El Pais has published a lengthy feature article on the re-opening of Fronton Mexico. The article discusses the history of the fronton, and contains short interviews with ex-pilotaris who played in the "golden age" (about 1930-1960). It also discusses the significance of the re-opening of the fronton. But perhaps the highlight of the piece is the 6 minute 45 second video that accompanies it. The video is built around a "B" match between Aaron-Ituarte and Ochoa-Perez that took place April 1. Google Translate will do a good job for the print story. The video is a case of "a picture being worth a thousand words" and is understandable in any language.
Los guardianes del Frontón México, by Almudena Barragan
Monday, April 17, 2017
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Mano: XXVI Xabier Goniren Omenezkoa Finals
The finals of the XXVI Xabier Goniren Memorial Tournament were held on April 12, 2017. They featured two finals, a 4 1/2 singles final and a doubles final. If you recognize some of the players below, it is because we have seen them before. The footnotes next to their names will link you to other tournament finals they have played in that have been covered in the blog. All have links to other full match videos. The two contestants in the 4 1/2 final are among the best young amateur players in the Basque Country.
Beloki, Zumarraga (1)(2)(3)
4 1/2 Final:
Aranguren (blue) (1)(2) defeated Alberdi (red) (1) 22-20.
Doubles final:
Salaberria (1)(2)-Gorrotxategi (blue) (1) defeated Urbieta (1)-Olaizola III (red) 22-5.
Full match video for both matches (4 1/2 match: 0:00--58 minutes 25 seconds, doubles final 58:26--1:40:14 on the video).
Match article, with linescore and selected statistics, for both matches (Diario
Vasco--Castilian)
35 photos (Diario Vasco)
The match article described the 4 1/2 final as being a hotly contested one, with Alberdi twisting his ankle at 18-18 but finishing the match. The second match featured the mastery of Salaberria-Gortxategi.
Match article for the 4/12 match (Urola Kostako Hiza--Basque)
The day's festivities concluded with a very nice awards ceremony.
Beloki, Zumarraga (1)(2)(3)
4 1/2 Final:
Aranguren (blue) (1)(2) defeated Alberdi (red) (1) 22-20.
Doubles final:
Salaberria (1)(2)-Gorrotxategi (blue) (1) defeated Urbieta (1)-Olaizola III (red) 22-5.
Full match video for both matches (4 1/2 match: 0:00--58 minutes 25 seconds, doubles final 58:26--1:40:14 on the video).
Match article, with linescore and selected statistics, for both matches (Diario
Vasco--Castilian)
35 photos (Diario Vasco)
The match article described the 4 1/2 final as being a hotly contested one, with Alberdi twisting his ankle at 18-18 but finishing the match. The second match featured the mastery of Salaberria-Gortxategi.
Match article for the 4/12 match (Urola Kostako Hiza--Basque)
The day's festivities concluded with a very nice awards ceremony.
Friday, April 14, 2017
Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Aritz' Streak of Most Weekly Wins Ends at Eight
Aritz Erkiaga has been doing something pretty special at Miami Jai Alai this season. With the season just past the half-way point, he has a chance for an unheard of 300 victories. While that is only a remote possibility, he has a realistic chance at 250. To give that number some context, last season, which ran from July 1-December 31, 2016, Aritz had the most wins at Miami with 214. The season before that (ended June 30, 2016), Eric Irastorza had the most wins with 205.
At the heart of this projected win total was a period from February 13-April 3, 2017. Aritz either led outright (7 weeks) or shared the lead (1 week) for 8 consecutive weeks with win totals of 11, 15, 15, 15, 10, 19, 17, and 12. During that time he had two performance streaks of 24 and then 25 consecutive performances with at least 1 win. The streaks were separated by 1 performance where he did not win, meaning he won in 49 of 50 performances. This is astonishing.
For the week ending April 10, Aritz did not win the most games. By now, that is almost as astonishing as the eight weeks he did win. But the real story, a story that is hard to believe, is who did win the most games.
Aizarna, a 35 year old long time veteran front court man, had 11 wins this week. Aritz had 10. Aizarna, according to Tiger of Tiger's Chalk Talk Discussion Board (who produces weekly statistics for the Board), has not been a weekly leader for over 5 years.
