FM Roster
Each tournament will be played over the course of two weekends, the first weekend a preliminary round, the second a semi-final and final. At present each tournament will contain either 4 or 6 pairs. After the first 4 tournaments, a 5th tournament, a tournament among the highest ranking players, will be held to crown two "Champion of Champions" winners. The winners of the Premier League will win the Copa Moises Cosio Trophy.
Parts or all of each Tournament will be streamed live via Fronton Mexico Facebook. (Consult FM website, Facebook or Twitter for times (Twitter is the quickest way to get the times, consult it the day of the matches). For those who miss the live transmissions, the matches are available on demand at the Facebook site. Selected matches may also be available at the FM Youtube site. (As of June 23, FM began uploading the Facebook videos to its Youtube site.
Note: as of July 3, 2019, all matches from Tournament 2-5 have been uploaded to the FM Youtube site. For this final Tournament, Youtube addresses will be given, as they are more easily accessible. For the previous tournaments, I will leave the Facebook addresses as they are, but add this note to the blog pages.
Player rankings (and explanation of rankings)
Injury report:
June 22, 2019
Julien Ihitsague was injured when hit by a throw, and further injured by an awkward fall after the first injury. The match he was in was suspended at the time of the injury.
Eric Irastorza (back) appeared to suffer or aggravate a leg injury in the "Duel of the Titans match. He missed the 2nd Premier League exhibition on June 23.
June 9, 2019
Txabi Inza (back) was injured and forced to retire from the Premier Final in mid-match with a leg injury. He was replaced by National League player Eduardo Cordova.
June 8, 2019
Jean Olharan (front) suffered a forearm injury in his Premier League match with Lopez v Olha-Irastorza (with the match at 15-14 O-L. He missed O-L's Final v Goikoetxea-Ekhi on June 9.
April 26, 2019
Ludovic Laduche (front) (Internationaux Cesta Punta) suffered an ankle ligament injury (Fronton Mexico) in the 2nd set of the FFPB Cesta Punta Pro-Am Final (Cesta Punta Pro Tour Youtube). He will miss the entire 2 month Fronton Mexico season. He has been replaced by Angel Egea(Fronton Mexico), ex-Miami Jai Alai player. It is unknown at this time whether Laduche will be able to play in the Summer Partidos in the Basque Country.
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Tournament 1
Tournament 2
Tournament 3
Tournament 4
Champion of Champions Tournament
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For the second week in a succession, the FM program was disrupted by injuries. The Premier League had to be re-organized, with the headline matches being "Duel of the Titans" matches between combinations of Goikoetxea and (Aritz) Erkiaga in the front, and Lopez and Irastorza in the back. Since Inza and Olharan were out with injuries suffered last week, this was the best way for FM to rest them and still be able to promote two great matches. Only the second match never came off due to an Irastorza injury in the first one. FM, always clever and quick thinking when it comes to promotion, quickly scrapped the "Duel of the
Titans" format and replaced it with a 3 v 2 match (Goikoetxea-Lopez v Olha-(Aritz) Erkiaga-Ekhi). That match was interesting but seemed awkward, a fill in to keep the fans happy. It was clear that by the end of the second week, the Premier League was severely strained under the pressure of the injuries. Hopefully the injured players will recover in time for next week's Champion of Champions Tournament. That said, the one "Duel of the Titans" match that did come off, Erkiaga-Lopez v Goikoetxea-Irastorza was great (if not technically the best by the standards of these players). More on that below.
The National League championship came down to the final point of the tie breaker before being decided. It had its share of errors, but had great tension and excitement.
