Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--A Feast of Jai Alai in Madrid--October 11-13, 2019

Two tournaments were held in Madrid on October 11-13, the IV Villa de Madrid Tournament  and the amateur Campeonato de Espana de Clubes (Men's senior and Women's under 22). Both were sponsored by FePelota  (Federacion Espana de Pelota). Several of the matches were live streamed by LaLiga Sports Facebook. They might be later uploaded to LaLiga Sports Youtube. If and when they are, I will change the below listed links.

On each day, all of the matches were uploaded in one video, making for extremely long videos (two of nearly 8 hours,  and one of about 3 hours).  Below you will find links that drop you into the video at the exact starting point of the linked match. But those links are not necessarily reliable on all platforms. Hopefully, if you don't get linked in to your match(es) of interest, you will at least be linked to the beginning of the video. From there you can move the slider bar to the match of interest. To make that process easier you can link directly to the root videos (listed in the order of  the matches):

October 13 Root address for both matches (Villa de Madrid 3rd Place Match and Final)

October 12 Root address for all 4 matches (Women's under 22 Final; Men's Senior Final; Villa de Madrid Semi-Finals (note: there is a long (about 5 hour "test pattern" between the end of the amateur finals and the VdM Semi-finals. You can just move the slider bar through that.)

October 11 Root address for all 6 matches (Women's under 22 Semi-Finals; Men's Senior Semi-Finals, Villa de Madrid Quarter-Finals)

The professional Tournament was disappointingly one sided, but that didn't seem to bother the large crowds that showed up every day. The Men's amateur Tournament featured a couple of ex-professional players (Gonzolo Beaskoetxea and Jokin Arbe, as well as Cosme Agirre, an exellent young amateur who earlier this summer played in the Jai Alai World Tour Zumaia Masters Tournament. The Women's Tournament was the most competitive of the three. It was played, I think, with a softer pelota and more liberal holding rules (the women took an extra step before they threw), but make no mistake. It was a crash helmet Tournament which was highlighted by the rocket like cortadas from the cesta of Zumaia's M. Ortiz, which let her team to an exciting win in the final.

Best of all, thanks to LaLiga4Sports, fans were able to watch, in real time or on demand, 12 full match videos.

Universidad Complutense de Madrid (1) (2) (3)

IV Villa de Madrid Tournament

Preview article (as.com)
Preview article (Marca)
Complete Calendar (Professional Tournament) (jaialaiofficialcircuit.com)

October 13

FINAL

Goikoetxea-Lekerika (Leke) 2 (Aritz) Erkiaga-(Ibon) Aldazabal 0
(15-13, 15-12) (30-25)

Selected linescore (Marca) (winners always listed 1st)

Set 1:

0-2; 12-9; 15-13

Set 2:

8-1; 15-12

3rd Place Match

Olharan-(Manex) Urtasun 2 Hormaetxea-A. Aldazabal 0
(15-10, 15-11) (30-21)

Selected linescore (winners always listed 1st)

Set 1:

0-4; 15-10

Set 2:

6-2; 11-11; 15-11

Match article for both matches (Marca)
Match article for both matches (FEPelota.com)
Match article for both matches (as.com)

G-L were dominant in this tournament, winning both matches in straight sets, by an aggregate score of 60-35.

++++++++++

October 12

Semi-Finals

1st Semi-final

(Aritz) Erikiaga-(Ibon) Aldazabal (seeded in at the Semi-final level  2 
Olharan-(Manex) Urasan 0
(15-13, 15-10) (30-23)

Selected linescore (winners always listed 1st)

Set 2

11-9; 15-10

2nd Semi-final

Goikoetxea-Lekerika (Leke) (seeded in at the Semi-final level) 2 
Hormaetxea-A. Aldazabal 0
(15-4, 15-6) (30-10)

Selected linescore (winners always listed 1st)

Set 2

2-3; 15-6

Match article for both matches (Marca)

Neither Semi-final was particularly competitive, with the seeded teams winning in straight sets, and G-L dominating.

October 11

Quarter Finals

1st Quarter-final

Olharan-(Manex) Urtasun 2 
(Diego) Beaskoetxea-Inza 1
(15-14, 11-15, 10*-1) (39-27)

*=at 6-1, Inza suffered a knee injury attempting a catch, and had to retire hurt.

2nd Quarter-final

Hormaetxea-A. Aldazabal 2 
P. Tambourindeguy-Ekhi 0
(15-10, 15-14)

Selected linescore (winners always listed 1st)

Set 2

0-2; 9-5; 15-14

Match article for both matches (Marca)

The first match was the most competitive of the Tournament, but was unfortunately truncated by a knee injury to Inza. Ekhi suffered a foot injury when hit by a pelota in the second match, but was able to continue.