Aizarna is a journeyman who comes to work every day and plays his games. He's the kind of player that is needed to put on 12 quiniela games a day for 6 days a week. Doubles matches require 16 players, singles matches require 8. Aizarna does not win much but he plays a lot. As of April 10, Aizarna had played 442 games this season (compared to Aritz' 497). Aizarna had won 28 games as of April 10,
But Aizarna had a great week by any standard. At the heart of that great week were two performances where he won 4 games, for a little less than 80% of his total wins. And that is not an easy thing to do. Going into the last day of the Miami week Aizarna had 10 wins to Aritz' 8. Aizarna played in the early games, Aritz the late games that day. Aizarna finished his week with 1 win, so Aritz needed to win 3 times in his 5 games to tie for the lead and keep his weekly leader streak alive. He needed 4 to win the weekly leader outright. A tall order, but during the last eight weeks Aritz has won more than 3 games in a performance 19 times. This time he came up short. He won only 2, and so Aizarna was the weekly leader for the week ending April 10. And Aritz' 8 week leader streak came to an end.
One of the fans of Miami Jai Alai created a video of the 4th game of the April 9 performance. The video is of high quality. The 4th game is a grueling 9 point game (most Miami games are played to 7 points). It is interesting in that Aritz and his partner Spinner played head to head against Aizarna and his partner Santiso. Aizarna is in the 6 Post and Aritz is in the 8. Neither of them won this game. When you are having the kind of season Aritz is having, you don't make many mistakes. But he did make one in this game (7:36--7:42 on the video). It was a dropped catch, the kind of error that is almost inevitable during the hundreds of games professional quiniela jai alai players play. A momentary lapse in concentration. The way the game turned out, Aritz had another chance, but his team was beaten in a matchup by a winner from another player after a point that consumed 14 balls in play. He ended up 2nd in this game. For the game, by my count, he had 3 winners and 1 error. Would he have won had he not erred? And what would the weekly standings have looked like if he had? We don't know. But that simple error highlights as much as anything just how amazingly well Aritz has been playing this season. The quiniela form harshly punishes errors. Aritz is the one who has been doing the punishing at Miami. Aizarna had a pretty good game too, with 2 winners. And by the end of the week, an incredible streak had been broken by a player who had a great week of his own.
MY ARTICLE: Miami Jai Alai April 9, Game 4--complete enhanced linescore
For more information on each weekly wins leader at Miami Jai Alai see the Maimi Jai Alai weekly leaders page on the right side of the blog.
At the heart of this projected win total was a period from February 13-April 3, 2017. Aritz either led outright (7 weeks) or shared the lead (1 week) for 8 consecutive weeks with win totals of 11, 15, 15, 15, 10, 19, 17, and 12. During that time he had two performance streaks of 24 and then 25 consecutive performances with at least 1 win. The streaks were separated by 1 performance where he did not win, meaning he won in 49 of 50 performances. This is astonishing.
For the week ending April 10, Aritz did not win the most games. By now, that is almost as astonishing as the eight weeks he did win. But the real story, a story that is hard to believe, is who did win the most games.
Aizarna, a 35 year old long time veteran front court man, had 11 wins this week. Aritz had 10. Aizarna, according to Tiger of Tiger's Chalk Talk Discussion Board (who produces weekly statistics for the Board), has not been a weekly leader for over 5 years.
Aizarna is a journeyman who comes to work every day and plays his games. He's the kind of player that is needed to put on 12 quiniela games a day for 6 days a week. Doubles matches require 16 players, singles matches require 8. Aizarna does not win much but he plays a lot. As of April 10, Aizarna had played 442 games this season (compared to Aritz' 497). Aizarna had won 28 games as of April 10,
But Aizarna had a great week by any standard. At the heart of that great week were two performances where he won 4 games, for a little less than 80% of his total wins. And that is not an easy thing to do. Going into the last day of the Miami week Aizarna had 10 wins to Aritz' 8. Aizarna played in the early games, Aritz the late games that day. Aizarna finished his week with 1 win, so Aritz needed to win 3 times in his 5 games to tie for the lead and keep his weekly leader streak alive. He needed 4 to win the weekly leader outright. A tall order, but during the last eight weeks Aritz has won more than 3 games in a performance 19 times. This time he came up short. He won only 2, and so Aizarna was the weekly leader for the week ending April 10. And Aritz' 8 week leader streak came to an end.
