Main Nue--FFPB Championnat de France Pro Individuel--Liguilla Round 1--Feburary 2-3, 2019

The 2019 FFPB (Federation Francais de Pelote Basque) Championnat de France Pro Individuel Tournament began on January 4, and will end on March 3, 2019. For the third consecutive year, there are two competitions,  Group A and Group B. 21 players are involved. FFPB has provided a "dossier" (.pdf format, 7p.) explaining how the tournament works and who the players in each group are. This is a seeded ladder knock out tournament with qualification and league rounds, leading to the final.

The Players:

Player Profiles at Esku Pilota

Group A: Peio Larralde (front); Matthieu Ospital (front); Baptiste Ducassou (back); Bixinto Bilbao (back); Augusti Waltery (front); Ximun Lambert (back); Peio Guichandut (back); Vincent Elgart (front); Julien Etchegary (front); Ion Iturbe (back); and Anton Monce (front)

Last year's finalists: Larralde and Ospital have been directly seeded into the League phase (1st and 2nd seeds)

Group B: Pascal de Ezcurra (back); Laurent Lambert (front); Alexis Inchauspe (front); Mickael Palomes (back); Gregory Aguirre (front); Cedric Lucu (back); Bixente (Vincent) Cubiat (back); Mattin Olcomendy (front); Mickael Darmendrail (front)

de Ezcurra and Lambert have been directly seeded into the League phase (1st and 2nd seeds)
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Previous Championships:

Complete coverage of the 2018 Championship was provided by FFPB:

Results
Brief Match Articles and Photos

More detailed articles and selected match videos were provided by Pilota Ttiki. When videos are available they are linked at the bottom of the article.

Beginning January 9 and "suivant" at the bottom of the article until you reach other tournament articles. The tournament ended on February 25 (A) and February 27 (B) (Note that not all articles you will link to are articles about this tournament).

Twenty 2018 FFPB Championnat de France Elite Pro condensed full match videos are available via Pilota Ttiki Youtube. Scroll to or find "Championnat Individuel" or "Liguilla" (without the quotes).

Finals:
Group A: Larralde 40 Ospital 18
Match article and link to full match video

Group B: Iturbe 40 L. Lambert 27
Match article and link to full match video

2017 Tournament complete coverage (match articles and available videos)

Finals:
Group A: Ducassou 40 Ospital 27
Group B: Etchegaray 40 Elgart 21

2016 Full Tournament Results: Final: Larralde 40 Ducassou 22
2015 Full Tournament Results: Final Ducassou 40 Larralde 21 (pelotelive.free.fr)

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Play in Round (January 4-7, 2019) Qualification Round Seeded Matches (January 12-14); January 19; January 26

Liguilla: February 2; February 3; February 9; February 11; February 15, February 17

Finals: February 25--Group B; March 3--Group A

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Liguilla Round 1

Note: All match videos, unless otherwise specifically stated, are condensed full match videos (usually between 15 and 40 minutes).

February 3, 2019

Saint-Pee-sur-Nivelle (1) (2)

Group A:

Ospital (#2) (seeded into Liguilla)  (front) v Ducassou (3) (back) was postponed due to Ospital "mal de dos" (back pain) (Pilota Ttiki). The match will be played February 24 at this venue.

Group B:

L. Lambert (#2) (front) (seeded into Liguilla) (1-0 +15) ) 40 Inchauspe (#3) (front) (0-1 -15) 25 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube)

Selected linescore (winner always listed first)

7-0; 17-4; 21-15; 22-21; 40-25

Match article (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article (FFPB)

In a wild back and forth match with huge runs (7-0, 10-4 by Lambert, 17-5 by Inchauspe, Lambert had the final say with a back breaking 18-4 run that won the game. As is often the case, the energy that Inchauspe had to use to get back in the game was too much to overcome in the end. 

February 2, 2109

Trinquet Berria, Hasparren--Trinquet (old and new) (1) (2) Hasparren

Group A

Larralde (#1) (front) (seeded into Liguilla) (1-0 +12) 40 Bilbao (#4) (back) (0-1 -12) 28 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube)

Selected linescore (winner always listed first)

5-3; 10-6; 20-11; 38-22; 38-28; 40-28

If you want to watch Peio Larralde at his very best, watch this match. He controlled this match completely from first point to last, despite a small 6-0 run by Bilbao that made things respectable. Larralde was too fast, too accurate, in front or back too everything. If he plays like this, he will be formidable for anyone.

Group A: Front 2-2; Back 2-2

Group B

de Ezcurra (#1) (front) (seeded into Liguilla) (1-0 +4) 40 Palomes (#4) (back) (0-1 -4) 36 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube)

Selected linescore (winner always listed first)

7-7; 10-10; 13-17; 18-26; 22-29; 29-29; 36-36; 40-36

Match articles for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)

Match articles for both matches (FFPB)

The first three decades of this match belonged to Palomes. His high deep serves frustrated de Ezcurra and he had many excellent direct points. But then the wily old veteran, with an 11-3 run (and many direct shots of his own) equalized at 29 and then 36. After using all that energy to get back into the match, he closed his younger opponent out with two service aces, a right side passing shot, and a 2 wall filet direct point. This was the best BP match I saw during the week.

Group B: Front 2-1; Back 1-2

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Round 2 Liguilla

February 9:

Hasparren

Group A:
Ospital (#2) (front) (0-0 0) v Bilbao (#4) (back) (0-1 -12)
Group B:
L. Lambert (#2) (front) (1-0 +15) v Palomes (#4) (back) (0-1 -4)

February 11

Le Garat, Donibane Garazi (St. Jean Pied de Port)

Group A:
Larralde (#1) (front) (1-0 +12) v Ducassou (#3) (back) (0-0 0)
Group B:
de Ezcurra (#1) (front) (1-0 +4) v Inchauspe (#3) (front) (0-1 -15)