++++++++++++


Campeonato de Espana de Clubes Cesta Punta 

October 12

Women's Under 22

FINAL

Zumaiako (Red) (M. Ortiz-Z. Arai Lejadi) 2  
Berriatua A (white) (I.Arranistain-E.Lazardi) 1
(10-15, 15-9, 10-5) (35-29)

An exciting final concluded a Tournament where every match was won by a tie-breaker.

October 11

Women's Under 22

1st Semi-final

Berriatua A (white)  (M.Aldazabal-N.Calvo) 2 
Markina (red) (N.Marino-M. Berreziartua) 1
(13-15, 15-7, 10-7) (38-32)

2nd Semi-final 

Zumaiako (M. Ortiz-Z. Arai Lejadi) 2
Berriatua B (I.Arranistain-E.Lazardi) 1
(11-15, 15-11, 10-8) (36-34)

++++++

Men's Senior

October 12

FINAL

Markina (blue) (J. Arbe-J. Mandiola) 2
Zumaiako (red) ((Cosme) Aguirre-U. Urranga) 1
(15-13, 12-15, 10-7) (37-35)

October 11

1st Semi-final

Zumaiako (red) ((Cosme) Aguirre-U. Urranga) 2
Noain (white)(I. Bailo-O. Aguas) 0
(15-6, 15-13) (30-19)

Note: Cosme played in the recently concluded Zumaia Masters (Jai Alai World Tour).

2nd Semi-Final

Markina (red) (J. Arbe-J. Mandiola) 2
La Coruna (white) (G. Beaskoetxea-M. Manzisdor) 1
(9-15, 15-13, 10-5) (34-33)

Pala Larga/Pelota Cuir--Donostia #KiroTxartela Competition--Men's and Women's (July 2-August 18, 2019)

Donostia #Kiro Txartela Competition:

The Donostia #Kiro Txartela Competition was short court competition with all matches played at Atano III, Donostia (San Sebastian) (1) (2) beginning July 3, 2019, and ending with a Final August 16. Most of the InnPala staff  played, paired with promising or veteran amateurs. There were 8 teams, divided into two groups. The competition was played as a single round robin in each group, with one match played by each group each week, for most of the League phase. The winners of the group round robin played in the final. Total jokos (sets) won determined the winners. 

The Tournament was accompanied, in the later stages, by a women's paleta cuero (hard leather ball--crash helmet--paddle) (note the surface area of the implement is wider then the Pala Larga (bat--see below)) Tournament. It was a 4 team knock out tournament. 

InnPala Announcement

Donastia Kirola Announcement

InnPala Brochure (.pdf format, 11p.) (Women's Tournament players are on P. 3)

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

Women's Masters de Pala (Paleta Cuero)

August 16

FINAL

Irazustabarrena-Erasun 3 Galdos-Huizi 2 (EITB--Match begins at 0:00)

(8-4, 6-8, 6-8, 8-7, 8-6) (36-33)

Scoring: (EITB)

Irazustabarrena +14 -7; Erasun +6 -6
Galdos +13 -8; Huizi +7 -8

Balls in Play: 550; Irazustabarrena 143; Erasun 133; Galdos 94; Huizi 180

Time of the match: 62:25

Amaia Irazustabarrena, Itaxso Erasun, Leire Galdos, and Maider Huizi produced, arguably, the best and most exciting match of the entire 7 week competition with this excellently played nail biter. I-E were down 6-7 in the 4th joko before holding off 2 match points to get to the final set. If you look at the statistics you will see that only one player finished in the negative. That is rare in Paleta/Pala, which has one of the highest error rates in all of Basque Pelota,  mostly because of the implement. And Huizi was, indeed, -1, but she put at least 37 more balls in play than anyone else, including several rebotes (rebound shots off the back wall), the most difficult shot in the game, with a seeming ease of effort that belied just how difficult the shot is. If  Ibai Perez (the master of the shot on the InnPala professional roster (see below) was watching, he would have been impressed. Certainly the crowd was. Huizi saved many points this way. Irazustabarrena and Galdos were both terrific shot makers, not afraid to go to the outside, the two wall, or the cortada (hard sidearm shot) for their points. And Erasun, though not as adept at the rebote as Huizi, was solid and powerful in defense. The result was, after a slow start for the runners up, 3 of the best jokos  you'll see anywhere. The 5th joko, while also extremely competitive, saw a few errors creep in due to fatigue. 550 balls were put in play in five 8 point jokos. The maximum number of points in this type of match is 75. These players contested 69. It was a magnificent match.

