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Arretxe II and Ibai Zabala crowned Second Tier Pairs Champions

March 30th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

Sunday 28th March, Pamplona

ARRETXE II – IBAI ZABALA beat SARALEGI – ESKUDERO 22-7

Second Tier Pairs Final

The final of the Second Tier Pairs Championship seemed on paper to be an enticing prospect. The fans, with their banners, certainly came with enthusiasm to see the battle between two pairs who have matched each other win for win through the competition as a whole. However, the result was in reality a forgone conclusion from very early on, for Arretxe II and Ibai Zabala defied the bookies to thrash Saralegi and Eskudero 22-7.

The winning pair had a clear game plan and their opponents fell for it, hook, line and sinker. They bombarded Eskudero, their rival defender, with long ball after long ball and his armoury proved to weak for the task. Arretxe and Ibai did not open well, their rivals taking a 3-0 lead. They levelled at 3-3 and 5-5, scores which hinted at a tight match. It was however, not to be, as they raced to a 16-5 lead which proved utterly insurmountable. Iker Arretxe controlled the game from the front with ease and interacted well with his partner, who left Eskudero with no room to breathe. Ibai managed some stunning pieces of play, including taking a near impossible ball on the rebound, and ended with four winners. Saralegi, who has showed great spirit both in this competition and in the main championship, where he deputised for Olaizola I, failed to fire and was unable to release his hapless partner from the stranglehold.

Scoring sequence: 3-0, 3-5, 5-5, 5-16, 6-16, 6-17, 7-17, 7-22.

Earlier in the evening, Labrit staged a stunning curtain raiser between Martinez de Irujo-Eulate and Olaizola II-Apraiz. It was taken by the latter by 22 points to 18, with Olaizola showing freedom to swing. Apraiz, too, was highly impressive, and hinted at great things to come.

Source: El Correo

Photo by Javier Sesma, Diario Vasco

Second Tier Pairs Final: the Preview

March 25th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

Saturday sees the final of the Campeonato Parejas Promocion, the second division pairs championship, featuring the ‘best of the rest’ who are not involved in the top tier affair. I have said little about this competition as owing to the constraints of time, I have to prioritise, but for the players involved it is a big deal. Eight pairs have been fighting it out weekly since January 17th:

From Asegarce: Urrutikoetxea-Argote, Diaz-Apraiz, Saralegi-Eskudero, Arretxe II-Ibai Zabala

From Aspe: Cabrerizo-Larrinaga, Aritz Lasa-Merino, Olazabal-Arruti, Retegi Bi-Cecilio

Eight weeks later we were down to the top four. In the first semi final, Arretxe II-Ibai Zabala beat Olazabal-Arruti 22-9 and in the second, Saralegi-Eskudero triumphed over Aritz Lasa-Merino by 22 points to 15. The all-Asegarce final will go some way towards restoring dented pride after the Aspe rout in the first division championship.

On paper, the finalists look evenly matched. Each pair won five and lost three in the initial round robin stage, and each won their semi final convincingly. The form book is however troublesome, as Inaki Eskudero was the only player to take part in every match. Ekaitz Saralegi was absent from the tournament for three consecutive weeks when he was called up to substitute for the injured Asier Olaizola in the main championship. He was replaced by Aratz Mendizabal, and in that time, the pair suffered two of their three losses, one a particularly heavy defeat to Aritz Lasa and Merino in week seven. The reintroduction of Saralegi turned their fortunes and his presence in the final will be a big fillip given his lively recent form.

Three substitutes played for the Arretxe II-Ibai Zabala pair. Both Kepa Penagarikano and Hodei Beobide stood in for Ibai Zabala, in weeks five and six respectively, and in the eighth week, Iker Arretxe was replaced by Mikel Olaetxea. It is difficult therefore to judge the consistency of this pairing, but of the six games they played together, including the semi final, five were won, which can only bode well.

In terms of past championship pedigree, Arretxe II gives his pair the upper hand. The 24 year old forward from Valcarlos in Navarre already has one edition of this title to his name from 2006. He has also been runner up in both this competition, in 2008, and the second tier Manomanista in 2006. His partner Ibai Zabala, who is 22 and hails from Berriz in Bizkaia, was runner up in this tournament last year, with Aratz Mendizabal. As far as their opponents are concerned, Eskudero is the more decorated, despite Saralegi’s higher current ranking. The 27 year old from Erasun in Navarre was runner up in this competition in both 2005 and 2008, with Leiza and Saturday’s opponent Arretxe II respectively. The latter resulted, indicentally, in a 2-22 rout against Retegi Bi and Argote. Saralegi, 30, from Amezketa in Gipuzkoa, surprisingly, has never won a championship of any level.

