Remonte--X El Torneo Master UTS Indivual (January 23-February 8, 2020)

X El Torneo Master UTS Individual. 

This tournament was the 1st of 2020 and was a seeded ladder tournament with the top 6 players from the 2019 Summer Singles Tournament. It was played in 5 rounds beginning January 23 and ending with a final on February 8, 2020. With the exception of one match, all were "Star Matches" (the 2nd match of a 4 match program).  Note that Group identifications refer to the two Oriamendi2010 groups the players belong to. These Groups are loosely based on talent and experience level.

Oriamendi Player Roster

Oriemendi Tournamament announcement: Note that due to an injury, Ezkurra II (Group B delantero--front) was replaced by Goikoetxea V (Group B delantero--front).

The calendar:

Quarter-finals

January 23: (Star Match): Ansa II (B-D-Delantero--front) v Azpiroz (B-Z-Zaguero--back)
January 25: (Star Match): Goikoetxea V (B-D) v Endika (A-Z)

Semi-finals:

February 1: (Star Match): Barrenetxea IV (A-Z) (seeded in) v winner of January 23 Quarter Final
February 1: (Match 3): Urriza (A-D (seeded in) v winner of the January 25 Quarter Final

FINAL

February 8 (Star Match)

Note: as with all complete tournament blog posts, to follow chronologically, read from the bottom up.

The summary section at the beginning of the post gives you a quick thumbnail with links to full match videos of the 2 semi-finals and final.

The main part of the post is a match by match breakdown of the Tournament (match articles, scoring, statistics, analysis, and links to full match videos. There is also a MY ARTICLE link to complete point by point scoring of the final.

At the bottom of the post is an individual "leader board" which recaps each players's known cumulative statistics, along with a summary of cumulative known match statistics for the entire Tournament. Below that is a history of the tournament, from its beginning in 2010 to 2019. Included are links to scores, match articles, blog posts, and selected full and partial match videos, along with how many tournaments each player has won.  

I am experimenting with counting "saves," a variable that perhaps gives a bit of insight into the defensive side of BP sports. I define a save as an excellent play that keeps the point alive. It is, obviously, a subjective judgment, and yours may be different from mine. Saves specific to this modality are left wall saves (due to the nature of the implement), rebote (rebound off the back wall) saves, and apron saves near or on the netting. As a subjective experiment in judgment, I hope to get those with much more knowledge than I interested in keeping the statistic. A save is like art. It may be difficult to define, but one "knows it when one sees it." I will also provide the number of saves as a percentage of the total balls in play.

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Complete listing of all scores (Source: Oriamendi2010 results database).

A. Final Tournament Summary:

Quarter Finals

January 23: Ansa II (B-D) 30 Azpiroz (B-Z) 24 (D 1-0; Z 0-1)
January 25: Endika (A-Z) 30 Goikoetxea V 14 (B-D) (A 1-0; B 0-1) (D 1-1; Z 1-1)

Semi-Finals: 

February 1: 

Barrenetxea IV (seeded in) (A-Z) 30 Ansa II (B-D) 25 
(A 2-0; B 0-2) (Z 2-1; D 1-2)

Urriza (seeded in) (A-D) 30 Endika (A-Z) 28 
(Z 2-2; D 2-2)

FULL MATCH  VIDEOS, FOR BOTH MATCHES IN THE ORDER ABOVE (EITB)

FINAL

February 8

Barrenetxea IV (A-Z) 30 Urriza (A-D) 29 
(Z 3-2; D  2-3) 

FULL MATCH VIDEO (EITB)


Barrenetxea IV 2-0 60-54 (TXAPELDUN)
Urriza         1-1 59-58 (Sub-Campion)
Endika         1-1 58-44
Ansa II        1-1 55-54
Azpiroz        0-1 24-30
Goikoetxea V   0-1 14-30

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B. Match by Match coverage

FINAL

February 8, 2020

Urriza and Barrenetxea IV pelota selection

Match preview
Match preview (Diario Vasco)

Barrenetxea IV (A-Z) 30

Urriza (A-D) 29 (Z 3-2; D 2-3) 
(EITB: match begins at 0:00)

MY ARTICLE: A complete map of this match, point by point, including the result of the point, winners (+), errors (-), and saves.

Botilleros (coach-councilor):

Barrenetxea IV: Andoni Saldias (Diario Vasco)

Urriza: Seve Arzelus (scroll to Remonte, Arzelus is discussed in the last paragraph of the Remonte update). 

Best points (times given are the times on the EITB video) 

Point 12: 6-5--7-5 (17:21--17:53): 11 balls in play, Barrenetxea IV makes a great save and immediately returns a 2 wall winner

Point 15: 9-5--9-6 (20:37--21:33): 14 balls in play, 5 saves, the final one by Urriza, who returns a left wall shot for a winner

Point 22: 13-8--14-8 (28:55--29:19): 9 balls in play, 5 saves, Barrenetxea IV wins the point with a left wall shot

Point 28: 16-11--16-12 (36:39--36:55): 5 balls in play, One of the first of a number of tremendous apron saves in this match, Barrenetxea IV makes a diving apron save, but Urriza wins the point with a two wall shot

Point 35: 19-15--20-15 (42:54--43:19): 7 balls in play, Barrenetxea IV has 2 saves, including a rebote save. He wins the point with a 2 wall shot

Points 48-49: 25-22--25-23--25-24 (58:28--60:38): 13 and 3 balls in play: 

Pt. 48--6 saves, 3 by each player, including an apron save by Barrenetxea IV and a rebote save by Urriza. Urriza wins the point with a dejada.

Pt. 49--Urriza makes a terrific apron save and then immediately wins the point with a 2 wall winner.

POINTS 58-59: 29--28; 29--29; 30--39 (72:57--77:11): 15 and 4 balls in play, the two best points of the match:  

Pt. 58: 8 saves, 5 by Barrenetxea IV, including 2 apron and 1 rebote save; 3 by Urriza including a rebote save, Urriza wins the point with a dejada

Pt. 59: 3 saves, including a diving underhand Barrenetxea IV save that passes Urriza for the win. Urriza, in frustration, "heads" the pelota on the 2nd bounce after it comes off the back wall. 

Condensed linescore (winner always listed 1st)

0-2; 1-2; 1-3; 3-3; 3-4; 4-4; 4-5; 9-5; 9-6; 11-6; 11-7; 12-7; 12-8; 15-8
15-10; 16-10; 16-12; 17-12; 17-15; 20-15; 20-17; 25-17; 25-25; 26-25; 26-26; 29-26; 29-29; 30-29

6 equal scores, 1 lead change

Scoring (my scoring, as I could find no scoring from any other source). My judgments, yours may be different.

Barrenetxea IV +26(including 8 service aces) -5(including 2 service faults)
Urriza +24(7a) -4(1f)

Pasas: (1st serve over serves, server gets a second opportunity)
Barrenetxea IV 7(including 1 fault and 1 ace); Urriza 5(0 faults)

Total scoring for the match: +50 (.847) -9 (.153)

Balls in play: 231
Barrenetxea IV 116(?); Urriza 115(?)

Non error % .961

Saves: 85
Barrenetxea IV 44(including 7 rebotes); Urriza 41(7r)

Save % (saves/bip): .368

Time of the match: 71:23
Average balls per point: 3.92
Average time per point: 1:18

Match article
Feature article on Endika Barrenetxea (Mundo Deportivo)

Barrenetxea IV won this major singles Tournament by defeating Urriza by the miminum, after having defeated him 30-27 in last September's Torneo Kutxabank (singles) Final. They have now played against each other in the last 3 Tournament Finals (2 singles and the Orona Campeonato Parejas). The aggregate total of those 3 matches is Barrenetxea IV 97, Urriza 96. Barrenetxea IV has won two. They are clearly the best zaguero (back) and delantero (front) on the roster. This latest match will continue to "stoke the coals" on the argument as to who is the best Remontista in the world. 

