Mano--Donostia Hiria Torneoa (Ciudad de San Sebastian) (August 27, 28, 31); An Independent Match Featuring All Fronts (August 29)

Donostia Hiria Torneoa (Ciudad de San Sebastian): Atano III (1) (2) (August 27, 28, 31)

ASPE Roster

Baikopilota Roster

Tournament Preview article (21Iguales.com)
Complete results (along with results going back to 2002) (baikopilota.eus)

This tournament began as a simple 4 team elimination format, but morphed into an incredible marathon. After the first match took 51 minutes, the next 2 were 83 and 76 minutes in length, consuming a total of 1429 balls in play. 

For the Tournament (3 matches): Balls in Play: 1852: (avg: 617) 

Oliazola II 268; Albisu 303 (2 match avg: 134 & 152)

Artola 355; Imaz 359 (2 match avg. 178 & 180)

Jaka 166; Zabaleta 194

Altuna III 92; Rezusta 115

One can only begin to imagine what I-I's hands felt like after going through a meat grinder of 180 balls in play on consecutive days. 

Imaz was named player of the tournament.

The linescores of the last 2 matches will give you some idea of how hard fought these matches were. 

August 31

FINAL

Oliazola II-Albisu 22 Artola-Imaz 18 (EITB--match begins at: 16:40

Highlights (EITB)

Condensed linescore (21Iguales.com) (winners always listed 1st)

0-2; 1-2; 1-3; 9-3; 9-5; 10-5; 10-6; 11-6; 11-9; 14-9; 14-11; 15-11; 15-13; 16-13; 16-15; 18-15; 18-16; 19-16; 19-17; 20-17; 20-18; 22-18

Scoring (21Iguales.com)

Oliazola II +11 -5; Albisu +2 -4

Artola ) +8 (including 1 service ace) -5; Imaz +1 -4

Balls in play: 705; Oliazola II 166; Albisu 189; Artola 175; Imaz 175

Time of the match: 75:58

Match article (21Iguales.com)

O-A built a big early lead and then tenaciously held back challenge after challenge. A-I got as close as 1 point but could never get "over the hump."

August 28

2nd Semi-final

Artola-Imaz (substituting for Mariezkurrena II) 22

Jaka-Zabaleta 17 (EITB--match begins at 1:01:20)

Highlights (EITB)

Condensed linescore (21Iguales.com) (winners always listed 1st)

0-2; 1-2; 1-3; 6-3; 6-4; 10-4; 10-5; 11-5; 11-7; 12-7; 12-9; 14-9; 14-12; 17-12; 17-13; 18-13; 18-16; 19-16; 19-17; 22-17

Scoring: (EITB)

Artola +8 -4; Imaz +0 -1

Jaka +9 -9; Zabaleta +3 -5

Balls in Play: 724: Artola 180; Imaz 184; Jaka 166; Zabaleta 194

Time of the Match: 83:18

Match article (21Iguales.com)

A-I held off J-Z in a long battle of attrition. They had a 6 point lead early but J-Z whittled it down, although they never did catch up. 14 errors did not help their cause.

August 27

1st Semi-final

Oliazola II-Albisu 22 Altuna III-Rezusta 12 (EITB--match begins at 1:05:39)

Highlights (EITB)

Condensed linescore (21Iguales.com) (winners always listed first)

1-0; 1-1; 2-1; 2-2; 7-2; 7-3; 9-3; 9-8; 10-8; 10-10; 17-10; 17-11; 19-11; 19-12; 22-12

Scoring (EITB)

Oliazola II +9 (including 3 service aces) -3 Albisu +5 -5

Altuna III +4 -6 Rezusta +0 -2

Balls in Play: 423: Oliazola II 102; Albisu 114; Altuna III 92; Rezusta 115

Time of the Match: 50:53

Match article (21Iguales.com)

5 and 7 point runs led to a fairly easy win for O-A. After A-R whittled a 5 point deficit to equality at 10, O-A scorched them with a 7 point run that was decisive. Altuna III did not have the best of "days at the office."