The election of material went ahead yesterday, Wednesday, without incident. The balls chosen were as follows:

Saralegi-Eskudero: 106, 104.3 and 105.3g

Arretxe II-Ibai Zabala: 106.9, 104.8 and 104.8g

The game, which takes place at Labrit in Pamplona, will be shown on etb-sat on Saturday 27th March, along with a highly attractive curtain raiser between Martinez de Irujo-Eulate and Olaizola II-Apraiz. The broadcast starts at 18.05 and ends at 20.30. To watch, go to http://www.eitb.com/television/etb-sat

Iker Arretxe aims for a second title

Iker Arretxe aims for a second title

Image from: Gara

Aspe pelotaris sweep the board

March 3rd, 2010 Tiffany 2 comments

The final week of the Pairs Quarter Finals sees Asegarce down and out as none of their four couples qualify

The seemingly endless, and endlessly fascinating, Pairs Championship quarter finals came to an end this week as the semi final berths were allocated to the top four partnerships out of the starting total of eight. Two of the matches which took place over the weekend were dead rubbers, meaning that all eyes were on the encounters in Eibar and Covaleda, where Olaizola II-Mendizabal II, Berasaluze VIII-Begino, and Gonzalez-Laskurain fought for the one remaining place in the last four. We take a look below at how things played out.

On Friday in Covaleda, the slim hopes of Berasaluze VIII and Begino were dashed as they were beaten 22-10 by Titin III and Pascual. In order to progress, the Asegarce pair needed a big win, and then would have had to wait on the result of Sunday’s game in Eibar. In reality though, their hope proved a pipe dream as the Aspe pair took them apart. The atmosphere was electric but the crowd must have felt somewhat let down by the level of the match. With qualification assured, Titin and Pascual came out of the dressing room in relaxed mood and with a license to take risks. Their opponents realised the gravity of their situation and did not rise to the occasion, looking tense and increasingly desperate. There was no way back from a 6-0 deficit, and the Aspe lead was never cut to fewer than four points. The form of Berasaluze and Begino has been a grave disappointment throughout the championship. Although they have they well at times, they have appeared a shadow of the pair who finished top of the quarter final table last year. In contrast, Titin and Pascual have played a blinder and may be the pair to lay down the gauntlet to Irujo and Beroiz in the last four.

In the other crucial match, in Eibar on Sunday, Gonzalez and Laskurain beat Olaizola II and Mendizabal II 22-21. This was an unbearably tense affair, with the final place in the last four going to the winner, and it came down to the very last point of a gripping evening. When an error by Mendizabal gifted the prize to Gonzalez and Laskurain, the huge crowd erupted in appreciation for a match which had lived up to all expectations, despite the errors induced by nerves from all parties. The game was characterised by a near death defying comeback by Aimar and Oier, who at one point found themselves 5-15 adrift. Aimar has anointed himself the comeback kid over the past few weeks but this time it was too little too late for the 2008 winners and 2009 runners up. Their record in this championship of late has been an impressive one but this year they have failed to play as a unit. Aimar, always a formidable opponent, has been among the three best pelotaris in the competition but Oier has been erratic and has ranked as the worst of the players who have seen all the quarter final matches through. While there was heartbreak for them, Gonzalez and Laskurain leapt in jubilation. Both are protagonists who could fairly be described as ‘intense’ on the fronton, which made their public outburst of delight seem all the more joyous. Laskurain in particular, has had a splendid tournament thus far and will provide the solid rock in defence needed by his partner as the competition hots up.

In the first of the dead rubbers, table toppers Irujo and Beroiz beat Bengoetxea VI and Otxandorena 22-13 in Pamplona. This was something of a formality for the all conquering pair, who were in a different class to their beleaguered rivals. It is one of the major disappointments of this year’s championship that Oinatz Bengoetxea has failed to light up the stage as he can. The former Manomanista Champion is usually a terrier of the fronton, ferocious in defence and pugnacious in attack, but in recent weeks he has been lacklustre and appeared inhibited by doubt. His supporters, as well as many neutrals, will hope he regains his magic in time for this year’s edition of the Manomanista. He has surely been upset by the loss to injury of Beloki early in the tournament, for Otxandorena has failed to fill the experienced campaigner’s considerable void. Nothing has bothered Irujo and Beroiz however. Juan has marched on in his own inimitable way, the best player of the quarter finals, and Beroiz has defied his age and greenness in the first major tournament of his short career. They are clearly the pair to beat.