Just as in last week's semi-final, Urriza was forced to make a comeback late in the match. In last week's match, he came back against Endika from 15-5, 17-7, and 25-19 deficits. In this match the deficits were 9-5, 15-8, and 25-17. And just like last week's match, he roared back to tie at 25, and 26 (last week it was 26 and 27). But this time he couldn't get "over the hump, with Barrenetxea IV winning 3 consecutive crucial points with dejada, two wall, and left wall winners (65:45--68:11 on the video). A left pass and left wall winner by Urriza cut the deficit to 1. Then came the last two points, one long (15 balls), one short (4) (72:57--77:11 on the video). The first was the best point of the match, with 8 saves, 5 by Barrentxea IV (3 in succession--2 crashing into the netting sandwiched around a rebote) and 3 saves (1 rebote) by Urriza. Urriza won the point with a perfectly placed dejada, just out of the reach of a sliding Barrenetxea IV, who lay on the ground in frustration (and exhaustion) for a long time. With this buildup, the final point was over in the blink of an eye. But the 4 balls included 3 saves and finished with another Urriza dejada that had just a bit too much on it, allowing Barrenetxea IV, barreling in again, to reach it as he was diving, and put enough on the underhand shot to pass his opponent. Urriza realized that Barrenetxea IV was going to get there and was running back before the winning shot was hit. But it was a perfect pass to the outside that Urriza could do nothing more than head like an association footballer, on the 2nd bounce off the back wall. 

The fans seemed as exhausted as the players when it ended, and gave both a standing ovation. They knew they had just witnessed the best this modality has to offer. And if there is one Remonte match you want to see, this is definitely it.

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Semi-Finals

February 1

Choosing of "material" for the matches

The article is interesting in that it hints at what each player is looking for in the pelotas that he chooses. Pelotas were between 127 (4.48 ounces)  and 130 grams (4.59 ounces). 

Match previews

1st Semi-Final (Star Match)

Barrenetxea IV (A-Z) 30
Ansa II (B-D) 25 (A 2-0; B 0-2) (Z 2-2; D 2-2)
(EITB: match begins at 0:00)

Botilleros (coach-councilor):

Barrenetxea IV: Andoni Saldias (Diario Vasco)

Ansa II: Patxi Zeberio (Oriamendi2010) Zeberio II (still an active member of the Oriamendi2010 roster) began his professional Remonte career (1995) 5 months and 6 days before Ansa II was born.

Condensed linescore (winner always listed 1st)

0-2; 1-2; 3-2; 3-5; 5-5; 5-6; 6-6; 6-7; 7-7; 7-8; 8-8; 8-10; 11-10; 11-11; 17-11; 17-12; 19-12; 19-13; 20-13; 20-14; 22-14; 22-16; 23-16; 23-17; 25-17; 25-18; 27-18; 27-25; 30-25

8 equal scores, 3 lead changes

Scoring:

EITB:

Barrenetxea IV +20(including 10 service aces, 6 deep passes); -6(including 2 service  faults)
Ansa II +19(6a, 4 two walls, 3dp) -10(5f)

Pasas (1st serve over serves, server gets a second opportunity)
Barrenetxea 5 (of these he had 1 fault); Ansa II 10 (of these he had 3 faults)

Total scoring for the match: +39 (.709) -16 (.291)

Oriamendi2010:

 Barrenetxea IV +24(including 10 service aces) -4(including 2 service faults)
Ansa II +21(5a) -6(5f)

Total scoring for the match: +45 (.818) -10 (.182)

Balls in Play (my count): 138

Barrenetxea IV 72(?); Ansa II 66(?)

Non-error %: .928

Saves: 40
Barrenetxea IV 19; Ansa II 21(including 2 rebote saves)

Save % (saves/bip): ,290

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2nd Semi-final (Match 3)

Urriza (A-D) 30
Endika (A-Z) 28 (D 2-1; Z 1-2)
(EITB: match begins at 59:04)

Urriza: Seve Arzelus (from my archived 2016 weekly reports. Scroll to Remonte, Arzelus is discussed in the last paragraph of the Remonte update. 

Endika: Aritz Zubiri (Oriamendi2010)

Best points: (times given are the times on the EITB video

Point 11: 3-7--4-7: (1:11:12--1:11:49), 11 balls in play: Urriza 5 saves, Endika 3, including one left wall backhand save.

Point 29: 11-17--12-17: (1:30:13--1:30:39), 9 balls in play: Endika 4 saves, including a falling rebote save.

Point 36: 15-20--16-20: (1:39:20--1:40:08), 20 balls in play: Urriza 4 saves, Endika 1 save, an overhead scoop.

Point 45: 19-25--20-25: (1:51:15--1:53), 12 balls in play: 7 saves, 5 by Endika, but Urriza wins the point

Point 52: 25-26--26-26: (2:00:59--2:01:25), 7 balls in play. Urriza converts a fantastic save, one which he races to the apron and climbs into the netting for, into an immediate winner. An amazing, clutch play, given the context.

POINTS 55-58: 27-27--30-28 (2:05:07--2:08:23). Final 4 points of the match, 3 brilliant winners by Urriza (dejada, service ace, deep pass) and 1 by Endika (saves the serve pinned against the left wall and returns a 2 wall winner). What a finish.  

Condensed linescore: (winner always listed 1st)

0-2; 1-2; 1-3; 2-3; 2-7; 4-7; 4-13; 5-13; 5-15; 7-15; 7-17; 12-17; 12-18; 15-18; 15-20; 16-20; 16-23; 18-23; 18-24; 19-24; 19-25; 24-25; 24-26; 27-26; 27-27; 29-27; 29-28; 30-28

2 equal scores, 1 lead change  

Scoring (EITB): 

Urriza +23(including 5 service aces, 7 two walls, 2 dejadas, and 5 deep passes)  -9
Endika +19 (4a, 5 two walls, 2 dejadas, and 4 deep passes) -7

Pasas: (1st serve over serves, server gets a second opportunity) 
Urriza 2 (0 faults)
Endika 2 (1 fault)

Total scoring for the match: +42 (.724) -16 (.276)

Balls in play: 236
Urriza 119 (97 on the bounce, 22 in the air)
Endika 117 (80 on the bounce, 37 in the air)

Non error %: .932

Saves: 70
Urriza 26; Endika 44

Save %: (saves/bip) .297

Time: 67:23
Average balls per point: 4.07
Average time per point: 1:10

Scoring: (Oriamendi2010)

Urriza +28(including 5 service aces) -4
Endika +24(including 3 service aces) -2

Total scoring for the match: +52 (.897) -6 (.103)

Match article for both matches
Match article for both matches (Noticias de Navarra)

At the end of the day, it was determined that the winners will replay the Torneo Kutxabank Final held in September of 2019. But they had to survive terrific challenges to get there. Both matches were excellent, judging by the match statistics. In total the two matches yielded 97 winners and only 16 errors (Oriamendi2010 scoring (.858 winners). According to EITB it was +81 (.717) -32 (.283). 

Barrenetxea IV picked mostly heavy pelotas (see above) to make his serve as lethal as possible. 1/3 of his points came via the service ace. He also tried to keep Ansa II back as much as possible (as shown by his 6 deep pass winners). But Ansa II played an excellent all around match. He held his own in the in-play scoring. Not surprisingly, the forward (who does not normally serve) had difficulty with his service game, fatally faulting 5 times, which was much of the difference in the match. At 10-10 it was anyone's match. But the experienced Barrentxea IV went on a 12-3 run, and though Ansa II fought back with a 12-8 run of his own, it was not enough. 