Semi-Finals

August 14

2nd Semi-final

Irazustabarrena-Erasun 3

Isasmendi-L. Saez 1

(7-8, 8-2, 8-6, 8-4) (31-20) Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

August 7

1st Semi-Final

Galdos-Huizi 3 Maiza-Araiztegi 1

(8-6, 8-3, 4-8, 8-4) (28-21) Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

-------------

Men's Masters de Pala (Pala Larga) 

*=Amateur

Group A

Garate-Andonegi*
Ibarguren II*-Urrutia 
Milhet*-Ibargarai 
Luzuriaga*-Gordon

Group B

Altuna*-Ibai Perez 
Necol-Benoit* 
Gaubeka-Rekalde*
Ibarguren*-Vigeon*

Note: Pablo Hernan "Fusto", the greatest professional of his generation, did not participate in this competition because he was in Lima, Peru for the 2019 Pan American Games, representing Argentina in Paleta Cuero, one of the Basque Pelota sports being contested.

(Deia article)

Fusto-Alfredo Villegas won the gold medal for Argentina without losing a set.

Aug 4. Arg. 2 Cuba 0 (15-6, 15-9) (30-15)

Aug. 5. Arg. 2 USA 0 (15-8, 15-2) (30-10)

Aug. 6. Arg. 2 Peru 0 (15-8, 15-4) (30-12)

Aug.7. Arg. 2 Mexico 0 (15-10, 15-7) (30-17)

Aug. 10. (Gold Medal) Arg. 2 Cuba 0 (15-6, 15-11) (30-17) (150-71) (Source: Pan American Games Results and scroll to "Basque Pelota")

----

The tournament took place over 7 weeks and had little to no press or video coverage. It was a bit strange in that 15 of the 45 jokos in the Tournament were decided by less than 3 points. However, only 1 of the 12 matches played went to 5 jokos.

As always, for a tournament of this length, read from the bottom up to follow chronologically. Cumulative League standings are presented before each round's play. 

August 16

FINAL

Altuna*-Ibai Perez (Group B: #1; 3-0; 9) 3

Garate-Andonegi* (Group A: #1; 3-0; 9) 0  (EITB--match begins at 1:09:13)

(10-7, 10-4, 10-6) (30-17)

Scoring (through 2 jokos only) (EITB)

Altuna +4 -1; Ibai Perez +9 -4
Garate +5 -3; Andonegi +1 -4

Balls in Play: 219; Altuna 40; Ibai Perez 74; Garate 55; Andonegi 50

 InnPala had a succinct description:

La final tuvo un nombre propio, Ibai Pérez, el zaguero sestaoarra desespero a sus oponentes a base de llevar toda clase de pelotas. La victoria fue contundente debido a la gran actuación de Ibai que estuvo bien acompañado por un Altuna que fue de menos a mas a lo largo del encuentro…

Loose google translation:

The final had its own name, Ibai Pérez, the defender from Sestaoa who brought despair to his opponents based on carrying all kinds of balls. The victory was overwhelming due to the great performance of Ibai that was well accompanied by an Altuna that went from less to more throughout the match ...

EITB did not provide scoring for the 3rd joko, but they did mention late in the match the Ibai Perez had 8 service aces. He controlled the entire match. His performance was highlighted by falling rebotes on 2 consecutive points in the 3rd joko. He towered over the other players in this match. 

Interestingly, the two amateurs, Ibon Altuna (age 39) and Azeari Andonegi (40) were older than the professionals, Ibon Garate (33) and Ibai Perez (29). Altuna showed great range and power. Garate and Andonegi did not have the greatest of days at the office. However, Ibai Perez, on his day, is the most dominant back in the game, and more than a hand full for anyone. Not every day is his day. This one was. 

-----

Final Table--end of Jornada (Day) 7

Group A

Garate-Andonegi* (3-0; 9-1) 9

Ibarguren II*-Urrutia (2-1; 7-5) 7

Milhet*-Ibargarai (1-2; 4-6) 4

Luzuriaga*-Gordon (0-3; 1-9) 1

Group B

Altuna*-Ibai Perez (3-0; 9-3) 9
Necol-Benoit* (2-1; 7-6) 8
Gaubeka-Rekalde* (1-2; 6-6) 6
Ibarguren*-Vigeon* (0-3; 2-9) 2

August 14

7th Jornada

Group A

Ibarguren II*-Urrutia 3 Luzuriaga*-Gordon 1

(10-9, 10-4, 6-10, 10-4) (36-27) Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

---------

Tables--end of Jornada (Day) 6

Group A

Garate-Andonegi* (3-0; 9-1) 9

Ibarguren II*-Urrutia (1-1; 4-4) 4

Milhet*-Ibargarai (1-2; 4-6) 4

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

Group B

Altuna*-Ibai Perez (3-0; 9-3) 9

Necol-Benoit (2-1; 7-6) 7

Gaubeka-Rekalde* (1-2; 6-6) 6

Ibarguren*-Vigeon* (0-3; 2-9) 2

Altuna*-Ibai Perez win Group B

6th Jornada

August 7

Group B

Altuna*-Ibai Perez 3 Ibarguren*-Vigeon* 1

(10-8, 10-7, 9-10, 10-4) (39-29) Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

---------

Tables--end of Jornada (Day) 5

Group A

Garate-Andonegi* (3-0; 9-1) 9

Ibarguren II*-Urrutia (1-1; 4-4) 4

Milhet*-Ibargarai (1-2; 4-6) 4

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

Garate-Andonegi* win Group A

Group B

Necol-Benoit (2-1; 7-6) 7

Altuna*-Ibai Perez (2-0; 6-2) 6

Gaubeka-Rekalde* (1-2; 6-6) 6

Ibarguren*-Vigeon* (0-2; 1-6) 1

July 30, 2019

5th Jornada

Group A

Garate-Andonegi* defeated Milhet-Ibargarai.

