Basque pelota blog in english – Dos paredes

Saturday 12^th June, Tolosa

ARITZ LASA beat BEROIZ 22-15

Second Tier Manomanista Final

It was no simple matter to pick a winner ahead of Saturday’s final. Mikel Beroiz had the pedigree in the competition, coming into this year’s tournament as defending champion, but Aritz Lasa had had the better championship thus far. The Tolosa faithful turned out with enthusiasm, and the atmosphere at Beotibar was fitting for a final which promised so much. In the ultimate analysis, Aritz Lasa proved the stronger, rendering the younger player powerless to act by means of a rip roaring serve. Lasa’s victory ended a seven year drought in this competition for pelotaris from Gipuzkoa, the last winner from that province being Kepa Penagarikano, in 2003.

The opening spell of the game appeared to signal great things to come for Beroiz, as the defending champion powered to a 4-1 lead, clearly dominant. However, when he allowed his rival into the game by striking too high, taking the score to 4-2, there was a sharp about turn in the colour of the match. Aritz Lasa, perhaps realising his inferiority in the long rally, used his own chosen balls to the maximum of their potential, winning eleven of his twenty two points with service winners. Beroiz resisted manfully, his best spell coming between 4-7 and 8-7, when he defended like a demon, deploying his powerful left arm when possible. He pushed the score on to 10-8, and once again looked to be in a strong position. However, Lasa had much more to give, and in the ensuing whirlwind, turned an 8-10 deficit into a 20-10 lead. The light had been snuffed out for Beroiz, with permanence. In the face of the Lasa serve, Beroiz was never comfortable and was at times utterly swamped. A top defender should have done rather better.

Aritz Lasa’s txapela is the culmination of a superb sustained effort throughout this tournament, for which he had to qualify through a preliminary round. Beroiz, being the 2009 winner, was granted a bye through the early stages but this year failed to live up to his reputation, squeezing through the quarter finals with the help of Retegi Bi’s defection to the main championship, and edging Urrutikoetxea in the semis by the narrowest of margins. He remains, however, a player of the greatest promise for the future, at the age of only 21. But this was Lasa’s day, the biggest sporting triumph of his 26 years, and one that all of Urretxu should savour.

Scoring sequence: 0-1, 4-1, 4-7, 8-7, 8-8, 10-8, 10-20, 13-20, 13-21, 15-21, 15-22.

Duration: 51 minutes

Strikes of the ball: 179

Service winners: Beroiz 3, Aritz Lasa 11

Winners in open play: Beroiz 11 Aritz Lasa 9

Errors: Beroiz 2, Aritz Lasa 1

Aritz Lasa triumphant

Image from: Gara, Sources: Diario de Navarra, Diario Vasco

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After over two months of competition, the Second Tier Manomanista is down to the last two, and the final takes place at Beotibar on Saturday. Of the finalists, defending champion Mikel Beroiz has had the less protracted run to the final, although he has been far from invincible on the way. As last year’s winner, he was granted a bye in the first stage and entered at the point of the quarter final league. He lost his first match heavily, 13-22 to Retegi Bi, who was to leave the tournament to replace Gonzalez in the Manomanista shortly. He then won a tough fight against Oier Mendizabal by 22 points to 18, before losing again in his last group match, to Inigo Leiza, 17-22. He was therefore very lucky to make it through the semis; if Retegi Bi, who won both his games had remained, he would have been out. However, given his chance, he stepped up to the plate, triumphing in a tense match against Mikel Urrutikoetxea, 22-20, to reach the final.

Aritz Lasa had to work much harder to arrive at the final. He was put, my Aspe, through a pre-qualifying round before he could even take his place in the main competition, and came through this my the proverbial skin of his teeth, 22-21 against Merino. In the first stage proper, he found his form and came through easily against Cabrerizo, 22-13. He then won two of his three matches in the quarter final league, against Asier Berasaluze 22-12, and the second narrowly over exciting debutant Lemuno, 22-21. Not for the first time, Lasa sailed close to the wind here. He lost his third game 18-22 to Urrutikoetxea, who topped the group, but this was of no matter. His semi final was against Leiza, who he despatched without too much fuss, by 22 points to 16.

