 22-18

It took 888 collisions of ball and hand to decide the outcome of the Virgen Blanca pelota tournament, the traditional sporting accompaniment to the Basque capital’s fiesta of the same name. 888 strikes of attrition, determination and venom from four of the game’s top players, none of whom would lie down without a gargantuan fight. The game swayed one way, and then the other, and then back again, as each attempted to make their mark. The two forwards, Aimar Olaizola and Oinatz Bengoetxea, were tantalizingly matched, the former having had an excellent year and the latter, winner of the San Fermin Cuatro y Medio, most alive in the summer months for the second year running. These two greats of their generation were equally matched almost throughout, but while most eyes were on them, it was in the back division where this marathon was decided, with the seven errors of Beroiz to Begino’s one proving the difference.

Momentum was firmly on the side of Bengoetxea and Begino in the opening portion of the match. Bengoetxea conceded the first point with a wide gantxo, but he stormed into affairs in the rallies that followed, with two classically worked winners before a forward fight with Olaizola went his way. The next three points brought Beroiz into the game, in a far less than positive manner. The young defender committed three unforced errors in a row, the third undoing all the sterling defensive work of Olaizola in front. At 1-6 down, the red pair had to act, and act they did, coming slowing but surely back into the game. Bengoetxea granted them the serve with a miscued txoko, which would have proved a dramatic winner had it worked. He suffered five more lapses before the scores drew level, making life very easy for Olaizola, who nonetheless reminded all and sundry of his virtuosity with a brutal and classic sequence of shots to the corner and then cross court to leave his opponent floundering. The eight-time txapela winner had clearly upped the pace, and Bengoetxea struggled to match him. Not content with reaching 9-9, the reds marched on past their rivals, most of the dirty work completed by Olaizola, who continually forced Bengoetxea into ever more desperate defence, before delivering the coup de grace. Even Beroiz, now growing in belated confidence entered into the battery, hitting a winning txoko while haring forward to cover for his partner. The score moved to 14-9, and 17-12, and the leaders looked solid as rocks.

Bengoetxea, served excellently by the absolutely unflappable support of Begino, began to chip away at the red lead, taking a point here and there to keep his pair in touch. He seized the momentum back with a vengeance with the score at 14-18, breaking through the shackles placed on him by Olaizola, and taking advantage of the platform provided by his partner. A cross court swipe into Olaizola’s body brought him within three points. Olaizola must surely have thought he had won the next point with a txoko, but his indefatigable rival returned it with interest, whipping a txoko of his own out of the top drawer. The reds began to seem rattled, and the next point did little for their state of mind, when the referee deemed a ball to Beroiz to have bounced twice before he hit it. Beroiz thought otherwise, and let his view be known. The television replays were inconclusive. A change of serve here might have been Olaizola and Beroiz’s salvation, but they then proceeded to lose a monster rally, in which the blues drew level at 18-18 after a heartless salvo from Bengoetxea beat them into submission. The point which took the score to 18-20 saw further heartbreak for Olaizola, who thought he’d pulled off the most stunning gantxo winner of the night, only to hear the telltale clunk which signaled the ball had fallen fractionally low. It was perhaps fitting that the final two points were conceded by Beroiz, whose inconsistency had proved the difference. The new Asergarce signing appeared to have lost his ability to fight, fatigued and broken after a truly mammoth match.

Bengoetxea provided the glamour of this victory, dramatic even when things did not go his way, breathtaking when they did. However, the jury rightfully awarded the player of the tournament award to Begino, the unsung, metronomic, powerful, unmovable hero of the hour. As for Olaizola and Beroiz, this was their debut as a pair, and there are many positive things onto which they can latch. When he was on song, Beroiz displayed power which belied his years, and his rearguard defence was often exceptional. He and Aimar worked well as a pair, and but for some telling errors at crucial moments, they looked an extremely promising partnership. But on Tuesday night at least, the spoils went to Begino and Bengoetxea, the calm and the fury.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-6, 3-6, 3-8, 4-8, 4-9, 14-9, 14-10, 15-10, 15-12, 17-12, 17-14, 18-14, 18-22.