The 2nd match was one of those "matches for the ages." Endika roared out to two 10 point leads (5-15; 7-17) and surely a place in the final. But there is a reason that Urriza is the best player in the world. He dug deep and clawed his way back into the match with a 19-9 run to finally equalize at 26. For the 38 year old delantero, this expenditure of energy may have been too much, especially when his opponent was 9 years his junior and a server by trade. But that is not what happened, as the last points of the linescore show. What a finish. After the score was tied at 27, Urriza got his last 3 points with a dejada, service ace, and a deep pass. Endika got his with a great save off the serve that he converted into a two wall winner. 

Both players were "on their game", used all their weapons, and showed the fans just how well this modality can be played at this level.

And so Urriza and Barrrenetxea IV meet in a "rematch final" in the Star Match on February 8. If this match is anything like that one was, fans should be in for a great treat. 

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January 25

2nd Quarter-final

Match preview

Endika (A-Z) 30
Goikoetxea V (B-D) 14 (Z 1-1; D 1-1) (A 1-0; B 0-1) 
Selected linescore (winner always listed 1st)

6-6; 13-9; 20-12; 30-14

No match scoring was available.

Match article

After a slow start, Endika finished with a 17-5 run to win easily. He will face Urriza in the 2nd Semi-Final on February 1.

January 23

1st Quarter-final

Ansa II (B-D) 30 
Azpiroz (B-Z) 24 (D 1-0; Z 0-1)

Selected linescore: (winner always listed 1st)

9-4; 13-7; 16-10; 18-17; 20-20; 28-21; 30-24 

Scoring: 

Ansa II +25(including 6 service aces) -8*(including 4 service faults)
Azpiroz +16(4a) -5* (4f)

*=inferred from the other scores (service faults were available in the match article but not total errors, so far as I could decipher. 

Total scoring for the match: +41 (.759) -13 (.241)

Match article

Ansa II built a big early lead with a 9-4 opening run, but then a 10-4 reply by Azpiroz equalized the match at 20. Ansa II answered that with a 7-1 run to win.  He will face Barrenetxea IV in one of the semi-finals.

Full coverage of this Tournament, in the context of the Thursday and Saturday 4 match programs at Galarreta (including players' ongoing win-loss records) is available on the Oriamendi2010 recurring results page on the left side of the blog.

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C. Leader Board and final overall Tournament statistics:

Source is Oriamendi2010 whenever possible for consistency of scoring. Source for the Final and certain variables in the Barrenetxea IV v Ansa II semi-final:  my own scoring (see below).

Leader Board:

Key: Player; Group-Position; wins-losses; +=winners; -=errors; a=service aces; s=saves

5 total matches

Barrenetxea IV (A-Z) 2-0; +50  -9; 18a; 63s 
Urriza         (A-D) 1-1; +52  -8; 12a; 62s
Ansa II        (B-D) 1-1; +54 -18; 12a; 21s (s=1match)
Endika*        (A-Z  1-1; +19  -7;  4a  44s (s=1m)  
Azpiroz        (B-Z) 0-1  +16  -5   4a
Goikoetxea V   (B-D) 0-1  No scoring available 


*Scoring available for 1 match only

Final Tournament statistics:

Total Scoring for 4 matches: +188 (.832) -38 (.168)
Average match total score: +47 (.839) -9 (.161)

Balls in play for 3 matches: 605*
Average balls in play: 202

*Ball counts for Barrenetxea IV-Ansa II Semi-final and the Final are my counts, as EITB did not provide counts for either match.

Non-Error % .937

Saves (3 matches): 195
Average saves per match: 65

Save % (saves/BIP): .322

Average number of balls per point for 3 matches: 3.52

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D. Previous winners:

I 2010-11: Ezkurra 30 San Miguel 26 match article (manista.com) (All match scores

II 2011-12: Ezkurra 30 Irrutia I 28 (video highlights--Gallareta) (match article--Oriamendi2010) (all match scores)

III 2012-13: Urriza 30 San Miguel 18 (video highlights--Gallareta) (match article--Oriamendi2010) (all match scores)

IV 2013-14: Urriza 30, San Miguel 28 (match article--elremonte blog)
All match scores: Tournament was named "Torneo Navidad".
A. 2013 (see December 28, 2013 entry)
B. 2014 (see January 11, 18, 2014 entries)

V 2014-15:  Uterga 30 Endika 24 (match article--Oriamendi2010) (all match scores)

VI 2015-16: Uterga 30 Urriza 27 (full match video--EITB) (match article--Oriamendi2010)

VII 2016-17: Urriza 30 Endika 24 (full BLOG coverage of semi's and finals including match articles and full match video of final (EITB) Full coverage is also available  via the Remonte "Galaretta Star Matches" recurring results archive page on the right side of the blog (December 31, 2016, January 5, 2017, and January 7, 2017 entries.).

VIII: 2018: Urriza 30 Barrenetxea IV 19 (full match video--EITB) (match article--Oriamendi2010) (all match scores)

IX: 2019: Urriza 30 Uterga 25 (full match video--EITB) (match article--Oriamendi2010) 4 Match photos (Orimandi2010 Twitter feed) Full coverage also at Remonte Galaretta archive "Star Matches" page on the right side of the blog (scroll to double bars between January 10-26, 2019). Also see the BLOG POST that covers the entire tournament

Urriza has won the most championships 5, Uterga and Ezkurra 2. San Miguel has lost 3 and Endika has lost 2.

For complete coverage of ongoing Oriamendi2010 Thursday and Saturday 4 match progams (2nd match is the "Star Match"), see the Oriamendi2010 Galarreta "Star Match" page, on the left side of the blog.

Remonte--New Recurring Match Results page for Oriamendi2010

This blog has covered Oriamendi2010 Remonte programs (every Tuesday and Thursday there are programs of 4 matches played at Galaretta, Hernani (1) (2)). The old Page that covered the modality going back to 2016 has become large and unwieldy so I have decided to convert it into an archive, which will still be available under the "Pages" on the right side of the blog, below the current results. Or you can access that page HERE.

I have created a new page to cover from 2020 until it becomes to unwieldy again. I like to keep all historical information about a modality in one place so readers can scroll down and follow the sport over a period of history.

I have also made some upgrades and improvements to the page.

1. I am keeping "Star Match" (the 2nd match of each 4 match program, which usually features the best roster match ups and the Finals of Tournaments) cumulative win-loss tables.

2. Cumulative accounting of uneven pairs matches. Oriamendi2010 divides its roster into "A" and "B" Groups, but mixes and matches the groups regularly so that pairs matches can be A-A v A-B; A-A v B-B; or A-B v B-B.

3. Cumulative accounting with overall win-loss records of players by Group and playing position. In the past I have kept this on a month to month basis, due to the fact that Oriamendi2010 hands out Best of the Month recognition to players with the best monthly records. One can find cumulative yearly win-loss records at the web site, but only player by player, one at at time. It is hoped that this table will be a quick, "one stop" destination for readers who are interested in how players are doing in the larger annual context.

4. Additional match statistics. Oriamendi2010 provides excellent Star Match previews and match articles, usually accompanied by selected linescores and individual scoring. To that I am adding total match scoring and other derived statistics when available. This will allow readers to see how the average number of winners and errors in a match trends, and compare that to other modalities that I am doing this for. For Tournament Finals, when available, I will also be adding Non error %, individual Saves and Save %, average balls per point, and other derivative statistics that will hopefully at least entertain, and possibly educate.

The new page, which begins coverage on December 31, 2020 and is up to date, can be found among the "Pages" on the right side of the blog below the current results, but can also be accessed directly HERE.

Feedback is always welcome, as are corrections.

