On February 10, 2017 a "Gran Fiesta de la Cesta Punta," sponsored by the Federación Alavesa de Pelota Vasca, was held at Olave, Vitoria-Gasteiz (1)(2). In part it was a "send off" for three young players from Alava (Julien del Rio, Aaron Gonzalez, and Ekhi Martinez), who are turning professional and joining the roster for the new season at Fronton Mexico, scheduled to begin in early March, The festival consisted of three quiniela matches. The first was a junior match featuring some of the younger boys and girls of the "escuela de Gasteiz Jai Alai." The second featured senior members from the Club Gasteiz Jai Alai, including the ex-professional Zarandona. The third was a 25 point match that featured Mikel Egiguren-Ekhi, Christophe Olha-del Rio, and Aaron-Gotzon Enbil.
Egiguren-Ekhi (blue) won the match: 25
Olha-del Rio (white) 17
Aaron-Enbil (red) 16
Match article with 9 photos (Jai Alai News Facebook page)
Full match video (periscope.tv) Click on the right arrow inside the circle for the video.
Full match video of the two earlier matches (periscope.tv)
Gasteiz Jai Alai periscope.tv channel
Note that these are not commercial quality videos. There is no scoreboard and it is difficult to follow the scoring of the major match. But the video is of fairly high quality and gives you a chance to see the 3 new professionals that will be debuting at Fronton Mexico.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Friday, February 10, 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
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
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Main Nue--FFPB Championnat de France Elite Pro Individuel--Semi-final Liguilla Round 2, February 3-6, 2017
The Main Nue Individuel Elite Pro Championnat de France A and B competition is sponsored by the Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPB). The competition began on December 23, 2016 and will end on February 20, 2017. You can follow its progress here (link to "resultats" from the FFPB home page). Pelotelive.free.fr also provides A and B coverage. The tournament is a seeded ladder tournament.
* not listed on the Esku Pilota player pages at this time.
The A group consists of Antton Amulet, Philippe Bielle, Bixintxo Bilbao, Pascal de Ezcurra, Baptiste Ducassou, Peio Guichandut, Ximun Lambert, Peio Larralde, Matheiu Ospital, and Agusti Waltary. The seeds, from low to high are: Amulet and Ospital (1/8), Bilbao and Waltary (Quarter-finals), and Larralde and Ducassou ("Liguilla").
The B group consists of Gregory Aguirre, Jean-Philippe Benesse, Mickael Darmendrail, Vincent Elgart, Julien Etchegaray, Alexis Inchauspe, Laurent Lambert, Cedric Lucu, Alain Migueltorena, Antton Monce, Mattin Olcomendy*, and Mickael Palomes. The seeds, from low to high are: Darmendrail and L. Lambert (1/8), Palomes and Inchauspe (Quarter-finals), and Elgart and Monce ("Liguilla"). Note: Benesse was added to the Esku Pilota player pages sometime in January 2017.
The "Liguilla" phase is a round robin among the top 4 finishers (two who win their way in and two who are seeded in) which will determine the finalists.
Article describing the competition (Esku Pilota)
December 23 2016-January 2, 2017; January 6, 2017; January 9, 2017; January 14, 2017; January 16, 2017 ; January 20, 2017 ; January 21, 2017 ; January 23, 2017
Liguilla Semi-final Round 1-January 29-30, 2017
Liguilla Semi-final Round 2--February 3-6, 2017
The finals of the tournament began to come into focus after a long weekend of Round 2 Liguilla action. The matches were supposed to take place at Arcangues on February 3 and Armendaritz on February 5. The second Armendaritz match, a Liguilla Group A match between Ospital and Bilbao, had to be postponed due to condensation on the trinquet floor after a heavy storm. It was played on Monday, February 6 at Le Garat.
Ducassou (Group A) and Elgart (Group B) won matches that guaranteed them places in the final. Bilbao (Group A) and Benesse (Group B) suffered losses that eliminated them from the competition. The two remaining final places will be decided this Sunday at Irissarry between Etchegaray and Monce in Group B, followed by the Group A match between Larralde and Ospital.
Table after Round 2:
Groupe A.
Ducassou.2-0...(+35)
Larralde...1-1...(-2)
Ospital.....1-1...(-11)
Bilbao......0-2...(-22)
Groupe B
Elgart..............2-0....(+26)
Monce.............1-1....(0)
Etchegaray......1-1.....(-3)
Benesse...........0-2....(-23)
February 3, 2017
Arcangues (1) (2)
Preview article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
1. Groupe B: Etchegaray defeated Benesse 40-29
2. Groupe A: Ducassou defeated Larralde 40-28
Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
Match article for both matches, along with an audio interview with Baptiste Ducassou (Esku Pilota).
1. Etchegaray v Benesse
Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)
0-7; 7-16; 18-16; 40-29
After getting off to a terrible start, Etchegary pulled the match back in his favor with an 11 point run, negating Benesse's 7 point run to start the match. Benesse never recovered and Etchegaray pulled away to win the match easily.
2. Ducassou v Larralde
Partial linescore (winner always listed first) (source: both match articles)
10-10, 17-10, 20-16, 25-19, 29-19, 40-28
In the marquee match of the tournament so far, Ducassou broke through with a 7 point run in the 3rd decade of the match and slowly expanded his lead to cruise to victory.
February 5, 2017
Elhina, Amindaritz (1) (2)
Preview articles for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
1. Groupe B: Elgart defeated Monce 40-28
2. Groupe A: Ospital v Bilbao was postponed.
Match article (Pilota Ttiki)
The article also explains (in words and a photo) the circumstances surrounding the postponement.
Match article (Esku Pilota)
Match statistics (Esku Pilota, Spreadsheet format) (added February 10, 2017).
Elgart v Monce
Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)
14-14; 20-15; 20-16; 25-19; 30-19; 37-24; 37-28; 40-28
Note: the 20-15 point ended with Elgart falling on the wet floor and losing the point. The match was delayed 45 minutes at that point.
A 16-5 run in the middle of the match put Elgart in command. From there he stumbled slightly, but then recovered to win.
February 6, 2017
Le Garat, St. Jean-Pied-de-Port (1) (2)
Ospital defeated Bilbao 40-28
Match article (Pilota Ttiki)
Match article (Esku Pilota)
Match statistics (Esku Pilota, Spreadsheet format) (added February 10, 2017).
Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)
12-12; 40-28
Ospital got up off the floor after a massive defeat at the hands of Ducassou last weekend at Le Garat and, after a competitive start, took the match over and won easily.
For cumulative records of Main Nue elite professionals see the "Cumulative records of EP players" on the recurring results page on the right side of the blog.
* not listed on the Esku Pilota player pages at this time.
The A group consists of Antton Amulet, Philippe Bielle, Bixintxo Bilbao, Pascal de Ezcurra, Baptiste Ducassou, Peio Guichandut, Ximun Lambert, Peio Larralde, Matheiu Ospital, and Agusti Waltary. The seeds, from low to high are: Amulet and Ospital (1/8), Bilbao and Waltary (Quarter-finals), and Larralde and Ducassou ("Liguilla").
The B group consists of Gregory Aguirre, Jean-Philippe Benesse, Mickael Darmendrail, Vincent Elgart, Julien Etchegaray, Alexis Inchauspe, Laurent Lambert, Cedric Lucu, Alain Migueltorena, Antton Monce, Mattin Olcomendy*, and Mickael Palomes. The seeds, from low to high are: Darmendrail and L. Lambert (1/8), Palomes and Inchauspe (Quarter-finals), and Elgart and Monce ("Liguilla"). Note: Benesse was added to the Esku Pilota player pages sometime in January 2017.
The "Liguilla" phase is a round robin among the top 4 finishers (two who win their way in and two who are seeded in) which will determine the finalists.
