Pala/Pala Larga--Updated Innpala Rankings and Player Win-Loss records as of June 16, 2019--end of Bizkaia Open

New InnPala rankings were recently published at the InnPala website. Note: The rankings include the Liga Kutxabank competition which ended on January 12, 2019, the Mundo Individual competition that ended on February 15, the Mundo Parejas competition that ended on April 13, and the Bizkaia Open, which ended on June 15

As of June 16, 2019.

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

A Google Translate version of how the rankings are derived.

The company awards diamonds (*) (1 to 3) to the championships depending on their importance, duration, etc. Note: *** ranked tournaments are the major annual tournaments, to the best of my knowledge. These would by the Liga Kutxabank (pairs), the Mundial Individual (singles), the Mundo Parejas (pairs) and the Bizkaia Open (pairs). The rankings of the summer tournaments are unknown to me at this time.

The diamonds of each tournament are multiplied by the following points ladder:

1º: 22 | 2nd: 18 | 3rd: 14 | 4th: 12 | 5th onwards: 10

In the individual world the points are awarded depending on the elimination in which each paddler has fallen

The pelotaris that do not compete in a tournament acquire as many points as the last of the competition.

* New incorporations to the company that are linked to the ranking with the palista who has the fewest points on the day of incorporation.

Player win-loss records as of June 16, 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

Necol(d)......15-6..47-31...-1.....1 (L)(a)(b)

Gaubeka(d).....7-7..33-25...-2.....1 (MP)

Fusto(d).......7-9..28-34...-1(a)

Garate(d)......5-11.25-40...-1(b)
Landeta(d).....1-7..9-22....-6

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

Ibai-Perez(z).10-6..35-32...+3(a)..1 (MP)
Ibargarai(z)..11-7..42-33...+5.....2 (MI)(Biz Op) 
Urrutia(z).....7-9..30-35...-4.....1 (L)

Gordon(z).....5-12..28-39...-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.

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

As of April 14, 2019

Player information and photos

DELANTEROS  ZAGUEROS

Gaubeka 174  I.Pérez   150
                         Ibargarai 15
Necol  150
Fusto  138        Urrutia   138
Garate  102      Gordon   114
Landeta  90

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

Player win-loss records as of April 14, 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

Necol(d).......9-3..30-20...+3.....1 (L)(a)

Gaubeka(d).....5-4..23-16...+2.....1 (MP)

Fusto(d).......4-6..18-24...-2(a)

Landeta(d).....1-2..3-7.....-1

Garate(d)......2-8..16-26...-6

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

Ibai-Perez(z)..7-4..26-21...+7(a)..1 (MP)
Urrutia(z).....7-4..24-20...+1.....1 (L)

Ibargarai(z)...5-5..22-23...-2.....1 (MI) 

Gordon(z)......2-8..15-25...-1

* Retired from InnPala February 15, 2019

a=February 15, 2019: Sylvain Brefel's farwell match

Brefel-Necol 3 Fusto-Ibai Perez 2 (8-10, 8-10, 10-5, 10-5, 10-5) (46-35)

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

As of February 16, 2019

Player information and photos

DELANTEROS (front) ZAGUEROS (back)
Gaubeka 108 Urrutia  96
                                       Ibargarai 96
Necol  102
Fusto    84    Ibai P  84
Garate  66 Gordon  84
Landeta 60            Brefel  66

Player win-loss records as of Feburary 16, 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.

Championships: L=La Liga; MI=Mundo Individuel

Necol(d)...........4-1..13-6...+1...1 (L)(a)
Gaubeka(d)......1-1..5-4.....-1
Garate(d)..........0-1..1-3....-1
Landeta(d)........0-1..0-3...-1
Fusto(d)............0-3..3-9....-3(a)

Ibargarai(z)......3-0...9-6...+3...1 (MI) 
Brefel(z)..........3-1..11-6..+1(a)
Urrutia(z).........1-1..3-3....-1...1 (L)
Gordon(z)........1-2..3-6....-1
Ibai-Perez(z)....0-2..4-6.....-2(a)

a=Sylvain Brefel's farewell match.

Necol-Brefel 3 Fusto-Ibai Perez 2 (8-10, 8-10, 10-5, 10-5, 10-5)

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

As of January 13, 2019

DELANTEROS ZAGUEROS
(Front Courters)      (Back Courters)

Necol  66 Urrutia  66
Fusto  54 Gordon  54
Gaubeka  42 Ibai Perez  42
Garate  36 Brefel  36
Landeta  30      Ibargarai  30

Player win-loss records as of January 13, 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.