Send to jbsolock1@gmail.com

Pala/Pala Larga--2019 Liga Kutxabank UPDATE (October 26, 2019-January 4, 2020)

UPDATE--ADDED FEBRUARY 11, 2020. EITB ADDED THE FULL MATCH VIDEO OF THE FINAL TO IT'S "ALA CARTA" MENU IN EARLY FEBRUARY. A LINK TO THAT VIDEO CAN BE FOUND BELOW. ALSO COMPLETE EITB SCORING HAS BEEN ADDED, WHICH MAKES FOR A VERY INTERESTING COMPARISON WITH THE DEIA SCORING ALREADY PROVIDED BELOW. COMPLETE CONDENSED JOKO LINESCORES HAVE ALSO BEEN ADDED. 

2019-20 Liga Kutxabank

InnPala Player Pages

5 teams (the entire InnPala roster)

Gaubeka-Garate

Fusto-Gordon

Landeta-Ibai Perez

Ibarguren-Ibargarai

Necol-Urrutia (defending champions)

Benat Ibarguren (Mundo Deportivo), after an extended "tryout" during the Summer, has joined the InnPala team as a delantero (front). Ibon Garate  (Mundo Deportivo), in only his 2nd season on the roster, is making the transition from delantero to zaguero (back), a difficult task at any time, but especially so at the beginning of a major competition. It will be interesting to follow his progress. The recently retired Imanol Ibanez (1-(Deia) (2-Mundo Deportivo) (3-InnPala), one of best backs of his era, made the same transition and won this tournament as both delantero and zaguero (see below). 

This was a double round robin with each team playing 8 matches. All matches were played on the short court at Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2). The standings were based on joko (set) victories. Match wins and losses did not figure into the calculation. The 1st place team automatically qualified for the Final. A Semi-final between the 2nd and 3rd place teams determined the other finalist.

I am experimenting with counting "saves," a variable that perhaps gives a bit of insight into the defensive side of BP sports. I define a save as an excellent play that keeps the point alive. It is, obviously, a subjective judgment, and yours may be different from mine. Saves include going on the apron (running or diving), going into the left wall, backs running far into the front court, fronts covering the back, direct off the front wall returns of very high shots, and any successful rebotes, among others. As a subjective  experiment in judgment, I hope to get those with much more knowledge than I interested in keeping the statistic. A save is like art. It may be difficult to define, but one "knows it when one sees it." I will also provide the number of saves as a percentage of the total balls in play.

Source for all statistics (except "saves") is EITB, unless otherwise specifically stated.

As with all competitions of this duration, read from the bottom up in order to follow La Liga chronologically. 

Note: at the bottom of the post is a listing of  historical Final and selected other results of this competition, going back to 2006. Links to match articles, competition structures, and selected videos are also available.  

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Innpala Information Brochure (players, rules, complete calendar)

Competition Preview (Deia)

January 4, 2020

FINAL

Match Preview (Deia)

Match Preview (Mundo Deportivo)

Feature Article (Mundo Deportivo) The article discusses the importance of Estaban Gaubeka in the upcoming Final.

Necol-Urrutia (#1) 3

Gaubeka-Garate (#3) 1 (EITB--added February 11, 2020). Match begins at 48:00 on the video).

(10-8, 10-8, 6-10, 10-8) (36-34) 

Best Points:

Joko 1: (1:00:52--1:02:10) Point 12 (5-6--6-6) (28 balls in play, 5 saves, 2--including 1 rebote by Garate)

Joko 4: (1:40:05--1:41:15) Point 3 (0-2--1-2) (24 balls in play, 6 saves, Gaubeka makes the shot of the match, an outside rebote save from behind the 7 line on the apron that leads to Gau-Gar winning the point).

Joko 4 (1:41:15--1:43:39) Point 4 (1-2--1-3) (34 balls in play, 9 saves, Necol 5 saves)

Condensed Joko Linescores (match winners always listed 1st).

J1--1-0 Necol-Urrutia

0-1; 2-1; 2-2; (Garate service fault 1) 3-2; 3-3; 4-3; 4-5; 5-5; 5-6; (28 ball point, 5 saves): 6-6; 6-7; 8-7; 8-8; 10-8

8 equal scores, 3 lead changes, largest lead, 2 points (10-8).

J2--2-0 Necol-Urrutia

(Garate f2) 1-0  2-0; 2-2; 3-2; 3-3; 4-3; 4-5; 5-5; 5-7; 7-7; 7-8; (Garate f3) 8-8; (Garate error) 9-8; 10-8

6 equal scores, 2 lead changes, largest lead, 2 points (10-8)

J3--2-1 Necol-Urrutia

2-0; 3-2; 3-5; (Garate f4) 4-5;  5-5; 5-8; 6-8; 6-10 (Garate +3 -1 in this joko)

3 equal scores, 1 lead change, largest lead, 4 points (6-10)

J4--3-1 Necol-Urrutia

2-0; (24 balls in play, 6 saves and the shot of the match, a brilliant rebote save by Gaubeka) 2-1; (34 bip, 9 saves) 3-1 ; 4-1; 4-2; 6-2; 6-3; (Garate f5) 7-3; 7-4; 8-4; 8-7; 9-7; 9-8; 10-8

0 equal scores, 0 lead changes, largest lead, 4 points (7-3).

For the match, 17 equal scores, 5 lead changes. 

Scoring: (EITB)

Full match:

Necol +11 -12; Urrutia +11 -5

Gaubeka +10 -3; Garate +7 -11

Total scoring for the match: +39 (.557) -31 (.443)

Balls in play: 530

Necol 126; Urrutia 140; Gaubeka 126; Garate 138

Non-error %: .942

Saves: 81

Necol 18; Urrutia 18(including 1 rebote save)

Gaubeka 23(1r); Garate 22(2r)

Save % (saves/bip) .153

Time of the match: 62:23

Average balls per point: 7.57

Average time per point: 0:53.

Individual Joko Scoring:

J1--10-8

Necol +5 -3; Urrutia +1 -1

Gaubeka +3 -0; Garate +1 -4

Total scoring: +10 -8

Balls in play: 159

Necol 37; Urrutia 43; Gaubeka 37; Garate 42

Saves: 20

Necol 4; Urrutia 8; Gaubeka 3; Garate 5(1r)

J2--10-8

Necol +2 -2; Urrutia +4 -2

Gaubeka +2 -1; Garate +2 -3

Total scoring: +10 -8

Balls in play: 115

Necol 30; Urrutia 29; Gaubeka 28; Garate 28

Saves: 14

Necol 5; Urrutia 4(1r); Gaubeka 4; Garate 1 

J3--6-10

Necol +2 -5; Urrutia +3 -1
Gaubeka +1 -0; Garate +3 -1

Total scoring: +9 -7

Balls in play: 114
Necol 29; Urrutia 26; Gaubeka 24; Garate 35

Saves: 22
Necol: 1; Urrutia 4; Gaubeka 7; Garate 10(1r)

J4--10-8

Necol +2 -2; Urrutia +3 -1
Gaubeka +4 -2; Garate +1 -3

Total scoring: +10 -8

Balls in play: 142
Necol 30; Urrutia 42; Gaubeka 37; Garate 33

Saves: 25
Necol 8; Urrutia 2; Gaubeka 9(1r); Garate 6

+++++

Scoring: (Deia):

Necol +8 -14; Urrutia +4 -7 (including 2 service faults)

Gaubeka +9 -4; Garate +4 (including 2 service aces) -20(5f) 

Total scoring for the match: +25 (.357) -45 (.643)

Balls in play: 530

Non-error %: .915

Time of the match: 62:33
Average balls per point: 7.57
Average time per point (total match time, no playing time was given): 0.57

Attendance: about 1,000

Match Article (Deia)

Match Article (Mundo Deportivo)

Match Article (Noticias de Gipuzkoa)
Match Article (Intersport Dax Facebook) (added January 16, 2020)
Match Article (Sud Ouest via Dan Necol Facebook--article is a facsimile of the newspaper, simply increase the size of the page to read it)
Match Article (en24 News--English)
Awards Ceremony (video--0:49) (Dan Necol Facebook)
9 photos (Dan Necol Facebook)

N-I won the Liga Kutxabank for the 2nd consecutive year, the first time that has occurred in this competition. They finished with a perfect 9-0 match record and a joko (set) record of 27-7. They also increased their winning streak in the Liga to 14, going back to 2019. It was Dan Necol's 3rd Liga championship and Iker Urrutia's 2nd, the most, along with Ibai Perez, for a back. 42 year old Esteban Gaubeka is now 4-4 in Liga finals going back to 2006. Of the Liga Championships I have found data for, he has played in the most Finals. He and 39 year old Pablo Hernan "Fusto" have won the most Liga championships. with 4. Ibon Garate, remarkably, in his first Liga as a back, came within 1 match of a championship.

