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!) WINTER SERIES--OCTOBER 2024--FEBRUARY 2025!!!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Pala/Pala Larga 2018-2019 Season Wrap and Final individual table/rankings.

The 2018-2019 Pala Larga (mostly InnPala) season ended with one Tournament and 4 independent matches. 2 of the independent matches were played as single partidos to 40 points. Because there is so little information about these matches, they have been compiled together in this post. Though InnPala players perform throughout the year, I have decided (perhaps arbitrarily) to "begin" the season with the Liga Kutxabank competition. The 2019-20 LK begins on October 25, 2019. 

Below you will find 4 items.

1. InnPala's final (at present) ranking of its players. This ranking was published on June 16, 2019, and covered the 4 major tournaments (Liga Kutxabank (Pairs), Mundial Individuel, Mundo Parejas (Pairs), and Bizkaia Open (Pairs)). If another ranking comes out before the beginning of the 2019-20 Liga, I will include it below.

2. A final accounting of the match and joko (set) win-loss records for InnPala players from October 26, 2018-October 11, 2019. For a match by match accounting from January 1-October 11 see the Pala Individual Player Win-Loss Table on the right side of the blog. These are for all the matches I have found. I also added in the 2018 Liga match results to get a full accounting of the season. Those matches are available here and here, but they were added in their entirety to the final October 11 calendar year accounting. Please let me know if  I have missed any matches so I can add them.

3. Results and relevant links from the Sopela Tournament (June 27, September 7) and 4 independent matches from September 14 to October 11.

4. Links to results, videos, articles, and analysis, from all the major Tournaments and matches throughout the season.

1. InnPala Rankings on June 16, 2019 (include results of Bizkaia Open Competition)

Player information and photos

DELANTEROS  ZAGUEROS
Gaubeka 204  Ibargarai 216
                     
Necol 202 Ibai Perez 174
Fusto  180        Gordon 166
Garate 132       Urrutia 162
Landeta 114

The ranking criteria are available at Innpala at this time (scroll past the rankings, which are current).

+++++++++

2. FINAL TABLE FOR 2018-2019 SEASON (October 26, 2018-October 11, 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

Links are to BLOG POSTS that covered the competitions.

Championships: L=Liga KutxabankMI=Mundo IndividuelMP=Mundo Parejas; Biz Op=Bizkaia OpenS=San Fermin (see Pala section); D=Donostio #Kiro TxartelaAN=Asta Nagusia Bilbao; P=Plentzia (August 29-31) (Note: Plentzia matches were single partidos to 40 points. No change was made to joko records.); So=Sopela (June 27, September 7--see below)

Note: Bizkaia Open and Asta Nagusia included amateurs and professionals. *=Amateur

Necol had the best match and joko record of all the delanteros. Fusto won the most championships. 

Ibai Perez had the best match and joko record of all the zagueros. Ibargarai won the most championships.

The Major championships. Necol-Urrutia (Liga Kutxabank); Ibargarai (Mundo Individuel); Gaubeka-Ibai Perez (Mundo Parejas); Dardenne*-Ibargarai (Bizkaia Open)

Necol(d)......28-15(.651).96-75(.561)..-1..2(L)(S)(a)(b)(e)

Fusto(d)......22-15(.595).71-58(.551)..-2..3(AN)(P)(So)(a)(c)(d)(f)
Gaubeka(d)....19-15(.559).68-58(.540)..+3..1(MP)(d)(f)
Garate(d).....10-23(.303).47-73(.392)..-3(b)(c)(e)
Landeta(d).....1-15(.062).15-43(.259)..-6

Ibai-Perez(z).29-13(.690).85-67(.559)..+5..3(MP)(D)(AN)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f)

Ibargarai(z)..19-18(.514).68-65(.511)..+4...5(MI)(Biz Op)(S)(P)(So) (e)
Brefel(z).......6-6(.500).25-23(.521)..+1(a)*
Urrutia(z)....18-22(.450).77-79(.494)..-4.......1(L)(c)(f)
Gordon(z).....12-22(.353).54-69(.439)..-4(b)(d)

* 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
d=September 14, 2019. A 40 point single partido match: Gaubeka-Ibai Perez 40 Fusto-Gordon 39
e=September 22, 2019. A 40 point single partido match: Necol-Ibai Perez 40 Garate-Ibargarai 23
f=October 6, 2019. A 40 point single partido match. Gaubeka-Ibai Perez 40 Fusto-Urrutia 37

+++++++++

3. Match results, articles, avaialble videos for Sopela Tournament (see below) and the 4 final independent matches for the 2018-2019 season.

