Sunday 8^th May, Eibar

XALA beat RETEGI BI 22-12

Some thought Julen Retegi might cause problems for Yves Salaberry on Sunday night, after his excellent performance against Urrutikoetxea the week before. However, while Retegi started with a flourish and showed great mettle, Xala proved beyond all doubt that he was in a different class. The classy left hander showed all the easy class that he displayed in the Pairs Championship, brushing his younger rival aside with a nonchalant sweep of the hand, calm, controlled and quietly brutal.

Retegi started the better of the pair, winning the first two points with tactical nouse and superb finishing. In the third, Xala fell short after a salvo of long shots from Retegi. However, Xala, completely relaxed, began to chip away at the three point deficit. He gifted Retegi another point by going wide after an attritional point, but with four textbook plays, wrenched the initiative firmly away. This swing in fortune was related in large part to his serve, which began to fire on all cylinders, but he also reminded his opponent and his viewers of the power of his left arm, going crosscourt with devastating power. Retegi pinned him back to 6-8 with a marvellous effort, putting the ball over Xala’s head having raced and dived from the back to reach it at all, but throughout this mid period of the game, Xala won points in batches, while his opponent stole the occasional one here and there. The power of Xala’s serve was again key, and Retegi’s inability to halt it made him seethe visibly with frustration.

Uncharacteristically, Xala served a falta to gift his serve away at 7-12, and Retegi responded with two excellent deliveries of his own, but with an advantage of only three, he slid up a gear, moving from 12-9 to 17-9 with a barrage of drops and volleys. He miscued one close to the side wall at allow Retegi his tenth point, and Retegi thought he had him again in the next rally, until he pulled a stunning crosscourt swipe out of nowhere, while pinned unceremoniously against the wall. There was no doubting the future direction of the game, as Retegi appeared a broken man. He managed two further points thanks to another Xala falta, and a dos paredes gone wrong, but Xala took no time to finish him off, with a ball over his head and a skimming canon ball past his nose. Xala proceeds to the semi finals, where he will play Idoate.

Scoring sequence: 0-3, 1-3, 1-4, 2-4, 2-5, 8-5, 8-6, 12-6, 12-9, 17-9, 17-10, 20-10, 20-12, 22-12.

Winners: Xala 16, Retegi Bi 6

Errors: Xala 3, Retegi Bi 2

Service winners: Xala 4, Retegi Bi 1

Service errors: Xala 2, Retegi Bi 0

Balls hit: 230

Match time: 47.10 minutes, with 10.32 minutes of actual play

Xala: no sweat

In the other quarter final to be played this weekend, IDOATE beat OLAIZOLA I 22-8 (Saturday, Pamplona). The young pretender completely outclassed Asier Olaizola, who was playing his first match after returning from a knee injury sustained during the Pairs Championship. Olaizola was expected to be lacking match fitness, but he never managed to gain a foothold in the game, and the young pretender trumped him in every aspect of the game. His reward is a semi final against Xala.

The remaining quarter finals will be played this coming weekend, with Martinez de Irujo playing Olaizola II (14^th, Bilbao) and Bengoetxea VI taking on Patxi Ruiz (15^th, Pamplona).

In the Promocion Championship quarter finals, Jaunarena beat Lemuno 22-20 and Merino I beat Argote 22-17. The two winners will play each other in the semi finals on the 22^nd.  

Image from Noticias de Gipuzkoa by Zigor Alkorta

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Asegarce have confirmed that Asier Olaizola does indeed have an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament, but an examination yesterday afternoon in Vitoria-Gasteiz brought some relief; the diagnosis is not as bad as originally feared. According to Doctor Mikel Sanchez, the tear is only partial, and Olaizola should be cleared to return to the fronton in around two months. The treatment will be conservative, as there is no need for surgery. His replacement in the Pairs championship will be Ekaitz Saralegi.