Article describing the competition (Esku Pilota)
December 23 2016-January 2, 2017; January 6, 2017; January 9, 2017; January 14, 2017; January 16, 2017 ; January 20, 2017 ; January 21, 2017 ; January 23, 2017
Liguilla Semi-final Round 1-January 29-30, 2017
Liguilla Semi-final Round 2--February 3-6, 2017
The finals of the tournament began to come into focus after a long weekend of Round 2 Liguilla action. The matches were supposed to take place at Arcangues on February 3 and Armendaritz on February 5. The second Armendaritz match, a Liguilla Group A match between Ospital and Bilbao, had to be postponed due to condensation on the trinquet floor after a heavy storm. It was played on Monday, February 6 at Le Garat.
Ducassou (Group A) and Elgart (Group B) won matches that guaranteed them places in the final. Bilbao (Group A) and Benesse (Group B) suffered losses that eliminated them from the competition. The two remaining final places will be decided this Sunday at Irissarry between Etchegaray and Monce in Group B, followed by the Group A match between Larralde and Ospital.
Table after Round 2:
Groupe A.
Ducassou.2-0...(+35)
Larralde...1-1...(-2)
Ospital.....1-1...(-11)
Bilbao......0-2...(-22)
Groupe B
Elgart..............2-0....(+26)
Monce.............1-1....(0)
Etchegaray......1-1.....(-3)
Benesse...........0-2....(-23)
February 3, 2017
Arcangues (1) (2)
Preview article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
1. Groupe B: Etchegaray defeated Benesse 40-29
2. Groupe A: Ducassou defeated Larralde 40-28
Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
Match article for both matches, along with an audio interview with Baptiste Ducassou (Esku Pilota).
1. Etchegaray v Benesse
Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)
0-7; 7-16; 18-16; 40-29
After getting off to a terrible start, Etchegary pulled the match back in his favor with an 11 point run, negating Benesse's 7 point run to start the match. Benesse never recovered and Etchegaray pulled away to win the match easily.
2. Ducassou v Larralde
Partial linescore (winner always listed first) (source: both match articles)
10-10, 17-10, 20-16, 25-19, 29-19, 40-28
In the marquee match of the tournament so far, Ducassou broke through with a 7 point run in the 3rd decade of the match and slowly expanded his lead to cruise to victory.
February 5, 2017
Elhina, Amindaritz (1) (2)
Preview articles for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
1. Groupe B: Elgart defeated Monce 40-28
2. Groupe A: Ospital v Bilbao was postponed.
Match article (Pilota Ttiki)
The article also explains (in words and a photo) the circumstances surrounding the postponement.
Match article (Esku Pilota)
Match statistics (Esku Pilota, Spreadsheet format) (added February 10, 2017).
Elgart v Monce
Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)
14-14; 20-15; 20-16; 25-19; 30-19; 37-24; 37-28; 40-28
Note: the 20-15 point ended with Elgart falling on the wet floor and losing the point. The match was delayed 45 minutes at that point.
A 16-5 run in the middle of the match put Elgart in command. From there he stumbled slightly, but then recovered to win.
February 6, 2017
Le Garat, St. Jean-Pied-de-Port (1) (2)
Ospital defeated Bilbao 40-28
Match article (Pilota Ttiki)
Match article (Esku Pilota)
Match statistics (Esku Pilota, Spreadsheet format) (added February 10, 2017).
Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)
12-12; 40-28
Ospital got up off the floor after a massive defeat at the hands of Ducassou last weekend at Le Garat and, after a competitive start, took the match over and won easily.
For cumulative records of Main Nue elite professionals see the "Cumulative records of EP players" on the recurring results page on the right side of the blog.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Multiple Modalities--NEW RECURRING PAGE ADDED ON RIGHT SIDE OF THE BLOG--FFPB Championnat de France MATCH VIDEOS
I have added a page to the recurring results pages on the on the right side of the blog. The page will track match videos for the various Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPP) National A and B championships going on this winter. The videos come from various sources and I thought it would be interesting to compile them together in one place for ease of access. These are not commercial TV videos a la EITB or Canal+, but they are of high quality. The more serious fan can follow closely and keep track of the score (competition contexts are linked to as well as videos), but these are mostly for you to enjoy the action and variety of these sports. Some of these competitions may be covered in the blog itself.
FFPB CDF 2016-2017 National A and B match videos
FFPB CDF 2016-2017 National A and B match videos
Monday, February 6, 2017
Mano--Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas--Week 10
Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas, the premier doubles competition of the 2016-2017 Mano season, began December 2, 2016. 8 teams compete for the title. The first (league) phase is a double round robin (14 matches). The top 4 finishers will then face off in a single round robin (3 matches). The two winners will play in a final on April 9, 2017.
Asegarce Competition Page
Asegarce League phase table
ASPE League phase table
Wikipedia Competition Page (Castilian)
Full ongoing league phase table (with total points and differential):
Source for all match articles, unless otherwise specifically stated, is 21iguales.com 21iguales.com will also keep an ongoing phase table at its main Parejas site and with every match article.
Match linescores will be provided from match articles when available. Full match linescores can be found at 21iguales.com Twitter feed. Track back to the date and match and follow from beginning to en The feed is also available at the Main site of 21iguales.com while the matches are in progress.
Source for all highlights and full match videos, unless otherwise specifically stated, is EITB.
Week 1; Week 2; Week 3; Week 4; Week 5; Week 6; Week 7; Week 8 ; Week 9
Week 10
February 3, 2017
A. Atano III, Donostia (San Sebastian) (1)(2): Irribarria-Rezusta defeated Ezkurdia-Merino II 22-18
Match article with statistics and linescore
A. Two shutout runs by I-R (the first, a 7 point run that broke a 7-7 tie, the second, a 4 point run at 14-10) gave them enough to hold off a late E-M comeback 4 point shutout run of their own (21-14--21-18). The win guaranteed I-R a winning record in the Quarter-final League and all but punched their ticket to the Semi-final League. The individual +/- (according to 21iguales.com) showed Irribarria with a 2 point advantage over Ezkurdia and Rezusta with the same advantage over Merino II. This was the third consecutive close and hard fought defeat for E-M and dropped them to the lower half of the table.
I-R 8-2 +47 (+1) E-M 4-6 +3 (-3)
Match highlights
Full match video (EITB) (Basque) (match begins at 1 hour, 10 minutes, 45 seconds on the video).
Full match video (fronton.tv) (Castilian) Scroll to "San Sebastián - 03/02/2017"
(Added February 10, 2017).
February 4, 2017
B. Igarondo, Idiazabal (1) (2): Victor (substituting for Artola)-Albisu defeated Altuna III-Barriola 22-8
Two teams going in opposite directions continued on their paths as V-A easily defeated A-B. Runs of 6-1, 8-0, and 5-0 at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the match allowed them to cruise to victory. Victor continues to improve his game. Always a threat to be a big scorer, he has been whittling away the errors in his game. The result is a much better +/- ratio. In this match, according to 21iguales.com, that ratio was +11 (+14 -3). Those types of ratios will help his team continue to improve. They moved into 2nd place in the table with this win. In theory, A-B are still only 1 win out of a playoff spot, but in reality their point differential (which has lost 24 points in the last two matches), makes their road much more difficult to travel.
A-A 6-4 +8 (+3) A-B 4-6- -50 (-3)
Match highlights (highlights for this match from 0:36-end of the video)
Match highlights (21iguales.com Youtube) (parts or all of 10 points)
There was no full match video for this match.
C. Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2): Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe defeated Urrutikoetxea-Imaz 22-9
One of the indications of how much B-L dominated this match was that U-I were limited to +2, according to 21iguales.com (both winners by Urrutikoetxea). A 6-0 run at the beginning (3-2--9-2) and another one at the end (16-9--22-9) led to an easy victory. Imaz' 8 errors didn't help his team's cause. The win moved B-L closer to a place in the Semi-final League. U-I were mathematically eliminated from 1st place in the Quarter-final League and are now 2 wins from a semi-final league place with 4 matches to play. Their poor point differential means they must "run the table" with dominating wins, and have a lot of other matches go their way in order to get there.
B-L 5-5- -1 (+2) U-I 3-7- -36 (-2)
Match highlights (highlights for this match from 0;00-0:35) on the video)
Full match video (match begins at 1:03:45 on the video)
February 5, 2017
D. Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1)(2):Olaizola II-Untoria defeated Elezkano II-Zabaleta 22-15
Match article with statistics and linescore
O-U controlled the match from beginning to end. Only a belated rally by E-Z made the final score look closer than the match was. O-U led 8-3, 12-6, and 19-9. Olaizola II had a vintage match (1 dejada, 1 two wall, and 5 cross court winners are featured in the match highlights below). Untoria, who was shredded by the bombs of Irribarria and Rezusta two weeks ago, has been much improved since then. This victory got O-U back to the .500 mark for the first time in 4 weeks. They also moved into a the last Semi-final League playoff spot. Their position is tenuous now, but they are "trending up."
O-U 5-5- +1 (+2) E-Z 5-5 +28 (-1)
Match highlights
Full match video (match begins at 1:00:12 on the video)
Asegarce Competition Page
Asegarce League phase table
ASPE League phase table
Wikipedia Competition Page (Castilian)
Full ongoing league phase table (with total points and differential):
Source for all match articles, unless otherwise specifically stated, is 21iguales.com 21iguales.com will also keep an ongoing phase table at its main Parejas site and with every match article.
Match linescores will be provided from match articles when available. Full match linescores can be found at 21iguales.com Twitter feed. Track back to the date and match and follow from beginning to en The feed is also available at the Main site of 21iguales.com while the matches are in progress.
Source for all highlights and full match videos, unless otherwise specifically stated, is EITB.
Week 1; Week 2; Week 3; Week 4; Week 5; Week 6; Week 7; Week 8 ; Week 9
Week 10
February 3, 2017
A. Atano III, Donostia (San Sebastian) (1)(2): Irribarria-Rezusta defeated Ezkurdia-Merino II 22-18
Match article with statistics and linescore
A. Two shutout runs by I-R (the first, a 7 point run that broke a 7-7 tie, the second, a 4 point run at 14-10) gave them enough to hold off a late E-M comeback 4 point shutout run of their own (21-14--21-18). The win guaranteed I-R a winning record in the Quarter-final League and all but punched their ticket to the Semi-final League. The individual +/- (according to 21iguales.com) showed Irribarria with a 2 point advantage over Ezkurdia and Rezusta with the same advantage over Merino II. This was the third consecutive close and hard fought defeat for E-M and dropped them to the lower half of the table.
I-R 8-2 +47 (+1) E-M 4-6 +3 (-3)
Match highlights
Full match video (EITB) (Basque) (match begins at 1 hour, 10 minutes, 45 seconds on the video).
Full match video (fronton.tv) (Castilian) Scroll to "San Sebastián - 03/02/2017"
(Added February 10, 2017).
February 4, 2017
B. Igarondo, Idiazabal (1) (2): Victor (substituting for Artola)-Albisu defeated Altuna III-Barriola 22-8
Two teams going in opposite directions continued on their paths as V-A easily defeated A-B. Runs of 6-1, 8-0, and 5-0 at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the match allowed them to cruise to victory. Victor continues to improve his game. Always a threat to be a big scorer, he has been whittling away the errors in his game. The result is a much better +/- ratio. In this match, according to 21iguales.com, that ratio was +11 (+14 -3). Those types of ratios will help his team continue to improve. They moved into 2nd place in the table with this win. In theory, A-B are still only 1 win out of a playoff spot, but in reality their point differential (which has lost 24 points in the last two matches), makes their road much more difficult to travel.
A-A 6-4 +8 (+3) A-B 4-6- -50 (-3)
Match highlights (highlights for this match from 0:36-end of the video)
Match highlights (21iguales.com Youtube) (parts or all of 10 points)
There was no full match video for this match.
C. Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2): Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe defeated Urrutikoetxea-Imaz 22-9
One of the indications of how much B-L dominated this match was that U-I were limited to +2, according to 21iguales.com (both winners by Urrutikoetxea). A 6-0 run at the beginning (3-2--9-2) and another one at the end (16-9--22-9) led to an easy victory. Imaz' 8 errors didn't help his team's cause. The win moved B-L closer to a place in the Semi-final League. U-I were mathematically eliminated from 1st place in the Quarter-final League and are now 2 wins from a semi-final league place with 4 matches to play. Their poor point differential means they must "run the table" with dominating wins, and have a lot of other matches go their way in order to get there.
B-L 5-5- -1 (+2) U-I 3-7- -36 (-2)
Match highlights (highlights for this match from 0;00-0:35) on the video)
Full match video (match begins at 1:03:45 on the video)
February 5, 2017
D. Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1)(2):Olaizola II-Untoria defeated Elezkano II-Zabaleta 22-15
Match article with statistics and linescore
O-U controlled the match from beginning to end. Only a belated rally by E-Z made the final score look closer than the match was. O-U led 8-3, 12-6, and 19-9. Olaizola II had a vintage match (1 dejada, 1 two wall, and 5 cross court winners are featured in the match highlights below). Untoria, who was shredded by the bombs of Irribarria and Rezusta two weeks ago, has been much improved since then. This victory got O-U back to the .500 mark for the first time in 4 weeks. They also moved into a the last Semi-final League playoff spot. Their position is tenuous now, but they are "trending up."
O-U 5-5- +1 (+2) E-Z 5-5 +28 (-1)
Match highlights
Full match video (match begins at 1:00:12 on the video)
Pala--Mundial Individual--Semi-finals--February 3, 2017
Mundial Individual 2017, the premier InnPala singles tournament, began January 14, 2017. It is a single elimination, seeded ladder tournament that involves the entire InnPala roster. The short court tournament will be played Bizkaia Fronton, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1)(2). Two matches will be played every weekend. Seeding, from low to high: Brefel and Imanol; Ibai-Perez and Ibargarai (quarter finals); Fusto and Gaubeka (semi-finals). For more on the tournament see the tournament page at InnPala. The final will be played February 10.
Preview article (mundodeportivo.com)
Preview article (Naiz)
The articles note that Fusto is the favorite, seeded in at the semi-final level, having won all 5 of the finals played at Bizkaia (2012-16). He also won in 2009. If he wins this tournament, he will equal Oscar Insausti's record of 7 singles championships. The articles also note that Esteban Gaubeka, last year's runner up, is suffering from shoulder tendinitis, but hopes to be ready to play his first match (seeded in at the semi-final level) on February 4.
Play in Round--January 14, 2014
Second Round--January 21, 2017
Quarter-final Round--January 27, 2017
Semi-final Round--February 3, 2017
Joko (set) score sources: Innpala Twitter feed (track back to date), Innpala Fronton Facebook page, and Deia.
1. Ibargarai defeated Gaubeka 3-1 (6-10, 10-6, 10-6, 10-5 or 10-9) (36-27 or 36-31). Note: a post to Innpala Fronton Facebook by Gaubeka said he lost the final joko 10-9, rather than the 10-5 published at InnPala twitter feed. The Deia article listed the final joko score as 10-5.