Note: There is no information about this match, or even whether it was played. Diario Vasco Cartelera for July 31 does not mention it (see below). Cartelera for July 30 (under Hoy Profesionales), does not list the match as scheduled. Garate-Andonegi were given the victory, which is the only way they could have gotten into the finals (see above under Final Table) (added August 15). I am going to give a 3-0 victory until I find out more information, if there ever is any.

Group B

Gaubeka-Rekalde* 3 Ibaruren*-Vigeon* 0

(10-3, 10-5, 10-3) Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

---------

Tables--end of Jornada (Day) 4

Group A

Garate-Andonegi* (2-0; 6-1) 6

Ibarguren II*-Urrutia (1-1; 4-4) 4

Milhet*-Ibargarai (1-1; 4-3) 4

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

Group B

Necol-Benoit (2-1; 7-6) 7

Altuna*-Ibai Perez (2-0; 6-2) 6

Gaubeka-Rekalde* (0-2; 3-6) 3

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

July 24, 2019

4th Jornada

Group A

Ibarguren II*-Urrutia 3 Milhet*-Ibargarai 1

(10-4, 5-10, 10-9, 10-9) (35-32)

Group B

Altuna*Ibai-Perez 3 Necol-Benoit* 1

(10-8, 8-10, 10-4, 10-9) (38-31)

Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

5 of the 8 jokos end 10-8 or 10-9.

This was the match that decided Group B. Except for one joko, it very much lived up to its billing.

---------

Tables--end of Jornada (Day) 3

Group A

Garate-Andonegi* (2-0; 6-1) 6

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

Ibarguren II*-Urrutia (0-1; 1-3) 1

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

Group B

Necol-Benoit (2-0; 6-3) 6

Altuna*-Ibai Perez (1-0; 3-1) 3

Gaubeka-Rekalde* (0-2; 3-6) 3

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

July 16, 2019

3rd Jornada

Group A

Garate-*Andonegi 3 Luzuriaga*-Gordon 0

(10-6, 10-4, 10-6) (30-16)

Group B

Necol-Benoit* 3 Gaubeka-Rekalde* 2

(10-8, 8-10, 8-10, 10-8, 10-5) (46-41)

This was the only match in the entire competition that "went the distance" .

Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

Note: Source incorrectly has Ander Landeta, an InnPala professional, playing with Gordon. Landeta, though originally scheduled to play, missed the entire competition recovering from wrist surgery. 

---------

Tables--end of Jornada (Day) 2

Group A

Garate-Andonegi* (1-0; 3-1) 3

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

Ibarguren II*-Urrutia (0-1; 1-3) 1

Luzuriaga*-Gordon (0-1; 0-3) 0

Group B

Necol-Benoit* (1-0; 3-1) 3

Altuna*-Ibai Perez (1-0; 3-1) 3

Gaubeka-Rekalde* (0-1; 1-3) 1

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

July 10, 2019

2nd Jornada

Group A

Milhet*-Ibargarai 3 Luzuriaga*-Gordon 0

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

Group B

Altuna*-Ibai Perez 3 Gaubeka-Rekalde* 1

(10-8, 9-10, 10-7, 10-4) (39-29)

Source: Diaro Vasco Cartelera

---------

Tables--end of Jornada (Day) 1

Group A

Garate-Andonegi* (1-0; 3-1) 3

Ibarguren II*-Urrutia (0-1; 1-3) 1

Milhet*-Ibargarai (0-0; 0-0) 0

Luzuriaga*-Gordon (0-0; 0-0) 0

Group B

Necol-Benoit* (1-0; 3-1) 3

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

Altuna*-Ibai Perez (0-0; 0-0) 0

Gaubeka-Rekalde* (0-0; 0-0) 0

July 3, 2019

1st Jornada

Group A

Garate-Andonegi* 3 Ibarguren II*-Urrutia 1

(1-10, 10-6, 10-9, 10-6) (31-31)

Group B

Necol-Benoit* 3 Ibarguren*-Vigeon* 1

(3-10, 10-5, 10-5, 10-4) (33-24)

Match article for both matches (Deia)

Mano/Pala Larga/Paleta Cuero/Remonte--San Fermin Feast of BP action

San Fermin week is traditionally one of  the busiest BP weeks of the year. Iruna (Pamplona) and particularly Labrit Fronton (see below) are filled with the sound of pelota on wall. The dizzying pace, along with all the other activities going on during this week, was almost impossible to keep up with. And tremendous fun. This post will chronicle all of the San Fermin tournament action I could find, Professional and Amateur, men's and women's. It covers 4 modalities: Mano, Pala Larga, Paleta Cuero, and Remonte. So tape up your hands, put on the Pala glue, and strap on your goggles and crash helmets. Here we go.