Image from Noticias de Alava

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Friday 11^th February, Urduliz

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ 22-18

Friday’s match in the Bizkaian town or Urduliz was expected to be a close one, and so it proved. Sebastien Gonzalez and Aritz Laskurain had one their previous two matches after an extremely slow start in the championship, and Pablo Berasaluze and Alexis Apraiz were coming off two wins, and a near upset against the table toppers. The crowds were treated to an exciting and tough exhibition, which lasted 76 minutes and 612 balls. Although it was always close, and there was little to choose between the pairs, Gonzalez and Laskurain ran out the deserving winners. The latter was the difference between the sides, coming out on top in a tit for tat fight with Apraiz, and ending as the best player of the night.

Saturday 12^th February, Pamplona

BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ beat XALA  – BARRIOLA 22-21

Oinatz Bengoetxea and Patxi Ruiz seized their fourth point of the championship with a tense and thrilling win over pre-tournament favourites Yves Salaberry and Abel Barriola. Both forwards and backs fought tooth and nail. Patxi Ruiz just shaded Barriola, but both pulled off impressive feats. Xala’s vehement attack was repelled time and again by Bengoetxea, whose defence was magnificent. He also took the attack to Xala with a wide range of shot play. Patxi Ruiz strained his calf with the score on 18-17, and when he returned from the locker room was restricted in the shots he could manage. Xala and Barriola went ahead 21-19, and looked as if the momentum would stay with them, but Bengoetxea and Ruiz fought back doggedly to take the win by the smallest possible margin.

Saturday 12^th February, Tafalla

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – MERINO II beat OLAZOLA I – BELOKI 7-4 (Olaizola I retired injured)

The game in Tafalla was brought to an unfortunate and abrupt end when Asier Olaizola was forced to retire with a knee injury. With the score at 7-4, and with everything still to play for, the forward from Goizueta twisted awkwardly and had to be helped from the fronton. He underwent a scan in Vitoria-Gasteiz this morning, and we await word from Asegarce on the extent of his injury.

Sunday 13^th February, Logrono

TITIN III – PASCUAL beat OLAIZOLA II – BEGINO 22-21

Table toppers Aimar Olaizola and Aritz Begino suffered their first loss of the competition, succumbing by one point to Titin and Pascual at Adarraga. In a match full of emotion and excitement from first until last, the Asegarce duo looked to have matters under control, going ahead 3-10, 6-13 and 13-17. However, Titin masterminded a comeback, playing with passion and intensity in front of his home fans. Supported excellently by Pascual at the back, he drew his pair level at 17-17, before they surged ahead 20-17. Aimar and Aritz fought their way back to 20-21, but two errors from Begino handed the game to Titin and Pascual, who have reversed their fortunes dramatically from their drubbing by Gonzalez and Laskurain last week. Olaizola and Begino, however, remain in isolation at the top of the standings. This result will have provided them with a shock, but they are as good as safe and will put it behind them.

The championship now moves into its second round robin phase, in which each pair plays the four from the opposing empresa across four weeks of games. The schedule for this section of the competition can be viewed at Asegarce. The table at this point in proceedings indicates the closeness in ability of many of the couples. Olaizola II-Begino and Xala-Barriola have served up the most quality, and looked virtually assured of places in the semi finals, but behind them things are very tight. Bengoetxea VI-Patxi Ruiz are next best, having won four of their seven matches, while four pairs are tied on three wins. Olaizola I-Beloki seem out of it, but for everyone else, it is all to play for. See here for the full table.

The Second Tier championship, which mirrors to pattern of the main competition, also moves into its next phase next weekend. There, it looks to be a six-pair fight for the semi final berths. Apezetxea-Cecilio top the table, while Jaunarena-Larrinaga and Urrutikoetxea-Iza appear down and out. For the full table, see Manista, and for remaining fixtures see Asegarce.

Titin and Pascual: giant killers

Image from Manista, by Carlos Zuluaga

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Affairs are hotting up in the Pairs Championship; with six rotions gone, we have a good idea of who may fill the semi final berths. Two pairs have all but qualified, one is all but out, and the rest are fighting for their lives. For the full table visit Manista.com, here. For remaining fixtures, see Asegarce, here.