2. Ibai-Perez defeated Fusto 3-0 (10-8, 10-7, 10-6) (30-21)
Match article for both matches (Deia)
Match article for both matches, along with 9 photos (InnPala Fronton Facebook page)
At the time this was posted, there was no available "on demand" match video of these matches. If video becomes available I will link to it and add a listing ror it in the "update to published posts" on the right side of the blog
Instead, for now, it might be interesting (though of course in no way predictive) to watch a replay of last year's (2016) Ibargarai-Ibai Perez match (source: EITB), which was for 3rd place in this tournament (see below for more information). The match begins at 1 hour and 8 minutes on the video.
What happened at Bizkaia on Friday night was...an earthquake...a changing of the guard..., not what most people expected. Both seeded semi-finalists, who had played against each other in last year's final, were defeated decisively. For the first time (at Bizkaia, at any rate), the final of this competition will be played by back court players.
Gaubeka, returning from a shoulder injury, won the first joko, but then Ibargarai took command, although the final joko score is in some doubt for those of us who didn't see it.
The brief InnPala website artcle about the Ibai-Perez Fusto match said:
"Gran sorpresa la acontecida en el fronton Bizkaia en la segunda de las semifinales del individual de pala, el zaguero de Sestao gano por 0-3 al pentacampeona de la modalidad, la principal arma de Ibai fue el saque con el que hizo muchísimo daño. Pablo pese a jugar un buen partido se vio superado por un adversario al que le salía todo y que supo sufrir mucho para llevarse el encuentro."
Loosely (Google) translated:
"A big surprise happened in the Biscay fronton in the second of the semifinals of the World Individual Championship. The defender of Sestao won by 0-3 to the 5 time champion of the modality. The main weapon of Ibai was the service with which he did a lot of damage. Pablo, despite playing a good game was surpassed by an opponent who went all out and knew how to suffer a lot to get the match."
Ibai-Perez and Ibargarai will meet in the final on February 10. Fusto will play Gaubecka for 3rd place. A point of interest. These are the same 4 pelotaris who played in last year's final and semi-final. The prize they are playing for has reversed. Last year's semi final was won by Ibargarai 3-1 (6-10, 10-4, 10-5, 10-5) (36-24).
===============================
Table of wins and losses for the 2016-2017 season.
Key: Player; Position (d=delantero (front court), z=zaguero (back court)); match wins-losses; joko (set) wins-losses; winning-losing streak; championships won. Matches that are single partidos will be noted. Table will be according to match winning percentage. 1st tie breaker will be number of wins. 2nd tie breaker will be joko win-loss differential. We begin the season with La Liga Kutxabank, starting October 29, 2016.
February 3, 2017
Gaubeka(d)..7-3.....25-18...-1*....1(La Liga)
Zubiri(d).......8-6....30-23...-1*
Fusto(d)........5-6.....20-24..-3
Necol(d)........6-8....27-31...-1
Landeta(d)....3-7.....17-25..-1
Ibai-Perez(z)..9-3....31-19..+3*....1(La Liga)
Ibargari(z)......7-6....29-24..+2
Brefel(z)........5-5....20-19...-1
Gordon(z)......5-7....21-27...-3
Imanol(z).......3-7...15-25....-1*
Includes Dec. 30, 2016 independent match: Landeta-Imanol defeated Zuberi--Ibai-Perez 3-1 (10-8, 7-10, 10-9, 10-7) at Bizkaia.
*Does not include the result of Nov.25, 2016 independent match Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez v Zubiri-Imanol. The result is unknown at this time. I will add it when I find it.
Includes Nov. 19, 2016 independent match: Zuberi-Ibargari defeated Necol-Gordon 3-0 (10-8, 10-3, 10-9) at Bizkaia.
For cumulative accounting of this player table see the InnPala Player win-loss table under the Pala page on the right side of the blog.
Preview article (mundodeportivo.com)
Preview article (Naiz)
The articles note that Fusto is the favorite, seeded in at the semi-final level, having won all 5 of the finals played at Bizkaia (2012-16). He also won in 2009. If he wins this tournament, he will equal Oscar Insausti's record of 7 singles championships. The articles also note that Esteban Gaubeka, last year's runner up, is suffering from shoulder tendinitis, but hopes to be ready to play his first match (seeded in at the semi-final level) on February 4.
Play in Round--January 14, 2014
Second Round--January 21, 2017
Quarter-final Round--January 27, 2017
Semi-final Round--February 3, 2017
Joko (set) score sources: Innpala Twitter feed (track back to date), Innpala Fronton Facebook page, and Deia.
1. Ibargarai defeated Gaubeka 3-1 (6-10, 10-6, 10-6, 10-5 or 10-9) (36-27 or 36-31). Note: a post to Innpala Fronton Facebook by Gaubeka said he lost the final joko 10-9, rather than the 10-5 published at InnPala twitter feed. The Deia article listed the final joko score as 10-5.
2. Ibai-Perez defeated Fusto 3-0 (10-8, 10-7, 10-6) (30-21)
Match article for both matches (Deia)
Match article for both matches, along with 9 photos (InnPala Fronton Facebook page)
At the time this was posted, there was no available "on demand" match video of these matches. If video becomes available I will link to it and add a listing ror it in the "update to published posts" on the right side of the blog
Instead, for now, it might be interesting (though of course in no way predictive) to watch a replay of last year's (2016) Ibargarai-Ibai Perez match (source: EITB), which was for 3rd place in this tournament (see below for more information). The match begins at 1 hour and 8 minutes on the video.
What happened at Bizkaia on Friday night was...an earthquake...a changing of the guard..., not what most people expected. Both seeded semi-finalists, who had played against each other in last year's final, were defeated decisively. For the first time (at Bizkaia, at any rate), the final of this competition will be played by back court players.
Gaubeka, returning from a shoulder injury, won the first joko, but then Ibargarai took command, although the final joko score is in some doubt for those of us who didn't see it.
The brief InnPala website artcle about the Ibai-Perez Fusto match said:
"Gran sorpresa la acontecida en el fronton Bizkaia en la segunda de las semifinales del individual de pala, el zaguero de Sestao gano por 0-3 al pentacampeona de la modalidad, la principal arma de Ibai fue el saque con el que hizo muchísimo daño. Pablo pese a jugar un buen partido se vio superado por un adversario al que le salía todo y que supo sufrir mucho para llevarse el encuentro."
Loosely (Google) translated:
"A big surprise happened in the Biscay fronton in the second of the semifinals of the World Individual Championship. The defender of Sestao won by 0-3 to the 5 time champion of the modality. The main weapon of Ibai was the service with which he did a lot of damage. Pablo, despite playing a good game was surpassed by an opponent who went all out and knew how to suffer a lot to get the match."
Ibai-Perez and Ibargarai will meet in the final on February 10. Fusto will play Gaubecka for 3rd place. A point of interest. These are the same 4 pelotaris who played in last year's final and semi-final. The prize they are playing for has reversed. Last year's semi final was won by Ibargarai 3-1 (6-10, 10-4, 10-5, 10-5) (36-24).
===============================
Table of wins and losses for the 2016-2017 season.
Key: Player; Position (d=delantero (front court), z=zaguero (back court)); match wins-losses; joko (set) wins-losses; winning-losing streak; championships won. Matches that are single partidos will be noted. Table will be according to match winning percentage. 1st tie breaker will be number of wins. 2nd tie breaker will be joko win-loss differential. We begin the season with La Liga Kutxabank, starting October 29, 2016.