+++++

Independent Match (Desafio Vino--Wine Challenge)

This was an inter-company "wine challenge" with 600 bottles of wine the trophy for the winning company. It was a match contested by 4 fronts, something rarely seen in this modality, or any other, for that matter. On this occasion, ASPE took home the liquid prize. As far as Baikopilota goes, Laso and Oliazola II got what looked to be 1 bottle apiece.

August 29

Atano III, Donostia (1) (2)

Altuna III-Irribarria 22 Laso-Oliazola II 17  (EITB--match begins at 1:02:58)

Fronton TV (Castilian)

Selected linescore (21Iguales Twitter) (winners always listed 1st)

2-0; 8-3; 12-5; 13-8; 17-11; 17-14; 20-14; 22-17

Scoring (EITB)

Altuna III +12 -2; Irribarria +2 -4

Laso +4 -3; Oliazola II +7 -5

Balls in Play: 474: Altuna III 139; Irribarria 101; Laso 139; Oliazola II 95

Time of the Match: 56:50

Match article (21Iguales.com)

Oliazola II was playing his 2nd match in 3 days, in what would be a week of 3 matches in 5 days (see above). Only this time he played in the back, mostly. After falling behind 12-5, he switched positions with his younger teammate, who was able to chase down more balls in the back, but not enough too overcome the 12-5 hole their team was in. Irribarria looked comfortable in the back, Oliazola II not so much. But a good time was had by all, and ASPE will certainly enjoy the trophy.

Pala/Pala Larga--Asta Nagusia Bilbao Torneo--August 19, 23, 2019

Asta Nagusia Bilbao--Bizkaia (1) (2) Torneo (August 19, 23)

This was a  single elimination knock out tournament, with semi-finals on August 19 and a Final on August 23. It was part of the Asta Nagusia (Great Week) festival in Bilbo (Bilbao). 

*=Amateur

InnPala Roster

InnPala Promotional Page

There were four "points of light" in this tournament.

1. Pablo Hernan "Fusto" returned from his triumph at the Pan American Games Pelota Paleta Cuero competiditon in early August., He and his partner Alfredo Villegas won the competition for Argentina without losing a set. 

In this tournament he was +23 -11 in two wins and played some of his best Pala. The result was his first tournament win in 2019. 

2. Ibai Perez continued his excellent play in this Tournament. He had a great final following an undefeated League phase in the Donostia #Kirol Txartela Competition. He followed that up with 2 wins in this Tournament to run his overall winning streak to 6. He is playing superb defense at the moment, moving all over the concha, and has had plenty of opportunities to hone his rebote (rebound) defense, including, recently, a couple of falling rebotes. The rebote is, in my opinion, the most difficult shot in the modality. He executes it effortlessly. He has also lately shown some venom on his serves, scoring 8 aces in the D#KT final. When he gets going like he is, it makes for a long "day at the office" for his opponents. 

3. We saw what could be the beginning of a very successful career. Benat Ibarguren, after an impressive if not terribly successful D#KT (where his was the only all amateur team), was invited to take part in this tournament, as well as the next one at Plentzia, and the 3rd Place match at Sopela after that. He is substituting for Ander Landeta, who is recovering from wrist surgery. Ibarguren played effectively in the front and made his presence known in both matches he played in, including a win in the 3rd place match with Ibararai against Necol-Urrutia. EITB had his figures as +10 -5 in that match, and by my scoring he was +14 -6 in the Semi-final, for a total of +24 -11 for the Tournament. He made some mistakes and had a couple of mis-communications with his partner, but looked like a player to "keep an eye on", with a lot of talent and enthusiasm for the game. It will be interesting to see how this story develops.

4. As a player, Dan Necol did not have the best of Tournaments. Everyone has ups and downs, and he has had a lot more ups than downs in the last 9 months. What he was good at, great at, in my opinion, was video streaming (and making available on demand) the two Semi-final matches on August 19. Because of his farsightedness with regard to spreading the game, this entire tournament is available for viewing. This is also beginning to happen in Main Nue, where Pilota Ttiki provides great condensed full match videos through their Youtube portal.  