Aritz Begino: man of the week

Image from Noticias de Gipuzkoa, by Iban Aguinaga

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Sunday 7th August, Vitoria-Gasteiz

BENGOETXEA VI – BEGINO beat XALA – ALBISU 22-5

This was an unmitigated sporting disaster for Xala and Albisu. They were perhaps an unlikely pair, coming from different empresas, and never having played together, but formed an intriguing mix of proven championship class and future potential. Bengoetxea and Begino played excellently, but in a sense did not have to, for the vast majority of points came from the errors of their opponents, especially Albisu, who started badly and if anything, got worse. Even Xala was unable to impose himself on the game, though he did have the excuse of a cut on his hand, procured while adjusting his protections, which required treatment. The result, with its staggeringly one sided score line, puts Bengoetxea and Begino, winners of two matches in a row with consummate ease, into the final against Olaizola II and Beroiz.

The first seven points were a microcosm of the match as a whole. Bengoetxea began with a winning drive to the corner, and hit two service winners, showing himself as the class of the match. In addition, there were three errors from Albisu, and one from Xala. After conceding a point Bengoetxea marched on, always supported with metronomic ease by Begino from the back, whipping out a dos paredes, and a ruthless cross court shot from a position almost on top of the frontis. But the errors kept coming from both reds. The most disastrous period was that between 2-11 and 2-16, where Albisu lost his direction completely. He hit unnecessarily wide three times in a row, becoming more frustrated with each infelicity. There was little he could do about a strong Bengoetxea serve in the next play, but he then hit wide yet again, to the disbelief of the crowd.

To his credit, Albisu did then play an excellent point, getting the ball over Begino after a more even forward tussle, and a rare error from Begino gave his pair two points in a row. Xala showed signs of finding some form, setting up the next play beautifully, but then miscued what would have been an overarm winner. The reds’ one further point was handed to them by Begino’s second lapse, but from there on, things got worse again, with Albisu, clearly and understandably rattled, hitting high three times in a row, before Bengoetxea finished things off with two winners of brutal efficiency. The job was done, much more easily than he can possibly have anticipated.

Scoring sequence: 0-7, 1-7, 1-11, 2-11, 2-16, 4-16, 4-17, 5-17, 5-22

Service winners/faults: Bengoetxea 3/0, Xala 0/0

Winners/errors: Bengoetxea 4/1, Begino 2/3, Xala 0/3, Albisu 1/10

Match time: 43:36, with 16:18 of actual play

Balls hit: 305

Nothing went right for Jon Ander Albisu

Image from: Noticias de Alava

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Saturday 6th August, Vitoria-Gasteiz

OLAIZOLA II – BEROIZ beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – MERINO II 22-13

Aimar Olaizola and Mikel Beroiz, are inexperienced as a pair, given the latter’s only recent transfer to Asegarce, but they hit the ground running in the first Virgen Blanca semi final. They were always ahead on the scoreboard, and gave their rivals, Juan Martinez de Irujo and David Merino little look in. The gloss was taken off the match as a contest by the problems experienced by Merino with his right calf, which prevented him from playing to the best of his ability, but this is not to devalue the class of the winners’ performance. Olaizola put Irujo to the sword, hitting with brutality and ruthless precision on his way to thirteen winners in the match. Irujo, whose attacks were almost always rebutted, managed to pass his rivals only five times. Merino sought to keep the game from the forwards in order to protect his colleague from the onslaught, but it was to no avail, as the Asegarce pair sailed into the final. Merino for his part is expected to play again this week, as his injury, while impeding, proved to be a relatively minor strain.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-1, 5-1, 5-4, 9-4, 9-5, 11-5, 11-6, 12-6, 12-9, 14-9, 14-10, 17-10, 17-11, 19-11, 19-13, 22-13

Winners/errors: Olaizola 13/4, Irujo 5/4, Beroiz 1/4, Merino 0/1

Duration: 81 minutes

Balls hit: 638

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Friday 5th August, Vitoria-Gasteiz

