This is a current awareness blog that links to the latest sources of information on Basque Pelota matches and Tournaments. It covers all of both North and South Basque modalities: Pro and amateur. It links to match stories, statistics and video highlights and/or full match videos. NEW!!! JAI ALAI LEAGUE (EREMAN!) SEASON INTRO AND JAI ALAI WOMEN'S WINTER TOUR 2024 (2/22/24)!!!

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Main Nue: Three Independent Matches--Villefranque (Partie Humanitaire); Beguios (Partie France Bleu Pays Basque); Bayonne (au profit de la petite LIA)

In the time between the end of the FFPB Championnat de France Main Nue Elite Pro Individuel and the upcoming Main Nue Elite Pro CDF par Equipes (doubles) tournaments, three independent matches were played..

February 24, 2017

1. Villefranque (1)(2)(3) (Partie Humanitaire): Bielle-Ducassou defeated Ospital-Lambert 40-32

Preview article (Pilota Ttiki)

This was a match orgainzed by l'association Human'Isa to raise money to build a school in Nepal to replace one destroyed in an earthquake two years ago.

Match article (Esku Pilota)

Match article (Pilota-Ttiki)

Selected linescore (winners always listed 1st) (Source: both match articles)

0-6; 8-8; 10-15; 24-21; 31-21; 32-26; 40-32

February 26, 2017

2.  Beguios (1)(2) (Partie France Bleu Pays Basque):  Bielle-Lucu defeated Inchauspe-de Ezcurra 40-33

Match article (Esku Pilota) 

Selected linescore (winners always listed 1st)

20-20; 22-22; 29-29; 30-30; 40-33

3. Trinquet Moderne, Bayonne (1)(2) (Partie au Profit de la Petite Lia): Waltary-Amulet defeated Larralde-Lazcano 40-28 (Source: Esku Pilota Resultats)

For cumulative records of Main Nue elite professionals see the "Cumulative records of EP players" on the recurring results page on the right side of the blog.

Monday, February 27, 2017

Remonte-February 2017 Rankings and Leading Monthly Leaders

The February 2017 monthly rankings for the Oriamendi2010 roster were released at the end of February.

Oriamendi2010 Roster

Full February Rankings with ranking explanation

Historical monthly rankings back to July 2011

Leaders were

Group A: Uterga 40.0
Group B: Goikoetxea V 38.33

For the third consecutive month, a player had a perfect ranking. For Uterga, his perfect ranking was the 2nd in 3 months. Both February leaders "got up off the floor" after poor months in January. Uterga went from 5-0 in December of 2016 to 1-4 in January. He then rebounded to a 5-0 record in February. He has won his last 6 matches, all "Star" matches. In that span he has defeated Urriza 3 times and Ezkurra once. Goikoetxea V was at the foot of the table for January, with a 0-4 record and 6 consecutive losses. His February was very impressive. His workload of 6 matches (all with group B partners) included 4 against pairs with one group A partner. In those matches he was 3-1, defeating Etxarri twice (and suffering his only loss of the month to that opponent) and Agirrezabala once. He was perfect in his all B group matches, and has won 5 consecutive matches since his 1 loss early in the month.

2017 Leading Monthly Leaders:

Group A: Urriza 1, Uterga 1
Group A highest ranking: Uterga 40 (February)

Group B: Zubiri 1, Goikoetxea V 1
Group B highest ranking: Zubiri 40 (January)

-------------------------------------

Remonte (Galarreta matches only) monthly tables (wins-losses, points for and against, winning or losing streaks) (d-Delantro--Front z-Zaguero--Back *-d+z)--record will be kept by position). Tables are ordered by winning percentage. First tie-breaker is wins. Second tie breaker is point differential. Third tie breaker is point winning percentage.

Final table for February 2017

Group A

Uterga(d)............................5-0..200-162..+6
Ezkurra(d).........................2-2...140-152...-2
Etxarri(d)...........................3-4..191-222....-3
Urriza(d).............................1-4.185-194....+1
Etxeberria IV(d).................0-3...84-120....-3

Ion(z)..................................5-3..301-272...+2
Etxeberria III(z)................3-3..229-220....-1
Endika(z)............................3-3..201-223....-2
Agirrezabala(z)..................1-6..233-275....-1

Group B

Goikoetxea V(d)................5-1...192-146....+5
Ezkurra II(d).....................5-2...256-239....+3
Segurola(d)........................4-2....205-168....+3
Otaegi(d)............................3-3...145-169.....-1
Eburu(d)............................2-2...127-120....+1
Benat(d).............................1-4...150-167.....-1
Ansa II(d)..........................1-5...202-215......-2

Otano(z)............................4-1...170-151.......-1
Larranaga(z)....................4-2...173-160......+1
Azpiroz(z).........................5-3...254-223......+1
Labaka(z)..........................3-4...207-216.......-1
Garces(z)...........................2-2...108-121......+2
Zubiri(z)............................2-3...154-156.......-2
Aizpuru III(z)....................0-2....48-60..........-2

In unbalanced group matches (for individual match information see the link below):

A-B 2-1 A-A 1-2
B-B 7-3 A-B 3-7

For full coverage of Oramendi2010 Galarreta Thursday and Saturday matches, see the Remonte: Galarreta "STAR" matches page on the right side of the blog

Pala--2017 Mundo Parejas--Jornada 1

Pre-Tournament qualifying round--February 17-18, 2017 ; Jornada 1: February 24, 2017 ; Jornada 2: March 3, 2017 (J2 links to full match video of both matches); Jornada 3 and 4 ; Jornada 5: March 17, 2017 ; Jornada 6: March 24, 2017 ; Final and 3rd Place Match: April 1, 2017 (Final and 3rd place links to full match videos of both matches).

Note: All explanatory information about the tournament can be found in the Pre-Tournament qualifying round--February 17-18 link above.
======================================

Jornada 1: February 24, 2017

Note: Source for all article links, unless otherwise specifically stated, is Munduko Pilota Batzarra (World Pilota Council). Usually MPB match articles are presented in both Basque and Castilian, using the same link. The articles appear first in Basque, and then below that in Castilian. 



1. Fusto-Ibai Perez defeated Necol-Gordon 3-0 (10-5, 10-7, 10-6) (30-18) Fusto and Ibai Perez 100 pts. Necol and Gordon 0pts.

InnPala brief summary

Fusto-Ibai Pérez por la via rápida...

Dan Necol e Iker Gordon no pudieron tener mas mala suerte en el sorteo realizado para el mundial parejas, su primer encuentro frente a una de las parejas mas potentes del cuadro profesional de innpala, Fusto e Ibai pérez se mostraron intratables y no dejaron hacer ni un joko a sus rivales. Todos los puntos son importantes y no hay que dejar escapar ninguno

Google Translate English:

Fusto-Ibai Perez by the fast track...

Dan Necol and Iker Gordon could not have more bad luck in the draw for the World Cup pair, their first match against one of the most powerful pairs of the InnPala roster. Fusto and Ibai Pérez were intractable and did not lose even a joko to their rivals. All points are important and they did not let any escape.

2. Gaubeka-Imanol defeated Landeta-Brefel 3-0 (10-6, 10-5, 10-8) (30-19). Gaubeka and Imanol 100pts. Landeta and Brefel 0pts.

InnPala brief summary:

Gaubeka-Imanol, sin rivales

La pareja vizcaina se mostró intratable en todo el encuentro, a esto colaboro que Sylvain Brefel no encontró su lugar en el fronton mungiarra en ningún momento del partido, el local Landeta poco pudo hacer ante la superioridad de la pareja colorada.

Google Translate English:

Gaubeka-Imanol, without rivales

The Vizcaya pair was intractable in the whole encounter, to this I collaborate that Sylvain Brefel did not find his place in the mungiarra fronton at any moment of the match. The local Landeta could do little before the superiority of the red pair.

------------------------------------------------------------

It is not particularly surprising that 3 of the 4 winners of week 1 matches are long time practitioners of the long court form. The 4th winner (Ibai Perez) is playing so well this season that the court he plays on and implement he uses makes no difference. Ibai Perez has now won 6 consecutive Tournament matches. He has won  11 consecutive jokos, 12 of his last 13, and 18 of his last 20 in Tournament play. For the season, he has won 11 matches and lost 2, with a 36-16 joko record in Tournament play. 

