Jokin Altuna goes on the attack against Elezkano and Zabaleta, yesterday at the Labrit in Pamplona. /
Ball
The manomanista champion dominates another match and wins again with Martija the leaders, Elezkano and Zabaleta
“I don’t paint what I see, I paint what I think”, Picasso once said. That’s what Jokin Altuna does, who seems to see things that others don’t even imagine. Like the line through which the ball crossed from the wall to the width to sign the 4-5, a non-existent line for the rest. A ball that had no response because only he saw it. The Amezketarra took the Pamplona game on his back, stopped the exit of Elezkano and Zabaleta at 4-8 and if I’ve seen you I don’t remember: from there to 15-9 and 22-13.
22
ALTUNA III MARTIA
0
ELEZKANO II ZABALETA
-
Game time:
54 minutes and 57 seconds. -
Balls to good:
424. -
Serving points:
Altuna, 3. Elezkano, 1. -
Serve faults:
Altuna, 0. Elezkano, 0. -
So many at stake:
Altuna, 7. March, 2; Elezkano, 8. Zabaleta, 2. -
So many lost:
Altuna, 1. Martija, 1; Elezkano, 5. Zabaleta, 5. -
Marker:
0-1, 1-1, 2-1, 2-4, 3-4, 3-5, 4-5, 4-8, 8-8, 8-9, 15-9, 15-10, 20- 10, 20-13 and 22-13. -
Exit odds:
100 to 90 in favor of Elezkano and Zabaleta. 70 to 100 down -
Incidents:
Almost full at the Labrit.
Altuna exhibited one more day that virtue that adorns the greats and that is that when they intervene they change the inertia of the match. So much so, that in the final part his partner, Martija, infected with the inspiration of the manomanista champion, dominated today’s great striker, José Javier Zabaleta, and scored three goals almost in a row behind him, 17-10, 18-10 and 20-10, the first of them pushing Etxarren’s player to the very rebound. The world turned upside down… or not so much, because in the first round Altuna and Martija also won, the first game the leaders lost. They are still up, but of the three games they have lost in the championship, two have been against their rivals from yesterday.
-
The day (10th)
-
Urrutikoetxea-Aranguren 12 Jaka-Mariezkurrena II 22
-
Laso-Ander Imaz 14 Peña II-Albisu 22
-
Altuna III-Martija 22 Elezkano II-Zabaleta 13
-
Today, Biscay of Bilbao (17
00, ETB1) -
Ezkurdia-Tolosa / Irribarria-Rezusta
-
PAREJAS J G P +/- PT
-
1
Elezkano II-Zabaleta 10 7 3 +31 7 -
2
Laso-Imaz 10 6 4 +19 6 -
3
Altuna III-Martija 10 6 4 -8 6 -
4
Smile-Resume 9 5 4 +27 5 -
5
Peña II-Albisu 10 5 5 +6 5 -
6
Jaka-Mariezkurrena II 10 4 6 -15 4 -
7
Urrutikoet.-Aranguren 10 4 6 -17 4 -
8
Ezkurdia-Tolosa 9 2 7 -43 2 -
Next round (11th)
-
Friday 28, Hendaye (21
00, ETB1) -
Elezkano II-Zabaleta / Laso Ander Imaz
-
Sunday 30, Donostia (17
00, ETB1?) -
Altuna III-Martija / Jaka-Mariezkurrena II
-
Sunday 30, Etxebarri (17
00, ETB1?) -
Urrutikoetxea-Aranguren / Irribarria-Rezusta
-
Monday 31, Beotibar de Tolosa (16
30) -
Ezkurdia-Tolosa / Peña II-Albisu
After a more predictable start, with the pace set by Zabaleta’s punch, it was 4-8. But Altuna took the reins and her appearance had a fatal effect on Elezkano, who began to suffer greatly. Neither did Zabaleta find a way to stop the negative inertia for his interests. Altuna was right with the serve, which gave her good returns either directly or with the serve-attack. Martija, who is going further, held Zabaleta well, who lost a couple of balls (14-9 and 16-10) before suffering those three goals behind at the hands of Etxeberri’s.
Altuna put the icing on the cake of a serious game by the red couple, who gave the sensation of doing what the goal required at all times, without any gesture for the gallery. Without errors. Work back when appropriate and in attack when the opportunity arose. Altuna’s most brilliant shots also carried that label, executed when he played, not before. When Elezkano and Zabaleta went from 20-10 to 20-13, Altuna turned to Martija with a gesture to ask her not to give up the match yet, to keep the tension going. There was no room for doubt.
The point places Altuna and Martija with six, just one behind Elezkano and Zabaleta, who continue as sole leaders thanks to the defeat of Laso and Ander Imaz in Markina (22-14). The two results tighten the classification at the top and what recently seemed unimaginable, that there would be a dispute for first place, is now, four days from the end of the league, a real possibility.
