Sunday 5^th February, Gernika

XALA – LASKURAIN beat BENGOETXEA VI – APRAIZ 22-12

The stage was set fair for Oinatz Bengoetxea and Alexis Apraiz to continue where they left off in beating Irujo and Barriola the previous week. They seemed very much a pair on the up, growing in confidence after a brace of disappointing losses and although the same could be said of Xala and Laskurain, the game promised to be fascinating and closely matched. They also had hometown advantage of a sort, for Apraiz is a native of Gernika. However, further proof of their clear potential failed to materialise, as Xala and Laskurain never looked in the remotest of trouble. Xala alone was the difference; neither defender had a great game and Bengoetxea, the bane of Irujo, was totally out of sorts.

Right from the start, the red pair put their best feet forwards, winning the first three points through a mixture of Xala’s skill and Bengoetxea’s carelessness. The blues picked up their early points thanks to Laskurain’s errors but these were not numerous enough to prevent Xala propelling his pair to an 11-3 lead. He hit some searing winners in this passage, notably his gantxos on 4-2 and 10-3 which Bengoetxea appeared barely to see and he moved his opponents into positions of weakness with minimal effort. On 5-2, his placement succeeded in getting both blues out of position, which led to a miscue from a flummoxed Apraiz. He also put telling pressure on Apraiz, something which Bengoetxea largely failed to do to Laskurain. Apraiz’s error on 8-2was borne of Xala’s persistence and also Bengoetxea’s total inability to get anything past his opposite number, despite trying visibly with all his might.

Xala, potent force though he was, was not immune to errors and lapses on 11-3 and 11-6 gave Bengoetxea and Apraiz fleeting hope of a comeback. They came within four points at 13-9, in the one period of play where Bengoetxea really showed his considerable talents. On 13-7 he bombed Laskurain until he blew it and in the next point, he brilliantly pulled off a txoko winner after being forced right to the back by Xala. However, any window of opportunity was dispelled by Apraiz, who made two errors in the next three points. These, along with another fabulous crosscourt winner from Xala, restored the red advantage to seven points. The one moment of drama occurred at this juncture when Laskurain accidentally struck his partner in the head. The injury was clearly not as serious as that to Arretxe II who was recently hurt in similar circumstances, but as he left for treatment, Bengoetxea and Apraiz must have wondered fleetingly whether the misfortune of their nemesis had handed them an unlikely escape. Happily for Xala though, he returned seemingly unharmed and carried on where he left off. Two wayward hits from Laskurain were an irrelevance in the final analysis, as Xala overcame his nasty shock and a partner not entirely on top of his game, to seize the victory with a service winner.

Sunday’s result means that both pairs now sit on three points, just below the qualification spots, with Xala and Laskurain 5^th and Bengoetxea and Apraiz 6^th. Two pairs sit one point ahead of them and are very much there to be shot at; while Olaizola II and Beroiz appear unassailable at the top and Arretxe and Begino rooted firmly to the bottom, the fight for the other semi final berths is close. With seven rounds to go, both victors and vanquished in this particular skirmish are still firmly in the war.

Scoring sequence: 3-0, 3-1, 3-2, 4-2, 9-2, 9-3, 11-3, 11-4, 11-7, 13-7, 13-9, 16-9, 16-10, 17-10, 20-10, 20-12, 22-12.

Winners/errors: Xala 11/3, Bengoetxea 2/4, Laskurain 0/6, Apraiz 1/7

Match time: 103.22 with 26.36 on actual play

Balls hit: 534

The last laugh went to the Manomanista Champion

(Photo: mine)

The overall standings are now as follows:

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MARTINEZ DE IRUJO –BARRIOLA beat BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU 22-13

A narrow loss to Titin and Merino last week aside, Berasaluze and Albisu had been going excellently in recent rotations. They must surely have come into this match at a teeming Idiazabal with high hopes of toppling Irujo and Barriola, who were looking to stave off a third loss on the bounce. However, in a match which was not always pretty, the favourites battled from 2-6 to 15-8 and maintained a comfortable margin to the end. Irujo clearly had the better of Berasaluze, who was too error prone to maintain any lasting pressure. He managed nine winners to three errors, and while his forward rival beat him nine times, he also lapsed on seven occasions. The defenders were slightly more evenly matched, but the figures give an accurate indication of a Barriola who was more in control than his young counterpart Albisu. Irujo and Barriola rise to second, while Berasaluze and Albisu slip below them into third.

