Jai Alai/Cesta Punta---Beti Jai Opens to the Public--for one day

The restoration of the iconic open air fronton Beti-Jai (Madrid) reached a new phase when the fronton was opened to the public for a day on Thursday, June 13, 2019. From what I saw and read, it has been, so far, a magnificent restoration. Originally opened in 1894, the 67 meter (220 feet) long, 20 meter (65 feet) wide concha (court) has not been used for Basque Pelota since 1919. It served many other purposes (SEE THE BLOG POST HERE) before being abandoned. Since 2015 a start-stop restoration has been underway. You can now see the results on the inside. What is still unclear is "where do we go from here." The inside amenities (seating, concessions, bathrooms, etc.) remain to be restored. How long that will take (some might question if that will happen), and, when, if ever, this magnificent arena will hear the crash of pelota on wall, remain to be seen. But just take a look at what they have done already, and begin to imagine...

News articles

Noticias de Navarre

El Independente

El Pais

Larazon

Ferrovial Blog: The Day the Beti Jai got its shine back. (English)

3d Virtual Tour (Beti Jai Twitter)

Remonte: Aritz Etxeberria (Etxeberria IV Retires from Oriamendi2010

Aritz Etxeberria (Etxeberria IV) (delantero--front), retired at age 31 after 13 years as a professional. (Oriamendi2010 announcement).Though limited by injuries, he played over 600 matches, 431 with Oriamendi2010 since 2010. He won the Sagardoeren Txapelketa (Torneo Sidra/Cider Tournament) in 2014 (Oriamendi2010 match article which links, at the bottom, to video of the 36-24--40-34 points--he is in blue). Though these points do not show him at his best, he was the star of this match with 12 two wall winners. It was one of his best career matches and he starred throughout the tournament. He also won the Euskal Jai Berri San Fermin Tournament that year. (Viva el Remonte blog match article). Entering that Tournament midway through as a substitute for the injured Koteto Ezkurra, he and Ion (his partner in the other win as well), did not "miss a beat". Etxeberria IV outscored Uterga +21 +20 in his team's 40-35 win.

We do have one full match video, a 40-31 loss to Urriza-Azpiroz in the 2017 ST. (EITB) He is in blue.

Remonte--Oriamendi2010 celebrates "Remonte Day" at Galarreta with 2018 "Best Player" awards

Oriamendi2010 celebrated "Remonte Day" (Oriamendi2010) on February 23, 2019. Free admission brought out a large crowd for the festivities, including 3 matches, a raffle, and, the most important part of the programme, the naming of the best players for 2018. Three players were named "Best player," Best player overall, Best Group A player, and Best Group B player.

Diario Vasco article
Oriamendi2010 article

"Best Players"

Javier Urriza (Group A d front) "Best Player" (30-23 in 2018). This was Urriza's 7th "Best Player" award since 2012 (corrected link to Urriza--February 26, 2019)--disculpas a Javier

1 monthly rankings winner (40 points--perfect) 
Masters Oriamendi Singles Champion
Tourneo Sidra Doubles Champion 
Tourneo Kutxabank Singles Champion

A sampling of Urriza's best work for 2018

January 13, 2018

1. Master's Oriamendi Torneo Final:

Urriza (Group A d front) 30 Barrentxea IV (Group A z back) 19

Full match video (EITB)

Match article (Oriamendi2010)

April 28, 2018

2. Tourneo Sidra (Sagardoaren Txapelketa) Final:

Urriza-Garces (A-B) 40 Uterga-Zubiri (A-B) 31

Full match video (EITB)

Match article (Oriamendi2010)

September 8, 2018

3. Torneo Kutxabank (Buruz Buruko Txapelketa Final):

Urriza 30 Uterga 15

Full match video (EITB)

Match article (Oriamendi2010)

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Xanti Uterga (Group A d front) "Best Group A player" (43-26 in 2018) 

1 monthly rankings winner (38.57) 

Torneo Kutxabank Singles Runner-up 

Torneo Sidra (Sagardoaren Txapelketa) Doubles Runner-up 

Torneo Orona Doubles Champion

Ended 2018 with 6 consecutive doubles wins (5 in 12 days) (blog post on this blog) including 3 over Urriza and the Semis and Final of Orona championship.