February 3, 2017
Gaubeka(d)..7-3.....25-18...-1*....1(La Liga)
Zubiri(d).......8-6....30-23...-1*
Fusto(d)........5-6.....20-24..-3
Necol(d)........6-8....27-31...-1
Landeta(d)....3-7.....17-25..-1
Ibai-Perez(z)..9-3....31-19..+3*....1(La Liga)
Ibargari(z)......7-6....29-24..+2
Brefel(z)........5-5....20-19...-1
Gordon(z)......5-7....21-27...-3
Imanol(z).......3-7...15-25....-1*
Includes Dec. 30, 2016 independent match: Landeta-Imanol defeated Zuberi--Ibai-Perez 3-1 (10-8, 7-10, 10-9, 10-7) at Bizkaia.
*Does not include the result of Nov.25, 2016 independent match Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez v Zubiri-Imanol. The result is unknown at this time. I will add it when I find it.
Includes Nov. 19, 2016 independent match: Zuberi-Ibargari defeated Necol-Gordon 3-0 (10-8, 10-3, 10-9) at Bizkaia.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Xistera Kluba amateur competition circuit--2016 Annual Report, with links to all 9 full match final videos
Euskal Herriko Xistera Kluben Kirol Kluba (Basque Country Xistera Sports Club), together with EEUP (Euskadiko Euskal Pilota Federakuntza) has recently started an amateur Jai Alai tournament circuit.
The Club has three aims: to reintroduce the game to children, to
strengthen the game at the club level, and to create a competition
circuit to help encourage new and young fans to follow the game. The full mission statement is here.
In January 2017 Xistera Kluba released its 2016 annual report (.pdf format, 19 p., available in Castilian and Basque). The report details XK's achievements in 2016. It is filled with links to XK print and video news releases and promotional material. From the point of view of the fan who wishes to see some excellent amateur (boys and girls) Jai Alai, it is an almost perfect index to each of the 9 XK tournament finals played between June and December of 2016, culminating with the Markina-Xemein Grand Final on December 17. Simply scroll to P. 11 (4. Competitions) of the report. For each tournament there are links to announcements, match articles, and full match videos. These videos are available directly at the XK Youtube site and/or EITB, but there is no site I know of where all these matches, along with the ancillary information about them, is so easily accessible. If you haven't seen some of these, or even if you have, this is a great starting point for all things XK in 2016.
Xistera Kluba 2016 Annual Report (Castilian). Click on "Para leer el balance anual, pinche aquí"
Xistera Kluba 2016 Annual Report (Basque). Click on "Urteko balantzea irakurtzeko, sakatu hemen"
In January 2017 Xistera Kluba released its 2016 annual report (.pdf format, 19 p., available in Castilian and Basque). The report details XK's achievements in 2016. It is filled with links to XK print and video news releases and promotional material. From the point of view of the fan who wishes to see some excellent amateur (boys and girls) Jai Alai, it is an almost perfect index to each of the 9 XK tournament finals played between June and December of 2016, culminating with the Markina-Xemein Grand Final on December 17. Simply scroll to P. 11 (4. Competitions) of the report. For each tournament there are links to announcements, match articles, and full match videos. These videos are available directly at the XK Youtube site and/or EITB, but there is no site I know of where all these matches, along with the ancillary information about them, is so easily accessible. If you haven't seen some of these, or even if you have, this is a great starting point for all things XK in 2016.
Xistera Kluba 2016 Annual Report (Castilian). Click on "Para leer el balance anual, pinche aquí"
Xistera Kluba 2016 Annual Report (Basque). Click on "Urteko balantzea irakurtzeko, sakatu hemen"
Main Nue--FFPB Championnat de France Elite Pro Individuel--Semi-final Liguilla Round 1, January 29-30, 2017
The Main Nue
Individuel Elite Pro Championnat de France A and B competition is sponsored by the Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPB). The competition began on December 23, 2016 and will end on February 20, 2017. You can follow its progress here. Pelotelive.free.fr also provides A and B
coverage. The tournament is a seeded ladder tournament.
* not listed on the Esku Pilota player pages at this time.
The A group consists of Antton Amulet, Philippe Bielle, Bixintxo Bilbao, Pascal de Ezcurra, Baptiste Ducassou, Peio Guichandut, Ximun Lambert, Peio Larralde, Matheiu Ospital, and Agusti Waltary. The seeds, from low to high are: Amulet and Ospital (1/8), Bilbao and Waltary (Quarter-finals), and Larralde and Ducassou ("Liguilla").
The B group consists of Gregory Aguirre, Jean-Philippe Benesse, Mickael Darmendrail, Vincent Elgart, Julien Etchegaray, Alexis Inchauspe, Laurent Lambert, Cedric Lucu, Alain Migueltorena, Antton Monce, Mattin Olcomendy*, and Mickael Palomes. The seeds, from low to high are: Darmendrail and L. Lambert (1/8), Palomes and Inchauspe (Quarter-finals), and Elgart and Monce ("Liguilla"). Note: Benesse was added to the Esku Pilota player pages sometime in January 2017.
The "Liguilla" phase is a round robin among the top 4 finishers (two who win their way in and two who are seeded in) which will determine the finalists.
Article describing the competition (Esku Pilota)
December 23 2016-January 2, 2017; January 6, 2017; January 9, 2017; January 14, 2017; January 16, 2017 ; January 20, 2017 ; January 21, 2017 ; January 23, 2017
Liguilla Semi-final Round 1-January 29-30, 2017
All four semi-final seeded players won their matches with varying degrees of ease, demonstrating the wisdom of the seeding in this tournament. The non-seeded players all have point differential issues and must fight hard to get back into the tournament. In the next round winners play winners and losers play losers. The losers matches will be battles for survival by players who had their confidence rattled to one degree or another this past weekend. Next Friday, February 3, 2017, at Arcangues it will be Etchegaray (-14) v Benesse (-12) in the B group. Sunday, February 5 at Armendaritz it will be Bilbao (-10) v Ospital (-23) in the A group. The feature match of the weekend will be Friday between Larralde (+10) and Ducassou (+23) in the A group. This will be a rematch of the Super Prestige Tournament Final in January, won by Larralde 40-31. Sunday it will be Monce (+12) v Elgart (+14) in the B group. They faced each other in a "Lever de rideau" (curtain raiser) independent match on January 14. Monce won 40-32.
Table after Round 1:
Group A.
Ducassou.1-0...(+23)
Larralde...1-0...(+10)
Bilbao......0-1...(-10)
Ospital.....0-1...(-23)
Group B
Elgart..............1-0....(+14)
Monce.............1-0....(+12)
Benesse...........0-1....(-12)
Etchegaray......0-1.....(-14)
January 29, 2017
Saint Palais (1) (2)
Preview article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
1. Groupe B: Elgart defeated Etchegaray 40-26
2. Group A: Larralde defeated Bilbao 40-30
Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
Match article for both matches, along with an audio interview with Peio Larralde and links to full match video for both matches (Esku Pilota). For links to full match video see also the Esku Pilota Youtube links below.
Partial match statistics for both matches (Microsoft Excel format, Esku Pilota). Note: This spreadsheet contains the scoring for the Larralde-Bilbao match, along with the equalities, decade linescores, and time of match for the Elgart-Etchegarary match. So incomplete statistics are available for both matches. If and when Esku Pilota creates a full statistics sheet for both matches, I will point to them. Until then, since there is valuable information about both matches in the one spreadsheet they have created, I will point to it.
1. Elgart v Etchegaray
Full Match video (Esku Pilota Youtube)
Elgart emphatically stopped Etchegaray's 3 match winning streak in this tournament. An 8-2 run in the third decade gave Elgart an 8 point lead. From there he equaled or added to his lead in each decade. He topped it off by winning the last 6 points of the match to turn this into a rout that put Etchegaray on the back foot for the rest of the liguilla. He now must not only win his next two matches, but also dominate them because of his point differential.
2. Larralde v Bilbao
Full match video (Esku Pilota Youtube) Note: video begins at 6-2 Larralde.