Scoring sequence: 1-0/5-1/6-2/7/8-15/10-15/11-17/13-18/13-22

Winners/errors: Irujo 9/3, Berasaluze 9/7, Barriola 2/1, Albisu 0/3

Match time: 52 minutes with 21 minutes of actual play. Balls hit: 449

OLAIZOLA II-BEROIZ v ARITZ LASA-PASCUAL* Suspended at 14-9 due to an injury to Pascual

Aitor Zubieta was replaced by Inigo Pascual in Tolosa due to an injured hand, and it was extraordinary bad luck for he and partner Aritz Lasa that his replacement succumbed to a strained back soon after. Lasa and Zubieta badly need points and this misfortune robbed them of any chance, though in reality a win against the top pair would have been unlikely. Neither has it done much for their points difference; while Olaizola and Beroiz had begun to accelerate away when the injury occurred, they were not completely out of the running and would likely have minimised the damage at the least. As it is, Olaizola and Beroiz now have their seventh win and stay resolutely on top, while Lasa and Zubieta only have two and are second from bottom.

TITIN III-MERINO* beat ARRETXE II-BEGINO 22-12

Arretxe and Begino travelled to Logrono with a mountain to climb if they wished to secure their first win of the competition. Titin and Miguel Merino, playing in place of his brother David who has an injured hand, were the favourites here and had the added advantage of a home Riojan crowd. The underdogs started well and tracked their rivals closely before drawing alongside them at 8-8. Begino showed some of his true class early on, taking the game to Merino but when the latter found his form, Begino had Little answer.Titin was far more potent tan Arretxe, who continues to appear rather out of his depth in the top flight.

Scoring sequence: 4-0/ 4/ 7-4/ 7-5/ 7/ 8-7/ 8/ 14-8/ 14-9/ 16-9/ 16-10/ 20-10/ 20-11/ 21-12/ 22-12

Winners/errors: Titin 12/2, Arretxe 8/4, Merino 2/2, Begino 1/4

Match time: 56 minutes, Balls hit: 488

Titin III out did Arretxe II with ease

In the Promocion Championship, Urrutikoetxea-Otxandorena* beat Gorka-Arruti 22-13, Mendizabal III-Penagarikano beat Lemuno-Aretxabaleta 22-14, Apezetxea*-Larrinaga beat Tainta-Mendizabal II* 22-10, and Ongay*-Cecilio beat Rico IV-Untoria 22-17.

Photo: mine

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I have been away this week with no time for pelota, so for week 6 a very brief summary must suffice! I hope that normal service will resume next week.

XALA – LASKURAIN (17) v OLAIZOLA II – BEROIZ (22) should on paper have been a hotly anticipated encounter, but given the former pairing’s lowly status in the table, it was less meaningful than it might have been. For the unbeaten favourites, qualification was almost certain already, but for Xala and Laskurain it was a chance to boost their recovery. Although Olaizola and Beroiz remained ahead almost throughout, the match was close at times, and despite losing to the form partnership Xala and Laskurain should take some heart; they can still make the last four and from there anything is still possible.

ARRETXE II – BEGINO (14) v ARITZ LASA – ZUBIETA (22) saw the bottom two square off. Lasa and Zubieta began the tournament with a bang, beating Xala and Laskurain in week one, but since then they have been undone largely by the inconsistency of Lasa and his lack of potency against the cream of the forwards. This was a must win game both for their morale and for any chances they might harbour of a recovery and a semi final chance. They showed themselves stronger from the start, and although Arretxe and Begino came back at them to make it 10-10, their greater strength told. The nightmare continues for Arretxe and Begino.

MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BARRIOLA (15) v BENGOETXEA VI – APRAIZ (22) provided the shock of the weekend. From unbeaten brilliance two weeks ago, Irujo and Barriola have now suffered two defeats on the bounce. Last week’s, against Olaizola and Beroiz, was no disgrace but this was less expected. Bengoetxea, who was stunning here, and Apraiz have failed to shine as we know they can for the majority of the competition, but this is a fabulous boost for them and propels them bang into the hunt for a place in the top four.