(Apologies for the lack of in-depth reports; I was unable to see much of the play this weekend!)

Friday 4^th February, Covaleda

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat TITIN III – PASCUAL 22-10

Sebastien Gonzalez and Aritz Laskurain kept alive their hopes of reaching the last four, with what turned into a crushing defeat of Augusto Ibanez and Inigo Pascual in Covaleda. It was expected to be a tight game, and so it proved for the first twenty points, the pairs reaching stalemate at 10-10 after a tough fight, especially in the back division. However, at this juncture, Titin and Pascual inexplicably capitulated, as their opponents took the next 12 points to win 22-10. Gonzalez and Laskurain looked the cooler and the more efficient, as well as the more inventive, and Titin failed to fire, hitting only five winners to Gonzalez’ seven. The signs are good for the winners, but as a contest, the game all but fizzled out. These two pairs now sit level on points in 5^th and 6^th positions, with Gonzalez and Laskurain ahead on points difference.

Scoring sequence: 3-0, 3-1, 4-1, 4-2, 5-2, 5-4, 6-4, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 10-22.

Saturday 5th February, Zalla

OLAIZOLA II – BEGINO beat BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ 22-19

Aimar Olaizola and Aritz Begino kept their unbeaten record alive in Zalla on Saturday, but they were made to work for their victory against a pair very much in the ascendant. Olaizola and Begino were ahead throughout the contest, but never managed to shed their opponents from their coat tails. Berasaluze and Apraiz were seven points behind at 6-13 but scrapped their way back into contention, pushing the eventual winners all the way and making them sweat as they squandered their first two match points. The heart of the encounter lay in defence, where the two evenly matched protagonists fielded strings of improbable balls at will. Berasaluze took the fight to Olaizola in attack, reading the game expertly, and finishing with more winners than his rival. However, Olaizola and Begino produced the goods when it mattered, and remain atop the table, as the only partnership not to drop a game 

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 0-5, 1-5, 2-5, 2-6, 3-6, 3-7, 4-7, 4-8, 4-9, 5-9, 5-10, 5-11, 6-11, 6-12, 6-13, 7-13, 12-13, 12-14, 12-16, 13-16, 14-16, 14-17, 14-18, 15-18, 15-19, 16-19, 17-19, 19-20, 17-21, 18-21, 19-21, 19-22.

Saturday 5^th February, Idiazabal 

BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ beat OLAIZOLA I – BELOKI 22-9

The game in Idiazabal went entirely as predicted, with a resounding win for Oinatz Bengoetxea and Patxi Ruiz, who got their campaign back on track after some recent wobbles. The greatest disparity in quality lay in the forwards, where Bengoextea easily eclipsed Asier Olaizola, who has had a torrid time in the competition thus far. Olaizola and Beloki made it their aim to wear Patxi Ruiz down, but their strategy backfired, as the defender from Estella displayed some excellent form and refused to be bowed. There was no contingency plan for the reds, or if there was they proved unable to execute it, and they remain bottom, while Bengoetxea and Ruiz cling onto the last qualification spot in fourth.

Scoring sequence: 0-4, 1-4, 1-6, 2-6, 2-7, 4-7, 4-8, 5-8, 5-12, 6-12, 6-16, 7-16, 7-19, 9-19, 9-22

Sunday 6^th February, Eibar

XALA – BARRIOLA beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – MERINO II 22-14

Sunday’s match at Astelena promised much excitement, if only because it is increasingly difficult to predict what Irujo and Merino will bring to the table. Aspe’s mixture of youth and experience has failed to gel, but alone, each of its parts is capable of incredible things. However, as the rational predicted, this was an easy victory for Xala and Barriola, the proven and tested class of the empresa. The eventual winners played with firmness of purpose and ruthless efficiency, testing Merino to his limits and exerting total control. As a partnership, they operate like clockwork. Irujo was unable to find any spark in attack until it was far too late. The reds, who were never within reach, face a near impossible fight to qualify for the semi finals, while Xala and Barriola, who sit second, are virtually assured of progression. 

