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)!!!

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Multiple Modalities--Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPB) Championnat de France--4 National A Finals in two weekends

FFPB completed its CdF National A Finals in Pasaka, Women's Paleta Gomme Pleine (Trinquet), Paleta Cuir (Trinquet), and Xare on the March 11, 17, and 18. The wonderful thing about these finals is that three of them were covered live via Facebook (and later on demand via Facebook and Youtube), and the other was covered with a match article. All were accompanied by a large number of photos.

The Paleta and Xare finals were covered extensively by pelotelive.free.fr, which provided full linescores, match charts, selected match statistics, and links to videos and photos. The Pasaka match was covered by Pilota Ttiki. FFPB also covered all of the events and contributed the photos.

All in all, it was a wonderful example of what can be done to provide full coverage of BP on a small budget. Canal+ and EITB are incomparable in their commercial coverage, but it is limited, for the most part, to important professional matches (although EITB does cover many amateur events in the South Basque country). With the improvement in computer, photo, and Internet technology, many more of these matches that are slightly "below" the radar of the commercial or large public networks can be enjoyed by BP fans around the globe.

For the purposes of this post, we will link to all of these finals (and their competition contexts) through pelotelive.free.fr. All of the videos are also avalable via Facebook and/or Youtube outlets that you can link to directly from the PFF sites. However, if you wish to watch the matches directly via PFF, make sure to click on "desactiver" below the videos to disable PFF's auto-refresh function, which is used for live coverage, but which is always "on." Otherwise the videos will stop.
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March 11, 2017

Pasaka

Saint Andre, Bayonne (1)(2)

Azcaindarrak Bat (Ascain) (Albistur-Mascotena) defeated Zaharrer-Segi (Saint Etienne de Baigorry) (Izoco (substituting for Ospital)-Dutaret-) 13-8.

Competition context

Match page with link to match article and photos

Preview article

Direct link to match article (which includes non-FPP photos)

FFPB photos:

If you research the FFPP competition results and archives and the results archive of the Ligue de Pelote du Pays Basque, you will see that these two teams have been the best in the North Basque country for several years. They have met (with changing personnel) in many finals in both competitions. Ascain has won most of them, and most have been very competitive, This final was also very competitive until Ascain dominated at the end.
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The other three finals were all played at Chiquito, Paris (1)(2)

March 17,2017

A. Paleta Gomme Pleine (Trinquet) (Women)

Saint Pee Union Club (Saint Pee Sur Nivelle) (Halsouet-Comet--blue) defeated Zaharrer-Segi (Saint Etienne de Baigorry) (Leiza-Serre--red) 40-31

Competition context

Match page--includes full linescore, match chart, match commentary, multiple match videos (Youtube and Facebook) and photos (FFPB)

Match article--also links to photos (FFPB)

B. Paleta Cuir (Trinquet)

Biarritz Athletic Club (Biarritz) (Thibault-Cambos-red) defeated Urrunarak (Urrugne) (Larretche-Bourrus--blue) 2-1 (14-15, 15-9, 10-5)

Competition context

Match page--includes full linescore, match chart, match statistics, match commentary, multiple match videos (Youtube and Facebook), and photos (FFPB)

Match article--also links to photos (FFPB)

March 18, 2017

Xare

Hardoytarrak (Anglet) (Driolet-Sistiague--blue) defeated Nozbait (Hasparren) (Lopetegui-Funosas) 40-30

Competition context

Match page--includes final score, match chart, match statistics, match commentary, multiple match videos (Youtube and Facebook), and photos (FFPB)

Match article--also links to photos (FFPB)

For more 2017 FFPB CDF National A and B videos including videos from poule to final stage, arranged by modality, see the FFPB CDF 2016-2017 National A and B match videos page on the right side of the blog.

Remonte: A Taste of the Sagardoaren

The VII Sagardoaren Txapelketa/El Torneo de la Cidra/Cider Tournament began on March 2, 2017 and will end with a final on April 29. Complete coverage of the tournament is available at  the Galarreta Star Matches Recurring Results page on the right side of the blog. It was also discussed in a post in the main blog.