TITIN III – MERINO II (22) v BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU (20) provided the closest encounter of the weekend, as the Riojans clawed their way to 22 past a beligerent Berasaluze. The point gives Titin and Merino fourth place for the moment but with Bengoetxea and Apraiz level on points in fifth, the last thing they can afford to do is to rest on their laurels. Berasaluze and Albisu, despite losing here, leapfrog Irujo and Barriola thanks to their points difference and sit in second.

In the Promocion Championship Jaunarena-Cecilio beat Mendizabal III-Ladis Galarza 22-15, Olazabal-Larrinaga beat Gorka-Arruti 22-7, Urrutikoetxea-Otxandorena* beat Lemuno-Aretxabaleta 22-9 and Rico IV-Mendizabal II* beat Tainta-Otxandorena 22-21.

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Friday 20^th January, Azpeitia

XALA – LASKURAIN beat SARALEGI – BEGINO 22-6

While Xala and Laskurain continue to improve week to week, matters for Arretxe and Begino get worse. Arretxe’s injury in the previous game meant a match forfeited and his replacement, Saralegi, proved unable to do anything to inspire Begino to the heights of which we know he is capabale. This was an annihilation, in which Xala hit with abandon on his way to eleven winners while the replacement forward appeared totally at a loss. Laskurain was far more potent than Begino and absolutely dominant at the back. It is hard to see where the bottom pair can go from here.

Saturday 21^st January, Logrono

TITIN III – MERINO II beat BENGOETXEA VI – APRAIZ 22-14

This was a surprisingly easy win for the home favourites at Adarraga. Titin and Merino’s advantage was comfortable throughout the game but for a small moment of worry at 13-11, with Merino the standout performer, putting immense pressure on Benogetxea who was never able to break free. Titin followed not far behind his apprentice in the quality stakes, making great use of the gantxo. Apraiz gave him far too much room to work with and he accepted every invitation.

Scoring sequence: 2-0, 2-1, 7-1, 7-2, 9-2, 9-5, 12-5, 12-8, 13-8, 13-11, 17-11, 17-13, 20-13, 20-14, 22-14

Monday 23^rd January, Tolosa

BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU beat ARITZ LASA – ZUBIETA 22-17

This was an improvement on the previous week for Lasa and Zubieta, who led for a significant proportion of the match before being outdone at the death by the pair who are proving to be the best of the rest after the clear top two. Berasaluze proved the main instigator in the latter part of the game, where his determination and venom wrestled the initiative from the Aspe pair. Albisu, the young tournament debutante, appeared as comfortable as a veteran, supporting his more experienced partner with a calm grace.

Promocion Championship results were as follows: Olazabal-Larrinaga beat Rico IV-Mendizabal II* 22-18, Gorka-Arruti beat Olaetxea*-Aretxabaleta 22-21, Jaunarena-Merino beat Urrutikoetxea-Otxandorena* 22-10, Tainta-Argote beat Mendizabal III-Ladis Galarza 22-11.

A good week for Pablo Berasaluze

Image: mine

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Sunday 22^nd January, Bilbao

OLAIZOLA II – BEROIZ beat MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BARRIOLA 22-15

It is unusual for an early stage round robin match to feel like a final, but from the packed house at Bizkaia, the electric atmosphere and the ruthless desire and intensity inherent in the play, it appeared every bit like one. The Pairs Championship has been craving this match, a head to head between the two pairs who have proved themselves head and shoulders over the opposition. There had been little high octane excitement in the competition up until this point, with too many matches ending in a landslide, so the fans resolved to enjoy this clash of the titans to the hilt. The result will probably mean little in the final analysis, for all these pairs need to do for the moment is make sure they saunter into the semi finals, but Olaizola II and Beroiz took a victory for morale, first blood, and inflicted upon Irujo and Barriola quite a body blow in a match which scintillated from start to finish.

There were two distinct periods in the match, one in which the pairs were so evenly matched that they could not be prised even a centimetre apart, before Aimar opened his shoulders to seize the day, supported by a fabulous Beroiz. As in any match involving Aimar and Irujo, most of the interest focussed on them in the latest round of their rivalry. Last time they met, Aimar rattled Irujo like never before in the Cuatro y Medio final and it seemed that here, his victim was in no mood to concede again, nostrils flaring and eyes glaring as he hurled himself after every ball. The defence of both the forwards was staggering; somehow, they sent spiralling back balls which appeared like sure fire winners and which probably would have been against many professional opponents. Both also induced gasps in attack. Aimar’s service return on 2-1 had to be seen to be believed; Irujo certainly appeared utterly incredulous as he saw the ball rip past him to his right, dipping to the base of the frontis and falling with incredible placement into open space. No less fabulous was Irujo’s dos paredes at 6-8 which found an almost unfeasible angle to dig him and Barriola out of a dreadful hole.

