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)!!!

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Mano--Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas--Week 14--End of League Phase

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 11Week 12Week 13

Week 14--End of the Quarter-final League phase

Table of the 4 teams that advance to the Semi-final League.

Key: Team, match record, point differential, winning-losing streak going into the final.

Irribarria-Rezusta: 12-2, +79,  +5
Elezkano-Zabaleta 7-7, +41  +1
Oliazola II-Untoria 7-7, +10 +2
Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe 7-7 -12, -1

The Semi-final League begins this weekend with O-U v B-L (Iruna) and I-R v E-Z (Eibar).

The long Quarter-final League finished last week, with some interesting, heart warming, and heart breaking results. I-R towered over the field in the first phase, but both their defeats (week 7 and 9) came at the hands of semi-finalists B-L.

March 3, 2017

A.  Bergara (1)(2)(3): Rezusta defeated  Victor 22-19

Match article with statistics and linescore

One of the most interesting things about this match was the venue, historic Bergara Municipal Fronton, which goes back to 1885 (see footnote link 2 above). I-R, with basically nothing to play for, dominated U-I, who still had a theoretical chance to make the Semi-final League. Down 8-6, they were still in the match. But a 12-0 run by I-R ended their tournament.  U-I's 3 match winning streak came to an end. I-R roar into the semi-finals, having won 5 consecutive matches.

I-R 12-2 +79 (+5) U-I 6-8- -46 (-1)

Match highlights

Full match video (EITB) (Basque) (match begins at 55 minutes, 10 seconds on the video)

Full match video (fronton.tv) (Castilian) Scroll to "Bergara - 03/03/2017".

March 4, 2017

B. Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2): Olaizola II-Untoria defeated Artola-Albisu 22-16


Artola had a good match (+9 -4, according to Deia), but could not overcome his partner, who had a bad day at the office (+2 -10). A 7-1 run early in the match set the tone, and, though A-A fought hard, their errors doomed their chances. O-U move on to the semi-finals. A-A finished their tournament with 4 consecutive defeats.

O-U 7-7- +10 (+2)  A-A 6-8- -27 (-4)

Match highlights

Full match video (EITB) (match begins at 1:10:55 on the video)

March 5, 2017

C. Adarraga, Logrono (1)(2): Altuna III-Barriola defeated Ezkurdia-Merino II 22-15

Match article with statistics and linescore

Barriola finished his championship career with a victory and Altuna III had one of his better games as A-B played the spoiler role and knocked E-M out of the tournament. An 8-1 run early in the match turned the tide. 11 E-M errors (according to 21iguales.com) hurt them. A-B broke a 6 match losing streak with this victory.

A-B 5-9 -59 (+1)  E-M 6-8 +14 (-2)

Match highlights

Full match video (match begins at 1:24:36 on the video)

March 6, 2017

D.  Beotibar, Tolosa (1)(2): Jaka  (substituting for Elezkano)-Zabaleta defeated Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe 22-18

Match article with statistics and linescore

B-L squandered leads of 7-1 and 18-15, as J-Z finished the match with a 7 point run to earn a place in the Semi-final League. Despite the defeat, B-L also move on to the Semi-final League. Larunbe's scoring statistics (+1 -8, according to 21iguales.com) hurt his team's chances. Jaka, for the second time this season, substituted for Elezkano, and added +9 to his team's total. The EITB match highlights end with a short interview with Elezkano, in which there is a closeup of his hand. Fitting testimony to what the rigors of this modality can do.

E-Z 7-7 +41 (+1) B-L 7-7- -12 (-1)

Match highlights (EITB)

Match highlights (21iguales.com) (12 selected points, including the final point).

There was no full match video for this match.