Week 1 Table:

Key: Player; Jokos victories-defeats; Tournament points; match victories-defeats

Delanteros (Front)

Fusto      (3-0); 100pts;1-0
Gaubeka (3-0); 100pts; 1-0
Landeta  (0-3); 0pts; 0-1
Necol     (0-3); 0pts; 0-1

Zagueros (Back)

Ibai Perez (3-0); 100pts; 1-0
Imanol      (3-0); 100pts; 1-0
Brefel        (0-3);  0pts;  0-1
Gordon      (0-3);  0pts;  0-1

Week 2 Matches--March 3, 2017

Necol (0)-Imanol (100) v Gaubeka(100)-Gordon(0)
Fusto(100)-Brefel(0) v Landeta(0)-Ibai Perez(100)

=========================

Table of wins and losses for the 2016-2017 season.

Key: Player; Position (d=delantero (front court), z=zaguero (back court)); match wins-losses; joko (set) wins-losses; winning-losing streak; championships won. Matches that are single partidos will be noted. Table will be according to match winning percentage. 1st tie breaker will be number of wins. 2nd tie breaker will be joko win-loss differential. We begin the season with  La Liga Kutxabank, starting October 29, 2016.

February 24, 2017

Championships:  L=La Liga; MI-Mundial Individual

Gaubeka(d)......8-4.....28-21...+1*....1(L)
Fusto(d)............8-6.....29-26..+3
Zubiri(d)...........8-8.....31-29...-3*
Landeta(d)........5-8.....23-29....-1
Necol(d)...........6-10....29-37...-3

Ibai-Perez(z).....12-3....40-21..+6*....2(L, MI)
Ibargari(z)..........8-8....32-31...+1
Brefel(z).............5-6....20-22....-2
Gordon(z)...........6-9....25-33....-2
Imanol(z)............4-8....20-28...+1*

Includes Feb. 17, 2017 independent match: Fusto-Ibai Perez defeated Necol-Imanol  3-2 (7-10, 10-5, 10-1, 6-10, 10-6) at Mungia.

Includes Dec. 30, 2016 independent match: Landeta-Imanol defeated Zuberi--Ibai-Perez 3-1 (10-8, 7-10, 10-9, 10-7) at Bizkaia.

*Does not include the result of Nov.25, 2016 independent match Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez v Zubiri-Imanol. The result is unknown at this time. I will add it when I find it.

Includes Nov. 19, 2016 independent match: Zuberi-Ibargari defeated Necol-Gordon 3-0 (10-8, 10-3, 10-9) at Bizkaia.

For cumulative accounting of this player table see the InnPala Player win-loss table under the Pala page on the right side of the blog

======================================

Pre-Tournament qualifying round--February 17-18, 2017 ; Jornada 1: February 24, 2017 ; Jornada 2: March 3, 2017 (J2 links to full match video of both matches); Jornada 3 and 4 ; March 10, 2017 ; Jornada 5: March 17, 2017 ; Jornada 6: March 24, 2017 ; Final and 3rd Place Match: April 1, 2017 (Final and 3rd place links to full match videos of both matches).

Note: All explanatory information about the tournament can be found in the Pre-Tournament qualifying round--February 17-18 link above.

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Naiz article on young Basque players leaving for Fronton Mexico

Euskal Pilotarian Mexikon (Naiz) by Gotzon Aranburu (February 24, 2017). This is a feature article on 3 young players who will be leaving shortly for Mexico City, Mexico, to join the roster at Fronton Mexico, which is set to begin play in early March. The players are Aaron Gonzalez, Ekhi Martinez, and Julien del Rio. The article also provides background about the new endeavor.

The three players were recently featured in the Gran Fiesta de la Cesta Punta (Alavesa), covered in the blog a couple of weeks ago, with links to match video.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Main Nue--FFPB Championnat de France Elite Pro Individuel--Finals, February 19-20, 2017

The Main Nue Individuel Elite Pro Championnat de France A and B competition was sponsored by the  Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPB). The competition began on December 23, 2016 and ended on February 20, 2017. You can follow its progress here. Note: the "progress here" link has been changed to a (hopefully) persistent URL that covers the entire tournament (added March 18, 2017). That link is now present in every MNIEP CDF post. Pelotelive.free.fr also provided A and B coverage. The tournament was a seeded ladder tournament.

FFPB final summary, with links to match articles (Pilota Ttiki) for all matches and photos for the 2 finals.

* not listed on the Esku Pilota player pages at this time.

The A group consisted of Antton Amulet, Philippe Bielle, Bixintxo Bilbao, Pascal de Ezcurra, Baptiste Ducassou, Peio Guichandut, Ximun Lambert, Peio Larralde, Matheiu Ospital, and Agusti Waltary. The seeds, from low to high were: Amulet and Ospital (1/8), Bilbao and Waltary (Quarter-finals), and Larralde and Ducassou ("Liguilla").

The B group consisted of Gregory Aguirre, Jean-Philippe Benesse, Mickael Darmendrail, Vincent Elgart, Julien Etchegaray, Alexis Inchauspe, Laurent Lambert, Cedric Lucu, Alain Migueltorena, Antton Monce, Mattin Olcomendy*, and Mickael Palomes. The seeds, from low to high were: Darmendrail and L. Lambert (1/8), Palomes and Inchauspe (Quarter-finals), and Elgart and Monce ("Liguilla"). Note: Benesse was added to the Esku Pilota player pages sometime in January 2017.

The "Liguilla" phase was a round robin among the top 4 finishers (two who won their way in and two who were seeded in) which determined the finalists.

Article describing the competition (Esku Pilota)

December 23 2016-January 2, 2017;    January 6, 2017;  January 9, 2017;   January 14, 2017;  January 16, 2017 ;  January 20, 2017 ;  January 21, 2017 ;  January 23, 2017

Liguilla Semi-final Round 1-January 29-30, 2017

Liguilla Semi-final Round 2--February 3-6, 2017

Liguilla Semi-final Round 3--February 11-12, 2017

Finals:

February 19, 2017

Groupe A:

Trinquet Moderne, Bayonne (Baiona) (1)(2)

Ducassou defeated Ospital 40-27

Pre-match predictions from various experts (Pilota Ttiki)

Pre-match interviews with both players (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article with audio interviews with both players (Esku Pilota)

Match photos (FFPB)

Selected linescore  (winner always listed 1st) (Source: both match articles)

1-0; 3-3; 6-6; 11-6; 25-13; 25-17; 30-20; 30-25; 40-27

Ducassou was the better player on this day and won the A groupe CDF fairly easily. Runs of 5-0 and 14-7 put him in control at mid-match. After a 5-0 run by Ospital got him to within 5 points, Ducassou closed the match with a 10-2 run. Ducassou has played each of the last 3 finals. This was his 2nd win.

February 20, 2017

Groupe B:

Le Garat, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Donibane Garazi) (1)(2)

Etchegaray defeated Elgart 40-21

Preview article (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article with an audio interview with Julien Etchagaray (Esku Pilota)

Match statistics (spreadsheet format, Esku Pilota)

Match photos (FFPB)

Selected linescore (winners always listed 1st) (Source: Esku Pilota match article and match statistics spreadsheet)

2-2; 3-3; 7-3; 10-4; 15-5; 20-10, 26-14; 30-16; 31-19; 39-21; 40-21

Etchegaray easily won this rematch against Elgart, (who won the first Liguilla match 40-26) to claim the championship. After early equalities Etchegaray took the lead and continually lengthened it through the 6th decade. He finished with a flourish, a 9-2 run that almost doubled his opponent's total. Elgart was bothered by a bruised hand, but that should take nothing away from a dominating performance by Etchegarary.

For cumulative records of Main Nue elite professionals see the "Cumulative records of EP players" on the recurring results page on the right side of the blog.

For other match videos in other FFPB 2017 Championnat de France competitions see the FFPB CDF 2016-2017 National A and B match videos page on the right side of the blog.

Mano--Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas--Week 12

Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas, the premier doubles competition of the 2016-2017 Mano season, began December 2, 2016. 8 teams compete for the title. The first (league) phase is a double round robin (14 matches). The top 4 finishers will then face off in a single round robin (3 matches). The two winners will play in a final on April 9, 2017.