BENGOETXEA VI – BEGINO beat TITIN III – ZUBIETA 22-12

The opening match of the Virgen Blanca tournament in Vitoria-Gasteiz looked on paper to be a tough one to call. The Aspe pair combined Titin, still as dogged as ever with Aitor Zubieta, well on the way to recovering his considerable best after injury, while Asegarce fielded the oft thrilling Oinatz Bengoetxea, who stormed his way through the summer tournaments last year, with metronomic champion defender Aritz Begino. However, there was in reality little contest, as Bengoetxea dominated the evening, bringing his A game, while everyone else left theirs at home.

The tone of the game was set from the off, as Bengoetxea and Begino seized six points without answer against opponents who seemed immediately off colour. Bengoetxea signalled his intent in the first point, which he won with a beautiful txoko, from a superb angle, which barely bounced. Zubieta put it wide twice, and Titin low once, and those errors, combined with Bengoetxea’s serve and long game, placed the Aspe pair so firmly on the back foot that a time-out had never been more necessary. When Titin and Zubieta re-entered the fray, they secured their first point, by the grace of a falta from Bengoetxea, and their second due to a mishit from Begino, but then business continued as usual. Titin showed, not for the only time in the game, a lack of judgement, taking on the half volley a ball he probably should have waited for, before Zubieta miscued after some involved forward play from both parties. The normally unflappable defender let cry a tirade against himself and the world. 3-8 became 3-11, thanks in most part to the extraordinary pace of Bengoetxea’s play, which made Titin look leaden footed at best.

From 3-11 to 7-11, the Aspe pair put together their best run of the match, offering hope of a comeback. This sequence began with an embarrassed Bengoetxea going in for the kill and blowing it from close, but the next three points were all Titin, who wrong footed his forward rival by going to the corner, before two serves in a row induced bewilderment from Begino. However, he let the opportunity slip in the very next point by rushing into an ill advised volley, which fell short. The serve was recovered with a cross court stinger, but then Bengoetxea re-imposed his brilliance with a txoko, and an attritional point seized with a pitch perfect swipe from left to right. Titin offered another glimmer, replying with a tremendous airez, but his momentum was broken, and the Asegarce pair surged again. The two forwards went at each other hell for leather, but even with his partially recovered confidence, Titin simply could not answer the infernal pace of the man from Leitza. At 9-18, the die was well and truly cast; three errors from the dominant pair kept a trickle of points going for their struggling opponents, but the game was up when an improbable reply from Bengoetxea to a Titin dos paredes provided the meat in the sandwich of two further errors from Zubieta, now resigned and dejected.

There was only ever going to be one winning pair in this match, and within that pair, there was only one man who truly hit the heights. Begino was not at his best, although he outdid Zubieta in the consistency stakes. Bengoetxea showed flashes of serious class, and his mark on the match could have been even greater if he had not on occasion given way to complacency, hurrying to hit winners rather than building points block by block. There was little Titin could do to rescue the initiative, as Bengoetxea made him appear in a class below. If he can hold onto this purple patch, every other forward in the tournament must come up with a plan to subdue him and his boundless spirit.

Scoring sequence: 0-6, 1-6, 2-6, 2-8, 3-8, 3-11, 4-11, 7-11, 7-12, 8-12, 8-14, 9-14, 9-18, 10-18, 12-18, 12-22.

Oinatz Bengoetxea: class

Image from: Noticias de Navarra

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Monday 9th August, Vitoria-Gasteiz

XALA – BARRIOLA beat TITIN III – ZUBIETA 22-14

Virgen Blanca Final

When the great defender Abel Barriola tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee in April 2009, some doubted that he would ever again reach the heights which saw him finish 2008 as the number one pelotari in the Basque Country. Since his return to competition five months ago, the man from Leitza has struggled for form and rhythm, showing flashes of the old Barriola in the Manomanista but rarely threatening. However, in the past week at Ogueta, he has gone a long way to silencing the doubters. It takes two to win a doubles title, but in Monday’s Virgen Blanca final, Barriola was the towering master, the difference between the sides, and the biggest winner.