We begin with Mano:

As always, if you wish to follow these tournaments in chronological order, read from the bottom up. 

XLV San Fermin Tournament

The 45th San Fermin Tournament began July 7 and ended with a final on July 14. It involved 6 pairs, 3 in Group A and 3 in Group B. Each group played a single round robin and the two group winners played in the Final. All matches were played at Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2)

Tournament results (with results back to 2001) (baikopilota.eus)

ASPE Player page

Baikopilota Player page

The teams:

Group A: Irribarria-Martija (ASPE); Bengoetxea VI-Imaz (Baikopilota); Oliazola II-Albisu (Baikopilota)

Group B: Urrutikoetxea-Mariezkurrena II (Baikopilota); Ezkurdia-Zabaleta (ASPE); Altuna III-L. Galarza (ASPE)

Preview (manista.com)

Complete Calendar (.pdf format, 5p). (LEP.M)

July 14

One of the most interesting aspects of this tournament was the contrasting play of fronts and backs. In the 7 matches the fronts were +115 -53, while the backs were +26 -53. Selected individual  records are discussed below, but the contrasting quality of play and the quantity of errors in the back left a lot of fans with a lot to talk about during the week. 

FINAL

Ezkurdia-Zabaleta (ASPE) (3-0) 22

Bengoetxea VI-Imaz (Baikopilota) (2-1) 8 (EITB--match begins at: 49:00)

Fronton TV (Castilian)

Highlights (EITB)

Short feature on all three San Fermin Finals at Labrit

Selected linescore (21Iguales Twitter) (winners always listed first)

2-1; 5-2; 12-2; 14-4; 15-6; 20-6; 22-8

Scoring (EITB)

Ezkurdia +7 -3; Zabaleta +4 -2

Bengoetxea VI +3 -5; Imaz +0 -6

Balls in Play: 399

Ezkudia 116; Zabaleta 90

Bengoetxea VI 93; Imaz 100

Time of the Match: 44:45

Match article (Baikopilota)

Match article (21Iguales.com)

Match photos (21Iguales.com)

An early 7 point run led to an easy victory for E-Z. 11 B-I errors gave the winners half of their points. Ezkurdia finished his Tournament with +26 -6. This was his third consecutive San Fermin Txapelketa.

July 12

Group B

Ezkurdia-Zabaleta (2-0) 22

Altuna III-L. Galarza (1-1) 17 EITB--match begins at 1:15:00)

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

0-1; 1-1; 1-3; 8-3; 8-4; 9-4; 9-5; 11-5; 11-6; 12-6; 12-11; 15-11; 15-13; 16-13; 16-15; 18-15; 18-16; 21-16; 21-17; 22-17

Scoring (Baikupilota.eus)

Ezkurdia +9 -3; Zabaleta +5 -2

Altuna III +12 -2; L. Galarza +0 -6

Balls in Play: 769:

Ezkurdia 186; Zabaleta 200

Altuna III 183; L. Galarza 200

Time of the Match: 87:37

Ezkurdia-Zabaleta advance to the Final

Match article (Baikopilota.eus)

Match article (21Iguales.com)

This was a monster of a match, lasting almost 1 1/2 hours, with the two backs each hitting the pelota 200 times. Three times E-Z built substantial leads. 3 times A-G fought back. Altuna III had a marvelous match, but his partner did not do quite as well. The back court deficit of -6 was, in the end, too much for A-G to overcome. L. Galarza was +1 -12 for the Tournament. His partner Altuna III finished a terrific Tournament with +21 -3.

Final Group B

Ezkurdia-Zabaleta 2-0

Altuna III-L. Galarza 1-1

Urrutikoetxea (Artola)-Mariezkurrena II 0-2

July 11

Group A

Bengoetxea VI-Imaz (2-0) 22

Oliazola II-Albisu (0-2) 8 (EITB--match begins at 43:53)

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

3-0; 3-2; 4-2; 4-3; 6-3; 6-5; 10-5; 10-6; 13-6; 13-7; 15-7; 15-8; 22-8

Scoring: (EITB)

Bengoetxea VI +6 - 3; Imaz +2 -1

Oliazola II +3 -7; Albisu +1 -7

Balls in Play: 565;

Bengoetxea VI 145; Imaz 144

Oliazola II 101; Albisu 175

Time of the Match: 59:29

Bengoetxea VI-Imaz advance to the final

Match article: (21Iguales.com)

At 15-8, there might have been a sliver of hope for O-A. B-I put that to rest by finishing with a 7-0 run. Both Oliazola II and Albisu had poor days at the office, gifting their opponents 64% of their points. Albisu finished the Tournament with +1 -15.