October 11

Independent Match--Seignosse (1) (2)

Pala Larga Champions Challenge 

Note: this was the 2nd Champions Challenge between the 2018 World Champion Pala Corta (slightly smaller implement) team (Necol-Urrutia (substituting for the recently retired (from InnPala) Sylvain Brefel) and the 2019 World Champion Pala Larga team (Gaubeka-Ibai Perez).

The World Championship Pala Corta Final (played on a short (36 meter) concha (court) which N-B (France) won over Gaubeka-Skufka (Spain)
(10-15, 15-12, 10-8) (35-35) can be viewed in its entirety here.

Match article (Federation de Pelota Vasco--FIPV)

The World Championship Pala Larga Final (played on a long (54 meter) concha which was won by G-I over Fusto-Ibargarai
(10-5, 10-4, 7-10, 10-5) (37-24) can be viewed in its entirety here.

Match article (Deia)

The first Champions Challenge, played in Biarritz on May 10 was won by Necol-Brefel over Fusto-Ibargarai (substituting for Gaubeka-Ibai Perez)
(15-10, 15-8) (30-18) can be viewed in its entirety here

+++

Gaubeka-Ibai Perez 3 Necol-Urrutia 1 (France3Aquitaine Youtube full match video)
(7-10, 10-6, 10-8, 10-8) (37-32) 
(Source:Sud Ouest)

Selected Joko Scoring (Sud-Ouest) (match winners always listed 1st)

J1

2-8; 7-8; 7-10

J2

5-5; 10-6

J4

2-8; 10-8

Time of the match: 55 minutes

Match article (Sud-Ouest via PPF Sports Facebook)). Note: this is a photo of the article. Increase its size until you can read it.

9 Match photos (Pepito elhorga - Otago Bayonne Facebook)
10 Match photos (Dan Necol Facebook)

Played before a large crowd in a newly remodeled fronton, N-U were on their way to parity at 2 jokos apiece with an 8-2 lead when G-I struck for 8 consecutive points to finish the match. This was the final match played by InnPala players in the 2018-19 season. The 2019-20 season begins on October 25 with the Liga Kuxtabank pairs competition.

October 6

Independent Match--Mimetiz, Zalla (1) (2)

Gaubeka-Ibai Perez (substituting for Urrutia) 40
Fusto (substituting for Necol)-Urrutia (substituting for Ibargarai) 37
(Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera)

September 22

Independent Match--Galdakao (1)(2)

Necol-Ibai Perez 40 Garate-Ibargarai 23
(Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera)

September 14

Independent Match--Urdaliz (1) (2)

Gaubeka-Ibai Perez 40 Fusto-Gordon 39
(Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera)

Sopela (1) (2) Tournament

*= Amateur

September 7, 2019

FINAL

Fusto-Ibargarai 3 Necol-Urrutia 0
10-3, 10-4, 10-8) (30-15)

3rd Place Match

Ibarguren*-Ibai Perez 3 Garate-Gordon 0
(10-6, 10-7, 10-8) (30-21)
Source for both scores: InnPala and correspondence with Dan Necol (Merci Beaucoup Dan)

June 27, 2019

Semi-finals

Fusto-Ibargarai 3 Ibarguren* (substituting for Landeta)-Ibai Perez 0
(10-8, 10-5, 10-3) (30-16)

Necol-Urrutia 3 Garate-Gordon 0
(10-9, 10-7, 10-6) (30-22)
Source for both scores: Diario Vasco Cartelera

4. Blog links to all posts from the major tournaments of the 2018-2019 season.

* AMATEUR

VILLA DE PLENTZIA TOURNEO (AUGUST 29-31): WINNERS: FUSTO-IBARGARAI


WINNERS:
WOMEN'S MASTER PALA (PALETA CUERO: IRAZUSTABARRENA-ERASUN
MENS MASTER PALA (PALA LARGA): ALTUNA*-IBAI PEREZ