For the second week in a succession, the FM program was disrupted by injuries. The Premier League had to be re-organized, with the headline matches being "Duel of the Titans" matches between combinations of Goikoetxea and (Aritz) Erkiaga in the front, and Lopez and Irastorza in the back. Since Inza and Olharan were out with injuries suffered last week, this was the best way for FM to rest them and still be able to promote two great matches. Only the second match never came off due to an Irastorza injury in the first one. FM, always clever and quick thinking when it comes to promotion, quickly scrapped the "Duel of the
Titans" format and replaced it with a 3 v 2 match (Goikoetxea-Lopez v Olha-(Aritz) Erkiaga-Ekhi). That match was interesting but seemed awkward, a fill in to keep the fans happy. It was clear that by the end of the second week, the Premier League was severely strained under the pressure of the injuries. Hopefully the injured players will recover in time for next week's Champion of Champions Tournament. That said, the one "Duel of the Titans" match that did come off, Erkiaga-Lopez v Goikoetxea-Irastorza was great (if not technically the best by the standards of these players). More on that below.
The National League championship came down to the final point of the tie breaker before being decided. It had its share of errors, but had great tension and excitement.
Player Rankings through 4 Tournaments
Tournament 4: June 14-23, 2019.
Premier League Exhibitions and National League Tournament
National League T4 matches were decided by sets. 2 sets to 15 and a tie breaker to 5. This goes back to the original format after T3's 30 point partido format.
T4 details (Fronton Mexico)
Full schedule (Fronton Mexico Facebook Events)
PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES WERE EXHIBITIONS, NO TOURNAMENT POINTS WERE AWARDED--PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES WERE 30 POINT PARTIDOS
National League had two group 3 team round robins the first and second weeks, with the winners of each group playing in the Final.
Group A: Sierra***-Echinique; (Angel) Egea-Cordova; Juan-Leon**-Ihtstague***
The match was suspended due to an injury to Ihistague
Match article for both matches (Fronton Mexico--Fernando Sierra Felgueres)
June 15
(Aritz) Erkiaga-Lopez 30 Goikoetxea-Irastorza 24 (Fronton Mexico Facebook Video--this is the only match on the video
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
FM knows how to put on a spectacle, but they topped themselves with this 30 point partido that included, arguably, the best 4 puntistas on the planet. Playing on the world's longest and most difficult concha, these four put on an amazing show, until fatigue seemed to get the best of them in the last few points. In fact, by their standards, it wasn't the most technically proficient match. There were errors, but those were instantly forgotten when they put together fantastic rallies. If you really want to see what Cesta Punta at its best is, watch the the first few points in the 3rd decade of the match. But while you watch the rest of the match, know that it is not common practice in this sport to convert cortadas (low sidearm fireballs) from the 11 and 12 line like Lopez did. It is not common to see the terrific rebote (rebound) saves from the next county that Irastorza executed. Nor is it common to see the pure precision that Erkiaga shows when he gets his throws where he wants them, or when he takes on Goikoetxea on the apron, as he did on a couple of occasions. And as for Goikoetxea, "The King" as the promoters at FM like to call him, at 38, still has the most lethal cortada in the business, a throw so hard that it is past his opponents before they can even react, which is a good thing, because a cesta trying to intercept his rockets might be torn right off his opponents hands. But what Goiko has also shown in this tournament is touch, converting chic-chacs and chulas (long shots that hit the back wall or bounce and hit the back wall so low that they cannot be returned). It takes a very strong man to reach the back wall at FM, which is a full 8 meters longer than any other fronton. He not only reaches it, he scores. You will want to watch these four. They are not getting any younger. Erkiaga, the youngest, is 32, Lopez 35, Goiko 38, and Irastorza 42. But the mixture of talent and experience they bring to the table will still bring you up out of your seat when you watch them. Watch and enjoy. They are the best of their generation, perhaps the best of all time. When they retire, they will leave a large void in the fastest ball sport in the world.
June 14
Sierra (substituting for Inclan)-Ekhi 2 Olha-Ihitsague (substituting for Inza) 1
(14-15, 15-12, 5-1) (34-28)
(Fronton Mexico Facebook video--Note: the times given have been unreliable. I don't know the reason for this. This is the second match on the video.