A sampling of Uterga's best work in 2019

 April 21, 2018

1. Tourneo Sidra (Sagardoaren Txapelketa) Semi-Final

Uterga-Zubiri (A-B) 40 Segurola-Barrenetxea IV (B-A) 33

Full match video (EITB) (first match on the video)

Match article (Oriamendi2010) (second article)

December 22, 2018

2. Orona Championship Semi-Final

Uterga-Azpiroz (A-B) 40 Ansa II-Barrenetxea IV 29 (EITB) (First match on the video)

Match article (Oriamendi2010)

 December 29, 2018

3. Orona Championship Final

Uterga-Azpiroz 40 Juanenea-Endika 27 (EITB--match begins at 3:40)

Match article (Oriamendi2010)

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Jagoba Labaka (Group B z back) "Best Group B player" (45-26 in 2018) 

2 monthly rankings winners (40 points--perfect in both) 
Torneo Promocion Doubles Champion.

From September 27, 2018-November 24, 2018: Won 8 consecutive matches

Torneo Promocion: Won 4 Lost 0 with Etxarri. (Lost one match substituting in front court with another partner).

June 30, 2018

Torneo Promocion Final

Etxarri-Labaka (A-B) 40 Eloy-Zubiri (B-B) 20

Labaka +11 (including 5 service aces) -2

Match article (Oriamendi2010)

The Oriamendi2010 season, match by match, along with monthly cumulative win-loss records of the players, by position, is chronicled on the Oriamdi2010 "Star Match" recurring results page, on the right side of the blog.

BASQUE PELOTA BREAKING NEWS--FEBRUARY 24, 2019

BIXINTO BILBAO HAS BEEN SANCTIONED BY THE FIPV (FEDERACION INTERNATONAL DE PELOTA VASCA) FOR WAVING A BASQUE FLAG AT THE FRANCE MAIN NUE GOLD MEDAL CEREMONY IN THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED (OCTOBER 2018) BASQUE PELOTA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BARCELONA. THE FIPV HAS BANNED HIM FROM INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR 1 YEAR (WHICH WILL EXCLUDE HIM FROM PLAYING IN THE 2019 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING FOR 2022 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS). THE FIPV SAYS IT IS A "SERIOUS OFFENSE." BILBAO SAYS (GOOGLE TRANSLATE:)

I FEEL IT SAD THAT THEY GIVE ME A PENALTY LIKE THAT. I DID NOT KNOW THIS REGULATION. FOR ME THE IKURRINA (BASQUE FLAG) IS NOT A FORBIDDEN FLAG, IT REPRESENTS OUR LANGUAGE AND OUR CULTURE AND THERE IS NO HARM IN SHOWING THE BASQUE FLAG.

BILBAO, ALONG WITH THE FFPB (FEDERATION FRANCAIS DE PELOTE BASQUE) WILL APPEAL THE SUSPENSION.

"THE INCIDENT" (EITB VIDEO)

RELATED ARTICLE (PILOTA TTIKI)

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--The Saga of the Preservation and Rehabilitation of Madrid's Beti Jai Fronton Continues.

Madrid's ancient Beti Jai Fronton, originally constructed in 1894, was a "Cathedral" of  Basque Pelota until 1919. After that it was used for various other functions, including an auto factory, Civil War police station and jail, and a brewery. Over the years it has fallen into disrepair resembling ruins. It is the last 19th Century fronton in Madrid. It was an outdoor fronton of 67x20x11 meters that seated 4,000 in its prime.

