The competition begins with a round robin League in both groups. The fifth place finishers in each group are eliminated. Then the 1st place finisher in Group B plays against the 4th place finisher in Group A. The winner plays in the Group A Semi-finals as the #4 team. The loser plays in the Group B Semi-finals as the #2 team. This is a twist that makes the competition very interesting. A Group B team has a chance to be promoted within the space of one competition. The semi-finals will be #1-#4 and #2-#3 in each group. The winners meet in Finals on April 28 (Group A) and May 5 (Group B).
Player profiles at Esku Pilota
Player profiles at Pilota Ttiki
Group A:
Augusti Waltary-Peio Guichandut (defending Champions)
Peio Larralde-Bixintxo Bilbao
Mathieu Ospital-Baptiste Ducassou (runner up and Champion respectively of recently concluded FFPB Main Nue Individuel Competition)
Julien Etchegaray-Ximun Lambert
Antton Monce-Thierry Harismendy
Group B:
Phillipe Bielle-Bixentxe Cubiat
Alexis Inchauspe (winner of Group B Main Nue Individuel)-Antton Amulet
Laurent Lambert (runner up of Group B Main Nue Individuel)-Cedric Lucu
Vincent Elgart-Mickael Palomes
Mattin-Olcomendy-Ion Iturbe
Note: Elgart and Iturbe were Group A players in the Individuel competition. Harismendy and Amulet did not play in the Individuel competition. Pascal de Ezcurra, Gregory Aguirre, and Mikael Darmendrail (all Group B Indviduel) are not playing in this championship.
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NOTE: RECORD OF PREVIOUS CHAMPIONSHIPS (2007-2018) IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST.
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Qualification Round: Week 1; Week 2; Week 3; Week 4; Week 5 and Barrage: April 13, 2019: Group B #1 v Group A #4
Semi-Finals
Finals: Group A; Group B
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INJURY REPORT:
1. Mathieu Ospital (avant-front court) missed the March 24 Group A qualification match between Ospital-Ducassou and Larralde-Bilbao. He was replaced by Mattin Olcomendy. He has, according to Pilota Ttiki, "mal aux mains" (sore hands). When he will return is unknown at this time.
2. Bixintxo Bilbao (arriere-back court did not play in his March 30 Group A match with Larralde v Waltary-Guichandut. He was replaced by Bixente Garat. I have found no information as to the reason for the replacement.
March 31, 2019
Note: there was no video coverage of this week's matches.
Group A:
Etcheverry* (substituting for Ospital)-Ducassou (3-1 -3) 40
Monce-Harismendy (1-2 -7) 38
*Not on Esku Pilota or Pilota Ttiki Player page.
Selected linescore (winners always listed first) (FFPB)
4-4; 10-10; 38-38; 9 other equal scores; 40-38
Partial scoring (FFPB)
Etcheverry 4 service aces, Monce 7
Time of the match: about an hour and 35 minutes
Once again Mathieu Ospital was unavailable (see above). This time, young Maxime Etcheverry replaced him as a partner for Baptiste Ducassou. Etcheverry has played and lost two 50 point Le Garat au Lundi matches this year. We have video for both of them, if you'd like to get acquainted with his play.
February 4, 2019:
Olcomendy-Harismendy 50 Etcheverry-X. Lambert 41 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube, complete condensed match, about 1 hour.) (Etcheverry is in the white.)
March 18, 2019:
Aguirre-Garat 50 Etcheverry-B. Larralde 20 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube, complete condensed match video, about 39:20) (Etcheverry is in the white).
He also won the FFPB Championat de France Amateur Equipes competition:
January 13, 2019
Etcheverry-B. Larralde 40 Cigarroa-Benesse 28 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube, complete condensed match, about 30:55) (Etcheverry is in white)
The same two teams also met on December 18, 2019 in the Championnat Pays Basque 1st Series Final:
Etcheverry-B. Larralde 40 Cigarroa-Benesse 39 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube, complete condensed match, about 58:34) (Etcheverry is in the red stripes).
He is an up part of an up and coming amateur group that showed, for one day, that he could hold his own with the elite professionals.