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
National League:
Final Table:
Group A: (Angel) Egea-Cordova (2-0); Sierra-Echinique (1-1); Juan Leon-Ihitsague (0-2)
Group B: Inclan Perez (2-0); Ortega-Portet (1-1); Ochoa-Del Rio (0-2)
June 23
Full match videos for both matches (Fronton Mexico Facebook video) Final begins at about 56:00)
FINAL
(Angel) Egea-Cordova 2 Inclan-Perez 1
(13-15, 15-10, 5-4)
"Friendly"
Ochoa-Portet 2 Juan Leon-Del Rio 0
(15-6, 15-7) (30-13)
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueras)
June 21
Full match videos for both matches (Fronton Mexico Facebook video) (Group B match I-P v O-D is first on the video)
Inclan-Perez (2-0) 2 Ochoa-Del Rio (0-2) 1
(9-15, 15-14, 5-2) (29-31)
Inclan-Perez win Group B
Match article for both matches (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres)
Group B:
Inclan-Perez (1-0) (2-1) (32-30); Ortega-Portet (1-1) (3-3) (63-62); Ochoa-Del Rio (0-1) (1-2) (30-33)
June 16
Group B:
Group A
Sierra-Echenique (1-0) 2 Juan Leon-Ihitsague (0-2) 1
(11-15, 15-14, 5-2) (30-31)
Juan Leon-Ihitsague are eliminated
Full match videos for both matches (Fronton Mexico Facebook videos--Group A match is first on the video)
Match articles for both matches (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
June 15
Group A
(Angel) Echea-Cordova (1-0) 2 Juan Leon-Ihitsague (0-1) 0
(15-9, 15-9) (30-18)
(Fronton Mexico Facebook video--this is the only match on the video
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
June 14
Group B
Ortega-Portet (1-0) 2 Ochoa-Del Rio (0-1) 1
(15-13, 13-15, 5-2) (33-30)
Fronton Mexico Facebook--first match on the video)
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
Tournament 4: June 14-23, 2019.
Premier League Exhibitions and National League Tournament
National League T4 matches were decided by sets. 2 sets to 15 and a tie breaker to 5. This goes back to the original format after T3's 30 point partido format.
T4 details (Fronton Mexico)
Full schedule (Fronton Mexico Facebook Events)
PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES WERE EXHIBITIONS, NO TOURNAMENT POINTS WERE AWARDED--PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES WERE 30 POINT PARTIDOS
The Teams: Inclan-Ekhi; Olha-Inza; (Aritz) Erkiaga-Lopez; Goikoetxea-Irastorza
National League had two group 3 team round robins the first and second weeks, with the winners of each group playing in the Final.
Group A: Sierra***-Echinique; (Angel) Egea-Cordova; Juan-Leon**-Ihtstague***
Group B: Inclan-Perez*; Ochoa*-Del Rio+**; Ortega-Portet
* Won National T1; **Won N T2; ***Won N T3; + Won Premier T1
Premier League:
June 22
Both matches are available via FM Facebook video (Goikoetxea-Lopez v Aritz (Erkiaga)-Olha-Ekhi match starts at about 1:10:00 on the video
Goiketxea-Lopez 30 (Aritz) Erkiaga-Olha-Ekhi 24
"Friendly"
Sierra-Ihitsague v Ortega-Portet
The match was suspended due to an injury to Ihistague
S-I won the 1st set 15-9. O-P led the 2nd set 9-6 when the match was suspended
Match article for both matches (Fronton Mexico--Fernando Sierra Felgueres)
June 15
(Aritz) Erkiaga-Lopez 30 Goikoetxea-Irastorza 24 (Fronton Mexico Facebook Video--this is the only match on the video
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
FM knows how to put on a spectacle, but they topped themselves with this 30 point partido that included, arguably, the best 4 puntistas on the planet. Playing on the world's longest and most difficult concha, these four put on an amazing show, until fatigue seemed to get the best of them in the last few points. In fact, by their standards, it wasn't the most technically proficient match. There were errors, but those were instantly forgotten when they put together fantastic rallies. If you really want to see what Cesta Punta at its best is, watch the the first few points in the 3rd decade of