Final Group A

Bengoetxea VI-Imaz 2-0

Irribarria-Martija 1-1

Oliazola II-Albisu 0-2

July 10

Group B

Altuna III-L. Galarza (1-0) 22

Artola (substituting for Urrutikoetxea)-Mariezkurrena II (0-2) 18 (no match video found)

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

0-2; 2-2; 2-3; 7-3; 7-7; 8-7; 8-9; 10-9; 10-11; 11-11; 11-13; 14-13; 14-15; 18-15; 18-16; 19-16; 19-17; 21-17; 21-18; 22-18

7 lead changes, 10 equal scores

Scoring (21Iguales.com)

Altuna III +9(including 1 service ace) -1; L. Galarza +1 -6

Artola (substituting for Urrutikoetxea) +7 (1a) -9;

Mariezkurrena II +4 -3

Balls in Play: 614

Time of the match: 72 minutes

Match article: (21Iguales.com)

This was one of the best matches of the Tournament, with Artola coming in on short notice for the injured Urrutikoetxea. He scored well, but was also erratic. And in a match with as many twists and turns as this one, his 9 errors were at least 4 too many. 

July 9

Group A

Irribarria-Martija (1-1) 22

Oliazola II-Albisu (0-1) 12 (no match video found)

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

0-5; 11-5; 11-6; 13-6; 13-7; 14-7; 14-8; 14-11; 17-11; 17-12; 22-12

Scoring: (21Iguales.com)

Irribarria +13 (including 4 service aces) -3; Martija +1 -1

Oliazola II +8(1a); -0; Albisu +0 -8

Balls in Play: 483

Time of the Match 53 minutes

Match article (21Iguales.com)

Irribarria had one of those days when he is unstoppable, helping his team back into possible contention after an earlier loss with +13 -3 as his team got off to a big start, survived one comeback attempt, and won easily. Both Oliazola II and Albisu had perfect games, unfortunately completely negating each other. Irribarria finished his Tournament with +23 -8. 

July 8

Group B

Ezkurdia-Zabaleta (1-0) 22

Urrutikoetxea-Mariezkurrena (0-1) 7 (no match video found)

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

11-0; 11-1; 14-1; 14-6; 16-6; 16-7; 22-7

Scoring (21Iguales.com)

Ezkurdia + 10(including 3 service aces) -0; Zabaleta +2 -1

Urrutikoetxea +6 -4 (including 1 service fault); Mariezkurrena II +0 -6

Balls in Play: 381

Time of the Match: 47 minutes

Match article (21Iguales)

An 11-0 run decided this match early as E-Z got off to the best possible start. Ezkurdia had a perfect match. 

July 7

Group A

Bengoetxea VI-Imaz (1-0) 22

Irribarria-Martija (0-1) 18 (no match video found)

Selected linescore: (21Iguales.com) (winners always listed first)

2-2; 3-4; 6-5; 9-7; 10-8; 16-9; 16-11; 18-12; 18-15; 20-15; 20-18; 22-18

Scoring (21Iguales.com)

Bengoetxea VI +12 -3; Imaz +3 -2

Irribarria +10(including 1 service ace) -5; Martija +3 -2

Balls in Play: 485

Time of the Match: 65 minutes

Match article (21Iguales.com)

B-I used a 6-1 run at mid-match to put I-M on the back foot in this Tournament in the very first match. 

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Desafia del Vino Marco Real (ASPE v Baikopilota Challenge)

3 challenge matches were played between the two companies. 4 1/2, pairs, and singles were contested. At the end, Baikopilota got a lot of wine from ASPE.

July 13, 2019

Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2)

4 1/2: Agirre 22P. Exeberria 21

Pairs: Laso-Albisu 22 Jaka-Rezusta 17

Singles: Victor 22 Zabala 16

Baikopilota 3 ASPE 0

Full match video for all 3 matches (EITB--matches are in the order given above)

++++++++++++++

San Fermin 2nd Laboral Emakume (Women's) Master Cup.

July 13

Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2)

FINALS

Both Finals (Under 18 first, Premier 2nd) (EITB full match videos)
Both Finals (Under 18 first, Premier 2nd) (EITB via Laboral Emakume Master Cup site) (Added July 27, 2019)

Highlights of both matches (EITB)

Premier

Agirre-Obregozo 22 Jaka-M. Ruiz de Larramendi 21

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

10-7; 11-19; 20-21; 22-21

Time of the Match: 65 minutes.