Asegarce Competition Page

Asegarce League phase table

ASPE League phase table

Wikipedia Competition Page (Castilian)

Full ongoing league phase table (with total points and differential):

Source for all match articles, unless otherwise specifically stated, is 21iguales.com  21iguales.com will also keep an ongoing phase table at its main Parejas site and with every match article.

Match linescores will be provided from match articles when available. Full match linescores can be found at 21iguales.com Twitter feed.  Track back to the date and match and follow from beginning to en The feed is also available at the Main site of 21iguales.com while the matches are in progress.

Source for all highlights and full match videos, unless otherwise specifically stated, is EITB.

Week 1;  Week 2;  Week 3;  Week 4;  Week 5;  Week 6;  Week 7Week 8 ; Week 9 ; Week 10;  Week 11

Week 12

February 17, 2017

A. Uranzu,  Irun (1)(2)(3):  Elezkano II-Zabaleta defeated Victor (substituting for Artola)-Albisu 22-6

Match article with statistics and linescore (Deia)

The most important thing to come out of this victory was the point differential. Though E-Z and A-A both have identical records, E-Z have a +40 point differential and are in 2nd place in the League. A-A, who have lost their last 2 matches by 10 and 16 points, saw their point differential dive to -18 and, though still in the logjam of  4 teams tied for 2nd place, fell out of the top 4. They need nothing more than a win, and they need one desperately. Yet again, a surplus of errors (12, according to the Deia account), did not help their cause. Runs of 6 at the beginning (0-1--6-1) and 9 at the end (13-6--22-6) book ended the match for an easy E-Z win, which also broke a 2 match losing streak.

E-Z 6-6 +40 (+1 ) A-A 6-6- -18 (-2)

Match highlights

Full match video (match begins at 1 hour, 24 minutes, 23 seconds on the video).

In other news, Inaki Artola is scheduled to return to action in Week 13 after being out 9 weeks with a dislocated shoulder. With Victor Esteban as a substitute, the team won 4 and lost 5.


February 18, 2017

B. Ogueta, Vitoria-Gasteiz (1)(2): Irribarria-Rezusta defeated Altuna III-Merino I (substituting for Barriola) 22-12


Irribarria's +15 -3 led the way as I-R easily defeated A-M (who substituted for Barriola, unable to play due to a hand injury). The win mathematically clinched first place in the League phase for I-R. The match was close until an 8-2 run in mid-match allowed I-R to win easily. A-B lost their 5th consecutive match and now have the fewest victories in the league.

I-R 10-2 +61 (+3)!  A-B 4-8 -61 (-5)

! guaranteed 1st place in the League phase

Match highlights

Full match video (EITB) (match begins at 54:48 on the video)

February 19, 2017

C. Astelena, Eibar (1)(2): Ezkurdia-Merino II defeated Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe 22-8

Match article with statistics and linescore

In B-L's last 3 matches (Weeks 9-11, beginning with their 22-21 upset of Irribarria-Rezusta, the second time they defeated I-R in the League phase), Bengoetxez VI's scoring statistics were, by one source or another +14 -2, +9 -4, and +15 -4. These numbers were at the heart of a 3 match winning streak that gave them a solid position in the race for a Semi-final League place. In this match his statistics were, according to 21iguales.com, +4 -7. The 4 points were the only winners scored by his team. That, combined with -15 by his team, led to a very heavy defeat to E-M, who were wobbling 2 weeks ago but have recovered nicely. They carry a strong point differential into the last two weeks of the tournament. Three 5-0 runs, at the start, in the middle, and at the end of the match, led to an easy victory. 

E-M 6-6 +27 (+2) B-L 6-6- -13 (-1)  

Match highlights

Full match video (match begins at 55:40 on the video)

February 20, 2017

D.  Beotibar, Tolosa (1)(2): Urrutikoetxea-Imaz defeated  Olaizola II-Untoria 22-21

Match article with statistics and linescore

For the second consecutive week, U-I won by the minimum. O-U have now lost 2 consecutive matches, by 2 points and the minimum. On the micro level of this match, it was a Urrutikoetxea special. Trailing 3-8, 4-11, and 13-18, U-I fashioned an 9-3 run to win. On the macro level of the tournament, Urrutikoetxea is trying to fashion the same kind of "victory." His team has been at the foot of the table for most of the season. After a crushing 22-9 defeat by Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe in Week 10 they had a 3-7 record and seemed relegated to "playing out the string." In these kinds of situations, Urrutikoetxea, as we have seen time and again, is at his best. The two wins have given his team a chance. They only need to defeat the top two ranked teams in the League by big margins, and have several other matches fall their way. Seemingly impossible, but never count Urrutikoetxea out.

O-U 5-7- -2 (-2) U-I 5-7- -34 (+2)

Match highlights

Match highlights (21iguales.com) (11 selected points).

There was no full match video for this match.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Pala--2017 Mundo Parejas begins

Pre-Tournament qualifying round--February 17-18 ; Jornada 1: February 24, 2017 ; Jornada 2: March 3, 2017 (J2 links to full match video of both matches); Jornada 3 and 4 Jornada 5: March 17, 2017 ; Jornada 6: March 24, 2017Final and 3rd Place Match: April 1, 2017 (Final and 3rd place links to full match videos of both matchs).

============================================

Mundial Parejas, the premier long court Pala Tournament, began  February 17-18, 2017. The tournament, sponsored by Munduko Pilota Batzarra (World Pilota Council) is set up in a unique way. In each round the partnerships change. It features 8 InnPala professionals, 4 front court (delanteros) and 4 back (zagueros). The tournament will be played as a double round robin, with each player pairing with 3 others in each round, for a total of 6 matches.  At the end of the competition the top two delanteros pair up with the top two zagueros and play in a final. There is also a 3rd place match. The scoring for the tournament is based completely on joko (set) scores: 3-0=100pts, 3-1=80pts, 3-2=60pts, 2-3=40pts, 1-3=20pts, 0-3=0pts. The scoring system emphasizes the importance of every joko, no matter what the situation of any match.

All matches will be played at Mungia, (1)(2) the "Cathedral" of long court Pala (Pala Larga (1)(2)).

Complete tournament information (.pdf format, 11p), including match schedule and partnerships, rules of the tournament, and a listing of past winners going back to 2007. (Source: Munduko Pilota Batzarra).

Player information (Source: Munduko Pilota Batzarra). Note: the "dossier" link on this page connects to the above tournament information pamphlet.

InnPala Tournament page

Preview article: (mundodeportivo.com)

Preview article: (Deia)

2016 Final full match video: Fusto-Brefel defeated Gaubeka-Imanol 3-2 (10-8, 8-10, 10-6, 7-10, 10-7) (EITB). For those who are unfamiliar with the traditional long court game, this is a great example of it. For those who know and love the form, it is, quite simply, a superb match.

=================================

February 17-18, 2017

Pre-Tournament qualifying round

February 17:

1. Landeta-Gordon defeated Zubiri-Ibargarai 3-0 (10-9, 10-7, 10-8) (30-24). (Source: InnPala Twitter feed and Dairio Vasco Cartelera, February 18, 2017).

An independent match preceded this match. These players are already qualified for the tournament.

Fusto-Ibai Perez defeated Necol-Imanol 3-2 (7-10, 10-5, 10-1, 6-10, 10-6 (43-32). (Source: Dairio Vasco Cartelera, February 18, 2017).

February 18, 2017

2. Landeta-Ibargarai defeated Zubiri-Gordon 3-1 (7-10, 10-9, 10-6, 10-9)  (37-34). Source: Dairio Vasco Cartelera, February 19, 2017).

Final table, Qualifying Round

Key: Player; Match record; joko record; tournament points (these points do not carry over into the tournament).

Delanteros:

Landeta 2-0 (W 3-0=100pts., W 3-1=80pts.). 180pts.
Zubiri     0-2  (L 0-3=0pts., L 1-3=20pts). 20 pts.

Zagueros:

Gordon 1-1 (W 3-0=100pts., L 1-3=20pts.) 120pts.
Ibargarai 1-1 (L 0-3=0pts., W 3-1=80pts.)      80pts.

Landeta and Gordon qualify for the tournament. Zubiri and Ibargarai are eliminated but will be available to substitute in case of illness or injury.