In the way of Barriola and his partner, one half of the reigning Pairs Champion couple Xala, stood Titin, and Xala’s erstwhile partner Zubieta. In professional pelota pairs change competition by competition, but such was the bond between Xala and Zubieta in their victorious championship campaign that it seemed almost perverse to see them on opposing sides. Titin and Zubieta reached the final here by virtue of an excellent win over Irujo and Beloki, and they started well enough this time round. The first two points went against them, but Titin restored parity with a gantxo and a txoko, suggestive of a continuation of his rampant semi final form. An error from Barriola gave them a 3-2 lead and all seemed right in their world, but this was to be the only time they found themselves ahead in the match.

All four players committed more errors than they hit winners but the scale of each error count told its own story. Barriola, with a winner and only two errors, became the first defender in the history of the Virgen Blanca tournament to take home the prize awarded to the best player of the week. He was solid as a rock, returning everything his opponents threw his way and also played with his head, always in the right place at the right time whether awaiting the long ball or covering for Xala at the front. His opposite number, Aitor Zubieta, did not have such a stellar night, although his six errors obscure the quality of much of his play. He was frequently in command mid rally and suffered from the lack of spark shown by Titin, who was a shadow of the dynamic presence we saw in the semi final. Zubieta’s slips more often than not came as he tried in vain to push the margins, to try anything to pressure Barriola. Xala must thank his lucky stars for his defender, for like Titin he leaked mistakes. He was at times sparkling, and showed his power to dominate with icy calm, but eight errors, encompassing a worrying tendency to prod the ball low, was more than he can have countenanced.

The final failed to live up to the hype which preceded it, induced the quality of the earlier matches. The 1500 spectators at Ogueta, which has seen excellent ticket sales throughout the festival, may well have felt short changed. They did however witness the crowning of worthy winners, and the resurgence of one Abel Barriola, something in which all pelota fans can rejoice.

Scoring sequence: 0-2, 2-2, 3-2, 3-3, 3-7, 4-7, 5-7, 5-9, 7-9, 7-13, 11-13, 11-20, 14-20, 14-22.

Winners/Errors: Titin 3/6, Zubieta 1/6, Xala 7/8, Barriola 2/2

On Sunday, the final of the Torneo Manomanista Promoción La Blanca was contested between Lemuno and Merino II. The latter ran out the winner by 22 points to 16.

Barriola: player of the tournament

Image from Gara

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Saturday 7th August, Vitoria-Gasteiz

XALA – BARRIOLA beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BELOKI 22-16

Torneo Virgen Blanca

Yves Salaberry and Abel Barriola pulled a performance from the top drawer to make the final of the Torneo Virgen Blanca at Ogueta last night. They were subjected to a tough, 536 ball examination by Juan Martinez de Irujo and Ruben Beloki but after the first point were never headed, and came through by a margin of six. Their mastery lay in their greater consistency, especially in the defending stakes, where Beloki, usually an impenetrable wall, had a game to forget.

It was easy to assume that this match would be won in the forward battle. It pitted against each other the 2010 Manomanista finalists, with runner-up Xala likely out for revenge on the sport’s greatest player Irujo. The two matched each other stroke for stroke for much of the match, and dominated the early exchanges to the extent that one almost overlooked the role of the backs, who were both excellent in the opening salvo. Irujo took the first point of the game with a txoko which was almost nonchalant, only to be emulated by Xala who showed that two could play that particular game. Two more imperious winners from the Lekuine native, and an error from Irujo, and the blue pair had established a 4-1 lead. The two traded spectacular gantxos on 2-5 and 2-6, but as the score line suggested, it was Xala’s pair who were in the ascendant.