From 1989-2015, via a series of land purchases and an Official Bulletin of the Community of Madrid declaration of "Good of Cultural Interest," it has passed into the hands of the City Council. A contest was held for the best rehabilitation plan. In November of 2018 the contest was won by the "Bizitza Berria" ("New Life") plan produced by architects Javier Coronado Palomero and Amelia Rodriquez dela Torre Somoza. The central idea behind the winning plan was "to obtain the best architectural proposal for this space, with the aim of making compatible the preservation of the heritage values of the building with the most appropriate technical solutions for its possible sporting and cultural uses." The plan is now in litigation over a number of issues, one of which is the efficacy of a glass roof with respect to "Good of Cultural Interest."

One of the ultimate aims of the rehabilitation is a UNESCO declaration of the Fronton as a World Heritage Site. The wheels of litigation turn slowly, but hopefully a solution can be obtained and the Fronton, with or without a roof, can be rehabilitated. Hopefully, soon, the "Cathedral" will be restored.

Note: all English quotes have been obtained through Google Translate. Hopefully, I have gotten the essence of the story.

Beti Jai: The Last Surviving Basque Pelota Historic Fronton in Madrid
(HTML version)  (MAS Context, No. 28, Winter 2015, P. 102-122--.pdf version)

The story, from 1894-2015, in English.

All below articles and videos (except for the contest winner announcement (English)  are in Castilian

Beti Jai Home Page

Bizitza Berria para el Beti Jai: la nueva vida del frontón de Madrid (Marca, February 9, 2019 via Jai Alai News Facebook)

Detailed article covering the history and the issues.

Contest winner announcement with architectural drawings (metalocus.es)

El Beti-Jai se queda sin proyecto por decreto municipal (El Mundo, February, 15, 2019). The latest news.

De la ruina y el Esplendor  (Cronicas documentary, RTVE, Jan. 15, 2018 (43:36)

Memorias del Beti Jai (ABC TV documentary, 10:59)

Fronton Beti Jai: Patrimonio en Peligro (patrimonio UC3M Youtube,  2:05)

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Two "Editorials" on the future of Jai Alai.

The recent re-opening of Fronton Mexico has led to the publication of many articles about various aspects of the new Jai Alai/Cesta Punta development. Most of them deal with the cultural or sporting aspects. Recently a print and video article have been released that attempt to address possible futures of the sport. Both of the articles have a definite point of view, some might say contrasting points of view. Whatever your point of view, there is food for thought in each. Both articles are in English.

A. The Death and Resurrection of the Old Game of Jai-Alai, by Juan Ignacio Zulaika (Basque Tribune, April 17, 2017)

B. Jai Alai 101 (The New Tropic, April 14, 2017). Running time: 1 minute 50 seconds.

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--El Pais Feature Article on Fronton Mexico

El Pais has published a lengthy feature article on the re-opening of Fronton Mexico. The article discusses the history of the fronton, and contains short interviews with ex-pilotaris who played in the "golden age" (about 1930-1960). It also discusses the significance of the re-opening of the fronton. But perhaps the highlight of the piece is the 6 minute 45 second video that accompanies it. The video is built around a "B" match between Aaron-Ituarte and Ochoa-Perez that took place April 1. Google Translate will do a good job for the print story. The video is a case of "a picture being worth a thousand words" and is understandable in any language.

Los guardianes del Frontón México, by Almudena Barragan

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta: Fronton Mexico Announces Changes in Scheduling

Fronton Mexico has announced a change in scheduling. Beginning immediately the Tuesday session will be dropped and replaced by a Friday session. Thursday-Saturday sessions will begin at 19:30. Sunday sessions will begin at 18:00, except for this Sunday, April 16, which will consist of only 2 partidos and 1 quiniela due to the Easter holiday. That session will begin at 19:00.

Article announcing the change (www.pitlane.mx) According to the article, the management feels that Fridays are better for "así que ahora se eliminará la función de los martes y se agrega la de los viernes, que por nuestra experiencia es el mejor día para presentar a los pelotaris al público aficionado y a quienes van en busca de la apuesta." (Google Translate English): "Tuesdays (will be dropped) and Friday is added, which for our experience is the best day to present the pelotaris to the amateur public and those who are looking for the bet."