It is no easy task to pick the winner here. Beroiz, being the defending champion and a confirmed top young talent, is the natural favourite, but he has looked far from totally secure in the past few weeks. Aritz Lasa meanwhile has more experience and appears to be building nicely. He is a consistent performer who would be a richly deserving winner. Tune in on Saturday to see the drama played out.

Friday 11^th June, Logrono

22:25 (CEST) BERASALUZE IX – CECILIO v CABRERIZO II – MERINO

23:30 (CEST) TITIN III – PASCUAL v GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN

Saturday 12^th June, Tolosa

17:25 (CEST) ARRETXE II – MENDIZABAL II v IDOATE – BARRIOLA

Followed by BEROIZ v ARITZ LASA Second Tier Manomanista Final

These matches can be seen at http://www.eitb.com/television/etb-sat

Can Aritz Lasa upset Beroiz?

Image from: Noticias de Gipuzkoa, by Jose Sampedro

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Apologies for these rather scanty reports; it’s been a very hectic week!

At Eibar on Sunday 21st February, MARTINEZ DE IRUJO-BEROIZ posted their sixth win of the competition, beating OLAIZOLA II-MENDIZABAL II 22-20. Astelena was packed to the rafters with noisy fans, eager to witness another tense encounter between these two great pairs. In terms of the quality of the play alone, many may have left disappointed, for the match was error strewn, but the occasion more than made up for this shortcoming. Although the final scoreline was tight, the Aspe pair held the lead for almost the whole match, with the exception of the point at which they were headed 19-20. The victors dominated the game almost throughout, although Olaizola turned in a healthy run of winners to pose some challenge. Mendizabal, though, has proved the weak link in the Aseagrce partnership and there were again too many mistakes from him. Irujo and Beroiz are of course safely in the semi finals. Olaizola and Mendizabal must beat Gonzalez and Laskurain in the final rotation of matches if they are to join them.

On Monday 22nd February, XALA-ZUBIETA booked their place in the semi finals with a win over BERASALUZE VIII-BEGINO in Tolosa. Thanks largely to the excellent crosscourt and volleying game of Xala and the errors of Begino, the Aspe pair surged ahead 1-7 early on. Their opponents closed in to 8-11 in an extremely tight scrap where each point was contested tooth and nail. However, several mistakes coupled with the greater efficiency of Xala and Zubieta put the game out of their reach. Berasaluze, as usual, fought gamely, but Begino was outplayed by Zubieta. 10-14 became 10-17, and then 12-21, and the game was up for the Asegarce combination, who have seldom played to their potential in this competition.

Source: Aspe, here and here.

Aitor Zubieta in control

Image from: Noticias de Alava

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Monday 15th February, Tolosa

XALA – ZUBIETA beat OLAIZOLA II – MENDIZABAL II 22-18

Pairs Championship

Beotobar was packed to the rafters on Monday for this tantalising encounter, with around two hundred turned away at the door. The crowd in Tolosa has never been as passionate or as partisan as that at Pamplona or Logrono, but this particular match boasted an atmosphere to rival any, and the ticketholders witnessed one of the best games of the championship so far.

Aimar and Oier had, prior to this game, been getting better and better, with the former in particular hitting the starry heights with consistency. However, they were brought back down to earth with a bump here by the pair which has now beaten them twice. This was a fourth straight victory for Yves Salaberry and Aitor Zubieta, who have turned their fortune on its head, having lost their first two matches. Xala has been a little out of form of late, relying on the play of Zubieta to hold things together, but here he was emphatically back to his best. He managed five gantxos, including three consecutively, and defended impressively against the wall. The Aspe pair bombed Mendizabal throughout and his inability to break loose from this deadlock put extra pressure on Olaizola. The forward from Goizueta, while not at his brilliant best, played a solid game, but the dominance of his opposing pair was too great. He also, unfortunately for him, blotted his copybook by missing the final two balls.

Both sides are still in ranked in the top four and could thus both progress to the semi finals, but this point for Xala and Zubieta may prove crucial. With a seminal game against Irujo and Beroiz still to come, last year’s runners up may have their work cut out.

