Without time to savor the very final of the Cuatro y Medio, the LEPM has presented this Tuesday the next tournament in the hand-held season. A Couples that will occupy the next five months of activity in the frontons. On the horizon, the first final of 2022, which will be played on April 3 at the Bizkaia fronton. The post-Aimar era begins, once the legend of Goizueta has been withdrawn.
To get there, the Eight pairs that the companies have made will have to survive, first, a two-round quarter-final league. Fourteen days from which two couples will be directly classified for the semifinals, four that will play a playoff – third against sixth and fourth against fifth – and another two – the worst classified – who will say goodbye to the tournament.
Already in March the semi-final league will take place. It will be three weeks in which it will be clarified which two pairs will fight for the txapela. On the part of Aspe, the participating couples will be the following: Altuna III-Martija, Ezkurdia-Tolosa, Elezkano II-Zabaleta and Irribarria-Rezusta. As for Baiko, the duos are made up of Laso-Imaz, Urrutikoetxea-Aranguren, Jaka-Mariezkurrena II and Peña II-Albisu. The absence of Peio Etxeberria is especially surprising, which will be, as confirmed by the head of Aspe, Inaxio Errandonea, “the first reserve against any injury that occurs”. From Baiko, falls from the payroll of forwards Artola.
As to news, highlights the return of Irribarria. The Arama striker has been in dry dock since January. He withdrew from the previous Couples due to bad hands but shortly after he had to undergo surgery to solve a broken knee. After missing both the Manomanista and the Cuatro y Medio this year, he will return to the starting table of a great tournament. Elezkano, who will try to revalidate the title together with the number one defender in the box, the Navarrese Zabaleta, will start the championship at home. Both will play the first day against Ezkurdia-Tolosa on Sunday, November 21 at the Mungia fronton.
Finally, the Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebron fronton will host next Saturday the match between Altuna III-Martija and Irribarria-Rezusta corresponding to the first day of the Couples 2022, an appearance outside the usual circuit of the venues of the Basque Country, Navarra and La Rioja.