Championships: L=La Liga

Necol(d)..........1-0...3-0...+1...1 (L)
Gaubeka(d)......0-0...0-0....0
Garate(d)..........0-0..0-0....0
Landeta(d)........0-0..0-0....0
Fusto(d)............0-1..0-3...-1

Urrutia(z).........1-0..3-0...+1...1 (L)
Ibai-Perez(z)....0-0..0-0.....0
Ibargarai(z)......0-0..0-0.....0
Brefel(z)..........0-0..0-0......0
Gordon(z)........0-1..0-3.....-1

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

For 2019, a table of actual wins and losses along with jokos won and lost for players by position is also available, as another way to look at how the Palistas are doing throughout the year. It includes all of the matches that I find, whether tournament or independent matches. This, along with some data for about 1/2 of the 2016-17 season is available at the InnPala Player win-loss table page on the right side of the blog. Records are kept cumulatively, match by match.

Pala/Pala Larga--Bizkaia Open FINAL, Semi-finals, and results for the entire Tournament, along with cumulative tables

The annual Bizkaia Open, the last of the three major professional Tournaments, was contested at Bizkaia, Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2) and several other venues from May 3 to June 15, 2019. Typically it features the presence of amateurs to partner with last year's champions. This year there were 3 amateurs, two zagueros (backs) and one delantero (front). It consisted of 6 teams with a single round robin. The top 4 finishers then played in the Semi-Finals (1 v 4, 2 v 3). The semi-finals and final were played at Bizkaia. 

The teams:

*=Amateur

Justin Dardenne*-Xabier Ibargarai

Dan Necol-Iker Gordon

Ibon Garate-Ibai Perez

Esteban Gaubeka-Ekain Mendizabal*

Pablo Hernan "Fusto"-Igor Arroita*

Ander Landeta-Inaki Urrutia

Preview (Innpala)

Preview (Mundo Deportivo)

Preview (El Correo)

Video preview (short interviews with Fusto, Urrutia, Garate, and Gaubeka (Gaubeka's is truncated) (Bizkaia Fronton Twitter)

The tournament was heavily effected by injuries in the latter stages. Below is a (hopefully) understandable chronicle of those.

INJURY NEWS:

1. Pablo Hernan "Fusto" (delantero-front) missed the final two matches of the League phase with "back discomfort". He was replaced by Jabier Ibarguren in his Jornada 5 match (see below). He was expected to play in his team's Jornada 6 match, put pulled out at the last moment. With no replacement available the 3 joko points went to Necol-Gordon and a match was set between Necol-Arroita* (Fusto"s partner) and Garate-Gordon. Fusto recovered played in the Semi-final at Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) on June 8. 

2. Esteban Gaubeka (d-front) missed his Jornada 6 match with a wrist injury. He was replaced by Ibarguren (making for a completely amateur team--Gaubeka's partner being Ekain Mendizabal) for their match with Dardenne*-Ibargarai. Gaubeka played in his Semi-final on June 8. 

Sources: Mundo Deportivo article by Joseba Fonseca and correspondence with Dan Necol. Merci beaucoup, Dan.

Note: For those who wish to follow the tournament chronologically, go to the bottom of the post and read up. A cumulative table is available at the end of every round. 

Justin Dardenne (see link to newspaper article below) and Xabier-Ibargarai (1) (2) lost just one match (3-2) on their march to an Open title. They were 6-1, winning 20 jokos (sets) and losing only 8. For the tournament they outscored their opponents 244-188. Their joko match scores looked like this:

3-0; 2-3; 3-0; 3-1; 3-2; 3-1; 3-1 (Semi-final and Final).

In the two final matches, Dardenne was +10 -8 in the Jokos we have data for (EITB did not give a final accounting of the Final, and so we are missing a joko.). But he more than held his own against Fusto and stayed close enough to Necol so that Ibargarai could pulverize his back court opponents by a net +5 to -9 (most likely more than that because Gordon's totals are partial), leading to decisive (if not always easy--each 4th joko was a difficult battle) wins in both post League matches. This was supposed to be the tournament that showcased back court amateurs, as InnPala has been looking for a replacement for the recently retired Sylvain Brefel, forcing the company to play one short at that position since February. Dardenne quietly did his job in a supporting role. The results speak for themselves. And to top it off he beat Necol with low cortadas (hard sidearm hits) down the left wall on the 4-4--5-4 and winning points of the last joko. Not bad for an amateur.