Scoring sequence: 0-2, 1-2, 1-3, 2-3, 2-8, 11-8, 11-10, 12-10, 12-12, 14-12, 14-13, 16-13, 16-17, 18-17, 18-22

Source: Diario Vasco

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Sunday 24th January, Logrono

TITIN III – PASCUAL beat BENGOETXEA VI – OTXANDORENA 22-10

This was a comprehensive thrashing by Titin and Pascual, who were superior to their rivals in every department. The fronton in the Riojan capital of Logrono bears a large portrait of Titin, watching down over the players like a patron. When the man himself is on court, his brooding double presence must prey on the minds of his opponents, especially when one factors in the particularly partisan crowd. Perhaps it was the Titin factor which got so badly to Bengoetxea and Otxandorena on Sunday, save for the period at the very beginning, they were never in the game. Naturally, Titin and Pascual focussed much of their attention on Otxandorena, standing in for the experienced but injured Ruben Beloki. In truth, the substitute did not play a wholly bad match despite several costly errors, and at least early on appeared unfazed by the pressure. However, he was up against a metronome of a hitter in Pascual who outplayed him with total aplomb and with no error until the game was all but won. Up front, the story was similarly one sided with home boy Titin full of vim and vigour, and bristling with determination. Bengoetxea, himself usually so full of drive, appeared lacklustre and showed off his enormous talents only sporadically. His timing and precision were both lacking. The result seemed inevitable as the image of Titin looked down approvingly at his own triumph.

Scoring sequence: 0-2, 2-2, 3-2, 3-3, 7-3, 7-4, 8-4, 8-5, 10-5, 10-6, 11-6, 17-6, 17-7, 19-7, 19-10, 22-10.

Monday 25th January, Tolosa

GONZALEZ – LASKURAIN beat OLAIZOLA I – PATXI RUIZ 22-15

The final score at Beotibar fails to tell the full story of a match which could have been a total sporting disaster for the Asegarce pair of Asier Olaizola and Patxi Ruiz. It appeared as if Cuatro y Medio champion Sebastien Gonzalez and his partner in crime Aritz Laskurain were poised to complete the biggest win of the tournament when they stood at 21-6. It is thanks to Olaizola that some face was saved as the trailing pair pulled back nine points, largely thanks to their forward who pulled off some glorious rearguard gantxos. However, it was too little too late for the man from Goizueta as Gonzalez and Laskurain were utterly dominant up until that point. Gonzalez took the first five points to wrest the initiative firmly away from his opponents and they never looked like coming back. The winning pair worked extremely well as a team with Laskurain especially dominant, allowing Patxi no quarter and reducing Olaizola to the role of defender. Gonzalez and Laskurain are warming nicely to the task in this tournament and showed with this their second win that they are a force to be reckoned with. Asier and Patxi will need to improve markedly if they are to be viewed as serious contenders. (source: Gara, via Aspe)

Scoring sequence: 0-5, 1-5, 2-7, 4-10, 5-14, 5-20, 6-21, 15-21, 15-22.

Adarraga fronton in Logrono

Image from: Wikimedia

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Saturday 5th December, Beotibar, Tolosa

URRUTIKOETXEA beat ARGOTE 22-10

The young Asegarce forward Mikel Urrutikoetxea last night became the 2nd Division Cuatro y Medio Champion, annihilating in form Jokin Argote 22-10 at Beotibar. The 20 year old has been a professional for all of six months but his confidence and the quality of his play utterly belied his meagre experience. The match was all but over for Argote as he found himself 0-10 down to his youthful opponent after 13 minutes. Urrutikoetxea was devastatingly strong off both arms and worked the angles deftly, making Argote appear one dimensional. He also served excellently, putting Argote on the back foot from the start of the rally. Argote lacked the dynamism and punch to stem the current, and although he persevered gamely, he was never able to come within seven points of his rival. Urrutikoetxea, who has handled himself with maturity and poise throughout this tournament, is now a champion at the first attempt. Next year, he will play in the main competition, against the modern legends of the game. All signs suggest he may, before too many years have passed, reach their exalted status.

Scoring sequence: 0-10, 3-10, 3-13, 4-13, 4-18, 6-18, 6-20, 9-20, 9-21, 10-21 and 10-22.