Scoring sequence: 0-2, 1-2, 2-3, 2-7, 3-7, 3-10, 5-10, 5-12, 6-12, 6-13, 7-13, 8-17, 9-17, 10-17, 12-19, 14-19, 14-22.

(Sources: Aspe and Asegarce)

Begino (left) and Olaizola II stay top

Image from Noticias de Navarra, by J. Sampedro

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Friday 28^th January, Estella-Lizarra

BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – MERINO II 22-7

After their resurgence last week, when they beat Gonzalez and Laskurain comfortably, many assumed that Irujo and Merino II were now back on track, after their disastrous start in the championship. They were the clear favourites for this fifth week match, but the gremlins reappeared for the Aspe duo, as they met a pairing still riding the crest of a wave after their own fourth week win. Berasaluze and Apraiz outgunned their rivals with ease, Pablo dominating even more than he had done against Bengoetxea VI the week before against an Irujo who was a shadow of his usual self, managing only two winners to his opposite number’s twelve. Merino, while promising and at times brilliant, is still developing, and this was not his finest hour. Is it over and out for the experimental pairing.

Saturday 29th January, Pamplona

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat BENGOETXEA VI – PATXI RUIZ 22-7

After their outstanding 2010 as a pairing, much was expected of Oinatz Bengoetxea and Patxi Ruiz in this year’s contest, but alter two successive defeats, it seems the wheels are coming off. Last week they lost in a closer tussle with Berasaluze and Apraiz, but this time round it was a disaster for the Asegarce hopes. They started well, but as Gonzalez and Laskurain, who were yet to win a match in the competition, swung into action, their opponents had no answer and were outplayed in every department. Neither pair is well placed in the overall standings, but their trajectories Could barely be more different.

Sunday 30th January, Logrono

TITIN III – PASCUAL beat OLAIZOLA I – BELOKI 22-20

After two one sided onslaughts came a far closer match down in Rioja. Titin and Pascual squeezed past Asier Olaizola and Beloki to keep their hopes of reaching the last four alive, and they showed great resilience in coming from behind to take the point. For the most part, the sides were evenly matched; Beloki began well but Pascual, playing better than in recent weeks, was able to match him, and likewise at the front, Olaizola and Titin both winner and errors in turn. The Asegarce pair was ahead for much of the match, and although they were never more than four points in arrears, they appeared as if they would keep their noses in front. However, with the score at 17-19, Titin and Pascual pounced, taking five points without reply. Olaizola and Beloki managed to scrape one back, but the momentum had shifted, terminally.

Pablo Berasaluze: in form

Image from Gara

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Monday 24th January, Tolosa

OLAIZOLA II – BEGINO beat OLAIZOLA I – BELOKI 22-10

There was nothing unexpected about this match. The younger Olaizola brother and his partner, Aritz Begino, were the overwhelming favourites, and completely outclassed their rivals. Aimar was never troubled, and had no need to sweat in subduing his older brother, who looked ineffectual in comparison. Begino was solid as a rock at the back, in contrast to Beloki who was unable to make any of his returns tell. the underdogs came within three points at 9-12, but as soon as Aimar and Aritz pushed the level a notch higher, they had nothing more to give. Asegarce’s star pairing have now won four from four, and sit atop the table, level with Xala and Barriola, whom they play on Sunday. A far sterner challenge awaits.

Begino and Olaizola II: barely challenged

Image from Deia

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It was a good two days for Asegarce on Friday and Saturday as both their competing couples brought home the spoils in their third rotation Pairs matches.