Dan simply sets up a small camera behind the glass at Bizkaia, low and behind the action. There is nothing but the match and the sound. But from that one camera angle, viewers can see perfectly, and the scoreboard is always on view. There is no commentary, just Pala Larga, up close and personal. Because there is only one camera, the viewer can keep his/her eyes on the pelota at all times and get a real sense of just how fast it moves. He is spreading the game in a very low tech but effective way. It is, I think, one of the waves of the future in terms of building a non-Basque audience for one of the most exciting of the suite of Basque Pelota modalities. Since he has been streaming, I have seen more Pala Larga this year than in all the other years combined I have been following. You can watch any of them at  his Facebook page.

Merci pour le travail bien fait, Dan. Eskerrik Asko. 

NOTE: ANOTHER SET OF SCORING DECISIONS WAS ADDED TO EACH SEMI-FINAL WHEN I BECAME AWARE OF A DEIA MATCH ARTICLE ON SEPTEMBER 1. SEE BELOW.

=============

August 23

FINAL

Full Match Videos of both Matches (EITB: 3rd place match begins at 0:00--joined in progress in the 1st joko; Final begins at 50:40

Fusto-Ibai Perez 3 Gaubeka-Gordon 0

(10-8, 10-7, 10-4) (30-19)

Scoring: (EITB)

Fusto +13 -4; Ibai Perez +4 -5

Gaubeka +7 -7; Gordon +2 -6

(Scores add to 30-18)

Balls in Play: 506: Fusto 112; Ibai Perez 146; Gaubeka 142; Gordon 106

Match article (Deia)
Match article (Mundo Deportivo) (added September 1, 2019)

The first joko (set) had 6 equal scores (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). F-IP dominated more as the match progressed. 

3rd Place

Ibarguren*-Ibargarai 3 Necol-Urrutia 1

(9-10, 10-8, 10-4, 10-8) (39-30)

Scoring (EITB)

Ibarguren +10 -5; Ibargarai+15 -9

Necol +8 -9; Urrutia +7 -5

Scoring adds to 40-29

Balls in Play: 408: Ibarguren 96; Ibargarai 110; Necol 92; Urrutia 110

Time of the Match: 51:23 (Deia)

August 19

Semi-Finals

Full match videos of both matches were streamed on Dan Necol's Facebook page. They are also available on demand. 

Links below should link you directly to each match.

Match article for both matches (Deia) (added September 1, 2019). Note: I will give the Deia scoring below.  Below that is my own scoring, which I did when I didn't think any source with more authority than my own would be available. Deia provides full match scoring only. I will juxtapose the two full sets of full match scoring together. I was fairly close, but I always defer to scorers that know more than I. You might find the scoring comparison interesting.

Fusto-Ibai Perez 3 Necol-Urrutia 1

(10-6, 9-10, 10-4, 10-6) (39-26)

Joko (Set 1)

Condensed linescore (match winners always listed 1st)

1-0; 1-4; 4-4; 4-5; 6-5; 6-6; 10-6

Scoring (my judgments, yours may be different). Note: there was a "blind spot" at the back left wall. If a pelota was returned that was short or high, I automatically gave a winner to the previous shooter.

Fusto +1 -1; Ibai-Perez +2 (2 service aces) -1

Necol +4 -3; Urrutia +0 -4

Balls in Play: 104

Time of the Joko: 13:23

-----

Joko 2:

Linescore:

1-0; 1-4; 2-4; 2-6; 4-6; 4-7; 8-7; 8-8; 9-8; 9-9; 9-10 (Urrutia scores on a long two wall, one of the best shots of either match).

Scoring:

Fusto +4 -3; Ibai Perez +1 -2 (including 1 service fault)

Necol +3 -2; Urrutia +2 -2

Balls in Play: 139

Time of the Joko: 13:29

-----

Joko 3

Linescore

0-1; 2-1; 2-3; 6-3; 6-4; 10-4

Scoring

Fusto +2 -1; Ibai Perez +3(2a) -0

Necol +3 -2; Urrutia +0 -3

Balls in Play: 84

Time of the Joko: 9:13

-----

Joko 4

Linescore

0-1; 3-1; 3-2; 7-2; 7-3; 8-3; 8-4; 9-4; 9-6; 10-6

Scoring

Fusto +3 -2; Ibai Perez +2(1a) -0

Necol +4 -4; Urrutia +0 -1

Balls in Play: 105

Time of the Joko: 10:14

==========

For the match:

DEIA: 

Fusto +10 -8; Ibai Perez +11(8a) -2(1f)
Necol +12 -11; Urrutia +4 -8
Total score adds to 40-26

Balls in Play: 434

Time of the match 51 minutes 

My Scoring

Fusto +10 -7; Ibai Perez +8(5a) -3(1f)

Necol +14 -11; Urrutia +2 -10
Total score adds to  39-26

Balls in Play: 432

Time of the Match: 50:19

Gaubeka-Gordon 3 Ibarguren*-Ibargarai 1

(10-9, 6-10, 10-4, 10-6) (36-29)

Joko 1

Condensed linscores (match winners always listed first)

2-0; 2-2; 3-2; 3-3; 4-3; 4-5; 5-5; (3 errors by Ibarguren) 9-5; (3 winners by Ibarguren) 9-9; 10-9

Scoring

Gaubeka +2 -0; Gordon +2 -2

Ibarguren +5 -3; Ibargarai +2 -3 (including 1 service fault)

Balls in Play: 106

Time of the Joko: 13:12

-----

Joko 2

Linescore

1-0; 1-3; 3-3; 3-6; 4-6; 4-9; 6-9; 6-10

Scoring

Gaubeka +2 -0; Gordon +1 (1 service ace) -2(1f)

Ibarguren +5 -2; Ibargarai +3(1a) -1(1f)

Balls in Play: 68

Time of the Joko: 8:57

-----

Joko 3

Linescore

1-0; 1-1; (Gordon behind the back save) 2-1; 2-2; 4-2; 4-4; 10-4

Scoring

Gaubeka +5 -1; Gordon +3(2a) -1(1f)

Ibarguren +0 -0; Ibargarai +2 -2

Balls in Play: 101

Time of the Joko: 10:28

-----

Joko 4

Linescore

1-0; 1-2; 3-2; 3-3; 4-3; 4-5; 5-5; 5-6; 10-6

Scoring

Gaubeka +4 -1; Gordon +2 -0

Ibarguren +4 -1; Ibargarai +1(1a) -3(1f)

Balls in Play: 99

Time of the Joko: 10:58

==========

For the match:

Scoring:

DEIA:

Gaubeka +11 -4; Gordon +8(4a) -5(2f)
Ibarguren +12 -8; Ibargarai +6(2a) -9(2f)
Score adds to 36-27

Balls in Play: 372

Time of the match: 57 minutes 

My scoring:

Gaubeka +13 -2; Gordon +8(3a) -5(2f)

Ibarguren +14 -6; Ibargarai +8(2a) -9(3f)
Total score adds to 36-29

Balls in Play: 374

Time of the match: 43:35 (there was obviously a discrepancy here). I counted according to the Facebook clock, and did not count the time between sets or the time between matches. I counted from when the first serve of the match hit the floor to when the final point was scored in each set and added those times together. 

========================

InnPala Player Records from January 1-August 23, 2019

Key: Player; Position (d=delantero (front court), z=zaguero (back court)); match wins-losses; joko (set) wins-losses; winning-losing streak; championships won. Matches that are single partidos will be noted. Table will be according to match winning percentage. 1st tie breaker will be number of wins. 2nd tie breaker will be joko win-loss differential. 3rd tie breaker is joko winning percentage

Championships: L=La Liga; MI=Mundo Individuel; MP=Mundo Parejas; Biz Op=Bizkaia Open; S=San Fermin (see Pala section); D=Donostio #Kiro Txartela; AN=Asta Nagusia Bilbao

Necol(d)......21-9..68-49...-3.....2(L)(S)(a)(b)

Fusto(d)......13-11.47-43...+2.....1(AN)(a)(c)
Gaubeka(d).....9-11.44-38...-1.....1(MP)

Garate(d)......7-16.33-53...-1(b)(c)

Landeta(d).....1-7..9-22....-6

Brefel(z)......3-1..11-6....+1(a)*

Ibai-Perez(z).18-9..58-47...+6(a)..3(MP)(D)(AN)(c)
Ibargarai(z)..16-9..59-44...+1.....3(MI)(Biz Op)(S) 
Urrutia(z)....11-15.49-53...-2.....1(L)(c)