the match. But while you watch the rest of the match, know that it is not common practice in this sport to convert cortadas (low sidearm fireballs) from the 11 and 12 line like Lopez did. It is not common to see the terrific rebote (rebound) saves from the next county that Irastorza executed. Nor is it common to see the pure precision that Erkiaga shows when he gets his throws where he wants them, or when he takes on Goikoetxea on the apron, as he did on a couple of occasions. And as for Goikoetxea, "The King" as the promoters at FM like to call him, at 38, still has the most lethal cortada in the business, a throw so hard that it is past his opponents before they can even react, which is a good thing, because a cesta trying to intercept his rockets might be torn right off his opponents hands. But what Goiko has also shown in this tournament is touch, converting chic-chacs and chulas (long shots that hit the back wall or bounce and hit the back wall so low that they cannot be returned). It takes a very strong man to reach the back wall at FM, which is a full 8 meters longer than any other fronton. He not only reaches it, he scores. You will want to watch these four. They are not getting any younger. Erkiaga, the youngest, is 32, Lopez 35, Goiko 38, and Irastorza 42. But the mixture of talent and experience they bring to the table will still bring you up out of your seat when you watch them. Watch and enjoy. They are the best of their generation, perhaps the best of all time. When they retire, they will leave a large void in the fastest ball sport in the world.
June 14
Sierra (substituting for Inclan)-Ekhi 2 Olha-Ihitsague (substituting for Inza) 1
(14-15, 15-12, 5-1) (34-28)
(Fronton Mexico Facebook video--Note: the times given have been unreliable. I don't know the reason for this. This is the second match on the video.
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
National League:
Final Table:
Group A: (Angel) Egea-Cordova (2-0); Sierra-Echinique (1-1); Juan Leon-Ihitsague (0-2)
Group B: Inclan Perez (2-0); Ortega-Portet (1-1); Ochoa-Del Rio (0-2)
June 23
Full match videos for both matches (Fronton Mexico Facebook video) Final begins at about 56:00)
FINAL
(Angel) Egea-Cordova 2 Inclan-Perez 1
(13-15, 15-10, 5-4)
"Friendly"
Ochoa-Portet 2 Juan Leon-Del Rio 0
(15-6, 15-7) (30-13)
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueras)
June 21
Full match videos for both matches (Fronton Mexico Facebook video) (Group B match I-P v O-D is first on the video)
Group A
(Angel) Egea-Cordova (2-0) 2 Sierra-Echenique (1-1) 1
(15-14, 12-15, 5-2) (32-31)
(Angel) Egea-Cordova win Group A
Group B
Inclan-Perez (2-0) 2 Ochoa-Del Rio (0-2) 1
(9-15, 15-14, 5-2) (29-31)
Inclan-Perez win Group B
Match article for both matches (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres)
Table as of June 16
Group A:
(Angel) Echea-Cordova (1-0); Sierra-Echenique (1-0); Juan Leon-Ihitsague (0-2)
Group B:
Inclan-Perez (1-0) (2-1) (32-30); Ortega-Portet (1-1) (3-3) (63-62); Ochoa-Del Rio (0-1) (1-2) (30-33)
June 16
Group B:
Inclan-Perez (1-0) 2 Ortega-Portet (1-1) 1
(15-11, 12-15, 5-4) (32-30)
Group A
Sierra-Echenique (1-0) 2 Juan Leon-Ihitsague (0-2) 1
(11-15, 15-14, 5-2) (30-31)
Juan Leon-Ihitsague are eliminated
Full match videos for both matches (Fronton Mexico Facebook videos--Group A match is first on the video)
Match articles for both matches (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
June 15
Group A
(Angel) Echea-Cordova (1-0) 2 Juan Leon-Ihitsague (0-1) 0
(15-9, 15-9) (30-18)
(Fronton Mexico Facebook video--this is the only match on the video
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
June 14
Group B
Ortega-Portet (1-0) 2 Ochoa-Del Rio (0-1) 1
(15-13, 13-15, 5-2) (33-30)
Fronton Mexico Facebook--first match on the video)
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