This week's (April 13-16) Schedule

Note that this week also offers an interesting 3 v 2 Star Match on Saturday, April 15. Egiguren-Lopez v Laduche-Christophe-Etxeto.

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Fronton Jai Alai TV Special Edition--Fronton Mexico.

The April 7, 2017 edition of Fronton Jai Alai TV, produced by Quintana Roo (Cancun), Mexico's Canal 10, is a special edition spotlighting the newly re-opened Fronton Mexico. Presenter Javier Eguia Berestain and panelist Jose Marie Fernandez Urquiaga host the show. This show is built around extended highlights from the March 26, 2017 FM Star Match between Olha-Irastorza and Egiguren-Inza. It includes interviews with newly signed young Basque players Julien Del Rio, Aaron Gonzalez, and Ekhi Martnez (Del Rio and Ekhi have already played in Star matches), Mexican players Gustavo Lopez and Gonzalo Sierra (Sierra has also played in a Star match), and the ball and cesta maker. There is also an interview with Intendente Pedro Andrinua. The show is in Spanish and runs a little over an hour and 20 minutes. It is available on demand via the following outlets:

Canal 10 Web Page

Canal 10 Youtube

Vimeo

Archived shows going back to October 15, 2016 are available at each site.

For more information about Fronton Mexico Star Matches see the Fronton Mexico recurring results page on the right side of the blog.

Pala--Sestao welcomes Ibai Perez Home With a Festival

Sestao welcomed home Ibai Perez after he won his 3rd  Championship this season, the Mundial Parejas, (along with the earlier La Liga and Mudial Individual)  The festival was held on April 7, 2017 at Las Llanes, and featured two amateur matches preceding the main event: a match between Gaubeka-Ibai Perez and Necol-Imanol. That match was won by Necol-Imanol 3-2. (Source: Iosu Urkijo).

For more on the festival see the InnPala Facebook Page post. Also see the related article in Deia.

Remonte--Euskal Jai Berri Announces its 2017 Schedule of Tournaments

Euskal Jai Berri has announced its 2017 schedule of (mostly short court) Remonte tournaments. In addition, this year they have announced a new "state circuit" that will operate between June and October, with festivals in 10 cities ("Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Valencia, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Gijón, Soria, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Donostia-San Sebastián and Iruña-Pamplona").

The schedule of tournaments:

III Torneo de Remonte Casco Viejo de Pamplona 2017 - 2017ko Iruñako Alde Zaharrako Erremonte Hirugarren Txapelketa (Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona)), April.

VIII Torneo Diputación de Gipuzkoa de Remonte 2017 - 2017ko Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundiaren Saria, VIII Erremonte Kopa (May)

XII Torneo Comunidad Foral de Navarra de Remonte 2017 - 2017ko Nafarroako Foru Komunitatearen XII. Erremonte Txapelketa (July 15 - September 30)

XIII Torneo Individual de Remonte de Navidad 2017- 2017ko Eguberriko Buruz Buruko Erremonte XIII Txapelketa (last two weeks in December)

In addition, EJB will collaborate with Oriamendi2010 to sponsor the Torneo de San Fermín 2017 this summer.

EJB announcement of schedule for 2017, along with a recap of the festivities of the recent Gala del Remonte 2017 in Iruna (Pamplona).

Oriamendi2010 copy of the announcement,with a photo of the Gala del Remonte 2017 award winners.

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Fronton Mexico Opening Night "Estelar" Match, and an Interesting article on the Fronton

1. Fronton Mexico held its first session Tuesday, March 14, 2017. The first Star match, which was scheduled to be Salla-Etxeto v Tambourindeguy-Inza, was instead a match between Tambourindeguy-Inza and Christophe-Irastorza.