Finally, until the post League matches, this tournament got little press or TV coverage that I could find. I was able to find individual joko scores, so we have a record for those (thanks to the magnificent work done by Diario Vasco in its Cartelera (Calendar--what used to be known in American newspapers as "agate type") section.  But beyond that, any attempt at analysis would be purely speculative. However, there were "sub-plots" in this tournament. You can see them in the scores of the matches. One was Fusto's performance. He has had a difficult season, still reaching Tournament finals, but not yet cashing in. He started out magnificently in this competition, winning his first 3 matches with his amateur partner by 9 jokos to 3, including a shutout of the professional pair Garate-Ibai Perez. After he was injured, his now all-amateur team suffered and they ended up 3-2 (9-9), barely making it to the post League phase. For Garate-Ibai Perez, it was a different story. They began with 2 shutout losses (devastating in a competition solely based on joko wins). But they then roared back with 3 wins in a row. It wasn't enough after the start, but it was inspirational. Necol-Gordon were up and down, but in their last League match they were helped by a forfeit due to Fusto's injury. That got them into the playoffs. There they played their best match, easily defeating Gaubeka-Mendizabal to reach the final. Necol had the dominant match that he is always capable of (+15 -8). Gaubeka-Mendizabal were cruising to a Semi-final berth before Gaubeka's injury almost derailed their chances. Not much can be said for Landeta-Urrutia. Landeta has been idle since February, missing the entire Mundo Parejas (World Pairs Championship) by a single joko in the two match play-in. That he would be "rusty" is not surprising. He and Urrutia had a disastrous 0-5 (6-15) League phase, but even they had something positive in the ledger. In their final League match, on June 1, having long been eliminated and with absolutely nothing to play for, they played their best match of the phase against the eventual champions, losing a tough 3-2 decision.

FINAL

June 15, 2019

Final preview article (Mundo Deportivo)

Final preview article (Deia) Emphasizes the play of Justin Dardenne.

Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2)

Dardenne*-Ibargarai 3 Necol-Gordon 1

(5-10, 10-6, 10-8, 10-8) (35-32) (Joko scores: Diario Vasco Cartelera) (EITB--match begins at 42:15)

Partial scoring:

Ibargarai +12 -8

Through the first 3 jokos:

Dardenne +4 -4 Ibargarai +9 -7

Necol + 9 -6 Gordon +4 -6

Balls in play: 341

Dardenne 60 Ibargarai 111

Necol 97 Gordon 73

Match article (Mundo Deportivo)

Semi-finals

June 8, 2019

Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2)

Full match video for both matches, in the order below (EITB)

Necol-Gordon (#3) 3 Gaubeka-Mendizabal* (#2) 1

(10-2, 10-6, 9-10, 10-5) (39-23)

Scoring (EITB)

Necol +15 -8 Gordon +6 -4

Gaubeka +5 -11 Mendizabal +6 -7

Note: scoring adds to 39-22

Balls in play: 410

Necol 117 Gordon 97

Gaubeka 84 Mendizabal 113

Time of the match: 47:15

Dardenne*-Ibargarai (#1) 3

Fusto-Arroita(#4)* 1

(6-10, 10-3, 10-2, 10-7) (36-22)

Scoring (EITB)

Dardenne +6 -4 Ibargarai +10 -9

Fusto +4 -8 Arroita +5 -12

Balls in play: 362

Dardenne 81 Ibargarai 107

Fusto 107 Arroita 67

Time of the match: 47:45

Dardenne

FINAL TABLE

Dardenne*-Ibargarai (4-1; 14-6) 14

Gaubeka-Mendizabal* (2-3; 10-9) 10

Necol-Gordon (3-2; 9-7) 9

Fusto-Arroita* (3-2; 9-9) 9

Garate-Ibai Perez (3-2; 9-11) 9

Landeta-Urrutia (0-5; 6-15) 6

Jornada (Day) 6

June 1, 2019

Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2)

Dardenne*-Ibargarai (4-1; 14-6; 14) 3

Landeta-Urrutia (0-5; 6-15; 6) 2

(8-10, 10-5, 6-10, 10-6, 10-5) (44-36)

Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

May 31, 2019

Urduliz (1) (2)

In a friendly:

Necol-Arroita* (substituting for Gordon (3-2; 9-7; 9) 3

Ibarguren* (substituting for Fusto)-Gordon (substituting for Arroita* (3-2; 9-9; 9) 0