We don't have much information about the Group A match, except that it was close the whole way and E-D pulled it out at the end. With the win, O-D finish their League play at 3-1 and 2nd place in the group. Hopefully, the extra time before the Semi-finals begin will give Ospital's hands time to heal and Ducassou time to rest and rejuvenate.
Group B
Olcomendy-Iturbe (2-1 +0) 40
L. Lambert-Lucu (0-4 -33) 37
Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
Selected linescore (winners always listed first) (FFPB)
0-7; 1-10; 9-11; 13-15; ; 17-18; 23-23; 24-30; 30-30; 31-31; 32-32; 33-33; 38-37; 40-37
Partial scoring:
Olcomendy 9 service aces, L. Lambert 8
Time of the match: about an hour and 20 minutes
L-L ended their campaign as they had started it, with a close match that they had a chance to win, but didn't. Two losses by a total of 3 points kept them from a 2-2 record and a sure Semi-final spot. In this match O-I fought back from 10-1 and 30-24 deficits. The win keeps O-I in the hunt for the top spot in the Group B League, which would give them a chance, through a "barrage" match with the 4th place team in Group A, to be promoted to the A Championship Semi-finals. They will get their chance to stake their claim on April 7 at Irrissary. With a point differential of +0, they will need a big win and help from Inchauspe-Amulet (but not too much help, a 40-39 win would be just fine) against Elgart-Palomes, who have a big advantage (+25 to +11, +3, and+0) over the other 3 teams tied at 2-1.
March 30, 2019
Group A
Larralde-Garat* (substituting for Bilbao) (3-0 +56) 40
Waltary-Guichandut (1-2 +10) 25
*Not on Esku Pilota or Pilota Ttiki Player page
Selected linescore (winners always listed first) (FFPB)
3-0; 3-3; 9-4; 14-9; 14-12; 18-13; 18-17; 27-18; 34-24; 40-25
Partial scoring: Larralde 6 service aces, Waltary 5
Time of the match: about an hour and 5 minutes.
Larralde found himself in the same predicament as Ducassou, as his partner Bilbao was unable to play in this match. But it didn't seem to matter much as his team blew open a tight match with W-G with a 9-1 run in mid match. We also have video of arriere (back) Bixente Garat in two Garat au Lundi 50 point matches. He split the two matches
March 18, 2019:
Aguirre-Garat 50 M. Etcheverry-B. Larralde 20 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube, complete condensed match video, about 39:20) (Garat is in red).
March 25, 2019
Monce (substituting for Olcomendy)-Garat (substituting for Iturbe) 40 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube condensed full match video, about 50:35) (Garat is in the red).
He is another young up and comer to keep an eye on. The loss puts W-G, defending champions in this competition, in a bit of bother. On April 8, at Le Garat, they will meet Monce-Harrismendy. Each team is 1-2. The winner will advance in the Group A Semi-Finals. The loser will be forced into a "barrage" match with the top team in Group B. If the Group A team loses, it will be relegated to the Group B Semi-finals.
Group B
Inchauspe-Amulet (2-1 +11) 40
Bielle-Cubiat (2-1 -3) 33
Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
Selected Linescore (winners always listed first) (FFPB)
2-2; 3-3; 4-4; 5-5; 6-6; 22-6; 24-14; 29-19; 40-33
Partial statistics (FFPB)
Inchauspe 9 service aces, Bielle 7
Time of the match: about an hour and 40 minutes
B-C's luck in close matches rand out against I-A. And a cursory view of the linescore shows why. A blistering 16-0 run by the winners turned a close match into a route. Inchauspe's 6 service aces and 4 xares--direct points into the side dugout mesh on the fly--were key to that run. The match helped make the log jam of 3 teams at 2-1 in the B group. I-A will try their luck against Elgart-Palomes and their gaudy +25 point differential. If they can win on April 8 at Le Garat, their +11 point differential will put them in the driver's seat for the "barrage" match.