One of the fans of Miami Jai Alai created a video of the 4th game of the April 9 performance. The video is of high quality. The 4th game is a grueling 9 point game (most Miami games are played to 7 points). It is interesting in that Aritz and his partner Spinner played head to head against Aizarna and his partner Santiso. Aizarna is in the 6 Post and Aritz is in the 8. Neither of them won this game. When you are having the kind of season Aritz is having, you don't make many mistakes. But he did make one in this game (7:36--7:42 on the video). It was a dropped catch, the kind of error that is almost inevitable during the hundreds of games professional quiniela jai alai players play. A momentary lapse in concentration. The way the game turned out, Aritz had another chance, but his team was beaten in a matchup by a winner from another player after a point that consumed 14 balls in play. He ended up 2nd in this game. For the game, by my count, he had 3 winners and 1 error. Would he have won had he not erred? And what would the weekly standings have looked like if he had? We don't know. But that simple error highlights as much as anything just how amazingly well Aritz has been playing this season. The quiniela form harshly punishes errors. Aritz is the one who has been doing the punishing at Miami. Aizarna had a pretty good game too, with 2 winners. And by the end of the week, an incredible streak had been broken by a player who had a great week of his own.
MY ARTICLE: Miami Jai Alai April 9, Game 4--complete enhanced linescore
For more information on each weekly wins leader at Miami Jai Alai see the Maimi Jai Alai weekly leaders page on the right side of the blog.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Main Nue: FFPB CDC Elite Pro par Equipe--Week 6-April 7, 10, 2017
The Main Nue Elite Pro par Equipe (pairs) Championnat de France A and B competition is sponsored by the Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPB). The competition began on March 3, 2017 and ends on May 7, 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 tournaments have a "poule" phase, a single round robin, followed by a playoff system that is explained below. It turns out not to be quite as byzantine as I thought. :) It is a very interesting way to re-seed a tournament in mid-stream. The B knockout phase (see below) looks to be a very interesting proposition. The A phase could provide a surprise or two as well.
* not listed on the Esku Pilota player pages at this time.
Groupe A
Peio Larralde-Bixintxo Bilbao; Agusti Waltary-Peio Guichandut; Mathieu Ospital-Baptiste Ducassou; Julien Etchegaray-Vincent Lazcano; Alexis Inchauspe-Anton Amulet; Philippe Bielle-Ximun Lambert
Groupe B:
Laurent.Lambert-Mickael Palomes; Vincent Elgart-Pascal de Ezcurra; Mattin Olcomendy*-Jean-Philippe Bennesse, Antton Monce-Cedric Lucu
Source for all match articles, unless otherwise specifically stated, is pilota-ttiki.com. Thus far, most Pilota Ttiki match articles are incorporated into the Pelotelive.free.fr match pages. I will link to them, for ease of access when they are.
Week 1: March 3-4, 2017 ; Week 2: March 12-13; Week 3: March 18-19 ; Week 4: March 25, 27, 2017 ; Week5: April 1-2, 2017
Week 6: April 7, 10 2017
April 7, 2017
Pau (1)(2)
Preview article
A13: Larralde-Bilbao defeated Waltary-Guichandut 40-31
Condensed linescore (winners always listed 1st) (source: the two match videos)
4-0; 4-1; 6-1; 6-2; 7-2; 7-8; 9-8; 9-9; 10-9; 10-13; 11-13; 11-17; 12-17; 12-18; 20-18; 20-19; 21-19; 21-20; 22-20; 22-21; 23-21; 23-25; 30-25; 30-26; 35-26; 35-28; 36-28; 36-30; 38-30; 38-31; 40-31 (condensed linescore replaces selected linescore given at match article--change made Apr. 15, 2017).
Match article with link to condensed full match video
This video also available at Bixintxo Bilbao Youtube Page and at Tout sur la Pelote Basque Youtube (TPB is mostly condensed, there are a few points missing. Camera angle is different and the score is called out on almost every point). (TPB link added April 15, 2017).