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

Dardenne*-Ibargarai (3-1; 11-4; 11) 3

Ibarguren* (substituting for Gaubeka)-Mendizabal* (2-3; 10-9; 10) 1

(10-8, 10-8, 6-10, 10-6) (36-32)

Source:Diario Vasco Cartelera

Match articles for both matches (Mundo Deportivo)

Jornada (Day) 5

May 25, 2019

Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2)

Garate-Ibai Perez (3-2; 9-11; 9) 3

Landeta-Urrutia (0-4; 4-12; 4) 1

(7-10, 10-7, 10-9, 10-8) (37-34)

Dardenne*-Ibargarai (2-1; 8-3; 8) 3

Ibarguren* (substituting for Fusto)-Arroita* (3-1; 9-6; 9) 0

(10-2, 10-3, 10-3) (30-8)

Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

Jornada 5 Table

Note: Xabier Ibarguren* replaced Fusto in the Jornada 5 match

Fusto-Arroita* (3-1; 9-6); 9

Gaubeka-Mendizabal* (2-2; 9-6); 9

Garate-Ibai Perez (3-2; 9-11); 9

Dardenne*Ibargarai* (2-1; 8-3); 8

Necol-Gordon (2-2; 6-7); 6

Landeta-Urrutia (0-4; 4-12); 4

Jornada (Day) 4

May 24, 2019

Sopela (1) (2)

Necol-Gordon (2-2; 6-7; 6) 3

Landeta-Urrutia (0-3; 3-9; 3) 1

(3-10, 10-5, 10-5, 10-5) (33-25)

Garate-Ibai Perez (2-2; 6-10); 3

Gaubeka-Mendizabal* (2-2; 9-6; 9) 2

(10-9; 2-10; 7-10; 10-6; 10-0) (39-35)

Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

Jornada 4 Table

Fusto-Arroita* (3-0; 9-3); 9

Gaubeka-Mendizabal* (2-2; 9-6); 9

Necol-Gordon (2-2; 6-7); 6

Garate-Ibai Perez (2-2; 6-10); 6

Dardenne*Ibargarai* (1-1; 5-3); 5

Landeta-Urrutia (0-3; 3-9); 3

Jornada (Day) 3

May 19, 2019

Zalla (1) (2)

Garate-Ibai Perez (1-2; 3-8; 3) 3

Dardenne*-Ibargarai (1-1; 5-3; 5) 2

(5-10, 10-3, 4-10, 10-5, 10-5) (39-33)

Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

May 18, 2019

Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2)

Fusto-Arroita* (3-0; 9-3; 9) 3

Landeta-Urrutia (0-2; 2-6; 2) 2

(9-10, 7-10, 10-4, 10-7, 10-3) (46-34)

(InnPala Twitter)

Gaubeka-Mendizabal* (2-1; 7-3; 7) 3

Necol-Gordon (1-2; 3-6; 3) 0

(10-9, 10-9, 10-3) (30-24)

(InnPala Twitter)

Jornada 3 Table

Fusto-Arroita* (3-0; 9-3); 9

Gaubeka-Mendizabal* (2-1; 7-3); 7

Dardenne*Ibargarai* (1-1; 5-3); 5

Necol-Gordon (1-2; 3-6); 3

Garate-Ibai Perez (1-2; 3-8); 3

Landeta-Urrutia (0-2; 2-6) ;2

Jornada (Day) 2

May 12, 2019

Las Llanas, Sestao (1) (2)

Fusto-Arroita* (2-0; 6-1: 6) 3

Garate-Ibai Perez (0-2; 0-6: 0) 0

(10-3, 10-7; 10-9) (30-19)

May 11, 2019

Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2)

Dardenne*-Ibargarai (1-0; 3-0: 3) 3

Necol-Gordon (1-1; 3-3: 3) 0

(10-3, 10-7, 10-9) (30-19)

Gaubeka-Mendizabal*(1-1; 4-3: 4) 3

Landeta-Urrutia (0-1; 0-3: 0) 0

(10-4, 10-4, 10-8) (30-16)

Match article for both matches (El Correo)

Source for all match and joko scores: Diario VascoCartelera

Jornada 2 Table

Fusto-Arroita* (2-0, 6-1): 6

Gaubeka-Mendizabal* (1-1, 4-3): 4

Dardenne*-Ibargarai (1-0, 3-0): 3

Necol-Gordon (1-1; 3-3): 3

Landeta-Urrutia (0-1; 0-3): 0

Garate-Ibai Perez (0-2; 0-6): 0

Jornada (Day) 1

May 3, 2019

Zierbena (1)(2)

