JEAN OLHARAN-DAVID MINVIELLE 2
XABIER BARANDIKA-THIBAULT BASQUE 1
15-9, 11-15, 5-2 (31-26)
Olharan-Minvielle on the wire for their first game
THE SECOND DAY OF THE CESTA ALL STAR WAS PLAYED THIS TUESDAY AT JAI ALAI IN SAINT-JEAN-DE-LUZ. IN POOL B, THE SUSPENSE IS IN ORDER. IN POOL A, OLHARAN-MINVIELLE SHOWERED THE HOPES OF BARANDIKA-BASQUE.
The qualifying phase of the Cesta All Star continued in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Tuesday evening, Iñaki Goikoetxea and Txabi Inza played their second group game against Aritz Erkiaga and Jon Zabala. The opportunity for the Franco-Spanish pair to finish first in their pool. Erkiaga-Zabala decided otherwise. In the first round, the latter flew over the start of the game (7-5). Goikoetxea-Inza clung to stay in contact but lost 15-10.
In the second round, they came back with more determination and started this round in the best possible way (4-0; 6-3). Erkiaga-Zabala, thanks to a lively ball, quickly reset the counters by equalizing at 6 everywhere. Goikoetxea-Inza remained neck and neck until 10 everywhere. They could have grabbed a third round but Iñaki Goikoetxea seemed to give up at the end of the game by multiplying the unforced errors including two in a row on the last points.
Goikoetxea-Inza must now await the outcome of Thursday's game to find out their fate. Erkiaga-Zabala will be opposed to Laduche-Lekerika. With a defeat on the clock, they have their backs against the wall and must imperatively win this game if they want to hope to qualify for the semi-finals.
In the other match, the suspense is no longer appropriate. After their defeat against Jon Tambourindéguy and Imanol Lopez, Xabi Barandika and Thibault Basque had to win this Tuesday evening against Jean Olharan and David Minvielle to stay in the race. The two teams fought a real fight on the kantxa. In the first round, Olharan-Minvielle won 15-9, leaving a few feathers. At the back, David Minvielle struggled to recover. A poor form which Barandika-Basque took advantage of in the second round to win 15-11. They seemed on track to win this match but Olharan-Minvielle found the necessary resources to finally win 5-2.
With this victory, they secure a place in the semi-finals. They will play for first place in the pool against Jon Tambourindéguy and Imanol Lopez, this Thursday from 7:15 p.m.
Program
Thursday April 20
6 p.m.: Laduche-Lekerika vs. Erkiaga-Zabala
7:15 p.m.: Olharan-Minvielle vs. Tambourindéguy-Lopez