It soon became evident that although the tussle in attack was an enthralling one, this match may be decided by the relative fortunes of Beloki and Barriola. When Xala got himself in a twist to allow Irujo and Beloki to tie at 6-6, a golden opportunity presented itself for them to seize the upper hand, but perhaps in an effort to push Barriola back, Beloki hit carelessly high. It was the first of four such errors by the man from Burlada and his lapses were to prove decisive. He made six errors in the game to Barriola’s one, which in such a close fight made the difference. In addition to his bone fide errors which cost points directly, many of his shots within rallies were lacking, giving Xala an all too comfortable platform from which to attack. In contrast, Barriola, roaring back into form after his injury hiatus, was outstanding, giving away his first point only when the score stood at 14-11.

As the match wore on, there was a sense that Irujo’s play became somewhat dragged down by Beloki’s. Until the last third of the match his error count had been low, but lax shots crept in as he committed four errors in the final ten rallies. In contrast, Xala soldiered on. A falta on 15-12 blotted his copybook to a degree, and he twice made mistakes while going for the kill, but by that time the game was almost up. The game ended, rather fittingly, with a miscue from Beloki.

So, an enthralling final is in prospect, with Xala and Barriola taking on Titin and Zubieta on Monday. Both pairs have looked in fine form this week, and the battles between the both the forwards and backs promise to be closely matched. It is hard to call a winner, but if Xala can replicate last night’s standards, he and Barriola could be hard to stop.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-1, 1-4, 2-4, 2-6, 3-6, 6-6, 6-7, 6-8, 7-8, 7-10, 9-10, 9-11, 9-12, 10-12, 10-14, 12-14, 12-15, 13-15, 13-16, 14-16, 14-20, 15-20, 15-21, 16-21, 16-22.

Winners: Xala 9, Martinez de Irujo 10, Barriola 1, Beloki 1

Errors: Xala 4, Martinez de Irujo 6, Barriola 1, Beloki 6

Abel Barriola: consistency personified

Image from: Noticias de Alava

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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

Image from Diario Vasco, by Jose Mari Lopez

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Thursday 5th August, Vitoria-Gasteiz

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BELOKI beat BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ 22-12

Torneo Virgen Blanca

Manomanista champion Juan Martinez de Irujo and Ruben Beloki last night qualified with ease for the semi finals of the Torneo Virgen Blanca at Ogueta. The pre-match favourites never looked troubled in a 22-12 romp against an Asegarce partnership that showed fight but lacked both firepower and coordination. They will now meet Xala and Barriola for a place in Monday’s final.

From the gun, the eventual winners asserted their dominance and it looked to all the world as if the margin of victory would err on the side of the embarrassing. Before their opponents had settled into the game, Irujo had masterminded a 5-0 lead by way of three commanding winners, aided by two nervous mistakes from Apraiz, who never truly hit his stride. There was a palpable sense of relief from the assembled masses when Pablo and Apraiz managed their first point, thanks to a ball from Beloki which fell short, but they could not halt the march of their rivals. Pablo showed typically sprightly endeavor, and some promising defence, in the exchanges which followed, but three more errors from Apraiz took the margin to 10-1. From that juncture, a miracle would have been needed for the Asegarce pair.

However, Pablo, pocket fighter that he is, refused to lie down and proceeded to take the score line into the realms of respectability. Irujo struck a beautiful crosscourt airez to stretch his lead to 11-2, as if reminding all present of his superiority, but Pablo, not bowed by the status of his opponent, struck back with a dominant txoko, to the delight of the crowd. He followed this up shortly afterwards with another, followed by a searing crosscourt in a point where he ran rings around Irujo. Apraiz too got in on the act, all too briefly, haring forward to push Beloki long and to a point of no return.

The signs looked better for the underdogs, but their resurgence was to be short lived. Apraiz miscued on 6-11, and raised his arms skywards in disgust, knowing that he had thrown all momentum away. From then on it was plain sailing for Irujo and Beloki, despite the dogged resistance of Pablo who picked up any scraps afforded to him, scoring several impressive winners to drag his pair’s total to 12. Irujo it was who stole the show however, piling up fourteen winners in the course of the match to Pablo’s six. His veneer slipped only momentarily, with a falta on 19-11, but by then the game was up and his indignation at the close call soon forgotten. He sealed the win with a gantxo and two service winners, leaving nobody with in any doubt as to who was boss on the night. Beloki was as solid as a rock, providing the magic carpet ride for Irujo’s brutal finishing. The defender from Burlada made only three errors, half the number of his young opponent’s. This was not Apraiz’s night, but his time will come. On this showing, Irujo and Beloki will present a formidable hurdle in the semi final, but the pair which awaits them is a classy one. An intriguing game is in prospect.