While the stellar forwards fought tooth and nail at the front, there was a no less intriguing battle playing out behind between experience and youth. Barriola is the consummate defender, a seemingly impenetrable wall, impossible to crack. 21 year old Beroiz, however, is not fazed by reputations and threw himself headlong into a war of attrition. Each attempted to grind the other down with patience and nerve and while each was stunningly good, Beroiz held the aces. Not only did he return the long ball with metronomic ease, but he also joined in attack, notably with a txoko winner out of the blue at 12-10. Asegarce must be beaming all over their faces at their signing of Beroiz from Aspe, for he is assuredly the real deal.

From 13-13, the Asegarce pair started to edge ahead and it appeared as if for the first time someone had grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns. On 15-13, Aimar and Beroiz got themselves into an extraordinary mess but somehow pulled themselves out of it to win the point, and it seemed as if this might finally break Irujo and Barriola’s resolve. However, a careless error from each threw the momentum away. For many pairs, this may have been a moment of panic and game changing frustration, but for Aimar it provided all the incentive he needed to seal the deal. Four crosscourt winners from the rampant defending champion, plus two errors forced by tactical mastery won the game as Irujo and Barriola became suddenly impotent in the face of a team both mentally and physically at the height of their powers. True, this win is little more than an early salvo but the confidence it will have given the victors may prove a vital edge when it really matters.

Scoring sequence:  2-0, 2-1, 3-1, 3-3, 5-3, 5-9, 11-9, 11-10, 13-10, 13-13, 16-13, 16-15, 22-15.

Winners/errors: Olaizola 12/5, Beroiz 1/2, Irujo 7/5, Barriola 2/2

Match time: 1:10.15, with 35:38 of actual play

Balls hit: 709

Mikel Beroiz: the real deal

Image: mine

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Apologies for the lack of updates in the past week; I’ve been away and rather out of the loop. I reported on Martinez de Irujo and Barriola’s win over Xala and Laskurain on the 23rd December, but the other results from the Christmas weekend were as follows:

TITIN – MERINO II beat ARITZ LASA – ZUBIETA 22-12

OLAIZOLA II – BEROIZ beat ARRETXE II – BEGINO 22-5

BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU beat BENGOETXEA VI – APRAIZ 22-16

This past weekend, ARRETXE II – BEGINO, having been crushed the previous week, fell again by 22 points to 5 to MARTINEZ DE IRUJO – BARRIOLA. OLAIZOLA II – BEROIZ remain unbeaten, defeating TITIN III – MERINO II 22-15. BENGOETXEA VI – APRAIZ beat ARITZ LASA – ZUBIETA 22-13 and BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU saw off XALA – LASKURAIN 22-9.

The overall standings can be viewed at Manista.com

The other major news item to come out of the Pairs Championship this week is a hand injury to Aitor Zubieta, who finished his match this weekend in considerable strife. He is a doubt for the next round of matches, but has until 15th January to recover, as this weekend the competition is put on hold for the Torneo Bizkaia de Parejas 5 1/2. This is a format which has never previously been tried. The semi-finals take place this Thursday, and will be between Titin III-Barriola and Martinez de Irujo-Merino II (replacing Zubieta), and Berasaluze VIII-Beroiz and Olaizola II-Patxi Ruiz. The final takes place on Saturday in Bilbao.

In better news for Aitor Zubieta, Aspe today announced that the defender had signed a new contract with the empresa, keeping him on their books until 2019.