Star Match: Christophe-Irastorza defeated Tambourindeguy-Inza 30-22

In other matches

1. Gonzalo-Dosal defeated Ortega-Etchenique 30-23
3. Laduche-Businello v Aaron-Hirigoyen (unknown at this time).

Match article for both matches (esto.com.mx)

Match videos for the Star Match

Full match video (Source: Txabi Inza Facebook Page)

Can also be accessed from Jai Alai News Facebook Page

Match video (final 18 minutes 20 seconds) (Source: MX Frontour Facebook page).

Roster (Fronton Mexico)

Roster (Jai Alai Facebook Page via this blog)

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2. An interesting article appeared in the Mar. 12, 2017 issue of Excelsior.
Diez datos que debes conocer sobre Frontón México (10 Facts You Should Know About Fronton Mexico). The article is accompanied (at the bottom of the page) by a 3 minute 51 second Excelsior video on the topic. The video is in Spanish.

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Fronton Jai Alai TV

Fronton Jai Alai TV is a Spanish language show broadcast by Canal 10 (Quintana Roo, Mexico). Shows usually, but not always, are broadcast every two weeks. The show began on October 15, 2016 and is available via the Canal 10 website and Vimeo. The latest show, which aired on March 10, 2017. ended with an interview with Pedro Andrinua, the Intendente of Fronton Mexico (phone interview begins at about 1:06:50. The show consists of topical discussions and highlights of matches past and present.

Canal 10:  Scroll down for previous shows.

Vimeo: Arrow across or scroll down for previous shows.

Multiple Modalities: South Basque: One Major Amateur Competition Ends as Another Begins

The EEPF Euskal Herriko Kluben/CPTO. de EH. de Clubes competition, featuring 25 tournaments in 8 modalities (Eskuz indivdual and pairs, Pala Motza,  Pala Goma, Paleta Goma, Larruzko Paleta, Zesta Punta, and Frontenis) began on January 28, 2017 and ended the weekend of March 10-12, 2017. The premiere South Basque amateur competition, the Gravni Competition, began on March 11, and will end with finals on April 30.

EITB televised the finals of two EHK competitions, the Ezkuz Individual Juvenile and Pairs Senior Division.

Source for all scores and match articles: EEPF

Preview finals article

Final results article 2017 EHK/CPTO.de EH. with links to finals results (Spreadsheet format)

Photo Gallery for finals. (Added March 15, 2017).

March 10, 2017

Lakua, Vitoria-Gasteiz (1)(2)

Individual Juvenile Final:

Ultzama (Gascue--red) defeated Zabala (Zazpi Iturri--blue) 22-9

Senior Division Pairs Final:

Pagazpe (Santxo-Altuna--blue) defeated Ilunpe (Alberdi-Uzkudun--red) 22-21

Match article for both matches

Full match video (EITB). Individual match is the first match, Senior final begins at 39:44 on the video

The senior final was a 71 minute struggle that had 4 lead changes from 18-18, a terrific way to finish the night.

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The Gravni competition, which runs from March 11 - April 30, 2017, is a provincial tournament involving players from Gipuzkoa, La Rioja, Araba, Bizkaia, Nafarroa and Iparralde (North Basque Country).The competition includes 15 modalities on mur a gauche and trinquet for men and women.

Preview article. See the reglamento document (.pdf format, 14p.) for details on the modalities and competition.

Preview article (pilota-ttiki.com). This article discusses aspects of North Basque Country participation in the Gravni competition.

To follow the competitions as they happen (or to recap the EHK results) go to the EEPF competition page. Click on competitions of interest and a drop down menu will appear. Click on any of the competitions and any phase from "Liga" to "Final". "Calendarios and "Calendarios de Resultados" are available in HTML and spreadsheet format. Gravni competitions will appear in the blog when there is match video.