Gordon(z)......6-17.33-55...-1(b)

* Retired from InnPala February 15, 2019
a=February 15, 2019: Sylvain Brefel's farwell match
b=May 31, 2019: A friendly that was set up on short notice when Fusto had to pull out of his Bizkaia Open Jornada 6 match due to back discomfort. Necol-Arroita* 3 Garate-Gordon 0

(10-6, 10-8, 10-6) (30-20)

c=June 21, 2019. A 45 point single partido match: Fusto-Ibai Perez 45 Garate-Urrutia 27

For up to date win-loss records of the InnPala staff, see the cumulative InnPala Player win-loss table page of this blog.

Mano--Torneo Bartolome de Elgoibar II (August 24-25, 2019)

Torneo Bartolome de Elgoibar II: Ikastola, Elgoibar (1) (2)

This was a brief 3 team tournament, with a Semi-final. The winner then played Artola-Zabaleta, who were seeded into the Final. One of the interesting features of the tournament was that each team had a member from each of the two companies that organize Mano at the professional level.

ASPE Roster

Baikopilota Roster

Tournament Preview article (21Iguales.com)

2018 complete results (baikopilota.eus)

August 25

FINAL

Artola(Baikopilota)-Zabaleta (ASPE) 22 Irribarria(ASPE)-Imaz(B) 2 (EITB--match begins at: 1:19:43)

Condensed linescore (21Iguales.com) (winners always listed 1st)

4-0; 4-1; 16-1; 16-2; 22-2

Scoring (EITB)

Artola +8 -0; Zabaleta +1 -0

Irribarria +2 -8; Imaz +0 -5

Balls in Play: 252: Artola 74; Zabaleta 62; Irribarria 48; Imaz 68

Time of the Match: 31:02

Match article (21Iguales.com)

The linescore says it all as A-Z demolish I-I with a double perfect game. Artola had 26 more balls in play than Irribarria.

August 24

Semi-Final

Irribarria (ASPE)-Imaz(B) 22 

Bengoetxea VI(B)-Martija(ASPE) 18 

There was no match video for this match.

Selected linescore (21Iguales.com) (winners always listed 1st)

6-0; 18-7; 21-18; 22-18

Scoring: (21Iguales.com)

Irribarria +12 -3; Imaz +0 -2

Bengoetxea VI +13 -6; Martija +0 -4

Balls in Play: 447

Time of the Match: 51:00

Match article (21Iguales.com)

A huge comeback almost overtakes the winners...but not quite.

Mano--Torneo Asta Nagusia Bilbao--August 21, 22, 24

Torneo Asta Nagusia Bilbao (1) (2) (August 21, 22, 24). This tournament was part of the Asta Nagusia (Great Week) Festival in Bilbo (Bilbao)

ASPE Roster

Baikopilota Roster

Tournament Preview (21Iguales.com)

Complete results (along with results going back to 2011 (baikopilota.eus)

Final scoring: (two of the matches were not televised, so 21Iguales.com scoring was used). EITB scoring was used in the other match.

Laso +13 -3; Albisu +0 -5

Urrutikoetxea +10 -3; Albisu +0 -0

Altuna III +15 -8; Rezusta +3 -11

Elezkano +8 -4; L. Galarza +2 -5

Oliazola +4 -2; +0 -9

Note: the individual scoring in the two 21Iguales.com matches did not add up to the total score. EITB's scoring did. 

The Tournament scoring was interesting. The fronts were +50 -20, while the backs were +5 -30. Laso was the "hero", coming in on short notice due to  a shoulder injury to Urrutikoetxea, while Rezusta had 2 uncharacteristically poor "days at the office." Altuna III, the leading scorer in the tournament, was able to help his team over the line once, but he was basically shut out in the Final. Albisu was player of the Tournament.