The final linescore (3-1) tells us much less than the final actual point score (36-34). The entire match hinged on 5 points (3 in the 2nd joko and 2 in the 4th). Had the results been different, it may have been 3-1 the other way, or, more likely, a 5 joko classic. The first thing you might notice reading the individual joko scores above, is that Ibon Garate, recently converted from delantero to zaguero by InnPala, had 5 service faults, including, crucially 2 in the 2nd joko that helped cost his team the joko. This is not particularly surprising for a palista playing a new position in a grueling 8 match Liga, followed by a semi-final and final. As Garate is not as comfortable with his service game, the pressure of the match may have unnerved him. But he also played some excellent Pala Larga, particularly in the 3rd Joko (Gau-Gar's only win), where he was +3 -1 and had half of all the rebote saves in the match. 

The 1st joko was tremendously competitive, as the 8 equal scores and 3 lead changes show. Gau-Gar had a 7-6 lead but then N-U won 4 of the last 5 points to win. This was perhaps the best joko in terms of quality play in the match.  It was highlighted by a 28 ball point 12 (5-6--6-6) that featured 5 saves, including 2 (1 rebote) by Garate.

The 2nd joko was the one that turned the match. With an 8-7 lead and an equalizer 2 points away, Garate faulted to tie the score and then made a simple error to give N-U a 9-8 lead. They then finished the set and 1-1 quickly became 2-0.

After 2 jokos where Gau-Gar led late in the joko, they faced a 0-2 deficit.

Gau-Gar then played their best joko of the match, and that, along with a poor joko from Necol (+2 -5, which gave Gau-Gar half their points), cut the deficit to 2-1.

In the 4th joko Gaubeka made one of his 3 errors for the match to give
N-U a 2-0 lead. Then came the two points that sealed the match. 58 balls in play and 15 saves, including the save of the match, perhaps the save of the season, by Gaubeka, a remarkable outside rebote save from behind the 7 line AND on the apron.  3 minutes and 34 seconds of the best pala larga action you will see. The teams split the points, with errors ironically ending each (Necol and Garate). But they seemed to deflate Gau-Gar, as the joko quickly went from 3-1 to 7-3, the 7th point coming on Garate's 5th and final fault. Even then, Gau-Gar kept up the fight, going on a 5-2 run. But it wasn't enough, as N-U closed out the joko and the match.

A final note on scoring. If nothing else, this match showed just how subjective BP scoring can be. According to Deia the total match score was +25 -45, while EITB had it +39 -31. The biggest individual discrepancy was Garate's score, which Deia had at +4 -20(5 faults) and EITB had at +7 -11(5 faults), Deia was much harsher than EITB, and my sense, after watching the match closely, was that Garate had a much better match than one who had only read the Deia  scoring might think. Other discrepancies:

Necol (Deia) +8 -14; EITB +11 -12
Urrutia (Deia) +4-7; EITB +11 -5
Gaubeka (Deia) +9 -4; EITB +10 -3

The discrepancies in the back court are particularly large, and seem to imply that any time a zaguero hit a pelota too high, too low, or off the court, he was likely to be debited an error. Particularly Garate. I strongly disagree with this philosophy (one that is also found in much of Canal +'s scoring of Cesta Punta). Pala Larga, because of the implement and inherent control difficulty, simply does not work like Mano or Cesta Punta. Being unable to return a Necol rocket implies that he has hit the ball through the zaguero, who was able to make contact, but without any control. That is a signature Necol winner, not a zaguero error. 

Simply put, if you relied on Deia's scoring (as I had to before EITB provided the video and another set of scoring for the match), you would completely miss the fact that Urrutia played a magnificent match, showing great range and defensive ability. And you would think that Garate was hitting every shot with his "eyes closed." If you watch the match, you will see that this is simply not the case. I believe very strongly that, though Deia provided an excellent match article, they "dropped the pelota" with regard to their scoring. I encourage you to watch the match and decide for yourself. 

+++++

December 31

Semi-final

Gaubeka-Garate (#3) 3

Fusto-Gordon (#2) 1 (EITB--match begins at 47:23)

(10-9, 10-8, 6-10, 10-9) (36-36)

Source: (Diario Vasco Cartelera and EITB)

Scoring:

Gaubeka +12 -9; Garate +10(including 2 service aces) -6(including 3 service faults)

Fusto +14 -6; Gordon +8(3a) -7

Scoring adds to 35-37 

Total scoring for the match: +44 (.611) -28 (.389)

Saves: 112
Gaubeka 37; Garate 32; Fusto 14; Gordon 29

Saves %: .176

Balls in play: 635

Gaubeka 169; Garate 148; Fusto 172; Gordon 146

Non-error % .956

Time of the match: 67:49

Average balls per point: 8.86

Average time per point (there was no playing time data): 0:56

This match was a lot closer than the score indicated. Each team ended with 36 points, about as close as is possible. But for a couple of unfortunate errors and a miscommunication, it could easily have gone 3-1 to F-G, or at the very least,  to a 5th joko. But in the end, F-G, who had easily defeated G-G in their 2 league matches (see below), came up just a bit short.

Condensed Joko Scores (match winners always listed 1st), scoring, and brief analysis

Joko 1

0-1; 1-1(Garate service fault); 1-2; 3-2(Garate fault) 3-3; 5-3; 5-6; 6-6; 6-7; 8-7(Garate fault); 8-8; 8-9; 10-9

8 equal scores, 5 lead changes

Individual joko scoring

J1

Gaubeka +3 -2; Garate +3 -4(including 3 service faults)

Fusto +2 -1; Gordon +1 -3

Total joko scoring: +9 -10

Saves: 18

Gaubeka 6; Garate 2; Fusto 4; Gordon 6

Balls in play: 153

Gaubeka 43; Garate 34; Fusto 35; Gordon 41

Garate got off to a shaky start, with 3 service faults that severely hampered his team. However, in spite of all that, G-G scored the final 2 points (the 10th point coming as result of a Fusto error) to win the tenaciously fought first joko. Garate, to his credit, rebounded very well after his difficult joko, making only 2 errors the rest of the way.  By my count, he also made 30 saves in the last 3 jokos.

Joko 2

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

1 equal score,  1 lead change

Scoring:

Gaubeka +4 -3; Garate +1 -0

Fusto +5 -2; Gordon +0 -3

Total joko scoring:  +10 -8

Saves: 28

Gaubeka 9; Garate 9; Fusto 3; Gordon 7

Balls in play: 165

Gaubeka 43; Garate 40; Fusto 48; Gordon 34

An early 6 point run put G-G in the "driver's seat" for this joko. However F-G clawed back, reducing the lead from 4 to 3, then from 4 to 2, and finally from 2 to 1. But they never did catch up. Garate played air tight defense and the two of them helped "hold" Fusto to +5 with 18 saves.