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Fronton Mexico--Wired

Fronton Mexico has opened an electronic presence:

Web site: http://frontonmexico.com.mx/

Fronton Mexico Jai Alai: http://frontonmexico.com.mx/jai-alai/

At present the web site is pretty bare bones. It does have selected player information.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frontonmexico/

There is information here about the schedule of matches for the opening week

There appear to be 5 days scheduled for the first week

Twitter: @frontonmexicoce

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Jai Alai News Facebook Interview with Eric Irastorza and Fronton Mexico Preview Article

As the opening of the remodeled Fronton Mexico season approaches later today, Jai Alai News Facebook page has released a long interview with Eric Irastorza (castilian), who will be on the roster for a short period of time. In the interview, he discusses his long career at Miami Jai Alai, the psychology of the quiniela game, the evolution and importance of "image" for the sportsman, his business interests, and the importance of the Fronton Mexico project, among other things.

Jai Alai News Facebook page has also released a preview article on the upcoming season which includes the full names and home cities of roster.

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta: 3 recent news articles about the re-opening of Fronton Mexico

The new season in the remodeled landmark Fronton Mexico in Mexico City. is scheduled to begin March 10, 2017.  With the help of Jai Alai News Facebook page and some of my own research, here are three news articles in three languages that describe various facets of the story.

Google Translate: (open link in new window or tab).

1. Direction Mexico (Sud-Oest) by Ghislaine Castillon (French) (March 6, 2017). This is a short article about 4 of the North Basque players who have been signed by Fronton Mexico to be part of its roster. They are Julien Hirigoyenberry, Alexandre Businello, Ludovic Laduche (front court in blue) and Nicolas Etcheto (match begins at 1:10:02 on the video). The article also contains some background on the renovated Fronton Mexico and the Olharroa Association that these players come from.

2. 21 urteren ondoren, onenekin (After 21 years, the best) (Berria) by I. Susaeta (Basque) (March 7, 2017). The article provides background on the Fronton, the upcoming season, and, at the very end offers that the Fronton management is negotiating with Inaki Goikoetxea, the great front court player now sponored by Red Bull. "The problem is the sponsor. In fact, we, perhaps, we will be advertising an energy drink in the front,"

3. Con inversión de 35 mdd, reabrirán el Frontón México (With investment of 35 million dollars, the Frontón Mexico will reopen) (Castilian) (March 2, 2017) . The article deals mostly with the remodel effort.

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Naiz article on young Basque players leaving for Fronton Mexico

Euskal Pilotarian Mexikon (Naiz) by Gotzon Aranburu (February 24, 2017). This is a feature article on 3 young players who will be leaving shortly for Mexico City, Mexico, to join the roster at Fronton Mexico, which is set to begin play in early March. The players are Aaron Gonzalez, Ekhi Martinez, and Julien del Rio. The article also provides background about the new endeavor.

The three players were recently featured in the Gran Fiesta de la Cesta Punta (Alavesa), covered in the blog a couple of weeks ago, with links to match video.

Pala--Deia feature article on Ibai Perez

Deia has recently published a feature article on La Liga and Mundial Individual champion Ibai Perez. The article provides insights into the amount of work and training behind his rise up the InnPala ladder. It also provides background information on how he became a professional Pala player.

Ibai Pérez, el constructor de txapelas y sueños, by Igor. G. Vico (February 17, 2017)

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta News Article--"The Conquest of El Dorado"

Noticias de Gipuzkoa has published an article titled "La Conquista de Eldorado," by Igor G. Vico. It describes the preparation of 18 young players who are in training in Hondarribia and will go to Mexico City for the beginning of Fronton Mexico's 4 month season scheduled for March 4. They will join long time professionals Imanol Lopez, Eric Irastorza, and Mikel Egiguren, as well as younger pros Jean Olharan, Xabi Inza, Jon Tambourindeguy, Nicolas Etcheto, and Chrstophe Olha. New players, among whom are Julien del Rio, Aaron Gonzalez, Jerome Portet, Julien Ihitsague, and Ludovic Laduche will also play. Portet and Laduche may be of particular interest as players with great potential.

The article also discusses the manner of how the season will be played (3 matches on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays). The second match will be the "Star" match. It also provides background information about the financing of the remodel of the classic fronton.

La Conquista de Eldorado (Castilian). Note that this is a long article. Translate.google.com will give non-Castilian speakers the gist of the story. Simply cut and paste the article into the translate box