Alejandro i Hilari lose their Copa Caixa Popular semi-final 60-50

The pair Alejandro i Hilari, competing under the name of the Ajuntament de Montserrat, have been knocked out of the Copa Caixa Popular in the Pro1 escala i corda (a Valencian ball game played in the street), losing 60-50 to Giner i Tomàs II, of Murla and la Vall de Laguar, at the El Rullo trinquet (indoor court) in Riba-roja, according to the competition report.

The match, played on Tuesday 27 October, was the second leg of a semi-final that had opened with a 60-55 win for the pair from Murla and la Vall de Laguar, so only a victory would do for Montserrat’s pair. Giner i Tomàs II reach the final as the most in-form team in the draw, the same report says.

The game began with the eventual finalists ahead (35-30) and Montserrat’s pair levelled at 40-40. The pair from Murla and la Vall de Laguar then opened a two-game lead (55-45) and, although Alejandro i Hilari cut the gap to 55-50, they could not complete the comeback: the final score was 60-50. The report adds that Hilari played through muscle trouble.

The other semi-final was being decided on Wednesday at the Guadassuar trinquet: the Orba trio of Jose Salvador, Conillet and Àlvaro Mañas defend the 60-55 they earned in the first leg at Pelayo against Pere Roc II i Nacho, of La Nucia. If the tie needs a third match, it will be played on Sunday 1 November in Benissa. Giner i Tomàs II’s opponents in the final will therefore be known in the coming days.

The defeat ends Montserrat’s run in the Copa Caixa Popular, a competition in which the pair had reached the semi-finals after beating the Riba-roja trio 60-40 in the quarter-finals on Saturday 17 October at the Pelayo trinquet. The club’s focus now turns to the galotxa league, where Mondefruta Montserrat A lead group B and Montserrat B play their postponed match at home on Friday 30 October.

Source: Superdeporte.