L and G put tremendous pressure on Z and I by sweeping the Friday night match. Z and I were forced to sweep their match in order to have a chance to make the tournament. The qualifiers were in doubt until the last point of the 2nd joko Saturday night. Ibargarai was eliminated after the 1st joko, Zubiri after the 2nd. With nothing left to play for, the two Saturday pairs still completed a closely fought match.

A player to watch, perhaps, in the tournament is Ander Landeta. His play has consistently improved since the beginning of the 2016-17 season. He began with a 5 match losing streak in La Liga. Since then, he has won 5 and lost 2. During the 5 match losing streak his joko record was 4-15. Since then his joko record is 19-11. In jokos decided by 3 points or less in the qualifying round of this tournament, he was 5-1. The format of this tournament is very difficult, as there is no continuity (and comfort level) between partners.  Landeta, so far, has adapted well to the format. It will be interesting to see if he continues to improve.

=================================

Table of wins and losses for the 2016-2017 season.

Key: Player; Position (d=delantero (front court), z=zaguero (back court)); match wins-losses; joko (set) wins-losses; winning-losing streak; championships won. Matches that are single partidos will be noted. Table will be according to match winning percentage. 1st tie breaker will be number of wins. 2nd tie breaker will be joko win-loss differential. We begin the season with  La Liga Kutxabank, starting October 29, 2016.

February 18, 2017

Championships:  L=La Liga; MI-Mundial Individual

Gaubeka(d)......7-4.....25-21...-2*....1(L)
Fusto(d)............7-6.....26-26..+2
Zubiri(d)...........8-8.....31-29...-3*
Landeta(d).......5-7.....23-26...+2
Necol(d)...........6-9.....29-34...-2

Ibai-Perez(z).....11-3...37-21..+5*....2(L, MI)
Ibargari(z)..........8-8....32-31...+1
Brefel(z).............5-5....20-19...-1
Gordon(z)...........6-8....25-30....-1
Imanol(z)............3-8...17-28.....-2*

Includes Feb. 17, 2017 independent match: Fusto-Ibai Perez defeated Necol-Imanol  3-2 (7-10, 10-5, 10-1, 6-10, 10-6) at Mungia.

Includes Dec. 30, 2016 independent match: Landeta-Imanol defeated Zuberi--Ibai-Perez 3-1 (10-8, 7-10, 10-9, 10-7) at Bizkaia.

*Does not include the result of Nov.25, 2016 independent match Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez v Zubiri-Imanol. The result is unknown at this time. I will add it when I find it.

Includes Nov. 19, 2016 independent match: Zuberi-Ibargari defeated Necol-Gordon 3-0 (10-8, 10-3, 10-9) at Bizkaia.

For cumulative accounting of this player table see the InnPala Player win-loss table under the Pala page on the right side of the blog

============================================

Pre-Tournament qualifying round--February 17-18 ; Jornada 1: February 24, 2017 ; Jornada 2: March 3, 2017 (J2 links to full match video of both matches); Jornada 3 and 4 Jornada 5: March 17, 2017 ; Jornada 6: March 24, 2017Final and 3rd Place Match: April 1, 2017 (Final and 3rd place links to full match videos of both matchs).

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Paleta Pelote de Gomme Pleine (Trinquet)--FFPB Championat de France National A and B Finals and Semi-Finals

The Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPB) completed its men's Paleta Pelote de Gomme Pleine Trinquet Championnat de France finals in 4 classifications on February 18, 2017 at Pau (1)(2). There is excellent match video (extensive highlights and, for the National A final, full match video) available. Watching a full match video of this fast moving sport is highly entertaining and educational. For those who aren't familiar with this modality, FFPB provides a quick introduction to the tools and pelota here.  It is played with a small solid rubber ball. While this isn't a crash helmet sport, the ball moves with great speed. Watching it being played on a trinquet court is somewhat like watching a human pin ball machine. It combines speed, power, and finesse into long, fascinating points. When played at this level, it is quite compelling.

National A:

Pelotelive.free.fr competition page.

Final:

February 18, 2017

Luzean (Saint Jean de Luz) (Ramuntcho Amestoy-Stéphane Suzanne--red).defeated Section Paloise (Pau) (Olivier Laberdesque-Baptiste Hourçourigaray--white) 40-37.

Match article  (for this match and the other three finals)(Source: FFPB)

Condensed linescore (winners always listed first)

1-0; 1-3; 2-3; 2-5; 3-5; 3-11; 5-11; 5-12; 8-12; 8-13; 12-13; 12-15; 13-15; 13-16; 15-16; 15-23; 16-23; 16-27; 17-27; 17-28; 21-28; 21-29; 26-29; 26-31; 29-31; 29-32; 30-32; 30-33; 31-33; 31-34; 35-34; 35-35;  36-35; 36-37; 40-37

Equalities:

1-1; 34-34; 35-35; 36-36; 37-37

Decades:

3-7; 8-12; 14-16; 16-24; 21-29; 29-31; 35-35

Lead changes: 4 (3 after 34-34)

Scoring. Note the scoring is based on my subjective judgment. You may see it differently. Let this be a point of departure. Rules I follow: 1. Any serve that is not returned is credited as a service ace. 2. Errors are charged on the basis of whether a reasonable effort would have kept the point going. Errors of aggression are treated the same as errors of execution.  I rely heavily on crowd reaction and player body language, as well as the above rules. In the case of a close call, my bias is for winners rather than errors. On close calls, winners make two players happy. Errors make two players angry.

Amestoy +19  (including 3 service aces) -5; Suzanne +12 -3
Laberdesque +22 (including 2 service aces) -6; Hourçourigaray +7 -3

Balls in play: 1107

Number of balls in play/Number of points

0-9/29
10-19/30
20-29/9
30-39/5
40-49/1
50-59/2
61/1

Source for all match video: Toute sur la Pelote Basque Facebook and/or Youtube site via pelotelive.free.fr If you watch the video via PFF, make sure to "desactiver" PFF's auto refresh function or the video will stop.

Full match video and selected match video.

This was a classic youth-power v experience-finesse match. A-S have played in the last 5 consecutive CDF National A finals in this modality (Source: FFPB competitions-resultats and pelotelive.free.fr), This was their 4th win in that span. They were on the back foot for much of the match, after leading 1-0. They trailed 3-11 early on in the match. Their largest deficit was 16-27 and 17-28. Laberdesque dominated the match early. But A-S never panicked, never screamed in frustration or tossed a paleta. They played with cool intellect and very slowly worked their way back into the match. Both players seemed always to be in the right spot at the right time. Their shot making ability (Amestoy's deadly accuracy in front and Suzanne's long range right wall shots) and great Suzanne defense began to take their toll. After their long uphill battle to equality and then a 36-35 lead, they again fell behind 36-37. What followed was classic clutch play. Beautiful winners by Suzanne, Amestoy, Suzanne, and Amestoy closed out yet another CDF for S-A. L-H played extremely well also. Only in the 7th decade, by my scoring, did they slightly crack under the pressure, with 3 errors. In the end it was the experience, intelligence, calmness under pressure, and execution of the champions that made the difference.

MY ARTICLE: Luzean (Saint Jean de Luz) v Section Paloise (Pau): enhanced point by point linescore.

Semi-finals:

February 11, 2017

1. Luzean (Saint Jean de Luz) (Ramuntcho Amestoy-Stéphane Suzanne--black) defeated Societe Nautique (Bayonne) (Bruno Gordachar-Stephane Hardoy--green) 40-29

 Selected match video

2. Section Paloise (Pau) (Olivier Laberdesque-Baptiste Hourçourigaray--white) defeated  C.A. Begelais (Begles) (Pierre Laxalde-Patxi Guillenteguy--blue) 40-28.

Selected match video

National B:

Pelotelive.free.fr competition page.

Final:

February 18, 2017

Uhaldean (Bardos) (Jean Abad-Benat Abad--white) defeated Billere Pilotari Club (Billere) (Grégory Oncins-Patrick Inchaurraga--blue) 40-31.

A 16-5 (or 16-6--FFPP resultats had the score 40-31 but the match article said 40-32) run at the end of the match gave the victory to A-A, Their direct point making (filet shots) along with the athletic ability of Benat Abad were crucial to the victory.

Selected match video

Semi-finals

February 11, 2017

1. Uhaldean (Bardos) (Jean Abad-Benat Abad--blue) defeated U.S. Tyrossaise (Saint Vincent de Tyrosse) (Kevin Hiton-Thomas Etchebarne--white) 40-38.