Scoring sequence: 5-0, 5-1, 10-1, 10-2, 11-2, 11-6, 14-6, 14-7, 16-7, 16-9, 17-9, 17-11, 19-11, 19-12, 20-12, 22-12.

Winners: Martinez de Irujo 14, Berasaluze VIII 6, Beloki 0, Apraiz 0

Errors: Martinez de Irujo 3, Berasaluze VIII 2, Beloki 3, Apriaz 6

Also last night, Stephane Lemouneau (Lemuno) defeated Jon Ander Albisu in the all-Asegarce mano a mano encounter. The 24 year old Colombian-born Lemuno took the first game of the Torneo Manomanista Promoción La Blanca 22-13, out-powering and out-witting the 20 year old Albisu, who cracked under the pressure of the victor.

No sweat for Ruben Beloki

Image from: El Correo, by M. Fraile

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Vitoria-Gasteiz’s most important festival commenced yesterday, as the ‘bajada del Celedón’, a life-size doll dressed in the traditional costume of Alava, descended from the bell tower of the Church of San Miguel to the balcony of a house in the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca. This traditional opening heralds five days of festivities, including processions, music, dance and shows, and some of the Basque Country’s top pelotaris will be in town to play their part.

The Virgen Blanca pairs tournament kicks off tonight when Manomanista Champion Juan Martinez de Irujo teams up with Ruben Beloki to play Pablo Berasaluze and Alexis Apraiz for a place in the semi finals. The other three semi final pairs are already in place, and the winners of tonight’s game know they will face the attractive partnership of Xala and Barriola to fight for a place in the final, which will be held on Monday. There are some attractive matches among the curtain raisers too, notably tonight’s mano a mano encounter between two young players in their first professional seasons.

The fixtures, all of which can be seen on ETB-Sat, are listed below. I will bring you the schedules for Monday when they are available.

Thursday 5^th August, Vitoria-Gasteiz

22:35 (CEST) LEMUNO v ALBISU

23:35 (CEST) MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BELOKI v BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ

Friday 6^th August, Vitoria-Gasteiz

22:35 (CEST) MERINO II v LADIS GALARZA

23:35 (CEST) TITIN III – ZUBIETA v BENGOETXEA VI – BEGINO Semi Final

Saturday 7^th August, Vitoria-Gasteiz

22:20 (CEST) MENDIZABAL – OTEIZA v CABRERIZO II – MERINO I

23:25 (CEST) XALA – BARRIOLA v Winners of the game on 5^th August Semi Final

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

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The eyes of the pelota world will alight on Ogueta, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, tomorrow evening for the greatest, most important, and most prestigious match of the year, the Manomanista Final. The eight top Manistas have fought it out for the past two months, each determined to reach the apogee of the sport, but the final has space for only two. Martinez de Irujo or Xala? The multiple winner or the player of 2010? Tomorrow will decide.

There are some that say the early stages of this year’s tournament were a let down, and it is true that Group B ended up weaker than was hoped. The first match in that group saw the catastrophic knee injury to two time winner Aimar Olaizola, who is unlikely to return before 2011. This undoubtedly gave Patxi Ruiz a helpful leg up for the rest of the group stages. The second big name to fall was the Cuatro y Medio champion Sebastien Gonzalez, a wonderful winner over Martinez de Irujo last December. He still suffers from hand problems. This left the aforementioned Patxi Ruiz, two players brought in from the second tier competition, Retegi Bi, and Arretxe II, and Xala. Xala had signalled his intent in the first round of matches by thumping Gonzalez 22-5, and his remaining rivals in the group faced him on a wing and a prayer. Patxi Ruiz was put to the sword, 22-6, before he battled well to overcome a dogged Arretxe II 22-16 to reach the last four. Perhaps this was the test he needed to harden his steel. Ruiz joined him in the semi finals by way of a well orchestrated out-powering of Retegi Bi.