Joko 3

0-4; 1-4; 1-7; 2-7; 2-8; 5-8; 5-9; 6-9; 6-10

0 equalities; 0 lead changes

Scoring: 

Gaubeka +1 -2; Garate +4 -1

Fusto +3 -1; Gordon +4 -0

Total joko scoring: +12 -4

Saves: 27

Gaubeka 8; Garate 9; Fusto 3; Gordon 7

Balls in play: 134

Gaubeka 33; Garate 32; Fusto 38; Gordon 31

F-G got back into contention with a blistering 7-1 start. To their credit, G-G did not give in and fought back with a 6-2 run of their own. But it was never going to be enough. Gordon shone in this joko with perfect defense, almost half his team's points, and 7 saves.

Joko 4

3-0; 3-2; 6-2; 6-6; 8-6; 8-8(miscommunication between F and G--Fusto reaches up for a return but then pulls out of the shot. The pelota bounces past Gordon for a crucial point); 9-8; 9-9(Fusto, from the left side, fires one too low to end the joko and the match); 10-9 

Scoring:

Gaubeka +4 -2; Garate +2 -1

Fusto +4 -2; Gordon +3 -1

Score adds to 9-10

Total joko scoring: +13 -6

Saves: 39

Gaubeka 14; Garate 12; Fusto 4; Gordon 9

Balls in play: 183

Gaubeka 50; Garate 42; Fusto 51; Gordon 40

G-G opened an early 3 point lead and stretched it to 4. But F-G struck back with a 4 point run to equalize the joko at 6. They then evened the score at 8. But then an unfortunate miscommunication gifted a crucial point to G-G. Again F-G fought back to equality. But a Fusto error ended the Joko and the match. In the last 3 jokos Fusto was +12 -5, playing a crucial role in his team's  fightback. But he could have scored a lot more had it not been for a combined 61 saves by G-G. Gordon also finished strong, with +7-1 and 16 saves in the last 2 jokos.

+++++

December 24

Jornada (Day) 10--END OF LIGA PLAY

Liga Summary

20 matches and 69 jokos were played. Due to an injury that kept Xabier Ibargarai out of the competition until his team's 3rd match Ibarguren-Ibargarai, by tournament rule, had to forfeit 2 matches (1 to Necol-Urrutia and 1 to Fusto-Gordon, both by 3-0 joko scores). That effectively eliminated I-I before they had even started. 

Defending champions Dan Necol and Inaki Urrutia began their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Ander Landeta (who returned to action after recovering from wrist surgery that curtailed his 2018-19 season) and Ibai Perez. N-U never looked back, winning all of their 8 matches while only being forced to 5 jokos once. Going back ot the 2018-19 Liga competition, in which N-U won their last 5 matches to capture the Txapela, they now carry a 13 Liga match winning streak into the Final, to be held on January 4, 2020. It will be Necol's 3rd consecutive championship match, and Urrutia's 2nd. 

Fusto-Gordon, last year's runners up, experienced a triptych season, sweeping their first 2 matches (6-0 in jokos) before 3 agonizing losses, one to Landeta-Ibai Perez, and then 2 in consecutive matches to Necol-Urrutia. Why agonizing? The first loss was a 5 joko loss (one of only 4 of the 18 matches played that went "the distance.") The next two were 3-1 and 3-0 losses to N-I. But look at these joko scores!

F-G listed 1st: 9-10, 9-10, 10-8, 9-10 and 9-10, 9-10, 9-10. (64-68). 6 of the 16 jokos (out of 69 played in the entire Liga) that were won by the minimum came in these two matches. 

On November 30, F-G found themselves "with their backs to the wall" as far as a Semi-final berth was concerned. They responded by winning their final 3 matches 3-1 over Gaubeka-Garate, 3-0 over Landeta-Ibai Perez (a win that eliminated L-I from contention), and 3-2 over Ibarguren-Ibargarai (47-46, just 2 points less than the maximum number of points possible in an InnPala match). These wins propelled them into the Semi-final as the 2nd place team in the Liga.

The Gaubeka-Garate story was one of the most interesting in the Liga. With the addition of Ibarguren as a front, the InnPala roster was stabilized at 10 after going the better part of a year with only 9 palistas. But it was now unbalanced with a 6 delanteros (fronts) and only 4 zagueros (backs). Garate moved to the back (he had amateur pala corta (a lighter bat than the pala larga bat used by InnPala)  experience in the back), but a switch of this magnitude in a major competition...how would it effect the team? They started out ominously, with a 3-0 (30-16) loss to Fusto-Gordon. They then won 2 in a row before losing to Necol-Urrutia. They then won 2 more in a row before losing their last 2 against Fusto-Gordon and Necol-Urrutia. They qualified for the Semi-Final as the 3rd place team, but lost all 4 matches against the teams ahead of them. 

Landeta-Ibai Perez started out with 2 losses and seemed finished. But they regrouped for an important 3-2 upset of Fusto-Gordon, followed by a win over Ibarguren-Ibargarai. But that was their last win. The low point came when they were eliminated as result of I-I's only win in the tournament. 

Ibarguren-Ibargarai were 1-5 in matches that they actually played, but their performance improved as they went along, the victory being their highlight, and their terrific effort in their final Liga match leaving them with something positive to take out of a lost campaign. 

LIGA FINAL TABLE

Necol-Urrutia (8-0*; 24-6) 24

Fusto-Gordon (5-3*; 18-12) 18

Gaubeka-Garate (4-4; 14-15) 14

Landeta-Ibai Perez (2-6; 11-21) 11

Ibarguren-Ibargarai*+ (1-7; 8-21) 8

*Includes forfeit wins over I-I

*+Includes 2 forfeit losses

December 24

Jornada (Day) 10

Full match videos for both matches (Dan Necol Facebook)

Necol-Urrutia (8-0; 24-6; 24) 3

Gaubeka-Garate (4-4; 14-15; 14) 1

(5-10, 10-5, 10-6, 10-8) (35-29)

N-U finish with a perfect Liga record, losing only 6 jokos in 8 matches. They are automatically qualified for the Final on January 4 and will face the winner of the Semi-Final (Gaubeka-Garate v Fusto-Gordon. During the Liga competition F-G defeated G-G twice (3-0--10-4, 10-5, 10-7--30-16 on October 26; 3-1--3-10, 10-6, 10-3, 10-4--33-23 on December 13).

Fusto-Gordon (5-3; 18-12; 18) 3

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (1-7; 8-21; 8) 2

(10-8, 10-9, 9-10, 8-10, 10-9) (47-46)

The maximum possible point score in an InnPala match is 48-47. I-I, to their great credit (they had been eliminated long before this match), took F-G to the maximum (Jokos) and 2 short of the maximum (points) before falling. This was the closest match of the Liga competition.

+++++

December 21

Jornada (Day) 9

The final set of Fusto-Gordon v Landeta-Ibai Perez and full match video of Necol-Urrtia v Ibarguren-Ibargarai (Dan Necol Facebook)

Note: The match was accidentally filmed in portrait mode, meaning it is sideways. On tablets and mobile phones, you can simply turn the device until you get a landscape view that will be watchable. This does not work, as far as I can tell, if you try to connect your device to a television.

Fusto-Gordon (4-3; 15-10; 15) 3

Landeta-Ibai Perez (2-6; 11-21; 11) 0

(10-5; 10-3; 10-7) (30-15)

The loss eliminates L-I and sets up the "Post Season" (see below).