The atmosphere at this Women's Tournament was absolutely electric, with a packed Labrit enjoying the action. And they got a final for the ages. 

A-O finished with a 10-2 run to win. After an Agirre 2 wall (left-front) winner tied the match, the final point was a magnificent 47 ball struggle with great saves by all 4 players, finally won by another Agirre 2 wall (left-front) winner . All four players received a long standing ovation.

Under-18

Bergara-Agorreta 22

Salbide-O. Ruiz de Larremendi 15

Score Source (Diario Vasco Cartelera and EITB)

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

7-0; 22-15

Match articles for both matches (21Iguales.com)

Semi-finals

Fronton Remontival, Estella-Lizarra (1)(2)

July 6-7 (unclear which matches were played when)

Premier

Jaka-M. Ruiz de Larrramendi 18

Larrate-Elizalde 10

Agirre-Obregozo 18 Aldaregia-Aldai 13

Selected linescore (winners always listed 1st)

6-0; 13-11; 14-11; 16-13; 18-13

Under-18

Bergara-Agoretta 18 Oscoz-Mendiburu 17

Salbide-O. Ruiz de Larramendi 18

Vergara-Lasa 8

Match article for all 4 matches (21Iguales.com)

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

Pala Larga:

San Fermin Tournament, a 4 team knock out Tournament, was played at Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona (1) (2) July 11,12, and 14.

Tournament Promotion video 1 (for both this and the women's tournament below) (InnPala Fronton Facebook video)

Tournament Promotion video 2 (for both this and the women's tournament below) (InnPala Fronton Facebook video)

After an arduous 6 week Bizkaia Open that involved all 9 InnPala professionals, along with 4 amateurs, a three week break that included opening play in 1 tournament ended as 8 of the 9 professionals went back to work in this tournament. It was a great, highly competitive endeavor in which each match went the maximum 5 jokos (sets), with 2 of them seeing the winners come back from 1-2 deficits. For the tournament, the final point score was 130-107, a 23 point difference spread over 15 jokos. That is about as close a tournament as one could possibly imagine. While the tournament was sparsely covered in the press, Dan Necol did llive stream his two matches on his Facebook page (they are now available on demand--see below). He has done this before, particularly for the Mundo Individuel Tournament last winter. These matches can now be enjoyed at leisure and show 6 of the best palistas in the world in action on the short court.

July 14

FINAL

Necol-Ibargarai 3 Fusto-Urrutia 2 (Dan Necol Facebook full match video, match begins at about 9:00 on the video)

(10-5, 5-10, 10-7, 5-10, 10-4) (40-36)

(Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera)

Match Article (Noticias de Navarra)

July 12

2nd Semi-Final

Necol-Ibargarai 3 Gaubeka-Ibai Perez 2 (Dan Necol Facebook full match video--match begins at about 10:00) on the video).

(10-8, 8-10, 8-10, 10-3, 10-4) (46-35)

(Diario Vasco Cartelera)

July 11

1st Semi-Final

Fusto-Urrutia 3 Garate-Gordon 2

(10-2, 6-10, 8-10, 10-7, 10-7) (44-36)

(Diario Vasco Cartelera)

Paleta Cuero Women's Tournament

San Fermin Tournament, a 4 team, knockout Tournament was held  July 11-12, and 14, in conjunction with men's Pala Larga Tournament (see above).

The women played in their tournament on the same days the men did. None of the matches went the distance, but two were extremely close The final point score in the 8 point jokos was 92-72, a 20 point difference over 12 Jokos. 8 of the 12 jokos were decided by 2 points or less. 

July 14

FINAL

Iraztuztabarrena-Erasun 3 Larrate-Araitztegi 1

(8-5, 7-8, 8-7, 8-7) (31-27)

Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

Match Article (Noticias de Navarra)

July 12

2nd Semi-Final

Irazustabarrena-Erasun 3 Galdos-Huizi 1

(7-8, 8-2, 8-4, 8-5) (31-19)

Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

July 11

1st Semi-final

Larrarte-Araiztegi 3 Isasmendi-L. Saez 1

(8-6, 6-8, 8-6, 8-6) (30-26)

Source: Diario Vasco Cartelera

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

Remonte

Last but not least, the Oriamendi2010 Remonistas participated in two different San Fermin tournaments, the first the long established San Fermin Tournament (sponsored by Oriamendi2010) in Huarte (1) (2), the second the opening tournament in its "circuit" of tournaments to be held all over the Basque Country (as well as in Madrid), over the next few months. These are part of the Euskal Jai Fudazioa/Fundacione Remonte Euskal Jai, the other major organizer of Remonte.