Group A was clearly the stronger of the two, not least due to the forbidding presence of the defending champion Martinez de Irujo. He was joined by Barriola, Olaizola I and Bengoetxea VI, the 2008 champion. Despite sailing unbeaten through the group stages, Irujo was not untested. His game against Olaizola I was an extraordinary one, as he was forced to overturn an inhuman deficit to win 22-18. Barriola also took 18 points off him, but in truth was a shadow of the player he was before his knee injury of last year, and lacked the killer punch of his great rival. Bengoetxea was the final victim, falling easily by 22 points to 10. There was much else to applaud in Group A, not least the never say die attitude of Olaizola I, who took a wonderful, pulsating victory over Bengoetxea in the first week, and backed this up with a typically gutsy display against Barriola to make the final four. Bengoetxea, although not at his best, marked himself out as the group’s number three with an easy win over Barriola.

The semi finals pitted Xala against Olaizola I, and Irujo against Patxi Ruiz. The former was a tight affair for the first twenty or so points, before Xala cut free, showing the extra gear which distinguishes the excellent from the merely very good. In the second, nobody gave Patxi Ruiz any hope at all, and matters went to form with Irujo winning 22-6, barely examined.

Although Irujo must be counted as favourite on his past form in this competition if nothing else, the final could well be a close one. The man from Ibero is a coiled spring, and human tiger who prowls the fronton and displays his heart firmly on his sleeve. His ruthless and dominating style has garnered him three Manomanista crowns to date, level with the Patxi Eugi (his botillero on Sunday) and Miguel Gallastegi. Only five pelotaris have more: Ruben Beloki and Atano III (4), Azkarate and Retegi I (6) and the incomparable Retegi II (11). At the age of only 28, he has many more years ahead to build himself a niche in the panoply of the greats. In addition, he is the owner of one Cuatro y Medio and three Pairs crowns, and along with Olaizola II, is the dominant pelotari of the 21^st century. He has been tested in this edition of the Manomanista, but only by Olaizola I, and his response to his near eclipse that day was so staggering as to strike fear into the hearts of all who would face the salvo in weeks to come. Even when he is down, Irujo has the ability to throw off the shackles, like a modern day Houdini. It would be a brave man to bet against the defending champion, but given his opponent at Ogueta, Sunday may prove a whole different ball game.

Yves Salaberry, or ‘Xala’, is in the form of his life, a true purple patch which shows no signs of abating. His manner on the field of play is like chalk to Irujo’s cheese, for the 30 year old from the French side of the Pyrenees rarely conveys his feelings, whether they be fearful or jubilant. He possesses an unshakable inner steeliness, a never wavering belief in his own ability to control and subdue. It is an attitude which has carried him to the heights in 2010. He and Zubieta, his also botillero throughout this Manomanista, matured like a quality wine in the course of the Pairs Championship, and took a deserved win in the final, all ease and grace. Xala was the unquestioned player of the tournament, incapable of playing a bad game. This was his second Pairs title, the first having come in 2002. He has also been a Manomanista and Cuatro y Medio runner up, in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Although he faces the toughest opponent of them all in the final showdown, there is a real sense that 2010 could be Xala’s year.

The evening’s matches commence at 17:00 (CEST) tomorrow, Sunday, with a classy doubles match to whet the appetite. The main event takes place upon the conclusion of this game, at around 18:00. If you watch only one pelota match this year, let this be it. Tune into ETB-Sat (http://www.eitb.com/television/etb-sat) to witness the drama.

The balls chosen for the final are as follows: Irujo opted for balls of 106.6g and 106.2g, while Xala has selected slightly lighter options, balls of 105.2g and 105g.

Irujo or Xala? Sunday will decide

Image from: Diario Vasco, by Eduardo Buxens

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