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)!!!

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.