1. Oriamendi2010 San Fermin

Complete results (note that the Tournament was part of a set of 3 match programs and is the upper right result of each

Oriamendi2010 Announcement 1

Oriamendi2010 Announcement 2

Tournament preview (Oriamendi2010)

July 11

FINAL

Note: letters refer to the Oriamendi Groups the players are in

Full match videos for both matches (EITB--Final is the first match on the video)

Ezkurra II-Endika (B-A) 40 Ansa II-Barrenetxea IV (B-A) 38

Selected linescore (winners always listed first)

5-5; 29-20; 29-27; 33-31; 38-31; 38-37; 39-38; 40-38

Scoring: (EITB)

Ezkurra II +13 -8; Endika +11 -7
Ansa II; +13 -13; Barrenetxea IV +10 -3

Balls in play: 419; Ezkurra II 97 Endika 113 Ansa II 101; Barrenetxea IV 108

Time of the match: 63:21

Match preview (Oriamendi2010)
Match article (Oriamendi2010)
Match article (Dairio de Navarra)
Match article (Navarra.com)

This match crackled with tension and excitement, with the winners establishing two leads, and the losers then fighting back. The final 14 ball point, which featured excellent saves by Ansa II and Endika, before Endika ended the proceedings with a perfect cross court left wall shot, was a great way to end a great match. The winners defended the championship they won last year. For Endika, it was his 3rd consecutive championship.

3rd Place Match

Uterga-Ion (A-A) 40 Urriza-Etxeberria III (A-A) 38

Scoring (EITB)

Uterga +17 (including 7 two wall winners) -10; Ion +6 -4
Urriza +23 (7 tww) -8; Etxeberria III +1 -9

Balls in play: 531: Urriza 131 Etxeberria III 134; Uterga 127 Ion 140

Time of the match: 68:58

Etxeberrria III's final San Fermin match (he played in SF finals in 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2017--winning the last two and losing by the minimum in 2015) did not end as he might have wished, but it was a long close struggle. It featured 7 two wall winners by both front men. One highlight was the 37-35--37-36 point which Uterga won with one of his beautiful high and slow 2 walls...until Urriza leaped and answered it with one of his two wall rockets. It was a perfect snapshot of the two best fronts on the Oriamendi roster at the moment.

July 9

2nd Semi-Final

Ezkurra II-Endika (B-A) 40 Urriza-Etxeberria III (A-A) 25

Selected linescore (winners always listed first)

15-15; 23-20; 28-26; 40-26 

Scoring (Oriamendi2010.com)

Ezkurra II +19 -2; Endika +14 (including 4 service aces) -3
Urriza +20 ; Etxeberria III +2 (1a) U-E together -7
Note: scoring adds to 40-27

E-E broke open a close match by scoring the last 12 points, led by 4 winners by each. It was a match between the defending and 2017 champions.

Match preview (Oriamendi2010.com)
Match article (Oriamendi2010.com)

July 8

1st Semi-final

Ansa II-Barrenetxea IV (B-A) 40 Uterga-Ion 31

Note: the match article said the final score was 40-30 but the score was recorded as 40-31. What the actual score was is unknown.

Selected linescore (winners always listed first).

1-6; 10-10; 20-14; 30-23; 40-(30 or 31)

Partial scoring:

Ansa II +25 -4 Barrenetxea +9 (including 4 service aces) -?
Uterga +? -5 Ion +? -1*

*Inferred from the other scores

Match preview (Oriamendi2010)
Match article (Oriamendi2010)

Young B front Ansa II made a big splash in his first SF tournament, putting up Urrizean numbers and helping his team overcome an early deficit to win going away. The match article noted that Ion gave Ansa II too many easy opportunities to captialize on.

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2. Euskal Jai Fudazioa/Fundacione Remonte Euskal Jai Circuito Internacional de Remonte 2019 

July 12

San Fermin: Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona)

Urriza-Etxeberria III 2-0
Uterga-Ion 1-1
Ezkurra II-Agirrezabala 0-2

Uterga-Ion 20 Ezkurra II-Agirrezabala 12

Selected linescore (winners always listed first)

2-5; 13-6; 20-12

Urriza-Etxeberria III 20 Ezkurra II-Agirrezabala 18

Selected linescore (winners always listed first)

4-7; 12-7; 15-10; 18-11; 19-18; 20-18

Urriza-Etxeberria III 20 Uterga-Ion 18

Selected linescore (winners always listed first)

4-7; 9-12; 13-13; 15-18; 20-18

Match article for all 3 matches (Euskal Jai Fundazioa)

This first triangular on the short court helped Urriza and Etxeberria III quickly wash away the bad taste of their other San Fermin Tournament with a victory in this one. It wasn't easy. They had to hold on for dear life to win their first match and come back late to win their second. In fact the winning team in each match had to overcome an early deficit. 108 points were played in the three matches, the winners coming out on top 60-48. It is an intriguing and exciting short court format. We can only hope that the upcoming 8 Circuit Tournaments in the next two months will be as exciting as this one.