Selected match video

2. Billere Pilotari Club (Billere) (Grégory Oncins-Patrick Inchaurraga--blue) defeated Section Paloise 3 (Pau) (Benoit Ponthieu-Alexandre Lolibe--white) 40-27.

Selected match video

For other match videos from other FPPB CDF competitions see the FFPB CDF 2016-2017 National A and B match videos  page on the right side of the blog.

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Pala--Deia feature article on Ibai Perez

Deia has recently published a feature article on La Liga and Mundial Individual champion Ibai Perez. The article provides insights into the amount of work and training behind his rise up the InnPala ladder. It also provides background information on how he became a professional Pala player.

Ibai Pérez, el constructor de txapelas y sueños, by Igor. G. Vico (February 17, 2017)

Friday, February 17, 2017

Pala--InnPala Rankings Update--February 15,.2017

Innpala has published a new ranking table as of February 15, 2017. It is the first ranking table of the year that is correctly dated. I assume it includes the results of the  Mundial Individual competition. It is unknown at this time if this is a correction of the February 10, 2017 ranking below or is an update of that table. This is assumed to be the most up to date InnPala ranking table: (added February 16, 2017.

February 15, 2017

Delanteros (front) Zagueros (back)

Gaubeka 102 Ibai 132
Necol 84 Ibargarai108
Fusto 84 Gordon 63
Zubiri 66 Brefel 60
Landeta 51 Imanol 54

Rankings, along with explanation 

Mundial Individual was a 3 diamond (***) tournament.

InnPala has published a new ranking table including the results of the Mundial Individual competition. Rankings are by player position: They are:

February 10, 2017

Delanteros Zagueros
(Front)        (Back)

Gaubeka  96 Ibai   132
Necol  68 Ibargarai  88
Fusto  66 Brefel  56
Zubiri  60 Gordon  50
Landeta  44 Imanol  44

Rankings, along with explanation 

Mundial Individual was a 3 diamond (***) tournament.

Note that the InnPala ranking date has not yet been changed as of February 13, 2017

====================================

Previous ranking table (January 7, 2017)

InnPala has published its first rankings table for the 2016-17 season. Rankings are current through the end of the recently completed La Liga Kutxabank competition. Rankings are by player position. They are:
 
Delanteros       Zagueros
(Front)            (Back)

Gaubeka  66     Ibai-Perez 66
Necol      44     Ibargarai  44
Zubiri      36     Brefel      36
Fusto       30     Gordon    30
Landeta   24     Imanol     24

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Mano--Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas--Week 11

Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas, the premier doubles competition of the 2016-2017 Mano season, began December 2, 2016. 8 teams compete for the title. The first (league) phase is a double round robin (14 matches). The top 4 finishers will then face off in a single round robin (3 matches). The two winners will play in a final on April 9, 2017.

Asegarce Competition Page

Asegarce League phase table

ASPE League phase table

Wikipedia Competition Page (Castilian)

Full ongoing league phase table (with total points and differential):

Source for all match articles, unless otherwise specifically stated, is 21iguales.com  21iguales.com will also keep an ongoing phase table at its main Parejas site and with every match article.

Match linescores will be provided from match articles when available. Full match linescores can be found at 21iguales.com Twitter feed.  Track back to the date and match and follow from beginning to en The feed is also available at the Main site of 21iguales.com while the matches are in progress.

Source for all highlights and full match videos, unless otherwise specifically stated, is EITB.

Week 1;  Week 2;  Week 3;  Week 4;  Week 5;  Week 6;  Week 7Week 8 ; Week 9 ; Week 10

Week 11

February 10, 2017

A. Urduliz (1)(2): Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe defeated Olaizola II-Untoria 22-20

Match article with statistics and linescore

In a very long (76 minutes) and hard fought (687 balls in play) match where there were 4 lead changes and 8 tie scores (the teams were never separated by more than 4 points), B-L made the last comeback to defeat O-U. Bengoetxea VI was the star of the match (+15 -4 according to 21igaules.com). The point beginning at 19-16 O-U (2:00:45--2:01:58 on the video) was a very controversial one. Oliazola II appeared to win the point with a cross court shot. However the ball was ruled to have hit below the line on the wall. 20-16 became 19-17. Watch the video and judge for yourself.  The 3rd consecutive win for B-L moved them into the top 4 and dropped O-U out of the top 4, for the moment.

B-L 6-5- +1 (+3) O-U 5-6- -1 (-1)

I was unable to find match highlights for this match.

Full match video (EITB) (match begins at 57 minutes 59 seconds on the video)

February 11, 2017

B. Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2): Irribarria-Rezusta defeated Elezkano II-Zabaleta 22-18


After a slow start, I-R used an 8-0 run to establish a 12-7 lead. E-Z fought back and were able to equalize at 16 and 18, but then Irribarria took matters into his own hands, scoring 3 of the last 4 points, 2 on cross court shots and 1 on a cross court shot that set up his winning shot. The other point came on a Zabaleta error that ended the 21-18 point, which consumed 43 balls in play. The win guaranteed I-R a place in the Semi-final League. E-Z are still among the top 4, but only because of their point differential.

I-R 9-2 +51 (+2)*  E-Z 5-6 +24 (-2)

* guaranteed place in Semi-final League

Match highlights (highlights for this match from 0:00-0:51)

Full match video (EITB--Basque) (match begins at 16:28 on the video).

Full match video (fronton.tv--Castilian) (scroll to "Labrit-Pamplona - 11/02/2017".) Final 4 points begin at 51:31 on the video.

C. Ereta, Tafalla (1) (2): Ezkurdia-Merino II defeated Victor (substituting for Artola)-Albisu 22-12

Match article with statistics and linescore

E-M's desperately needed victory broke their 3 match losing streak and stopped A-A's 3 match winning streak. It also helped their Semi-final League chances. At the heart of their victory was a 10-0 run that gave them a 15-6 lead. A-A's 16 errors (according to 21iguales.com), equally split, hurt their cause and denied them a chance to move into uncontested possession of 2nd place in the competition.

E-M 5-6 +13 (+1)  A-A 6-5- -2 (-1)

Match highlights

Full match video (match begins at 56:33 on the video)

February 12, 2017

D.  La Universidad de la Pelota, Markina-Xemein (1)(2): Urrutikoetxea-Imaz defeated Altuna III-Barriola 22-21

Match article with statistics and linescore

The two teams at the bottom of the table switched places based on point differential after U-I won an exciting match by the minimum. An 8-0 run gave U-I a seemingly safe 16-9 lead. But A-B fought back from 19-13 to equalize to equalize at 21. Urrutikoetxea won it with a perfect left wall dejada, sending A-B to their 4th consecutive defeat. Both teams still have chances at Semi-final League places, but there is little room for error with their point differentials. And they will need a lot of other match results to go their way.

U-I 4-7- -35 (+1)  A-B 4-7 -51 (-4)

Match highlights (highlights for this match from 0:51-end of the video)

There was no full match video for this match.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Main Nue--FFPB Championnat de France Elite Pro Individuel--Semi-final Liguilla Round 3, February 11-12, 2017

The Main Nue Individuel Elite Pro Championnat de France A and B competition is sponsored by the  Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPB). The competition began on December 23, 2016 and will end on February 20, 2017. You can follow its progress here.  Pelotelive.free.fr also provides A and B coverage. The tournament is a seeded ladder tournament.

* not listed on the Esku Pilota player pages at this time.

The A group consists of Antton Amulet, Philippe Bielle, Bixintxo Bilbao, Pascal de Ezcurra, Baptiste Ducassou, Peio Guichandut, Ximun Lambert, Peio Larralde, Matheiu Ospital, and Agusti Waltary. The seeds, from low to high are: Amulet and Ospital (1/8), Bilbao and Waltary (Quarter-finals), and Larralde and Ducassou ("Liguilla").

The B group consists of Gregory Aguirre, Jean-Philippe Benesse, Mickael Darmendrail, Vincent Elgart, Julien Etchegaray, Alexis Inchauspe, Laurent Lambert, Cedric Lucu, Alain Migueltorena, Antton Monce, Mattin Olcomendy*, and Mickael Palomes. The seeds, from low to high are: Darmendrail and L. Lambert (1/8), Palomes and Inchauspe (Quarter-finals), and Elgart and Monce ("Liguilla"). Note: Benesse was added to the Esku Pilota player pages sometime in January 2017.