Partial linescore (winner always listed first) (source: both match articles)
10-2, 21-17, 29-19, 34-24, 35-25, 36-30; 40-30
Larralde took command early, with a 10-2 run. Bilbao spent the rest of the match trying to get back into contention and had his moments, but every time he challenged Larralde answered. A look at the scoring shows that Bilbao was impressive in his ability to score with every kind of point listed, but Larralde's service ace (10-6) and error (7-15) were decisive.
January 30, 2017
Preview articles for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
Le Garat, St. Jean-Pied-de-Port (1) (2)
1. Group B: Monce defeated Benesse 40-28
2. Group A: Ducassou defeated Ospital 40-17
Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
Match article for both matches, along with an audio interview with Baptiste Ducassou (Esku Pilota)
Match statistics (Microsoft Excel format, Esku Pilota) (both added February 2, 2017)
Monce-Benesse
Ducassou-Ospital
1. Monce v Benesse
Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: Esku Pilota)
10-3, 20-12, 30-18, 40-28
The linescore tells the story, as Monce used his great start to coast to an easy victory.
2. Ducassou v Ospital
Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)
8-0, 10-1, 20-1, 30-4, 40-17.
In the preview article, Ospital said that he was happy to be in the liguilla and that anything beyond that would be a bonus. Ducassou made sure there would be no bonus in this match, completely dominating and putting everyone interested in this tournament on notice as to his expectations.
For cumulative records of Main Nue elite professionals see the "Cumulative records of EP players" on the recurring results page on the right side of the blog.
* not listed on the Esku Pilota player pages at this time.
The A group consists of Antton Amulet, Philippe Bielle, Bixintxo Bilbao, Pascal de Ezcurra, Baptiste Ducassou, Peio Guichandut, Ximun Lambert, Peio Larralde, Matheiu Ospital, and Agusti Waltary. The seeds, from low to high are: Amulet and Ospital (1/8), Bilbao and Waltary (Quarter-finals), and Larralde and Ducassou ("Liguilla").
The B group consists of Gregory Aguirre, Jean-Philippe Benesse, Mickael Darmendrail, Vincent Elgart, Julien Etchegaray, Alexis Inchauspe, Laurent Lambert, Cedric Lucu, Alain Migueltorena, Antton Monce, Mattin Olcomendy*, and Mickael Palomes. The seeds, from low to high are: Darmendrail and L. Lambert (1/8), Palomes and Inchauspe (Quarter-finals), and Elgart and Monce ("Liguilla"). Note: Benesse was added to the Esku Pilota player pages sometime in January 2017.
The "Liguilla" phase is a round robin among the top 4 finishers (two who win their way in and two who are seeded in) which will determine the finalists.
Article describing the competition (Esku Pilota)
December 23 2016-January 2, 2017; January 6, 2017; January 9, 2017; January 14, 2017; January 16, 2017 ; January 20, 2017 ; January 21, 2017 ; January 23, 2017
Liguilla Semi-final Round 1-January 29-30, 2017
All four semi-final seeded players won their matches with varying degrees of ease, demonstrating the wisdom of the seeding in this tournament. The non-seeded players all have point differential issues and must fight hard to get back into the tournament. In the next round winners play winners and losers play losers. The losers matches will be battles for survival by players who had their confidence rattled to one degree or another this past weekend. Next Friday, February 3, 2017, at Arcangues it will be Etchegaray (-14) v Benesse (-12) in the B group. Sunday, February 5 at Armendaritz it will be Bilbao (-10) v Ospital (-23) in the A group. The feature match of the weekend will be Friday between Larralde (+10) and Ducassou (+23) in the A group. This will be a rematch of the Super Prestige Tournament Final in January, won by Larralde 40-31. Sunday it will be Monce (+12) v Elgart (+14) in the B group. They faced each other in a "Lever de rideau" (curtain raiser) independent match on January 14. Monce won 40-32.
Table after Round 1:
Group A.
Ducassou.1-0...(+23)
Larralde...1-0...(+10)
Bilbao......0-1...(-10)
Ospital.....0-1...(-23)
Group B
Elgart..............1-0....(+14)
Monce.............1-0....(+12)
Benesse...........0-1....(-12)
Etchegaray......0-1.....(-14)
January 29, 2017
Saint Palais (1) (2)
Preview article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
1. Groupe B: Elgart defeated Etchegaray 40-26
2. Group A: Larralde defeated Bilbao 40-30
Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
Match article for both matches, along with an audio interview with Peio Larralde and links to full match video for both matches (Esku Pilota). For links to full match video see also the Esku Pilota Youtube links below.
Partial match statistics for both matches (Microsoft Excel format, Esku Pilota). Note: This spreadsheet contains the scoring for the Larralde-Bilbao match, along with the equalities, decade linescores, and time of match for the Elgart-Etchegarary match. So incomplete statistics are available for both matches. If and when Esku Pilota creates a full statistics sheet for both matches, I will point to them. Until then, since there is valuable information about both matches in the one spreadsheet they have created, I will point to it.
1. Elgart v Etchegaray
Full Match video (Esku Pilota Youtube)
Elgart emphatically stopped Etchegaray's 3 match winning streak in this tournament. An 8-2 run in the third decade gave Elgart an 8 point lead. From there he equaled or added to his lead in each decade. He topped it off by winning the last 6 points of the match to turn this into a rout that put Etchegaray on the back foot for the rest of the liguilla. He now must not only win his next two matches, but also dominate them because of his point differential.
2. Larralde v Bilbao
Full match video (Esku Pilota Youtube) Note: video begins at 6-2 Larralde.
Partial linescore (winner always listed first) (source: both match articles)
10-2, 21-17, 29-19, 34-24, 35-25, 36-30; 40-30
Larralde took command early, with a 10-2 run. Bilbao spent the rest of the match trying to get back into contention and had his moments, but every time he challenged Larralde answered. A look at the scoring shows that Bilbao was impressive in his ability to score with every kind of point listed, but Larralde's service ace (10-6) and error (7-15) were decisive.
January 30, 2017
Preview articles for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
Le Garat, St. Jean-Pied-de-Port (1) (2)
1. Group B: Monce defeated Benesse 40-28
2. Group A: Ducassou defeated Ospital 40-17
Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
Match article for both matches, along with an audio interview with Baptiste Ducassou (Esku Pilota)
Match statistics (Microsoft Excel format, Esku Pilota) (both added February 2, 2017)
Monce-Benesse
Ducassou-Ospital
1. Monce v Benesse
Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: Esku Pilota)
10-3, 20-12, 30-18, 40-28
The linescore tells the story, as Monce used his great start to coast to an easy victory.
2. Ducassou v Ospital
Partial linescore (winner always listed 1st) (source: both match articles)
8-0, 10-1, 20-1, 30-4, 40-17.
In the preview article, Ospital said that he was happy to be in the liguilla and that anything beyond that would be a bonus. Ducassou made sure there would be no bonus in this match, completely dominating and putting everyone interested in this tournament on notice as to his expectations.
For cumulative records of Main Nue elite professionals see the "Cumulative records of EP players" on the recurring results page on the right side of the blog.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Mano--Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas--Week 9
Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas, the premier doubles
competition of the 2016-2017 Mano season, began December 2, 2016. 8
teams compete for the title. The first (league) phase is a double round
robin (14 matches). The top 4 finishers will then face off in a single
round robin (3 matches). The two winners will play in a final on April
9, 2017.
Asegarce Competition Page
Asegarce League phase table
ASPE League phase table
Wikipedia Competition Page (Castilian)
Full ongoing league phase table (with total points and differential):
Source for all match articles, unless otherwise specifically stated, is 21iguales.com 21iguales.com will also keep an ongoing phase table at its main Parejas site and with every match article.