Meanwhile in Tolosa, Saralegi and Apraiz managed a 22-17 win over Xala and Arruti. The eventual winners were playing for pride only and they can hold their heads up high as they bid farewell to the competition. They were never meant to be in the fray in the first place, as they form the couple which began as Olaizola I-Patxi Ruiz, who both fell to injury, the latter in somewhat acrimonious circumstances. Their opponents had their semi final berth in the bag, and Asier Arruti replaced the solid but injured Aitor Zubieta for this coda to their quarter final campaign. Xala and Zubieta will head to the last four with confidence, having gelled as an extremely cohesive and efficient unit since the start of January.

Gonzalez and partner Laskurain made it through by the skin of their teeth

Gonzalez and partner Laskurain made it through by the skin of their teeth

The recriminations will continue throughout the coming weeks at Asegarce for despite having teams on paper every bit as strong as those from the rival empresa, their involvement in the championship is over. While Olaizola II played well, as did others at times, key components have failed. Mendizabal II is the most obvious weak link, as with greater form from him, his pair would have made the last four. Injuries have played their part, especially so in the case of Bengoetxea and Beloki’s well established partnership, but the Olaizola I-Patxi Ruiz pairing was not a happy one from the word go. Berasaluze and Begino lacked their usual consistency. All that remains now is for the Asegarce players and staff to sit back and watch their rivals play for the spoils, while hoping for a more positive Manomanista campaign.

For a ranking of the individual players in the Quarter Final stage, see here.

The semi finals commence on Saturday in Pamplona, where Irujo-Beroiz take on Gonzalez-Laskurain. On Sunday, Titin-Pascual play Xala-Zubieta in Logrono. I will publish times and broadcast information later in the week.

Image from: Aspe

Saralegi and Apraiz frustrate as victory goes to the local boy

February 20th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

Friday 19th February, St Jean de Luz

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat SARALEGI – APRAIZ 22-16

Pairs Championship

On Friday, the Pairs Championship decamped to Iparralde, and specifically to the charming resort town of St Jean de Luz (or Donibane Lohizune in Basque), famous for its fishing, its architecture and its picturesque sands. The port across the harbour, Ciboure, is best known as the birthplace of composer Maurice Ravel and it is after him that the fronton of St Jean de Luz is named. While Ravel may be better known in the wider world, the town has another famous son in the shape of Sebastien Gonzalez; pelotari, Cuatro y Medio champion, and one of the protagonists here. He and his partner Aritz Laskurain were clear favourites in advance of the encounter, over opponents Ekaitz Saralegi and Alexis Apraiz who are both replacements for players who started the championship. A win for the underdogs would raise Asegarce spirits no end, but the faithful of Lapurdi sat squarely behind their home boy Gonzalez. In the end, the locals went away satisfied. 

All the early signs pointed to a rout for Gonzalez and Laskurain, who went ahead 5-0 without raising a sweat. Both hit winners with which they ran rings around their opponents, who looked ill at ease and error prone, just as they did in their last encounter. There was much relief from all supporters of the blue pair and many neutrals too when Saralegi found his range with a ripping gantxo to make the score 5-1. This was the start of an impressive comeback, in which he and Apraiz levelled the scored on 7-7 before taking a 7-10 lead. Saralegi harnessed all his vim and vigour into some excellent serves, two of which proved clean winners, and Apraiz defended outstandingly, notably in his staggering return of a near rebote. The defender in addition managed two consecutive winners in this period of play. The first was achieved with a large slice of serendipity, but the second, a spiralling long ball right into the back corner, was pure class. The scene looked set for a memorable tussle.