The "Liguilla" phase is a round robin among the top 4 finishers (two who win their way in and two who are seeded in) which will determine the finalists.

Article describing the competition (Esku Pilota)

December 23 2016-January 2, 2017;    January 6, 2017;  January 9, 2017;   January 14, 2017;  January 16, 2017 ;  January 20, 2017 ;  January 21, 2017 ;  January 23, 2017

Liguilla Semi-final Round 1-January 29-30, 2017

Liguilla Semi-final Round 2--February 3-6, 2017

Liguilla Semi-final Round 3--February 11-12, 2017

The Semi-final Liguilla finished with two matches (one of which was cancelled) that had no bearing on the finals, and two matches that had all to play for. On Saturday at Villefranque the match between Ducassou and Bilbao (A) was cancelled due to Bilbao's broken finger. Elgart (B) completed a perfect Liguilla but had punched his ticket to the final a week before. Both Sunday matches at Irissarry were for finals berths. Etchegaray (B) won his match easily and Ospital (A), in perhaps the surprise of the tournament, eliminated last year's champion and will now face the champion from 2 years ago in the final.

Final Liguilla table:

Groupe A.

Ducassou.2-0...(+35)
Ospital.....2-1...(-6)
Larralde...1-2...(-7)
Bilbao......0-2...(-22)

Groupe B

Elgart..............3-0....(+37)
Etchegaray......2-1....(+14)
Monce.............1-2....(-17)
Benesse...........0-3....(-34)

February 11, 2017

Villefranque (1)(2)(3)

Preview article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)

1. Groupe B: Elgart defeated Benesse 40-29

2. The Groupe A match was replaced by "une partie amicale" between Amulet and Waltary. Amulet defeated Waltary 40-31

Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article for Groupe B Match (Esku Pilota)

1. Elgart v Benesse

Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)

7 equalities to 10-10; 16-10; 20-12; 40-29

The match was a tuneup for the final for Elgart. He broke open a close contest in the 3rd decade and won easily. He now faces Etchegaray (whom he defeated 40-26 in Round 1)  in the Final at Le Garat (Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port) on February 20.

2. Amulet v Waltary

Partial linescore (winner always listed first) (source: Pilota Ttiki)

17-3; 19-12; 40-31

Amulet took control early and, though Waltary cut the lead in half, he never really threatened.

February 12, 2017

Irissarri (1)(2)

Preview article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)

1. Groupe B: Etchegaray defeated Monce 40-23

2. Groupe A: Ospital defeated Larralde 40-35

Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article for both matches, along with an audio interview with Mathieu Ospital and links to both full match videos (Esku Pilota) Note that both match videos are also available at the Esku Pilota Youtube site (see links below).

Match statistics (spreadsheet format, Esku Pilota) (added February 16, 2017)

1. Etchegaray v Monce

Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: Pilota Ttiki and Esku Pilota Youtube full match video)

9-16; 18-18; 28-19; 33-22; 33-23; 40-23

For the second consecutive round, Etchegaray came back from a large early deficit to win convincingly. Against Elgart in the final such a start may be disastrous. The strength of Etchegaray's game can be seen in the last 7 points of the match, which he totally dominated with a filet winner, a high, deep winner, a left roof winner, a two wall (right to left) winner, and 3 terrific service aces (off the left roof, deep left, and short left).

Full match video (Esku Pilota Youtube)

33-23--40-23 (45:15-50:53 if your device doesn't parse this segment)

2. Ospital v Larralde 

Partial linescore and match chart (pelotelive.free.fr)

From the nadir of 1-20 and 4-30 on his way to a devastating Liguilla Round 1 match defeat by Ducassou, Ospital came all the way back, defeating first Bilbao, and then, in the surprise of the tournament so far, Larralde. He broke open an even match (22-22) with 11 consecutive points, and then held off a couple of Larralde rallies to earn a rematch with Ducassou in the final at Trinquet Moderne, Bayonne on February 19.

Ospital is fascinating to watch. He has a very deliberate style. He takes an age to serve, sometimes pulling out his handkerchief and mopping his face, other times bouncing the ball 15-20 times. He ponders the front wall (which at Irissarry looks like a matte painting of interstellar space from a 1950s sci-fi film). Then he looks back at his opponent and moves languidly to his serve. The slowness of his approach belies the terrific athletic ability he has. He is also a shot maker extraordinaire. In this match he made filet shots. All Elite Pros make filet shots. But Ospital doesn't use the filet. That is too large a target, too easy for a great defender like Larralde to pull out of the filet and save before it lands. No. No. Ospital uses the wooden frames(!) that hold the filet up, landing his shots on the top of the bottom frame (on the fly) or on the bottom of the top frame (on the bounce). He deals in millimeters. They are really unstoppable shots. I am fairly new to Main Nue and so perhaps these shots are not as amazing as I think. But when other players make them, they seem accidental. With Ospital (in this match anyway), they seemed deadly deliberate. If you watch the segment that basically won him the match, you will see some of these.

I wouldn't care to predict who will win the final (my prediction on this match, which I thought was a "sure thing", cost me 5 points at pelotelive.free.fr). I will say this. I don't think anyone is going to win 40-17.

Full match video (Esku Pilota Youtube)

22-22--33-22 (45:31-55:33 if your device doesn't parse this segment)

For cumulative records of Main Nue elite professionals see the "Cumulative records of EP players" on the recurring results page on the right side of the blog.

For other match videos in other FFPB 2017 Championnat de France competitions see the FFPB CDF 2016-2017 National A and B match videos page on the right side of the blog.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Pala--Mundial Individual--Final and 3rd place match--February 10, 2017

Mundial Individual 2017, the premier InnPala singles tournament, began January 14, 2017. It was a single elimination, seeded ladder tournament that involved the entire InnPala roster. The short court tournament was played at Bizkaia Fronton, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1)(2). Two matches were played every weekend. Seeding, from low to high: Brefel and Imanol; Ibai-Perez and Ibargarai (quarter finals); Fusto and Gaubeka (semi-finals). For more on the tournament see the tournament page at InnPala. The final was played on February 10.

Preview article (mundodeportivo.com)

Preview article (Naiz)

The articles note that Fusto is the favorite, seeded in at the semi-final level, having won all 5 of the finals played at Bizkaia (2012-16). He also won in 2009. If he wins this tournament, he will equal Oscar Insausti's record of 7 singles championships. The articles also note that Esteban Gaubeka, last year's runner up, is suffering from shoulder tendinitis, but hopes to be ready to play his first match (seeded in at the semi-final level) on February 4.

Play in Round--January 14, 2014

Second Round--January 21, 2017

Quarter-final Round--January 27, 2017

Semi-final Round--February 3, 2017

Final and 3rd place match--February 10, 2017

Joko (set) score sources: EITB

Final:

1. Ibai Perez defeated Ibargarai 3-0 (10-3, 10-8, 10-6) (30-17)

Match preview article (mundodeportivo.com)

Match article (Deia)

Match article (cardenaser.com)

Full match video (EITB) (match begins at 33 minutes 24 seconds on the video). Note: the 3rd place match (see below) is at the beginning of the video.

Individual joko linescores (winner always listed 1st)

Joko 1: 1-0; 2-0; 3-0; 4-0; 5-0; 5-1; 5-2; 6-2; 7-2; 8-2; 8-3; 9-3; 10-3 (1-0)

Joko 2: 1-0; 1-1; 1-2; 1-3; 1-4; 2-4; 2-5; 3-5; 4-5; 4-6; 4-7; 5-7; 5-8; 6-8; 7-8; 8-8-8; 9-8; 10-8 (2-0)

Joko 3: 0-1; 0-2; 1-2; 2-2; 3-2; 4-2; 5-2; 5-3; 5-4; 6-4; 6-5; 7-5; 8-5; 9-5; 9-6; 10-6 (3-0)

Scoring (EITB:

Ibai Perez +13 -8
Ibargarai   +9  -17

Balls in Play: 268; Ibai Perez 139, Ibargarai 129

Time of the match: 45:16

Ibai Perez won his second major championship in a month by dominating Ibargarai. In this tournament IP won his last 8 consecutive jokos and 9 of the 10 he played to sweep through the last 3 rounds. He has won 15 of his last 17 jokos in tournament play this year. He outplayed Ibargarai in all facets of the match. After an Ibargarai error to open the match, IP announced his intentions by winning the next 3 points with 2 two wall shots and 1 left wall winner. When he is playing as he has in La Liga (full match video of La Liga final available at the link), IP needs little help. Ibargarai helped quite a bit with -17. However he did play some stellar pala in the second joko, which he had completely in hand after winning the 5-8 point (59:30--1:00:46 on the video), the longest and most exciting point of the entire match. It consumed 24 balls in play and featured several great saves by each player, including one seemingly impossible rebote by both. Unfortunately, Ibargarai immediately dissipated the momentum such a point should have provided with a service fault. IP ran out the joko and then the match. An interesting aside. At 50:34 on the video (1-2, 2nd joko) IP broke his bat cleanly in two along the vertical. With half a bat he was able to make one successful return before missing a second.