Zubieta's new contract may partially ease his injury pain

Photo: mine

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Monday 19th December, Tolosa

 

ARITZ LASA – ZUBIETA beat XALA – LASKURAIN 22-12

 

Extra interest in this match was added by the polemic which has surrounded Gonzalez’s non-selection in the past few days. Gonzalez yesterday apologised at an extremely earnest press conference for his tirade, in which he questioned the selection of Aritz Lasa and accused his bosses of using non-sporting criteria in a decision which smacked of favouritism. If Gonzalez hoped justification for his rage would come as a result of this match he must have been sorely disappointed, as Lasa had the measure of Xala, the Manomanista Champion and looked every inch at home in the exalted company of the elite pairs competition. The first half of the match was close with the couples tied at 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9, but from 10-11 the supposed underdogs played like anything but. Xala had extreme difficulty in moving the balls chosen by Lasa and Zubieta and grew more and more frustrated at his ability to break free. His fury flowed over at 10-14 when Lasa appeared marginally to block his path. When his protestations to the referee failed he threw his chair three rows back into the crowd in a fit of emotion all the more shocking for coming from a player who is usually so collected. Despite Xala’s meltdown however, the real difference between the pairs came in the back division, where 2010 champion Zubieta was solid as a rock and worked expertly with his partner to put Laskurain under pressure he proved unable to bear. It is early days in the competition, but Lasa and Zubieta have proved in no uncertain terms that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2, 4-2, 4-4, 4-6, 6-6, 7-6, 7-7, 8-7, 8-8, 9-8, 9-9, 9-11, 10-11, 10-14, 11-14, 11-20, 12-20, 12-22
Service winners/errors: Xala 2/2, Aritz Lasa 3/0
Winners/errors: Xala 5/2, Laskurain 1/6, Aritz Lasa 7/2, Zubieta 2/2
Match time: 60:10.30
Balls hit: 584

 

 

Lasa and Zubieta won at a canter

 

Photo: mine

 

 

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Friday 16th December, Sestao

OLAIZOLA II – BEROIZ beat BERASALUZE VIII – ALBISU 22-10

Aimar Olaizola is likely to be the favourite in almost everything he enters just now and that was certainly the case here. He does not have a long history of playing with Mikel Beroiz, who only transferred to Asegarce from Aspe in the summer, but on the strength of a series of good results together including an exemplary campaign at the San Mateo tournament, they were paired together. This opening match assuaged any doubts as to the worthiness of the 22 year old Beroiz, who played a flawless match in support of his illustrious partner, raising their stock in this championship still further.

The pair in blue could not possibly has made a better start to their assault on the txapela, storming to a 7-0 lead with minimum of effort. Berasaluze started badly, gifting his opponents the first three points with unforced errors. Some might have complained more vociferously when in the fourth point Aimar unintentionally got in his way in hitting a winner to the corner, but Beraslauze knew he was beaten, nodded as if to acknowledge his opponent’s superiority and moved on. Aimar controlled the next two points with consummate assurance, demonstrating his tactical nouse as well as his ability to conjure winners of brilliance, and an Albisu error sealed their early dominance. The red pair managed their long overdue first point thanks mostly to a slight breakdown in communication from the favourites but they did not seize the chance presented to them to get back into the game as the blues built their lead to nine at 10-1.

It was not until the score stood at 2-11 that Berasaluze got into his stride, hinting at a possible comeback. Four winners in a row from the effervescent forward halved their deficit and the man from Berriz finally showed the crowd what he could do with two winners to the corner and a scintillating cross court airez followed by an unreturnable serve. It was thanks to Albisu, hitting high, that they could not capitalise on their new found momentum; while Beroiz hit powerfully and metronimically, the young debutante was inconsistent and ill at ease. Both pairs accumulated points in ones and twos in the next period of the match. Berasaluze’s determination and will prevented the points deficit from increasing, but he and Albisu could make no progress against the control of Aimar and the inpregnability of Beroiz. Two Berasaluze winners gave the underdogs some hope as they arrived at 10-15, but from there the floodgates opened and they failed to score further. Four of these points came from the hand of Aimar who was so much in the ascendency that he appeared almost nonchalant. A low strike from Berasaluze sealed the deal as Asegarce’s most fancied pairing chalked up their first win in some considerable style. 

Scoring sequence: 0-7, 1-7, 1-10, 2-10, 2-11, 6-11, 6-12, 6-13, 8-13, 8-15, 10-15, 10-22.
Service winners/errors: Berasaluze 2/0, Olaizola 0/0
Winners/errors: Berasaluze 8/3, Olaizola 12/2, Albisu 0/5, Beroiz 2/0
Match time: 54:16 with 26:49 of actual play
Balls hit: 518

An excellent start for Mikel Beroiz

Photo: mine

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Sunday 18^th December, Eibar

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

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

Iker Arretxe made a creditable debut

Photo: mine

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