Fusto-Arroita* (1-0; 3-1) 3

Gaubeka-Mendizabal* (0-1; 1-3) 1

(4-10, 10-8; 10-7; 10-2) (34-27)

Necol-Gordon (1-0; 3-0) 3

Garate-Ibai Perez (0-1; 0-3) 0

(10-8; 10-2; 10-5) (30-15)

Source for all match and joko scores: Diario Vasco Cartelera

Match article: (Haixeder Blog)

Jornada 1 Table

Necol-Gordon (1-0; 3-0): 3

Fusto-Arroita* (1-0; 3-1): 3

Gaubeka-Mendizabal* (0-1; 1-3): 1

Landeta-Urrutia (0-0; 0-0):0

Dardenne*-Ibargarai (0-0; 0-0): 0

Garate-Ibai Perez (0-1; 0-3): 0

For 2019, a table of actual wins and losses along with jokos won and lost for players by position is also available, as another way to look at how the Palistas are doing throughout the year. It includes all of the matches that I find, whether tournament or independent matches. This, along with some data for about 1/2 of the 2016-17 season is available at the InnPala Player win-loss table page on the right side of the blog. Records are kept cumulatively, match by match.

Main Nue--Masters and Open de Hasparren

Masters Hasparren/Open Hasparren)--was a one week tournament with 2 Semi-finals followed by a final in both divisions

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

Esku Pilota Roster

As always, to follow the Tournament in chronological order, read from the bottom up.

June 23, 2019

FINALS

Full match video of Masters Final (France 3 Acquitaine Facebook) (added August 31, 2019)

Masters 

P. Larralde-Xala 40 Waltary-Ducassou 38 (Pilota Ttiki condensed full match video)

Selected linescore (winners always listed first)

5-0; 8-5 (Larralde hit by an errant Waltary shot, match delayed for 30 minutes while he received 7 stitches); 12-12; 22-29; 34-29; 35-32; 35-38; 40-38

Match article (Esku Pilota) (includes audio interviews with Larralde and Ducassou and video of the final points

Match article (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article with photos (Sud Ouest)

In an act of amazing intestinal fortitude, Larralde came back after being hit in the head and receiving 7 stitches to leading his team's comeback from a 7 point mid-match deficit (with a 12 point run), to helping another comeback, winning the last 5 points to win the match. It was an amazing effort. 

Open Final

Bielle-Cubiat 40 Olcomendy-X. Lambert 35 (Pilota Ttiki condensed full match video)

June 20, 2019

Masters Hasparren Semi-final

P. Larralde-Xala (Yves Salaberry)* 40 Etchegaray-Bilbao 24 (Pilota Ttiki condensed full match video)

Both matches are also available as full match videos from Trinquet Barria Youtube (Added July 29, 2019)

Note: Salaberry was a champion Manonista in the South Basque. See him in action here.

Selected linescore (winners always listed first)

1-9; 9-9; 14-14; 21-21; 27-24; 40-24

Bilbao returned after 7 weeks out with a shoulder injury

Partial scoring: (Pilota Ttiki)

Larralde 11 service aces Etchegaray 8

Match article (Esku Pilota)

Match article (Pilota Ttiki)

Open Hasparren Semi-final 2

Bielle-Cubiat 40 Inchauspe-Iturbe 29 (Pilota Ttiki condensed full match video)

Both matches are available as full match videos from Trinquet Berria Youtube(L-X--E-B match begins at 1:36:20)

June 19, 2019

Masters Hasparren Semi-final 1

Waltary-Ducassou 40 Ospital-Harismendy35 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube condensed full match video)

Selected linescore (winners always listed first) (sources: Pilota Ttiki and Esku Pilota)

2-0; 2-2; 7-7; 9-9; 15-15 16-16; 16-22; 20-25; 26-30; 29-30; 33-33; 36-33 (3 Waltary aces); 38-33; 40-35

Partial scoring (Esku Pilota)

Waltary 14 service aces Ospital 7

Match article (Esku Pilota)

Open Hasparren Semi-final 1

Olcomendy-X. Lambert 40 L. Lambert-B. Larralde 20 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube condensed full match video

Selected linescore (winners always listed first)

7-7; 15-15; 40-20

Both matches are available as full match video from Trinquet Berria Youtube (O-L match begins at 14-13 L-L--W-D begins at 1:06:52). Multiple camera angles, good way to get the overall experience of the matches

Match articles for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)