So another competition with an excellent format leaves five of the 10 teams in this tournament with important matches with Semi-Final ramifications on the final weekend of the League phase. It should keep fans on the edge of their seats, with their calculators in hand :)
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Table as of March 31, 2019
Group A:
Larralde-Bilbao (3-0 +56)
Ospital-Ducassou (3-1 -3)
Monce-Harrismendy (1-2 -7)
Waltary-Guichandut (1-2 +10)
Etchegaray-X. Lambert (0-3 -56)
Larralde-Bilbao and Ospital-Ducassou advance to the Semi-finals. The 4th place team, which must face the winner of the B group in a match to determine who plays in which Group Semi-Finals, is yet to be determined.
Group B:
Elgart-Palomes (2-1 +25)
Inchauspe-Amulet (2-1 +11)
Bielle-Cubiat (2-1 -3)
Olcomendy-Iturbe (2-1 +0)
L. Lambert-Lucu (0-4 -33)*
*eliminated
The 4 Semi-finalists have been determined. What remains is the battle for supremacy in the Group, and with it a chance at promotion within the course of a single competition.
Available cumulative scoring. Partial data is available for service aces. Service aces for Olcomendy and Inchauspe are provided for both A and B as they were substitutes in the A group. Source is FFPB match articles.
Through matches of March 31, 2019.
Group A:
Waltary: 8; 9; 5= 22 (avg. 7.3)
Larralde: 10; 2; 6= 18 (avg. 6)
Ospital: 8; 4; DNP; DNP= 12 (avg. 6)
Monce: NA; 2; 7= 9 (avg. 4.5)
Etcheverry (sub for Ospital): 4
Etchegaray: DNP; 2; 1= 3 (avg. 1.5)
Olcomendy (sub for Ospital): 3
Inchauspe: (sub for Etchegaray) NA
Group B:
Inchauspe: 8, 10, 9= 27 (avg. 9)
Elgart: 12, 9, 3= 24 (avg. 8)
Olcomendy: 5, 6, 9= 20 (avg. 6.7)
Bielle: NA, 9, 7=16 (avg. 8)
L. Lambert: 1, 6, 8= 15 (avg. 5)
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UPCOMING:
WEEK
APRIL 7
IRISSARRY
GROUP A
ETCHEGARAY-X. LAMBERT (0-3 -56) v LARRALDE-BILBAO (3-0 +56)
GROUP B
OLCOMENDY-ITURBE (2-1 +0) v
BIELLE-CUBIAT (2-1 -3)
APRIL 8
LE GARAT, DONIBANE GARAZI (ST. JEAN PIED DE PORT)
GROUP A
MONCE-HARISMENDY (1-2 -7) v WALTARY-GUICHANDUT (1-2 +10)
GROUP B
ELGART-PALOMES (2-1 +25) v
INCHAUSPE-AMULET (2-1 +11)
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Previous Championships:
2018:
Group A:
Waltary-Guichandut 40 Larralde-Iturbe 36
Full match video (Audiense Audiovisuel via FFPB)
Match article (FFPB)
"Dossier" (FFPB--.pdf format, 9p., which contains all competition match scores).
Pilota Ttiki also covered the entire competition, with match articles and condensed match videos Their coverage begins March 19. At the bottom of the article click on "precedent" and page through articles about the competition, using the "dossier" as your guide to dates of matches. When there are match videos, Pilota Ttiki links to them from the bottom of the match articles. They are also available at Pilota Ttiki Youtube (CTRL-F Championnat elite pro par equipes 2018).