Sadly for Saralegi and Apraiz, this period of the match was to prove their high point, for they would never lead again. Gonzalez restored a modicum of control for the Aspe duo with two winners before two Saralegi errors won them back the lead. From here on, the home boy stamped his authority in impressive style. As Saralegi’s direction deserted him, Gonzalez offered up a crosscourt masterclass with two vicious airez winners. He was not immune to moments of carelessness as he proved in consecutive points at 14-11 and 14-12 but he had Saralegi’s number and controlled the front of the court in open play with an iron fist. Laskurain proved again to be a valued partner. He was not wholly consistent but was easily the better of the defenders, as Apraiz’s play grew increasingly wayward. Apraiz can be a frustrating player. That he has great talent is beyond doubt and early in the match he displayed moments of great inspiration, but these, as is often the case, were mixed with moments of inexplicable laxity. At 12-14 the Asegarce pair was still well in touch, but their strong position was thrown away in an instant when Apraiz played two wild shots, the first wide and the second high. Two rallies later he hit low and looked well and truly resigned to his fate, now six points in arrears. One wonders what he might be capable of if he could remain on top of his game. Saralegi too lost his earlier spark. He continued to pull impressive winners out of the bag in the form of two drops into the corner, but his crosscourt game failed to fire.

All in all, this was a frustrating match. Gonzalez and Laskurain continued their solid form but did not have to produce magic to win. Saralegi and Apraiz had the potential to pull off an upset, but every time they gained a foothold they succumbed to a moment of madness. In their final match of the tournament, against Xala and Zubieta, they will play for pride alone. Gonzalez and Laskurain face the tough proposition of a match up with Olaizola II and Mendizabal II in the last rotation of quarter final matches. Much could hinge on their battle; the 2008 champions annihilated them in week four but both pairs are in the hunt to make the semi finals and big match nerves can play funny tricks. This tournament continues to march with intent, like Ravel’s Bolero, towards its Easter finale, but who will be there at its apotheosis?

Scoring sequence: 5-0, 5-1, 6-1, 6-7, 7-7, 7-10, 14-10, 14-12, 15-12, 18-12, 18-14, 19-14, 19-16, 22-16

Gonzalez won his home match

Gonzalez won his home match

Image from: Noticias de Navarra

Rioja rejoices in emotionally charged night at Adarraga

February 17th, 2010 Tiffany No comments

Sunday 14th February, Logrono

TITIN III – PASCUAL beat SARALEGI – APRAIZ 22-14

Pairs Championship

Sunday night was an emotional one for the Riojan pelota fan. Nominally, the main match on the bill at Adarraga was the championship game, featuring Titin III, their most famous son, but the curtain raiser starred another pelotari from the region, Miguel Capellan, in his last professional match. Fittingly, ‘Cape’ went out victorious, with an easy win over Apezetxea and Goni III, aided ably by Eulate. In a touching tribute, Capellan was showered with gifts and mementos to mark the end of a career which has spanned over eighteen years. He departed, finally, swathed in the flag of Rioja, and the local crowd were primed to perfection to shout their beloved Titin to victory.

Nobody gave Ekaitz Saralegi and Alexis Apraiz a hope in the run up to the main match. They formed the couple which had originally featured Asier Olaizola and Patxi Ruiz, both currently out of action and there naturally seemed a makeshift air about their partnership; most believed them ripe for a trouncing. As predicted, they succumbed to the greater force of Titin and Pascual but they came to Adarraga for a fight, and a fight they delivered. To their great credit, the underdogs went for their shots with determination and their spirit often paid dividends. Between them they scored twelve winners, three more than their opponents managed. Saralegi showed in the second point that he was not there to make up numbers with some scrapping defence followed by a txoko winner. It was a shot he used to good effect throughout the game and he also demonstrated his ability to go crosscourt, encapsulated in his lightning bolt of an airez on 3-6. Apraiz also got in on the act, pulling off an excellent rebote, much to the chagrin of Pascual, on his way to three outright winners in the match. However, for every winner they scored there was a mistake and it was their inconsistency which put them out of the running. In the early part of the game, their errors gave Titin and Pascual a platform which they never surrendered. Some of these errors were the fruit of too much ambition, such as Saralegi’s three missed gantxos in the first half of the match, but some were wild and careless. Apraiz was especially guilty of the latter at times, showing misdirection and inaccurate timing once too often.

Titin and Pascual, in contrast to their rivals, finished the match almost error free, the one indiscretion coming from Titin in the third point. Pascual in particular was exemplary. In the very early exchanges, Apraiz looked to have his number but the man from Abarzuza proved to have an extra gear. He was particularly effective in fielding balls which dipped into the left hand wall and in the length department, only Apraiz’s rebote foxed him all night. He proved an excellent support for Titin, who although not on his best form, had the better of Saralegi by some margin.