Match linescores will be provided from match articles when available. Full match linescores can be found at 21iguales.com Twitter feed. Track back to the date and match and follow from beginning to en The feed is also available at the Main site of 21iguales.com while the matches are in progress.
Source for all highlights and full match videos, unless otherwise specifically stated, is EITB.
Week 1; Week 2; Week 3; Week 4; Week 5; Week 6; Week 7; Week 8
Week 9
January 27, 2017
A. Mallabia (1) (2): Victor (substituting for Artola)-Albisu defeated Urrutikoetxea-Imaz 22-18
Match article with statistics and linescore
A 7-0 run by V-A turned a 1-4 deficit into an 8-4 lead. They were able to hold on to that lead for the rest of the match to win. V-A used a strategy of keeping the pelota away from Urrutikoetxea by repeatedly sending deep shots to Imaz. The strategy worked. Although U-A fought hard and were able to close to within 1 point (16-17), they were never able to equalize. 11 U-I errors (compared to 6 by V-A), according to the 21iguales account, did not help their cause. A-A 5-4- -6 (+2) U-I 3-6- -23 (-1)
Match highlights
Full match video (EITB) (match begins at 1 hour, 16 minutes, 3 seconds on the video) (Basque)
Full match video (fronton.tv) (scroll to "Mallabia - 27/01/2017") (Castilian)--added February 2, 2017.
January 28, 2017
B. Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2): Elezkano II-Zabaleta defeated Ezkurdia-Merino II 22-21
Feature article on the return of Danel Elezkano (Deia)
Danel Elezkano returned to action after missing only 2 weeks of what was widely reported to be a 3-4 week recovery period from an ankle injury. Erik Jaka had replaced Elezkano and just last week had the match of his career, a fantastic +15 -1 in a crushing 22-5 E-Z victory over Altuna III-Barriola at Mungia.
Match article with statistics and linescore (Deia)
In an exciting but poorly played match (barely more winners than errors), E-Z finally prevailed. The match consumed a little less than 1 1/2 hours and almost 600 balls in play. The score was tied at 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19, and 21. The 21-20 point consumed 79 balls in play and took over 3 minutes. (2:16:40-2:19:54 on the match video--see below). In the midst of all the errors came one of the best plays of the tournament so far: Elezkano, after a diving save (at the 3 line) of an Ezkurdia cross court kill shot, got up and retreived Ezkurdia's long high bomb near the back wall on the left side to keep the point alive. E-Z 5-4 +35 (+2) E-M 4-5 +7 (-2)
Match highlights (including Elezkano's amazing play)
Match highlights (14 points, including complete video of the last point) (21iguales.com Youtube)
Final point: (21iguales.com Youtube) (4 minutes - end of video)
Full match video (match begins at 1:03:25 on the video)
January 29, 2017
C. Ogueta, Vitoria-Gasteiz (1) (2): Olaizola II-Untoria defeated Altuna III-Barriola 22-12
Match article with statistics and linescore
A-B got off to a strong start, leading 7-3 before O-U answered with a 10-0 run. From there they didn't look back as they increased their lead for rest of the match to send A-B to their second consecutive defeat. Olaizola II was the star of the match (+12 (EITB) or +13 (21iguales)). Altuna III had a poor day at the office (-7). O-U 4-5- -6 (+1) A-B 4-5- -36 (-2)
Match highlights
Full match video (match begins at 49:20 on the video).
January 30, 2017
D. Beotibar, Tolosa (1)(2): Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe defeated Irribarria-Rezusta 22-21.
Match article with statistics and linescore
I-R are having a great Parejas competition, with only 2 losses in 9 matches. B-L have defeated them both times. For the second time in 3weeks, Bengoetxea VI had a magnificent match (+14 -2, according to 21iguales.com) to go along with his +12 -2 in the first match between the two teams. In the first match B-L jumped off to a big lead and then held on. In this match they had to travel a more difficult road. Down 8-2, and 9-3, they began their comeback at 12-6. A 5-1 run got them to within 13-11. But from there the rally stalled as the teams played at equality all the way to 19-17. 4 straight points took B-L to the brink, but then I-R equalized. Bengoetxea VI won it with a cross court kill shot. I-R 7-2 +43 (-1) B-L 4-5- -14 (+1)
Match highlights
Match highlights (21iguales.com Youtube). Parts or all of 17 selected points.
There was no match video at the time of posting. If one becomes available, I will link to it.
Asegarce Competition Page
Asegarce League phase table
ASPE League phase table
Wikipedia Competition Page (Castilian)
Full ongoing league phase table (with total points and differential):
Source for all match articles, unless otherwise specifically stated, is 21iguales.com 21iguales.com will also keep an ongoing phase table at its main Parejas site and with every match article.
Match linescores will be provided from match articles when available. Full match linescores can be found at 21iguales.com Twitter feed. Track back to the date and match and follow from beginning to en The feed is also available at the Main site of 21iguales.com while the matches are in progress.
Source for all highlights and full match videos, unless otherwise specifically stated, is EITB.
Week 1; Week 2; Week 3; Week 4; Week 5; Week 6; Week 7; Week 8
Week 9
January 27, 2017
A. Mallabia (1) (2): Victor (substituting for Artola)-Albisu defeated Urrutikoetxea-Imaz 22-18
Match article with statistics and linescore
A 7-0 run by V-A turned a 1-4 deficit into an 8-4 lead. They were able to hold on to that lead for the rest of the match to win. V-A used a strategy of keeping the pelota away from Urrutikoetxea by repeatedly sending deep shots to Imaz. The strategy worked. Although U-A fought hard and were able to close to within 1 point (16-17), they were never able to equalize. 11 U-I errors (compared to 6 by V-A), according to the 21iguales account, did not help their cause. A-A 5-4- -6 (+2) U-I 3-6- -23 (-1)
Match highlights
Full match video (EITB) (match begins at 1 hour, 16 minutes, 3 seconds on the video) (Basque)
Full match video (fronton.tv) (scroll to "Mallabia - 27/01/2017") (Castilian)--added February 2, 2017.
January 28, 2017
B. Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2): Elezkano II-Zabaleta defeated Ezkurdia-Merino II 22-21
Feature article on the return of Danel Elezkano (Deia)
Danel Elezkano returned to action after missing only 2 weeks of what was widely reported to be a 3-4 week recovery period from an ankle injury. Erik Jaka had replaced Elezkano and just last week had the match of his career, a fantastic +15 -1 in a crushing 22-5 E-Z victory over Altuna III-Barriola at Mungia.
In an exciting but poorly played match (barely more winners than errors), E-Z finally prevailed. The match consumed a little less than 1 1/2 hours and almost 600 balls in play. The score was tied at 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19, and 21. The 21-20 point consumed 79 balls in play and took over 3 minutes. (2:16:40-2:19:54 on the match video--see below). In the midst of all the errors came one of the best plays of the tournament so far: Elezkano, after a diving save (at the 3 line) of an Ezkurdia cross court kill shot, got up and retreived Ezkurdia's long high bomb near the back wall on the left side to keep the point alive. E-Z 5-4 +35 (+2) E-M 4-5 +7 (-2)
Match highlights (including Elezkano's amazing play)
Match highlights (14 points, including complete video of the last point) (21iguales.com Youtube)
Final point: (21iguales.com Youtube) (4 minutes - end of video)
Full match video (match begins at 1:03:25 on the video)
January 29, 2017
C. Ogueta, Vitoria-Gasteiz (1) (2): Olaizola II-Untoria defeated Altuna III-Barriola 22-12
Match article with statistics and linescore
A-B got off to a strong start, leading 7-3 before O-U answered with a 10-0 run. From there they didn't look back as they increased their lead for rest of the match to send A-B to their second consecutive defeat. Olaizola II was the star of the match (+12 (EITB) or +13 (21iguales)). Altuna III had a poor day at the office (-7). O-U 4-5- -6 (+1) A-B 4-5- -36 (-2)
Match highlights
Full match video (match begins at 49:20 on the video).