Bilbao returned from achilles tendon tendonitis that kept him out of last weeks match against Ospital-Ducassou. This match was very close through 25-25. Indeed, in the early part of the match W-G were dominating. Once the two teams reached equality at 25, Larralde took over. He overwhelmed W-G with 8 service aces, including 3 in a row that completely defeated Guichandut and pretty much put the match out of reach at 35-26. L-B finish the Poule phase in 2nd place in the A Groupe with a 4-1 record, their only defeat coming at the hands of Ospital-Ducassou. Waltary-Guichandut finished 4th at 2-3. They will face B Groupe winners L. Lambert-Palomes in a "Barrage" match on April 14. The winner moves on to the Semi-finals of the A Groupe. The loser moves on to the Semi-finals of the B Groupe.
April 10, 2017
Le Garat, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (1!)(2)
Preview article for both matches
A14: Ospital-Ducassou defeated Inchauspe-Amulet 40-15
Selected linescore (Garat Lundi "remarkable points") (winners always listed 1st).
3-1; 5-1; 16-5; 17-5; 20-9; 37-13
Selected match statistics (Jean Baptiste Garat)
Service aces: Ospital 3 Inchauspe 2
Filet points: O-D 6 I-A 1
Time of the match: 57 minutes
A15: Bielle-X. Lambert defeated Etchegaray-Lazcano 40-31
Selected linescore (Garat Lundi "remarkable points") (winners always listed 1st)
11-3; 13-6; 20-9; 23-14; 25-14; 32-18
Selected match statistics (Jean Baptiste Garat)
Service aces: Bielle 13 Etchegaray 7
Filet points: B-L 4 E-l 5
Time of the match: 1 hour 24 minutes
Match article for both matches
The match article did not discuss the specifics either match, but spent most of its time going through the thickets of the matchups for the knockout stage of the tournament. Le Garat Lundi page was succinct in its match analysis:
O-A v I-A
Domination des favoris Ospital et Ducassou
Inchauspe et Amulet ont laissé trop d'espaces à leurs adversaires.
Google English translation:
Domination of favorites Ospital and Ducassou
Inchauspe and Amulet have left too many spaces for their opponents.
B-L v E-L
Belle empoignade, Bielle et X. Lambert ont dominé.
Merci à Etchegaray et Lazcano pour le beau final!
Google English translation:
Nice punching, Bielle and X. Lambert dominated.
Thanks to Etchegaray and Lazcano for the beautiful finale!
O-D finished a perfect 5-0 in the Poule phase. This was Ducassou's 10th consecutive victory overall in 2017 . Ospital-Ducassou await the winner of the Barrage match between Group B winner L. Lambert-Palomes and Group A 4th place finishers Waltary-Guichandut. I-A finished 1-4, 5th in Poule A, and will become the 2nd place Semi-finalists in Group B. Their first knockout match will be against actual 2nd place Groupe B finisher but now moved to "3rd place" Elgart-de Ezcurra.
B-L had a more difficult time of it, but won comfortably to finish in 3rd place in Groupe A with a 3-2 record. They have won 3 in a row and could be dangerous in the knockout stage. Their Semi-final opponents will be Larralde-Bilbao, 2nd place finisher in Groupe A. E-L finished at the foot of the Poule A table and have been eliminated.
Final Poule Tables: (Source Pilota Ttiki and Pelotelive.free.fr)
Key: Team; wins-defeats; point differential (actual points scored is available from the Pelotelive.free.fr tournament links above).
Poule A
Ospital-Ducassou.......5-0...63
Larralde-Bilbao..........4-1...53
Bielle-X. Lambert......3-2...25
Waltary-Guichandut...2-3....-5
Inchauspe-Amulet......1-4...-61
Etchegary--Lazcano...0-5...-75
All Semi-finals will be played April 21-22, 2017 at Anglet and Saint Jean Pied de Port respectively. An A and B Semi-final will be played at each venue. Who will be playing when and where is undetermined at present.
A Semi-finals
Ospital-Ducassou v winner of Barrage (play-in) match between Waltary-Guichandut and Groupe B winner L. Lambert-Palomes (to be played at Arcangues April 14).
Larralde-Bilbao v Bielle-X. Lambert.