3rd place match:

Fusto defeated Gaubeka 3-0 (10-4, 10-6, Gaubeka retired with an injured shoulder). (20-10).

Individual joko linescores (winner always listed 1st).

Joko 1: 0-1; 1-1; 2-1; 3-1; 3-2; 4-2; 5-2; 5-3; 6-3; 7-3; 7-4; 8-4; 9-4; 10-4 (1-0)

Joko 2: 0-1; 0-2; 1-2; 1-3; 2-3; 3-3; 4-3; 4-4; 5-4; 6-4; 6-5; 7-5; 8-5; 9-5; 9-6; 10-6. (2-0).

Scoring (EITB):

Fusto +14 -1
Gaubeka +9 -6

===============================

Table of wins and losses for the 2016-2017 season.

Key: Player; Position (d=delantero (front court), z=zaguero (back court)); match wins-losses; joko (set) wins-losses; winning-losing streak; championships won. Matches that are single partidos will be noted. Table will be according to match winning percentage. 1st tie breaker will be number of wins. 2nd tie breaker will be joko win-loss differential. We begin the season with  La Liga Kutxabank, starting October 29, 2016.

February 10, 2017 (end of Mundial Individual)

Championships:  L=La Liga; MI-Mundial Individual

Gaubeka(d)......7-4.....25-21...-2*....1(L)
Zubiri(d)..........8-6.....30-23...-1*
Fusto(d)............6-6.....23-24..+1
Necol(d)............6-8.....27-31...-1
Landeta(d).......3-7.....17-25....-1

Ibai-Perez(z).....10-3...34-19..+4*....2(L, MI)
Ibargari(z).........7-7....29-27...-1
Brefel(z).............5-5....20-19...-1
Gordon(z)...........5-7....21-27...-3
Imanol(z)............3-7...15-25....-1*

Includes Dec. 30, 2016 independent match: Landeta-Imanol defeated Zuberi--Ibai-Perez 3-1 (10-8, 7-10, 10-9, 10-7) at Bizkaia.

*Does not include the result of Nov.25, 2016 independent match Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez v Zubiri-Imanol. The result is unknown at this time. I will add it when I find it.

Includes Nov. 19, 2016 independent match: Zuberi-Ibargari defeated Necol-Gordon 3-0 (10-8, 10-3, 10-9) at Bizkaia.

 For cumulative accounting of this player table see the InnPala Player win-loss table under the Pala page on the right side of the blog.

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Gran Fiesta de la Cesta Punta Alavesa

On February 10, 2017 a "Gran Fiesta de la Cesta Punta," sponsored by the Federación Alavesa de Pelota Vasca, was held at Olave, Vitoria-Gasteiz (1)(2). In part it was a "send off" for three young players from Alava (Julien del Rio, Aaron Gonzalez, and Ekhi Martinez), who are turning professional and joining the roster for the new season at Fronton Mexico, scheduled to begin in early March,  The festival consisted of three quiniela matches. The first was a junior match featuring some of the younger boys and girls of the "escuela de Gasteiz Jai Alai." The second featured senior members from the Club Gasteiz Jai Alai, including the ex-professional Zarandona. The third was a 25 point match that featured Mikel Egiguren-Ekhi, Christophe Olha-del Rio, and Aaron-Gotzon Enbil.

Egiguren-Ekhi (blue) won the match: 25
Olha-del Rio (white) 17
Aaron-Enbil  (red) 16

Match article with 9 photos (Jai Alai News Facebook page)

Full match video (periscope.tv) Click on the right arrow inside the circle for the video.

Full match video of the two earlier matches (periscope.tv)

Gasteiz Jai Alai periscope.tv channel

Note that these are not commercial quality videos. There is no scoreboard and it is difficult to follow the scoring of the major match. But the video is of fairly high quality and gives you a chance to see the 3 new professionals that will be debuting at Fronton Mexico.

Friday, February 10, 2017

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta News Article--"The Conquest of El Dorado"

Noticias de Gipuzkoa has published an article titled "La Conquista de Eldorado," by Igor G. Vico. It describes the preparation of 18 young players who are in training in Hondarribia and will go to Mexico City for the beginning of Fronton Mexico's 4 month season scheduled for March 4. They will join long time professionals Imanol Lopez, Eric Irastorza, and Mikel Egiguren, as well as younger pros Jean Olharan, Xabi Inza, Jon Tambourindeguy, Nicolas Etcheto, and Chrstophe Olha. New players, among whom are Julien del Rio, Aaron Gonzalez, Jerome Portet, Julien Ihitsague, and Ludovic Laduche will also play. Portet and Laduche may be of particular interest as players with great potential.

The article also discusses the manner of how the season will be played (3 matches on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays). The second match will be the "Star" match. It also provides background information about the financing of the remodel of the classic fronton.

La Conquista de Eldorado (Castilian). Note that this is a long article. Translate.google.com will give non-Castilian speakers the gist of the story. Simply cut and paste the article into the translate box

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Main Nue--FFPB Championnat de France Elite Pro Individuel--Semi-final Liguilla Round 2, February 3-6, 2017

The Main Nue Individuel Elite Pro Championnat de France A and B competition is sponsored by the  Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPB). The competition began on December 23, 2016 and will end on February 20, 2017. You can follow its progress here (link to "resultats" from the FFPB home  page).  Pelotelive.free.fr also provides A and B coverage. The tournament is a seeded ladder tournament.

* not listed on the Esku Pilota player pages at this time.

The A group consists of Antton Amulet, Philippe Bielle, Bixintxo Bilbao, Pascal de Ezcurra, Baptiste Ducassou, Peio Guichandut, Ximun Lambert, Peio Larralde, Matheiu Ospital, and Agusti Waltary. The seeds, from low to high are: Amulet and Ospital (1/8), Bilbao and Waltary (Quarter-finals), and Larralde and Ducassou ("Liguilla").

The B group consists of Gregory Aguirre, Jean-Philippe Benesse, Mickael Darmendrail, Vincent Elgart, Julien Etchegaray, Alexis Inchauspe, Laurent Lambert, Cedric Lucu, Alain Migueltorena, Antton Monce, Mattin Olcomendy*, and Mickael Palomes. The seeds, from low to high are: Darmendrail and L. Lambert (1/8), Palomes and Inchauspe (Quarter-finals), and Elgart and Monce ("Liguilla"). Note: Benesse was added to the Esku Pilota player pages sometime in January 2017.

The "Liguilla" phase is a round robin among the top 4 finishers (two who win their way in and two who are seeded in) which will determine the finalists.

Article describing the competition (Esku Pilota)

December 23 2016-January 2, 2017;    January 6, 2017;  January 9, 2017;   January 14, 2017;  January 16, 2017 ;  January 20, 2017 ;  January 21, 2017 ;  January 23, 2017

Liguilla Semi-final Round 1-January 29-30, 2017

Liguilla Semi-final Round 2--February 3-6, 2017

The finals of the tournament began to come into focus after a long weekend of Round 2 Liguilla action. The matches were supposed to take place at Arcangues on February 3 and Armendaritz on February 5. The second Armendaritz match, a Liguilla Group A match between Ospital and Bilbao, had to be postponed due to condensation on the trinquet floor after a heavy storm. It was played on Monday, February 6 at Le Garat.