Source: Diario Vasco

Urrutikoetxea: dominant

 Image from: El Correo Digital

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Friday 4th December, Ortuella

22:25 (CET) ONGAY v IBAI PEREZ

23:50 (CET) RETEGI BI – EULATE v BERASALUZE IX – BEROIZ

Saturday 5th December, Beotibar, Tolosa

18:05 (CET) OLAIZOLA II – PENAGARIKANO v XALA – LASKURAIN

19:15 (CET) ARGOTE v URRUTIKOETXEA 2nd Division Cuatro y Medio Final

Sunday 6th December, Astelena, Eibar

16:55 (CET) CAPELLAN – ARRUTI v OLAZABAL – CECILIO

18:05 (CET) RETEGI BI – EULATE v ARITZ LASA – ZUBIETA

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

Beotibar, setting for the 4 1/2 2nd Division Final

Image from: Asegarce

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Monday 2nd November, Beotibar, Tolosa

GONZALEZ beat BERASALUZE VIII 16-10 (match abandoned)

Sebastian Gonzalez yesterday booked his place in the Cuatro y Medio semi finals when Pablo Berasaluze sprained his ankle with the score at 16-10 in his favour. Up until that point, it had been a game full of quality in which Berasaluze had fought back from early problems before Gonzalez increased the pace and with it his scoreline. Berasalzue attempted to continue after his untimely injury, his ankle strapped, but could not and retired to warm applause.

Gonzalez therefore completes the all-ASPE semi final quartet, which is completed by Juan Martinez de Irujo, Titin III and Julen Retegi. The semi final round robin commences this weekend: Gonzalez and Irujo play in Zarautz on Saturday while Titin and Retegi play in Eibar on Sunday.

Source: Asegarce

Pablito: down and out

Image from: El Correo Digital

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Monday 19th October, Beotibar, Tolosa

PATXI RUIZ beat ONGAY 22-7

Patxi Ruiz became the final pelotari to qualify for the second round of the Cuatro y Medio championship on Monday when he easily defeated Alberto Ongay in Tolosa. The defender from Estella has struggled for many months with a back injury and the doubts over his match fitness linger but if afflicted here he did not show it. He did not play in any of the festival tournaments in the summer and the rest looks to have done him the world of good. Ruiz looked the epitome of comfortable while his opponent seemed besieged with nerves from the outset, his feet rooted to the spot as Ruiz manoeuvered the ball at will. Ongay committed half a dozen errors in the course of the match, balanced by only one winner. His decision making was weak and his service wayward, and his body language told the story of the match. The rampant Ruiz fired eight winners in a victory for experience and nerve, and will now face Retegi Bi in Amorebieta on Saturday for a place in the quarter finals, where Olaizola II will await.

Scoring sequence: 4-0, 4-3, 5-3, 5-5, 16-5, 16-6, 17-6, 17-7 and 22-7

Patxi is back and in good health

Source: Diario Vasco

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Monday 6th April
Beotibar, Tolosa
AGIRRE beat LASKURAIN 22-7

The citizens of Tolosa did not seem to have match enthusiasm for this encounter and the 200 afficionados might have been forgiven for wishing they had spent their evening elsewhere, for this was a parade rather than a match. The scoreboard tells the tale of a game which was all about Imanol Agirre.

Agirre was Aritz Laskurain’s superior in every possible department. The Bizkaian raced to a 5-0 lead as the game began, his only lapse coming in letting his rival level the scores. Laskurain showed some promise in winning five straight points and then working his way to 7-7, but it was to end there for the man from Soraluze as Agirre stormed to the victory with 15 unanswered points. Agirre served solidly and defended excellently, turning every position in which he found himself into one of attack. Laskurain had no answer to the unbreachable wall his opponent built with every shot. Relentless pressure told as he committed a total of seven unforced errors to Agirre’s one. Laskurain missed this championship last year through injury and he barely made more impression here.

Agirre will progress to the second round where he will meet Penagarikano at the same venue on Saturday.

Scoring sequence: 5-0, 5-5, 7-5, 7-7 and 22-7.

Source: Diario Vasco

Aritz Laskurain: out for the count

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