Trophee Paries, an EP 1000 competition, was played at Trinquet Pleka (Sare) on September 12 and 14, 2016.
Full match videos for all three matches are available in two places.
1. Esku Pilota Youtube
2. Pelotelive.free.fr (click on the film icon under each match). Click on "desactiver" under the video in order to disable PFF's auto-refresh before viewing. The video will not work if you don't.
Two of the matches are also linked to match articles at the Esku Pilota website. I will use EP Youtube for individual links.
September 12, 2016:
Semi-Finals
Source for all match articles: Esku Pilota web site.
Match articles for both matches (including an audio interview with Mathieu Ospital.
Larralde-de Ezcurra defeated Bielle-Guichandut 40-25
Note that the only way to keep track of the score for any of these matches is to listen very closely to the judge (who calls them out in Basque and French) or to keep track yourself. No scoreboard (if there was one) was ever shown on these videos.
Full match video
Ospital-Bilbao defeated Lambert-Ducassou 40-30
Full match video
September 14, 2016:
Final
Larralde-de Ezcurra defeated Ospital-Bilbao 40-37
Match article, along with an audio interview with Peio Larralde
Esku Pilota TVPI Highlights (Note: these highlights include the last two points of the match--also linked to below).
The two semi-finals were easy victories, according to the match article. The final was a great match which went down to the final points before L-E won. Unfortunately there were some technical difficulties with the match video. Some points are missing and the sound was out of synch late in the match. So any kind of exact statistics are unavailable at this time.
However, the last 5 points of match are available and should be watched, even with the sound distraction.
37-36, 37-37, 38-37, 39-37, 40-37. (single link to all five points).
The 37-36 point is particularly interesting. It can be seen almost as a microcosm of what a battle this match was. It consumed 53 balls in play from serve to end, had countless great saves, and was a showcase for all four players. When it ended on a beautiful Bilbao filet shot, a long climb toward equality (L-E held the lead for most of match) was almost to the summit. And when Ospital served an ace and equality was reached, it seemed all the momentum was with O-B. But in the last three points, an error by Bilbao opened the door a crack, and Peio Larralde, as he often does in crucial situations, made emphatic plays (a service ace and a perfect right passing shot) to close out the match in the next 6 balls in play. All four players were superb, and were rewarded with a long ovation when the match ended. The unsung hero was Pascal de Ezcurra, who played magnificent defense throughout. Along with that defense, he also scored perhaps the most elegant point of the match, a two wall filet shot that gave his team a 26-20 lead. Watch and enjoy!