Saralegi and Apraiz are realistically out of the running for a semi final birth, with one win out of six games. It remains to be seen which incarnation of this pair will take to the fronton over the next two weeks, in which they will face Gonzalez-Laskurain and Xala-Zubieta. Pascual and local hero Titin have one foot in the last four, needing only one point to make their place secure. They will in all likelihood start as favourites in their remaining matches, against Bengoetxea VI-Beloki and Berasaluze VIII-Begino. All in all, this was a good night to be a Riojan.

Scoring sequence: 1-0, 1-2, 2-2, 2-3, 6-3, 6-4, 8-4, 8-5, 9-5, 9-7, 13-7, 13-8, 17-8, 17-9, 18-9, 18-10, 19-10, 19-14, 22-14

Titin is revered at home in Rioja

Titin is revered at home in Rioja

Image from: Rioja Deporte

4 1/2: Asier the victor as Saralegi is left to rue missed chances

October 26th, 2009 Tiffany No comments

Sunday 25th October, Astelena, Eibar

Cuatro y Medio Second Round

OLAIZOLA I beat SARALEGI 22-17

For Ekaitz Saralegi, Sunday’s match against Asier Olaizola was a case of missed opportunity. Nobody seriously expected the man from Amezketa to be in this position, playing as he did Xala in his first round match, but he defeated the overwhelming favourite in that encounter, and he had his chances here too. In the end, Asier ran out the victor by 22 points to 17 but he was forced to survive a major scare along the way.

Saralegi began the match with promise, producing a serve which Asier could not return, to the delight of his extremely vocal fan club whose chanting became the soundtrack to the night. However, things then all went wrong as Asier took the next six points by virtue of three rather aimless Saralegi errors and three easy and nonchalant winners. Such was Saralegi’s demeanour that it was hard to imagine him winning another point, let alone the match. To his considerable credit, he did recover somewhat after a much needed time out; his botillero Aratz Mendizabal must have produced some wise words. However, he proved himself again and again unable to take any advantage of the chinks in Asier’s armour. Olaizola senior played a far from perfect game but Saralegi could not drive home the knife. The first instance of this came with the score at 6-2. Asier, perhaps resting on his laurels, had hit casually and low in the previous point but Saralegi threw away his foothold into the game with total miscue. Though the gap in points shrank gradually in the early period of the game, a similar important miss for Saralegi took place with the score on 11-7 following a sloppy attempt at a drop shot by Asier; Saralegi could have taken the point with a bit more care, but hit low when under little pressure.  

Despite his underwhelming play in the first half of the match, things swung with a vengeance when Asier failed to dig out a low ball on 17-7; it was the turn of the Goizuetarra to fall apart. Saralegi won nine points in a row in a staggering turn around. He served with brilliance and speed, touching 104kph and hitting his eighth service winner to come within one point of Asier at 17-16. He also forced his opponent into errors in open play and swiped two commanding winners in a whipped dosparedes and a crosscourt airez. Asier looked stunned and turned to the counsel of his younger brother, defending champion Aimar, in the hope of stopping the rot. Saralegi had a massive chance to pull level with Asier at 17-17 which would have represented a huge psychological knock, but he blew it with an ambitious overhead attempt. He knew, from his expression, that he had missed another opportunity, this time a golden one. Again he had a chance at 18-17 but hit just long. His momentum was lost and his spirit dissolved. He failed to win another point in the match as Asier, finally, romped home on the back of two further errors from Saralegi.

So, Asier Olaizola proceeds to the quarter finals, where he will meet the evergreen Titin III on Friday. He will hope for greater consistency there, and a reacquisition of the form he showed in the first round. Saralegi has acquitted himself well in this championship; his contract at Asegarce is up for renewal in February and his performance here will surely stand him in good stead. But for a handful of opportunities missed, he could have gone further.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 1-1, 6-1, 6-2, 8-2, 8-3, 8-6, 11-6, 11-7, 17-7, 17-16, 18-16, 18-17 and 22-17.