The interesting thing about the Sagardoaren is that it features far more "B" players from the Oriamendi2010 roster than any other tournament. In this year's tournament 8 of the 17 players featured either as regular participants or substitutes have been B players. 6 of the 8 teams originally scheduled were A-B pairs.  Zeberio II has been replaced, due to injury, by last year's  most valuable B tournament player Segurola, who won the tournament final (EITB) with Endika. So 7 of the 8 teams are A-B mixes  Thus, the Sagardoaren can be seen as a preparatory tournament. And fans get to see B players under the tournament spotlight, rather than Game 1 or 4 of the usual Thursday-Saturday sessions.

This year, the first tournament match EITB broadcast was a League matchup between Etxeberria IV-Etxeberria III (the only all "A" team in the tournament) and Urriza-Azpiroz, winners of the most valuable and most promising player respectively for 2016 in both the Oriamendi 2010 and Euskal Jai Berri awards ceremonies.

March 18, 2017

Hernani (1)(2)

Larre-Gain (Urriza-Azpiroz) defeated Gurutzeta (Etxeberria IV-Etxeberria III) 40-31 (the players of all the teams are sponsored by cider houses in this tournament).

Full match video (EITB)

Condensed linescore: (winners always listed 1st).

4-0; 4-2; 8-2; 8-4; 9-4; 9-5; 12-5; 12-6; 15-6; 15-8; 17-8; 17-9; 19-9; 19-10; 20-10; 20-12; 21-12; 21-14; 24-14; 24-16; 29-16; 29-21; 31-21; 31-23; 32-23; 32-24; 33-24; 33-26; 34-26; 34-27; 35-27; 35-28; 37-28; 37-31; 40-31

Scoring (source: Oriamendi2010 match article--note: individual scores do not add to total).

Urriza +18 -3; Azpiroz +15 (including 7 service aces) -3
Etxeberria IV +14* -9; Etxeberria III +11 (including 3 service aces) -0

*Estimated from the other scores

It was an "easy" win for U-A but not as easy as it seemed, as the linescore shows. What was interesting to me about this match was the contrast between the two back court men. Azpiroz is 22 years old and in his first year on the roster. Etxeberria III is old enough to be his father (43) but is still a formidable defensive back. I could talk a lot about their characteristics but two points from the match show everything you need to know. They both have all the shots and defensive abilities "in the book", with the exception of Azpiroz, who is still learning the rebote shot, one of, if not the most difficult in Remonte. He struggled with it mightily early but then started hitting it in this match. The two points to watch, which really featured the two defenders, are the consecutive points beginning at 10-5 and ending at 12-5 (14 minutes 35 seconds to 17:50 on the video). They were two of the longest points of the match, consuming 29 and 23 balls respectively.

In the first point, you will see almost all Azpiroz has to offer. He makes a defensive shot from his knees, hits a beautiful left wall shot, hits his first rebote (after badly missing 2 earlier), and plays a wonderful defensive shot pinned against the wall deep in the back. Urriza finally wins that point with a perfect high and slow two wall shot more reminiscent of Uterga or Ezkurra than the powerful shots he usually hits for winners.

In the second point you will see the guile, intelligence, and almost "casual" perfection of Etxeberria III's defense. That point features 2 consecutive rebotes easily executed, a defensive shot from the apron, and 3 great defensive shots while pinned against the left wall. This point was also eventually won by U-A on a more conventional Urriza rocket. Etxeberria III did everything during that point except pull out his magic behind the back rebote. For no reason relevant to this match, but because the shot is so amazing, here is a link to two of them that he executed during a match played with Etxeberria IV on January 7, 2017.

Behind the back rebote #1 (1:52:23--1:53:04 on the video).
Behind the back rebote #2 (1:57:17--1:57:45 on the video)

So there is what the Sagardoaren is in a nutshell. The old against the new, the A against the B, and experience against promise. It's a fascinating mix with a wonderful taste, just like the products its sponsors provide.