The 2016-17 professional Mano season began on October 7, 2016 with the first round of the Lau eta erdiko Txapelketa 2016/Campeonato del 4 1/2 de 1a categoría 2016 LEP. M competition. The 1st round quarterfinal league competition took place on Oct. 14-16, 2016. The second round was played on Oct. 21-23. The third and final round was played on Oct. 28-30, 2016. The semi-finals were played on November 12-13, 2016.
Asegarce Competition Page
The competition has 12 players, in two groups. The opening round of four preliminary matches took place October 7-10, 2016. The four winners (two in each group) move on to a quarter final league, where they join four other seeded players (Urrutikoetxea and Altuna III in Gourp A, Oliazola II and Bengoetxea VI in Group B) in a single round robin quarter-final league. The 1st place finishers in each group will then face the 2nd place finishers in the other group in the semi-finals. Semi-final winners will play in the final on November 27, 2016.
Note: Source for all match articles, unless otherwise specifically stated is 21iquales.com.
Source for all match video, unless otherwise specifically stated, is EITB.
Semi Finals:
November 12, 2016:
Labrit Fronton, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2). Bengoetxea VI defeated Urrutikoetxea 22-21.
Match article:
Match article (Deia)
Interview with Urrutikoetxea (Deia)
Down 19-15, Urrutikoetxea had Bengoetxea VI just where he wanted him. On July 7, 2016, Urrutikoetxea had come back from 9-18 to defeat Ezcurdia 22-21 in the final of the San Fermin 4 1/2 Tournament (scroll to the bottom of the link). On May 1, 2016, in the Buruz Buruko, he came back from 14-18 to defeat Ezcurdia 22-19, and in this very tournament last year, November 29, 2015, he came back from 10-20 to defeat Mtz. de Irujo to win the 4 1/2 Txapelketa. Links to those matches can be found here. So having his back to the wall wasn't a strange position. At 19-15, Bengoetxea VI faulted on the serve, to open the door. A perfect left wall shot followed by a perfect cross-court kill shot got Urrutikoetxea to within one. But Bengoetxea VI then rallied to end a brilliant 14 ball point with a high shot that Urrutikoetxea tried to counter with a two wall shot that failed. It was a prescient moment, though no one knew it at the time. 20-18. A left wall pass made it 21-18. Surely it was over. But it wasn't. After a collision caused a replay, Urrutikoetxea beat Bengoetxea VI down the left side. 21-19. A left wall pass made it 21-20. A cross-court kill shot tied the match. Surely now, with the serve, Urrutikoetxea was going to show his comeback magic again. He went for the kill quickly with a two wall shot..... that missed badly, putting Bengoetxea VI into the final. Urrutikoetxea finished the tournament at 3-1.
Match highlights
Match highlights (21iquales.com)
Full match video (fronton.tv) Scroll to "Pamplona-Labrit" 12/11/2016.
November 13, 2016:
Atano III Fronton, (Donostia (San Sebastian)) (1) (2): Altuna III defeated Oliazola II 22-13.
Match article
Match article (Deia)
Altuna III got off to a 6-2 lead and never looked back, scoring a surprisingly easy victory of Oliazola II. Altuna III will meet Bengoetxea VI in the final on November 27, 2016. Oliazola II finished the tournament 3-1.
Match highlights
Full match video (match begins at 57 minutes, 50 seconds on the video).