Necol-Urrutia (7-0; 21-5; 21) 3

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (1-6; 6-18; 6) 2

(7-10; 5-10; 10-7; 10-7; 10-8) (42-42)

Source: Dan Necol Facebook and correspondence)

Scoring (Dan Necol correspondence)

Necol +16 -10; Urrutia +17 -6
Ibarguren +14 -4; Ibargarai +15 -2
Scores add to 39-45

Total scoring for the match: +62 (.738) -22 (.262)

Balls in play: 640

Necol 167; Urrutia; 158; Ibarguren 134; Ibargarai 181 

Non-error %: .966

N-I remain undefeated, winning an epic come from behind victory.

December 21 Table

Necol-Urrutia (7-0; 21-5) 21

Fusto-Gordon (4-3; 15-10) 15

Gaubeka-Garate (4-3; 13-12) 13

Landeta-Ibai Perez (2-6; 11-21) 11

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (1-6; 6-18) 6

F-G will play G-G in the semi-final on December 31. The winner will play N-I on January 4, 2020.

L-I were eliminated.

+++++

December 13

Jornada (Day) 8

Fusto-Gordon (3-3; 12-10; 12) 3

Gaubeka-Garate (4-3; 13-12; 12) 1

(3-10, 10-6, 10-3, 10-4) (33-23)

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (1-5; 4-15; 4) 3

Landeta-Ibai Perez (2-5; 11-18; 11) 0

(10-2, 10-5, 10-4) (30-11)

Source for both scores (Diario Vasco Cartelera)

No video is available for this match. 

This was the upset of the competition, with already eliminated I-I winning their first match, a decisive and devastating win over L-I. This knocked L-I out of a Semi-final position for the moment. Next week's F-G v L-I match will be decisive for the L-I. They must win and win "big" in order to have a legitimate shot at earning a place in the sem-finals. With a match in hand, F-G could lose this match and still have a chance at advancing, but their most direct route is a victory in this match. 

Match article for both matches with 5 photos (Bizkaia Frontoia Facebook)

December 13 Table

Necol-Urrutia (6-0*; 18-3) 18

Gaubeka-Garate (4-3; 13-12) 13

Fusto-Gordon (3-3*; 12-10) 12

Landeta-Ibai Perez (2-5; 11-18) 11

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (1-5*+; 4-15) 4

*=includes forfeit wins over Ibarguren-Ibargarai

*+=includes 2 forfeit losses

+++++

December 5

Jornada (Day) 7

Full match video for both matches

Note 1: The match was accidentally filmed in portrait mode, meaning it is sideways. On tablets and mobile phones, you can simply turn the device until you get a landscape view that will be watchable. This does not work, as far as I can tell, if you try to connect your device to a television.

Note 2: Unfortunately, the scoreboard is partially concealed, so you might need to keep score yourself.

Dan Necol's "favorite shot." Watch for the great save by Urrutia on the 4th ball of this 28 ball, 1 minute and 15 second point. He ranged far onto the apron to save it at the 7 line and send a return down the left wall. Note that there were also great saves by Landeta and Ibai Perez during this point. This video is in landscape mode.

Necol-Urrutia (6-0; 18-3; 18) 3

Landeta-Ibai Perez (2-4; 11-15; 11) 1

(10-9, 10-7, 4-10, 10-4 (34-30) 

Source: Diario Vasco Caretelera and Dan Necol Facebook

Scoring (Dan Necol) (Errata: scoring numbers were accidentally reversed for each score. Corrected December 25, 2019).

Necol +15 -11; Urrutia +7 -1
Landeta +11 -4; Ibai Perez +11 -6
Scoring adds to 34-32

Total Scoring for the match: +44 (.667) -22 (.333)

Balls in play: 676
Necol 181; Urrutia 154; Landeta 141; Ibai Perez 200

Non-error %: .967

Gaubeka-Garate (4-2; 12-9; 12) 3

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (0-5; 1-15) 0

(10-4, 10-5, 10-8) (30-17)

Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

December 5 Table

Necol-Urrutia (6-0*; 18-3) 18

Gaubeka-Garate (4-2; 12-9) 12

Landeta-Ibai Perez (2-4; 11-15) 11

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

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (0-5*+; 1-15) 1

*=includes forfeit wins over Ibarguren-Ibargarai

*+=includes 2 forfeit losses

Necol-Urrutia earn a place in post Liga play.

Ibarguren-Ibargarai are eliminated from post Liga play.

November 29

Jornada (Day) 6

Full match video for both matches G-G v L-I 1st (note G-G v L-I match begins at the 9-9--10-9 point in the first joko (set). (Dan Necol Facebook).

Gaubeka-Garate (3-2; 9-9; 9) 3

Landeta-Ibai Perez (2-3; 10-12; 10) 2

(10-9, 9-10, 8-10, 10-4, 10-9) (47-42)

Necol-Urrutia (5-0; 15-2; 15) 3

Fusto-Gordon (2-3; 9-9; 9) 0

(10-9, 10-9, 10-9) (30-27)

(Sources for both matches (Diario Vasco Deportes Cartelera and Dan Necol Facebook

November 29 Table

Necol-Urrutia (5-0*; 15-2) 15

Landeta-Ibai Perez (2-3; 10-12) 10

Gaubeka-Garate (3-2; 9-10) 9

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

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (0-4*+; 1-12) 1

*=3-0 forfeit wins over I-I

*+=2 forfeit losses

+++++

November 23

Jornada (Day) 5

Full match videos for both matches (Dan Necol Facebook) (matches are in reverse order given below)

Landeta-Ibai Perez (2-2; 8-9; 8) 3

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (0-4*; 1-11; 0) 1

(8-10, 10-9, 10-7, 10-3) (38-29)

Necol-Urrutia (4-0; 12-2; 12) 3

Gaubeka-Garate (2-2; 6-7; 6) 0

(10-9, 10-5, 10-6) (30-20)

Source for individual joko set scores: Diario Vasco Cartelera and Dan Necol Facebook

November 23 Table

Necol-Urrutia (4-0*; 12-2) 12

Fusto-Gordon (2-2*; 9-6) 9

Landeta-Ibai Perez (2-2; 8-9) 8

Gaubeka-Garate (2-2; 6-7) 6

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (0-4*+; 1-12) 1

*=3-0 forfeit wins over I-I

*+=2 forfeit losses

November 16

Jornada (Day) 4

Full match video for both matches (Dan Necol Facebook)

Gaubeka-Garate (2-1; 6-4; 6) 3

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (0-3; 0-9; 0) 0

(10-7, 10-7, 10-6) (30-20)

Necol-Urrutia (3-0; 9-2; 9) 3

Fusto-Gordon (2-2; 9-6; 9) 1

(10-9, 10-9, 8-10, 10-9) (38-37)

Balls in play: 597

Time of the match: 68 minutes

Source for individual joko (set) scores (above video and Diario Vasco Deportes Cartelera

Match article for both matches (Bizkaia Frontoia Facebook)

November 16 Table

Necol-Urrutia (3-0*; 9-2) 9

Fusto-Gordon (2-2*; 9-6) 9

Gaubeka-Garate (2-1; 6-4) 6

Landeta-Ibai Perez (1-2; 5-8) 5

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (0-3*+; 0-9) 0

*3-0 Forfeit win over I-I

*+ Two forfeit losses

November 9

Exhibtion match

Necol-Garate 3 Ibarguren-Urrutia 2

(10-9, 7-10, 10-3, 7-10, 10-8) (44-40)

Note: this match was played in place of the scheduled Necol-Urrutia v Ibarguren-Ibargarai match, due to an injury to Ibargarai. By rule, N-U receive 3 tournament points, I-I receive 0.