Group B:
Bielle-Palomes 40 Elgart-Cubiat 22
Full match video (condensed) (Pilota Ttiki)
Match article (Pilota Ttiki)
2017:
Group A: Larralde-Bilbao 40 Waltary-Guichandut 38
Full match video (Audiense Audiovisuel via FFPB)
Match article (FFPB)
"Dossier" (FFPB--.pdf format, 12p. ,which contains all competition match scores)
Full competition context, with final linescore graph and linescore (pelotelive.free.fr)
Group B: Inchauspe-Amulet 40 L. Lambert-Palomes 29
Competition context (pelotelive.free.fr) (no match video available)
Match article (Pilota Ttiki)
2016:
Group A: Waltary-Bilbao 40 Bielle-Ducassou 23
Full match video (Audiense Indivduel)
Match article (FFPB)
Competition context (pelotelive.free.fr)
Annotated linescore: (pelotelive.free.fr)
Group B: Inchauspe-Amulet 40 L. Lambert-de Ezcurra 23
Full match video (Esku Pilota)
Match article (FFPB)
Competition context: (pelotelive.free.fr)
2015:
Group A: Larralde-Bilbao 40 Etcheverry-Ducassou 10
Full match video (Bixintxo Bilbao Youtube)
Match article (FFPB)
Competition Context (pelotelive.free.fr)
Group B: Inchauspe-Saldubehere 40 Elgart-Bonetbelche 37 (no match video)
Match article (FFPB)
Competition context (pelotelive.free.fr)
2014: Larrechea-Harismendy 40 Sorhuet-Ducassou (substituting for T. Etxeto) 19 (no match video)
Match article (FFPB)
2013: Waltary-Harismendy 40 Larrechea-X. Lambert 25 (no match video)
Match article (FFPB)
2012: Ibarola-Harismendy 40 Bielle-Ocafrain 37 (no match video) Source: FFPB 2013 Assemblee Generale Ordinaire Exercice 2012 (P. 9)
2011: Waltary-X. Lambert 40 Ibarola-Jeannots 21 (no match video) Source: FFPB 2012 Assemblee Generale Ordinaire Exercice 2011 (P. 9) Match article (Naiz--Basque--note: Naiz has score 40-20.
2010: Ibarola-Ocafrain 40 Waltary-Etxeto 39 (no match video) Match article (Naiz--Basque)
2009: Ibarola-Ocafrain 40 Sorhuet-Etxeto 34 (no match video) Match article (Naiz--Basque)
2008: Ibarola-Ocafrain 40 Sorhuet-Ezkurra 32 (no match video) Match article (Naiz--Basque)
2007: Waltary-Etxeto 40 Sorhuet-Ocafrain 19 (no match video) Match article (Naiz--Basque). Agusti Waltary becomes the first non-native Basque to win this competition.
Ibarola (av) played in 5 finals and won 4 (3 consecutive wins from 2008-2010). Ocafrain (ar) played in 5 Finals and won 3 (3 consecutive wins from 2008-2010).
Sorhuet (av) played in 4 Finals without a win.
Iturbe (av), Etcheverry (av), and Jeannots (ar) have all played in 1 Final without a win.
2010: Ibarola-Ocafrain 40 Waltary-Etxeto 39 (no match video) Match article (Naiz--Basque)
2009: Ibarola-Ocafrain 40 Sorhuet-Etxeto 34 (no match video) Match article (Naiz--Basque)
2008: Ibarola-Ocafrain 40 Sorhuet-Ezkurra 32 (no match video) Match article (Naiz--Basque)
2007: Waltary-Etxeto 40 Sorhuet-Ocafrain 19 (no match video) Match article (Naiz--Basque). Agusti Waltary becomes the first non-native Basque to win this competition.
Since 2007: (avant-front; arriere-back)
Waltary (av) has played in 7 Finals and has won 5.
Ibarola (av) played in 5 finals and won 4 (3 consecutive wins from 2008-2010). Ocafrain (ar) played in 5 Finals and won 3 (3 consecutive wins from 2008-2010).
Sorhuet (av) played in 4 Finals without a win.
Harismendy (ar) won 3 consecutive Finals (2012-2014).
Larralde (av) has played in 3 Finals and won 2.
Etxeto (ar) played in 3 Finals and won 1.
Ducassou (ar) has played in 3 Finals without a win.
Bilbao (ar) has won 2 Finals.
Larrechea (av) played in 2 Finals and won 1.
X. Lambert (ar) has played in 2 Finals and won 1.
X. Lambert (ar) has played in 2 Finals and won 1.
Guichandut (ar) has played in 2 Finals and won 1
Bielle (av) has played in 2 Finals without a win.Iturbe (av), Etcheverry (av), and Jeannots (ar) have all played in 1 Final without a win.