Ducassou (Group A) and Elgart (Group B) won matches that guaranteed them places in the final. Bilbao (Group A) and Benesse (Group B) suffered losses that eliminated them from the competition. The two remaining final places will be decided this Sunday at Irissarry between Etchegaray and Monce in Group B, followed by the Group A match between Larralde and Ospital.

Table after Round 2:

Groupe A.

Ducassou.2-0...(+35)
Larralde...1-1...(-2)
Ospital.....1-1...(-11)
Bilbao......0-2...(-22)

Groupe B

Elgart..............2-0....(+26)
Monce.............1-1....(0)
Etchegaray......1-1.....(-3)
Benesse...........0-2....(-23)

February 3, 2017

Arcangues (1) (2)

Preview article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)

1. Groupe B: Etchegaray defeated Benesse 40-29

2. Groupe A: Ducassou defeated Larralde 40-28

Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article for both matches, along with an audio interview with Baptiste Ducassou  (Esku Pilota).

1. Etchegaray v Benesse

Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)

0-7; 7-16; 18-16; 40-29

After getting off to a terrible start, Etchegary pulled the match back in his favor with an 11 point run, negating Benesse's 7 point run to start the match. Benesse never recovered and Etchegaray pulled away to win the match easily.

2. Ducassou v Larralde

Partial linescore (winner always listed first) (source: both match articles)

10-10, 17-10, 20-16, 25-19, 29-19, 40-28

In the marquee match of the tournament so far, Ducassou broke through with a 7 point run in the 3rd decade of the match and slowly expanded his lead to cruise to victory.

February 5, 2017

Elhina, Amindaritz (1) (2)

Preview articles for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)

1. Groupe B: Elgart defeated Monce 40-28

2. Groupe A: Ospital v Bilbao was postponed.

Match article (Pilota Ttiki)

The article also explains (in words and a photo) the circumstances surrounding the postponement.

Match article (Esku Pilota)

Match statistics (Esku Pilota, Spreadsheet format) (added February 10, 2017).

Elgart v Monce

Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)

14-14; 20-15; 20-16; 25-19; 30-19; 37-24; 37-28; 40-28

Note: the 20-15 point ended with Elgart falling on the wet floor and losing the point. The match was delayed 45 minutes at that point.

A 16-5 run in the middle of the match put Elgart in command. From there he stumbled slightly, but then recovered to win.

February 6, 2017

Le Garat, St. Jean-Pied-de-Port (1) (2)

Ospital defeated Bilbao 40-28

Match article (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article (Esku Pilota)

Match statistics (Esku Pilota, Spreadsheet format) (added February 10, 2017).

Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)

12-12; 40-28

Ospital got up off the floor after a massive defeat at the hands of Ducassou last weekend at Le Garat and, after a competitive start, took the match over and won easily.

For cumulative records of Main Nue elite professionals see the "Cumulative records of EP players" on the recurring results page on the right side of the blog.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Multiple Modalities--NEW RECURRING PAGE ADDED ON RIGHT SIDE OF THE BLOG--FFPB Championnat de France MATCH VIDEOS

I have added a page to the recurring results pages on the on the right side of the blog. The page will track match videos for the various Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPP) National A and B championships going on this winter. The videos come from various sources and I thought it would be interesting to compile them together in one place for ease of access. These are not commercial TV videos a la EITB or Canal+, but they are of high quality. The more serious fan can follow closely and keep track of the score (competition contexts are linked to as well as videos), but these are mostly for you to enjoy the action and variety of these sports. Some of these competitions may be covered in the blog itself.

FFPB CDF 2016-2017 National A and B match videos

Monday, February 6, 2017

Mano--Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas--Week 10

Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas, the premier doubles competition of the 2016-2017 Mano season, began December 2, 2016. 8 teams compete for the title. The first (league) phase is a double round robin (14 matches). The top 4 finishers will then face off in a single round robin (3 matches). The two winners will play in a final on April 9, 2017.

Asegarce Competition Page

Asegarce League phase table

ASPE League phase table

Wikipedia Competition Page (Castilian)

Full ongoing league phase table (with total points and differential):

Source for all match articles, unless otherwise specifically stated, is 21iguales.com  21iguales.com will also keep an ongoing phase table at its main Parejas site and with every match article.

Match linescores will be provided from match articles when available. Full match linescores can be found at 21iguales.com Twitter feed.  Track back to the date and match and follow from beginning to en The feed is also available at the Main site of 21iguales.com while the matches are in progress.

Source for all highlights and full match videos, unless otherwise specifically stated, is EITB.

Week 1;  Week 2;  Week 3;  Week 4;  Week 5;  Week 6;  Week 7Week 8 ; Week 9

Week 10

February 3, 2017

A. Atano III, Donostia (San Sebastian) (1)(2): Irribarria-Rezusta defeated Ezkurdia-Merino II 22-18

Match article with statistics and linescore

A. Two shutout runs by I-R (the first, a 7 point run that broke a 7-7 tie, the second, a 4 point run at 14-10) gave them enough to hold off a late E-M comeback 4 point shutout run of their own (21-14--21-18). The win guaranteed I-R a winning record in the Quarter-final League and all but punched their ticket to the Semi-final League. The individual +/- (according to 21iguales.com) showed Irribarria with a 2 point advantage over Ezkurdia and Rezusta with the same advantage over Merino II. This was the third consecutive close and hard fought defeat for E-M and dropped them to the lower half of the table.

 I-R 8-2 +47 (+1)  E-M 4-6 +3 (-3)

Match highlights

Full match video (EITB) (Basque) (match begins at 1 hour, 10 minutes, 45 seconds on the video).

Full match video (fronton.tv) (Castilian) Scroll to "San Sebastián - 03/02/2017"
(Added February 10, 2017).

February 4, 2017

B. Igarondo, Idiazabal (1) (2): Victor (substituting for Artola)-Albisu defeated Altuna III-Barriola 22-8


Two teams going in opposite directions continued on their paths as V-A easily defeated A-B. Runs of 6-1, 8-0, and 5-0  at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the match allowed them to cruise to victory. Victor continues to improve his game. Always a threat to be a big scorer,  he has been whittling away the errors in his game. The result is a much better +/- ratio. In this match, according to 21iguales.com, that ratio was +11 (+14 -3). Those types of ratios will help his team continue to improve. They moved into 2nd place in the table with this win. In theory, A-B are still only 1 win out of a playoff spot, but in reality their point differential (which has lost 24 points in the last two matches), makes their road much more difficult to travel.

A-A 6-4 +8 (+3) A-B 4-6- -50 (-3)

Match highlights (highlights for this match from 0:36-end of the video)

Match highlights (21iguales.com Youtube) (parts or all of 10 points)

There was no full match video for this match.

C.  Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2): Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe defeated Urrutikoetxea-Imaz 22-9


One of the indications of how much B-L dominated this match was that U-I were limited to +2, according to 21iguales.com (both winners by Urrutikoetxea). A 6-0 run at the beginning (3-2--9-2) and another one at the end (16-9--22-9) led to an easy victory. Imaz' 8 errors didn't help his team's cause. The win moved B-L closer to a place in the Semi-final League. U-I were mathematically eliminated from 1st place in the Quarter-final League and are now 2 wins from a semi-final league place with 4 matches to play. Their poor point differential means they must "run the table" with dominating wins, and have a lot of other matches go their way in order to get there.

B-L 5-5- -1 (+2) U-I 3-7- -36 (-2)

Match highlights (highlights for this match from 0;00-0:35) on the video)

Full match video (match begins at 1:03:45 on the video)

February 5, 2017

D.  Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1)(2):Olaizola II-Untoria defeated  Elezkano II-Zabaleta 22-15

Match article with statistics and linescore

O-U controlled the match from beginning to end. Only a belated rally by E-Z made the final score look closer than the match was. O-U led 8-3, 12-6, and 19-9. Olaizola II had a vintage match (1 dejada, 1 two wall, and 5 cross court winners are featured in the match highlights below). Untoria, who was shredded by the bombs of Irribarria and Rezusta two weeks ago, has been much improved since then. This victory got O-U back to the .500 mark for the first time in 4 weeks. They also moved into a the last Semi-final League playoff spot. Their position is tenuous now, but they are "trending up."

O-U 5-5- +1 (+2)  E-Z 5-5 +28 (-1)

Match highlights

Full match video (match begins at 1:00:12 on the video)