For Asier Olaizola and Ruben Beloki, it was the first point of the championship, as they had lost their first two games, and they took it well, beating the fancied Gonzalez and Laskurain 22-16 in Getaria. Olaizola, so often overshadowed by the renown of his younger brother, here let fly, taking the game to Gonzalez who never broke free from the shackles placed on him. The strength of his right arm was especially apparent, and he found space out wide with the left, playing the tight angles with aplomb on his way to ten winners. He was partnered ably by Beloki, who was a safer pair of hands than Laskurain, who blew hot and cold. In the end, the win was more comfortable than most had predicted, and will give the Asegarce partnership some much needed confidence in their tough fight to make the top four.

In Pamplona, Oinatz Benogetxea and Patxi Ruiz took a titanic scrap against Titin III and Inigo Pascual, 22-20. The fans at Labrit were treated to a sensational game in which all four protagonists showed extraordinary skill and verve, playing at breakneck speed and with startling inspiration. It was the forwards who took most of the plaudits from the crowd, who chanted their names with fervour. The 42 year old Titin, who celebrated his birthday this past week, defended like a terrier against the all out attack of the far younger Bengoetxea, and the two traded myriad gantxos and txokos, as if determined not to be outdone. In defence, the fight was just as intense, with Pascual and Ruiz displaying their long range hitting skills to gasps from the assembled crowds. Ruiz last week extended his contract with Asegarce until 2014, and on this showing the management should be rubbing their hands in glee. In the end, Bengoetxea and Ruiz had a fraction more to give, and held their nerve for a memorable win. It is their second of the championship and they are clearly contenders.

Patxi Ruiz is experiencing a purple patch

Image from Diario Vasco

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Friday 7th January, Tolosa

BERASALUZE VIII – APRAIZ beat OLAIZOLA I – BELOKI 22-15

Pablo Berasaluze and Alexis Apraiz opened their account in the Pairs Championship last night, and in doing so condemned Asier Olaizola and Ruben Beloki to the foot of the table. The match failed to reach the heights, with all four players looking ill at ease. Apraiz seemed especially nervous at the outset, but was probably on balance the best player of the night. As the game went on, the defender from Gernika found his rhythm, taking the game to Beloki. As he opened his shoulders, Berasaluze acquired a platform to attack, and Olaizola had little answer. He and Beloki face a long road back to contention.

Apraiz was the best of a modest bunch in Tolosa

Image from Diario Vasco

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Three games took place in the first round of the 2010 Cuatro y Medio Championship at the weekend. Two matches went to form, although in one the margin of victory was larger than expected, and the third produced a surprise.

In Urretxu on Friday, Aritz Lasa shaded 2010 debutant Lemuno in an error strewn match, to take his place in the last eight, where he will play Patxi Ruiz or Olaetxea. At 19-8, it appeared that the forward from Gipuzkoa would win with ease, but to his credit, his inexperienced rival fought back to 22-17, and leaves the competition with his head held high.

Gernika saw the first upset of the competition as Inigo Diaz trumped Asier Olaizola 22-8. The superiority of the underdog was never in question as he led 2-0, 13-2, 16-4, 20-8 and 22-8. Diaz will now play either Urrutikoetxea or pairs champion Zubieta.

Also on Saturday, Oinatz Bengoetxea, still flaunting his white hot summer form, demolished Mikel Beroiz at Labrit. The former Manomanista champion dominated the game and never allowed his younger opponent any room to move, dispensing the biggest thrashing in the competition since 2003, when Berasaluze VIII beat Inaki Larralde by the same margin. Oinatz struck ten winners to only one error while Beroiz managed just two winners, a paltry tally when set alongside his six errors. The victor has sent a clear signal of intent, and will now play either Barriola or Saralegi in the last eight, with the confidence of having recently swept the former aside on the way to the Torneo del Nitro title in Zalla.

The remaining first round matches take place from Friday to Sunday, and I will publish broadcast information when it becomes available.

Inigo Diaz produced the surprise of the week

Image from El Correo

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Asegarce report today that Asier Olaizola will replace Pablo Berasaluze for the match with Alexis Apraiz against Bengoetxea VI and Patxi Ruiz on Friday. The forward cut his hand in last night’s game against Titin III and Merino II. There is no word as to when Berasaluze may return.

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