August 24

FINAL

Laso (substituting for Urrutikoetxea)-Albisu 22

Altuna III-Rezusta 13 (EITB--match begins at 1:15:42)

Selected linescore (Mundo Deportivo) (winners always listed 1st)

12-11; 15-11; 18-13; 22-13

Scoring (EITB)

Laso +13 -3; Albisu +0 -5

Altuna III +5 -4; Rezusta +0 -5

Balls in Play: 629; Altuna III 150; Rezusta 160; Laso 169; Albisu 150

Time of the Match: 69:00

Playing Time: 31:34

Match article (Mundo Deportivo)
Match article (Baikopilota.eus)

Laso's play made the difference as the substitute led his team to victory. Not only did he have a great offensive match, but he also (along with a lot of help from Albisu), limited Altuna III's offense enough to control the match and win decisively.

August 22

2nd Semi-Final

Altuna III-Rezusta 22 Elezkano II-L. Galarza (substituting for Zabaleta) 19

Selected linescore (21Iguales.com) winners always listed 1st)

5-3; 6-6; 7-7; 10-10; 11-12; 14-13; 20-13; 20-15; 21-17; 21-19; 22-19

Scoring:

Altuna III +10 -4; Rezusta +3 -6

Elezkano II +8 -4; L. Galarza +2 -5

(Scoring adds to 22-20)

Balls in Play: 595

Time of the Match 71 minutes

Match article (21Iguales.com)

After an equal 1st half, a 6 point run by the winners seemed to be sufficient, but E-G answered with a 6-1 run of their own to fall just short. The match article praised the play of Ladis Galarza, the substitute back.

August 21

1st Semi-final

Urrutkoetxea-Albisu 22

Oliazola II-Mariezkurrena II 7

Highlights (EITB)

Selected linescore (21iguales.com) (winners always listed 1st)

8-0; 8-1; 13-1; 13-3; 15-3; 16-4; 17-5; 17-7; 22-7

Scoring (21Iguales.com)

Urrutikoetxea +10 (including 3 service aces) -3; Albisu +0 -0

Oliazola II +4 -2 Mariezkurrena II +0 -9

(Scores add to 21-7)

Balls in Play: 331

Time of the Match: 41:00

Match article (21Iguales.com)

Oliazola II, playing for the 2nd day in a row after an exhausting 640 ball match in the Torneo Bizkaia Final Pairs match, and Mariezkurrena II, returning to action after a month's absence with "bad hands", were no match for a sharp U-A team, which scored 13 of the 1st 14 points to advance easily.

Main Nue--Two Simultaneous Tournaments--Tournois de Larrau and Tournois d'Ascain--August 15, 16, and 18, 2019

Two tournaments were held the weekend of August 16-18. We have very little information about either of them, and no video whatsoever, unfortunately.

Tournois de Larrau (1) (2) (August 16, 18)

August 18

FINAL

Bielle-Ducassou 40 Ospital-Guichandut 32

Selected linescore (winners always listed 1st)

12-5; 15-8; 21-13; 24-20; 26-25; 32-29; (Bielle 3 consecutive aces) 38-30; 40-32

Partial scoring:

Bielle 10 service aces; Ospital 6

Bielle 19 aces in 2 matches

August 16

Semi-Finals

Bielle-Ducassou 40 Etchegaray-X. Lambert 37

Selected linescore (Esku Pilota) (winners always listed first)

4-11; 10-18; 19-25; 27-27; 29-33; 33-33; 40-37

Partial scoring

Bielle 9 service aces; Etchegaray 5

Time of the match: about and hour and 25 minutes

Ospital-Guichandut 40

P. Larralde-Harismendy 28

Selected linescore (winners always listed 1st)

10-4; 14-14; (Ospital; 4 consecutive aces) 18-14; 32-19; 34-28; (Ospital 2 more aces) 40-28

Partial scoring:

Ospital 9 service aces

Match articles for all 3 matches (Esku Pilota)

+++++++++

Tournois d'Ascain (1) (2) (August 15, 18)

Source for all scores: Esku Pilota Resultats

August 18

FINAL

Zirrusta*-Ugarte* 40 L. Lambert-Saint Paul* 29

August 15

Semi-Finals

Ziarrusta*-Ugarte* 40 Bideondo*-Palomes 26

L. Lambert-St. Paul* 40 Alcasena*-Lucu 24