A summit clash with all the ingredients

Tickets sold out over a month ago. There is a desire, a lot of desire for the ball in Pamplona. The Labrit pediment will be full to the brim today (11.00 am) for the final of the Cuatro y Medio Navarra. Gone are the two years of drought due to the pandemic. Unai Laso and Joseba Ezkurdia are playing for the most precious txapela of the summer to take over from Altuna III, champion in the last two editions. Both want to inscribe their names for the first time in the list of winners of a competition that kicks off the San Fermín fair, and that always has a special atmosphere in its stands.

Since the Liga de Empresa de Pelota a Mano (LEP.M) opened the possibility of competing in the championship to pelotaris from other communities seven years ago, a final exclusively from Navarra had not been repeated. This time two of its main exponents will be the protagonists. They both know what it’s like to play in this final. The striker from Arbizu climbed to the second step of the podium in 2014 and 2016, while the striker from Bizkarreta-Gerendiain did so last season.

After his return to professional baseball, this appointment was the one that served as a springboard to gain momentum and settle among the best. «It will be a very nice day, but I have a very tough rival. We both have the same desire to get the txapela, so we hope that it will be a great match », he pointed out.

The Aspe striker needs to get rid of the thorn in the Manomanista final. Not because of the defeat, «but because then I couldn’t show my game. This time I want to give my level », he said. He admits that he expects a “high-intensity, high-paced match. The one who dominates will have a lot of cattle, but he will have to be prepared for an explosive duel ».

Urrutikoetxea, at night

Ezkurdia has started the summer strongly and has given better sensations than his rival in the couples matches he has played and in the ‘cage’ qualifiers. But Laso has had time to prepare the modality and will start with a slight favoritism -100 to 80- in the betting. The start can be key for both to find the sensations when it comes to deploying their game.

At night (10:15 p.m.) the couples tournament will begin with the presence of Urrutikoetxea. The one from Zaratamo and Imaz face Irribarria and Zabaleta in the group A group. Those who will wear red need to get along perfectly before a combination that will try to squeeze the power that they have in their hands. In the clash that will close the festival, Elezkano II and Oier Etxebarria will measure their strength against Alberdi, Peña II’s last-minute substitute, and Elizegi.