Asier Olaizola: eye on the ball

Asier Olaizola: eye on the ball

Image from: Diario de Navarra

4 1/2: Super Saralegi shocks Xala

October 18th, 2009 Tiffany No comments

Sunday 18th October, Atano III, Donostia-San Sebastian

SARALEGI beat XALA 22-12

When 30 year old Ekaitz Saralegi crossed himself before unleashing his opening serve at Atano III today, it looked like a gesture of hope rather than confidence. Nobody seriously expected the man from Amezketa to trouble the might of Yves Salaberry. Saralegi, who has never won nor even reached the final of a major championship in his eight year career, is the 24th ranked player at Asegarce and lies 40th in the overall manista.com ranking. Xala on the other hand is the winner of two pairs championships and a past losing finalist in both the Manomanista and 4 ½ competitions, and is rated 15th by manista.com. Xala’s form has held steady throughout the summer and little suggested that Saralegi could seriously challenge the skill set of Lekuine’s finest. However, in a match where the baton of dominance passed back and forth in the early stages, it was the underdog who finally seized it for good.

If Saralegi suffered any pre game nerves at all they were soon banished as he took out the first three points with quiet ease, capitalising on Xala’s waywardness. However, Xala banished his demons and pulled his game together to take the score to 5-3 in his favour and it appeared as if the predicted result was on the cards; under pressure from his more fancied opponent, Saralegi hit wide and short, and failed to scoop out two low volleys which he perhaps should have allowed to bounce. But Saralegi once again wrested the initiative with five straight points in which he showed beyond doubt that he was in this encounter for the long haul. He went beyond his earlier mere solidity and pulled off two airez winners of pure brilliance. Though Xala pulled back points in ones and twos, Saralegi never looked under pressure form either his opponent or himself for the remainder of the match. He showed the full gamut of shots, from the gantxo on 6-10 which sent his fans into a frenzy, to the nonchalant txoko which gave him an eight point lead at 8-16. Tactically Xala had few answers; as his confidence and inspiration grew, Saralegi proved adept at manoeuvring his opponent out of position, using his serve with intelligence to send him the wrong way before striking the killer punch. Xala did threaten to regain his rhythm, pulling off four authoritative winners in a row, and in doing so reduced the deficit to four points at 12-16, but he was once again undone by his own lack of direction in the very next point when he struck too low. A time out at 12-19 could not stop the rot for Xala, who committed four errors in a row to bury, once and for all, his chances of reaching the next round.

The small but enthusiastic crowd rose to Saralegi with warmth and enthusiasm and he deserved every plaudit. He outplayed his more fancied opponent in every facet of the game and will surely meet the second round head on and full of confidence. His opponent there will be Asier Olaizola, who was in sizzling form in his first round defeat of Mikel Olazabal last weekend. If Saralegi wishes to triumph there he may need to raise his game another level, but who is to say that he might not silence the doubters once again?

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 0-3, 1-3, 5-3, 5-4, 5-8, 6-8, 6-11, 7-11, 8-11, 8-12, 8-16, 9-16, 12-16 and 12-22

Saralegi: victor

Saralegi: victor

Matches this weekend

October 16th, 2009 Tiffany No comments

There are three further first round matches in the 4 1/2 Championship this weekend. Tomorrow, Saturday 17th October, Oinatz Bengoetxea and Mikel Beroiz enter the fray. On paper, this should be Bengoetxea’s to lose. The 25 year old from Leiza was Manomanista Champion in 2008 and is a ferocious fighter close to the frontis. Despite a summer disrupted by a finger injury, he is sure to come out all guns blazing at Labrit. Beroiz however does have a shot at the prize, ever since winning the 2nd tier Manomanista title earlier in the summer, the 20 year old talent has been in excellent form. He is a star in the making and Oinatz will have to be on his guard. Also in the spotlight tomorrow are Mikel Olaetxea and Retegi Bi who play in Renteria.

Sunday 18th October sees the turn of Yves Sallaberry (Xala) and Ekatiz Saralegi, whose match will be live on ETB-Sat. Xala has proven 4 1/2 pedigree having been the runner up in this championship in 2005, and is experiencing a more than solid run of form. he should have the measure of Saralegi here. The 30 year old from Amezketa has little track record in the upper echelons of the 4 1/2 version of the game and there are few indictions of how he will cope. He will however surely be determined to prove his mettle on this exalted stage.

Saturday 17th October, Labrit, Pamlona: c. 19:00 (CEST) BENGOETXEA VI – BEROIZ

Saturday 17th October, Renteria: 17:00 (CEST) RETEGI BI – OLAETXEA

Sunday 18th October, Atano III, San Sebastian: 18:05 (CEST) XALA – SARALEGI Live on http://www.eitb.com/television/etb-sat, preceeded at 17:00 (CEST) by a doubles game between Titin III – Cecilio and Berasaluze IX – Eulate

Mikel Beroiz

Mikel Beroiz