It hosts its first large-format tournament with six couples and the goal of becoming a benchmark along with Gernika
Black marble for the debut of Markina’s first basket point Grand Slam. The Marnemar quarry, owned by Amenabar, hosted this Tuesday the presentation of the first large-format tournament in the Biscayan town. The wave that awoke in Gernika last winter needs to continue in Bizkaia, and the organizers have spared no effort to ensure that the modality maintains its momentum. Modernize the show. That is one of the premises that will be applied in the University of the Ball. The same concept of Jai Alai will be transferred from the provincial town “to boost resources and also be a benchmark in the specialty because due to its history and tradition it deserves it”, highlighted the head of the promoter Gernika Jai Alai, Gaizka Muniategi.
In the championship, the compensation of the combinations has also been taken into account so that the matches come out as even as possible. There is a commitment to the local puntistas with the presence of new faces for this event such as Arbe, third in the tournament in Mexico, and Salegi, who will debut in the competition after his return from the Dania pediment. Zabala will complete the trio of markinarras.
The first festival will be on Sunday at noon, while the rest will be played on Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., including the final scheduled for July 16. In total there will be six functions that will include a parallel amateur tournament starting in the semifinals. “The three-day Master that was organized until now worked well, and we hope that the public responds because the fans in the town and in the neighboring municipalities are remarkable,” he added.
motivated
The first group will be made up of Erkiaga-Zabala, winners of last winter tournament. «I will have the best teammate again so I will try to take advantage of the opportunity. Playing in the town more than pressure is a motivation. It is exciting that Markina has a tournament of these characteristics and we will give everything to make it work, “said the defender. The Ispaster striker will face the final of the San Sebastian tournament before, but he is happy with the bodyguard they have been assigned. “A town from which so many puntistas have come deserved a championship like this, and the youth tournament they have organized is also important because of the motivation it will bring to them,” he underlined. They will face Olharan and Etcheto, a fearsome couple due to their mutual understanding, and Arbe-Lekerika. “We have a very tough group and we are going to have to sweat a lot if we want to be in the next phase. But I’m in a good moment and we can have options if we do things well”, pointed out the striker.
The second group is made up of Beaskoetxea-López, two veterans who are going further and who adapt well to the characteristics of the Markina pitch, Barandika-Del Río, who have left good feelings in the capital of Gipuzkoa –the striker is playing for the title on Saturday–, and Goikoetxea-Sallegi. For the young defender it is «an opportunity to play a championship like this in a fronton that has seen me grow, so I am excited. It is also a good opportunity to show here that the basket-top is alive, and we expect a great response from the fans. The first day will host the duels Beaskoetxea-López against Barandika-Del Río and Arbe-Lekerika against Olharan and Etcheto.
