The Azkoitia team will compete in the final of the Gipuzkoa Interpueblos Championship of rubber pelota. The match is scheduled for next Sunday, June 28, at 10:30 AM, at the Atano III fronton in Donostia, where they will face Tolosa. To reach this stage, Azkoitia eliminated last year's champions, Astigarraga, in the quarterfinals, and Aia in the semifinals.
Iker Epelde (Azkoitia, 1987), a player for the Azkoitia team, expressed satisfaction with their journey. "We've done a good job, and everything has gone as we hoped," he stated. Despite overcoming strong opponents like the previous year's champions, Epelde anticipates a very difficult and tough final against Tolosa, whom he considers the favorites.
A unique aspect of the rubber pelota Interpueblos championship is the absence of an age limit for players, which adds a significant strategic element, as explained by Epelde. "Until we step onto the court, we don't know who we'll be playing against," he mentioned, contrasting it with the hand pelota modality where pairings are typically known in advance.
Azkoitia has been participating in this tournament for about six years. They won three consecutive editions after not securing the title in the first. Although they did not perform well in the last two years, they have managed to reach the final again this year and aim to reclaim the Gipuzkoa championship.
Epelde detailed that this year's Interpueblos is being played in three modalities: hand pelota, rubber pelota, and remonte. In rubber pelota, each round consists of three matches: one singles match played across the full court, a doubles match, and a singles match played within seven frames. This requires four pelotaris per town.
Regarding fan attendance, Epelde acknowledged that pelota matches attract fewer spectators compared to hand pelota. "When we play away, family and friends come to support us, and at home, a few pelota enthusiasts attend, but not many," he explained. Nevertheless, he encouraged Azkoitia's fans to attend the match at Atano III, anticipating that Tolosa will also draw a larger crowd due to greater pelota interest in the Donostialdea region.
In Azkoitia, most young people who play pelota start with hand pelota. Those who switch to pelota often do so in a friendly setting or after tiring of hand pelota, as Epelde himself did. "We started with rubber pelota, and we're still playing it," he affirmed, expressing hope that more young people will be encouraged to take up this modality over time.