Liga match

Landeta-Ibai Perez (1-2; 5-8; 5) 3

Fusto-Gordon (2-1* 8-3; 8) 2

(3-10, 10-4, 9-10, 10-8, 10-1) (42-33)

Source for match and joko scores: Diario Vasco Cartelera

November 9 Table

Fusto-Gordon (2-1*; 8-3) 8

Necol-Urrutia (2-0*; 6-1) 6

Landeta-Ibai Perez (1-2; 5-8) 5

Gaubeka-Garate (1-1; 3-4) 3

Ibargaren-Ibargarai (0-2*+; 0-6) 0

* I have given F-G credit for a forfeit match win (see Liga Jornada 2 ), which has no bearing whatsoever on the Liga Table). I have given N-U credit for a forfeit match win, which has no bearing whatsoever on the Liga Table (see Liga Jornada 3). I have given I-I 2 forfeit match losses, which have no bearing on whatsoever on the Liga Table (see Jornada 2 and 3). For each of those losses, the winners received 3 Liga points, as per specified rules of the competition. I-I have 0 Liga points. For Fusto-Gordon, last year's runners up, it was a season of 3 parts. They began by winning their 1st 2 matches (6-0 joko score--although 1 of the matches was a forfeit. They then lost their next 

*+ Two forfeit losses

+++++

November 2

Jornada (Day) 2

Exhibition match

Fusto-Urrutia (substituting for Gordon) 3

Ibarguren-Gordon (substituting for Ibargarai) 2

(10-6, 10-7, 8-10, 8-10, 10-7) (46-40)

Note: due to an injury suffered by Ibargarai, it appears that this match is not being counted in the Liga Table (added November 9, 2019)

Liga match

Gaubeka-Garate (1-1, 3-4; 3) 3

Landeta-Ibai Perez 0-2, 2-6; 2) 1

(10-7, 4-10, 10-2, 10-7) (34-26)

Source for Match and Joko Scores: Diario Vasco Cartelera)

Match article (Bizkaia Frontoia Facebook via InnPala Fronton Facebook). Article is in Castilian and Basque. It discusses the improvement of Garate as a back as the competition progresses.

November 2 Table

Fusto-Gordon (2-0*; 6-0) 6

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

Gaubeka-Garate (1-1; 3-4) 3

Landeta-Ibai Perez (0-2; 2-6) 2

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (0-1*; 0-3) 0

*F-G received 3 joko points due to Ibaragai's injury that kept I-I from playing at all. I have treated that as a "forfeit" in terms of win-loss records, which are irrelevant in this competition.

+++++

October 26

Jornada (Day) 1

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

Gaubeka-Garate (0-1; 0-3) 0

(10-4, 10-5, 10-7) (30-16)

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

Landeta-Ibai Perez (0-1; 1-3) 1

(10-7, 6-10, 10-8, 10-9) (36-34)

Source for match and joko scores (Diario Vasco Cartelera)

October 26 Table

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

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

Landeta-Ibai Perez (0-1; 1-3; 1)

Ibarguren-Ibargarai (0-0; 0-0; 0)

Gaubeka-Garate (0-1; 0-3; 0)

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

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

Winners of the Liga competition going back to 2006 (sources: InnPala, Toute sur la Pelote Basque Youtube, Diario Vasco Cartelera, Naiz Cartelera, various newspaper articles, Haixeder Blog).

Deportivo de Bilbao 2006 Parejas (?)

Fusto-Torre 45 Urkia-Rekalde 37 (Dairo Vasco Cartelera)

Match article (Diario Vasco)

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

Deportivo de Bilbao 2007 Parejas (?)

Imanol-Urkia 45 Gaubeka-Velilla 33

Partial linescore

24-13; 45-33

Match article (Diario Vasco)

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

Deportivo de Bilbao 2008 (?)

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

Deportivo de Bilbao Parejas 2009 (?)

Gaubeka-Beldarrain 45 Urkia-Lujan 35

Match article (Diario Vasco)

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

Deportivo de Bilbao 2010 (?)

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

Liga de Parejas 2011

Fusto-Garma 3 Altadill-Ayerbe 1 (10-5; 10-7; 9-10; 10-6) (39-28)

Third place: Gaubeka-Larrinaga 3  Zulaika-Lujan 2 (2-10, 10-8, 3-10, 10-3, 10-8) (35-39)

Source for Joko scores for both matches: (Naiz cartelera)

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

Liga de Parejas 2012

Gaubeka-Larrinaga 3 Urkijo-Ibargari 2 (12-5, 12-11, 7-12, 9-12, 12-11)
(52-51)

Third place: Altadill-Imanol 3 Garcia Aierbe 1 (12-3, 12-11, 8-12, 12-6) (44-32)

Source for joko scores of both: Diario Vasco Cartelera

Tournament regulations, standings, joko scores (Innpala)

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

2013 Liga Innpala de Parejas

Fusto-Ayerbe 3 Gaubeka-Imanol 2 (10-7, 7-10, 10-7, 7-10, 10-4) (44-38)

Third place: Altadill-Lujan 3 Garcia-Ibargari 2 (10-9, 7-10, 10-9, 9-10, 10-4)
(46-42)

Final Table (InnPala)

Joko scores for final and 3rd place (InnPala)

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

2014 BBK Liga

Fusto-Ibai Perez 3 v Gaubeka-Larranaga 0 (10-7; 10-7; 10-2) (30-16) (Diario Vasco Cartelara)

Final Table (Innpala)

Entire Tournament results (Haixeder Blog)  all but the final

Final point and closing ceremony (EITB)

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

2015 Liga BBK 

Necol-Imanol 3 Fusto-Ayerbe 1 (10-8; 10-4; 5-10; 10-4) (35-26)

Match article (Naiz)

Schedule and regulations (Innpala)

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

2016 Liga Kutxabank

Gaubeka-Ibai-Perez 3 Necol-Ibargari 0 (10-4; 10-7; 10-9) (30-20)

Complete coverage of the entire tournament is available in another post in this blog. Unfortunately, the EITB videos are no longer available.

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

2017 Liga Kutxabank

Gaubeka-Gordon 3 Fusto-Urrutia 2 (10-8; 10-9; 9-10; 3-10; 10-6) (42-43)

Full match video (Toute sur la Pelote Basque Youtube)

Jornada 2 matches:

Full match video (Toute sur la Pelota Basque Youtube)

Landeta-Brefel 3 Necol-Ibargari 2 (8-10, 10-4, 8-10, 10-8, 10-7) (46-39) (1st match on video)

Fusto-Urrutia 3 Zubiri-Ibai Perez 0 (10-9, 10-8, 10-5) (30-22)

Jornada 6 match: Fusto-Urrutia 3 v Landeta-Brefel 1 (10-9; 10-9; 6-10; 10-9)
(36-37)

Full match video (Toute sur la Pelote Basque Youtube)

Journada 8 match:

Necol-Ibargari 3 Zubiri-Ibai Perez 1 (5-10, 10-5, 10-8, 10-3) (35-26)

Full match video (Toute sur la Pelote Basque Youtube)

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

2018 Liga Kutxabank (BLOG POST THAT COVERS THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT, WITH LINKS TO SCORES, MATCH ARTICLES, AND SELECTED FULL MATCH VIDEOS, INCLUDING THE SEMI-FINAL AND FINAL. 

Necol-Urrutia 3 Fusto-Gordon 0

(10-6, 10-8, 10-7) (30-21)

Winners (2006-07, 2009, 2011-2018)

Delanteros (fronts)

Fusto 4

Gaubeka 4

Necol 2

Imanol 1

Zagueros (backs)

Ibai Perez 2

Torre 1

Urkea 1

Imanol 1

Beldarrain 1

Garma 1

Larranaga 1

Ayerbe 1

Gordon 1

Urrutia 1

For complete records, rankings, and results of all InnPala players, see the InnPala Player cumulative win loss table on the right side of the blog.Up to date records for the 2019-20 season, complete records and rankings for the 2018-19 season, and partial records for the 2016-17 season are available.