January 30, 2017
D. Beotibar, Tolosa (1)(2): Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe defeated Irribarria-Rezusta 22-21.
Match article with statistics and linescore
I-R are having a great Parejas competition, with only 2 losses in 9 matches. B-L have defeated them both times. For the second time in 3weeks, Bengoetxea VI had a magnificent match (+14 -2, according to 21iguales.com) to go along with his +12 -2 in the first match between the two teams. In the first match B-L jumped off to a big lead and then held on. In this match they had to travel a more difficult road. Down 8-2, and 9-3, they began their comeback at 12-6. A 5-1 run got them to within 13-11. But from there the rally stalled as the teams played at equality all the way to 19-17. 4 straight points took B-L to the brink, but then I-R equalized. Bengoetxea VI won it with a cross court kill shot. I-R 7-2 +43 (-1) B-L 4-5- -14 (+1)
Match highlights
Match highlights (21iguales.com Youtube). Parts or all of 17 selected points.
There was no match video at the time of posting. If one becomes available, I will link to it.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Pala--Mundial Individual--Quarter-finals--January 27, 2017
Mundial Individual 2017, the premier InnPala singles tournament,
began January 14, 2017. It is a single elimination, seeded ladder
tournament that involves the entire InnPala roster. The short court
tournament will be played Bizkaia Fronton, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1)(2).
Two matches will be played every weekend. Seeding, from low to high:
Brefel and Imanol; Ibai-Perez and Ibargarai (quarter finals); Fusto and
Gaubeka (semi-finals). For more on the tournament see the tournament page at InnPala. The final will be played February 10.
Preview article (mundodeportivo.com)
Preview article (Naiz)
The articles note that Fusto is the favorite, seeded in at the semi-final level, having won all 5 of the finals played at Bizkaia (2012-16). He also won in 2009. If he wins this tournament, he will equal Oscar Insausti's record of 7 singles championships. The articles also note that Esteban Gaubeka, last year's runner up, is suffering from shoulder tendinitis, but hopes to be ready to play his first match (seeded in at the semi-final level) on February 4.
Play in Round--January 14, 2014
Second Round--January 21, 2017
Quarter-final Round--January 27, 2017
Joko score sources: Diario Vasco Cartelera, January 28, 2017
1. Ibargarai defeated Zubiri 3-0 (10-7, 10-8, 10-6) (30-21)
2. Ibai-Perez defeated Necol 3-1 (10-4, 7-10, 10-6, 10-2 ) (37-22)
Match article for both matches, along with 3 photos (InnPala Fronton Facebook page)
For the first time in the tournament, back court players won matches, setting up semi-finals that will be back court v front court (Gaubeka v Ibargarai and Fusto v Ibai-Perez, according to the InnPala home page). Ibargarai put an end to Zubiri's 2 match winning streak with a 3-0 victory, though each joko (set) was closely contested. The joko score was closer in Ibai-Perez' victory, but he won the jokos more decisively.
===============================
Table of wins and losses for the 2016-2017 season.
Key: Player; Position (d=delantero (front court), z=zaguero (back court)); match wins-losses; joko (set) wins-losses; winning-losing streak; championships won. Matches that are single partidos will be noted. Table will be according to match winning percentage. 1st tie breaker will be number of wins. 2nd tie breaker will be joko win-loss differential. We begin the season with La Liga Kutxabank, starting October 29, 2016.
January 27, 2017
Gaubeka(d)..7-2.....24-15..+2*....1(La Liga)
Zubiri(d)......8-6.....30-23...-1*
Fusto(d)........5-5.....20-21..-2
Necol(d)........6-8....27-31...-1
Landeta(d)....3-7.....17-25..-1
Ibai-Perez(z)..8-3....28-19..+2*....1(La Liga)
Brefel(z)........5-5....20-19..-1
Ibargari(z).....6-6....26-23..+1
Gordon(z)......5-7....21-27...-3
Imanol(z).......3-7...15-25....-1*
Includes Dec. 30, 2016 independent match: Landeta-Imanol defeated Zuberi--Ibai-Perez 3-1 (10-8, 7-10, 10-9, 10-7) at Bizkaia.
*Does not include the result of Nov. 25, 2016 independent match Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez v Zubiri-Imanol. The result is unknown at this time. I will add it when I find it.
Includes Nov. 19, 2016 independent match: Zuberi-Ibargari defeated Necol-Gordon 3-0 (10-8, 10-3, 10-9) at Bizkaia.
For cumulative accounting of this player table see the InnPala Player win-loss table under the Pala page on the right side of the blog.
Preview article (mundodeportivo.com)
Preview article (Naiz)
The articles note that Fusto is the favorite, seeded in at the semi-final level, having won all 5 of the finals played at Bizkaia (2012-16). He also won in 2009. If he wins this tournament, he will equal Oscar Insausti's record of 7 singles championships. The articles also note that Esteban Gaubeka, last year's runner up, is suffering from shoulder tendinitis, but hopes to be ready to play his first match (seeded in at the semi-final level) on February 4.
Play in Round--January 14, 2014
Second Round--January 21, 2017
Quarter-final Round--January 27, 2017
Joko score sources: Diario Vasco Cartelera, January 28, 2017
1. Ibargarai defeated Zubiri 3-0 (10-7, 10-8, 10-6) (30-21)
2. Ibai-Perez defeated Necol 3-1 (10-4, 7-10, 10-6, 10-2 ) (37-22)
Match article for both matches, along with 3 photos (InnPala Fronton Facebook page)
For the first time in the tournament, back court players won matches, setting up semi-finals that will be back court v front court (Gaubeka v Ibargarai and Fusto v Ibai-Perez, according to the InnPala home page). Ibargarai put an end to Zubiri's 2 match winning streak with a 3-0 victory, though each joko (set) was closely contested. The joko score was closer in Ibai-Perez' victory, but he won the jokos more decisively.
===============================
Table of wins and losses for the 2016-2017 season.
Key: Player; Position (d=delantero (front court), z=zaguero (back court)); match wins-losses; joko (set) wins-losses; winning-losing streak; championships won. Matches that are single partidos will be noted. Table will be according to match winning percentage. 1st tie breaker will be number of wins. 2nd tie breaker will be joko win-loss differential. We begin the season with La Liga Kutxabank, starting October 29, 2016.
January 27, 2017
Gaubeka(d)..7-2.....24-15..+2*....1(La Liga)
Zubiri(d)......8-6.....30-23...-1*
Fusto(d)........5-5.....20-21..-2
Necol(d)........6-8....27-31...-1
Landeta(d)....3-7.....17-25..-1
Ibai-Perez(z)..8-3....28-19..+2*....1(La Liga)
Brefel(z)........5-5....20-19..-1
Ibargari(z).....6-6....26-23..+1
Gordon(z)......5-7....21-27...-3
Imanol(z).......3-7...15-25....-1*
Includes Dec. 30, 2016 independent match: Landeta-Imanol defeated Zuberi--Ibai-Perez 3-1 (10-8, 7-10, 10-9, 10-7) at Bizkaia.
*Does not include the result of Nov. 25, 2016 independent match Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez v Zubiri-Imanol. The result is unknown at this time. I will add it when I find it.
Includes Nov. 19, 2016 independent match: Zuberi-Ibargari defeated Necol-Gordon 3-0 (10-8, 10-3, 10-9) at Bizkaia.
For cumulative accounting of this player table see the InnPala Player win-loss table under the Pala page on the right side of the blog.
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