Poule B
L. Lambert-Palomes.......3-0...16
Elgart-De Ezcurra...........1-2...13
Monce-Lucu....................1-2...-6
Olcomendy-Benesse........1-2..-23
Loser of L. Lambert-Palomes v Groupe A 4th place finisher Waltary-Guichandut match v Monce-Lucu
Inchauspe-Amulet (5th place finisher in Group A) v Elgart-De Ezcurra
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.
For match videos of other FFPB CdF matches see the FFPB CdF 2016-17 National A and B Videos page on the right side of the blog. Four of Larrald-Bilbao's Poule matches (condensed full match videos, about 1/2 hour apiece) are available.
* not listed on the Esku Pilota player pages at this time.
Groupe A
Peio Larralde-Bixintxo Bilbao; Agusti Waltary-Peio Guichandut; Mathieu Ospital-Baptiste Ducassou; Julien Etchegaray-Vincent Lazcano; Alexis Inchauspe-Anton Amulet; Philippe Bielle-Ximun Lambert
Groupe B:
Laurent.Lambert-Mickael Palomes; Vincent Elgart-Pascal de Ezcurra; Mattin Olcomendy*-Jean-Philippe Bennesse, Antton Monce-Cedric Lucu
Source for all match articles, unless otherwise specifically stated, is pilota-ttiki.com. Thus far, most Pilota Ttiki match articles are incorporated into the Pelotelive.free.fr match pages. I will link to them, for ease of access when they are.
Week 1: March 3-4, 2017 ; Week 2: March 12-13; Week 3: March 18-19 ; Week 4: March 25, 27, 2017 ; Week5: April 1-2, 2017
Week 6: April 7, 10 2017
April 7, 2017
Pau (1)(2)
Preview article
A13: Larralde-Bilbao defeated Waltary-Guichandut 40-31
Condensed linescore (winners always listed 1st) (source: the two match videos)
4-0; 4-1; 6-1; 6-2; 7-2; 7-8; 9-8; 9-9; 10-9; 10-13; 11-13; 11-17; 12-17; 12-18; 20-18; 20-19; 21-19; 21-20; 22-20; 22-21; 23-21; 23-25; 30-25; 30-26; 35-26; 35-28; 36-28; 36-30; 38-30; 38-31; 40-31 (condensed linescore replaces selected linescore given at match article--change made Apr. 15, 2017).
Match article with link to condensed full match video
This video also available at Bixintxo Bilbao Youtube Page and at Tout sur la Pelote Basque Youtube (TPB is mostly condensed, there are a few points missing. Camera angle is different and the score is called out on almost every point). (TPB link added April 15, 2017).
Bilbao returned from achilles tendon tendonitis that kept him out of last weeks match against Ospital-Ducassou. This match was very close through 25-25. Indeed, in the early part of the match W-G were dominating. Once the two teams reached equality at 25, Larralde took over. He overwhelmed W-G with 8 service aces, including 3 in a row that completely defeated Guichandut and pretty much put the match out of reach at 35-26. L-B finish the Poule phase in 2nd place in the A Groupe with a 4-1 record, their only defeat coming at the hands of Ospital-Ducassou. Waltary-Guichandut finished 4th at 2-3. They will face B Groupe winners L. Lambert-Palomes in a "Barrage" match on April 14. The winner moves on to the Semi-finals of the A Groupe. The loser moves on to the Semi-finals of the B Groupe.
April 10, 2017
Le Garat, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (1!)(2)
Preview article for both matches
A14: Ospital-Ducassou defeated Inchauspe-Amulet 40-15
Selected linescore (Garat Lundi "remarkable points") (winners always listed 1st).
3-1; 5-1; 16-5; 17-5; 20-9; 37-13
Selected match statistics (Jean Baptiste Garat)
Service aces: Ospital 3 Inchauspe 2
Filet points: O-D 6 I-A 1
Time of the match: 57 minutes
A15: Bielle-X. Lambert defeated Etchegaray-Lazcano 40-31
Selected linescore (Garat Lundi "remarkable points") (winners always listed 1st)
11-3; 13-6; 20-9; 23-14; 25-14; 32-18
Selected match statistics (Jean Baptiste Garat)
Service aces: Bielle 13 Etchegaray 7
Filet points: B-L 4 E-l 5
Time of the match: 1 hour 24 minutes
Match article for both matches
The match article did not discuss the specifics either match, but spent most of its time going through the thickets of the matchups for the knockout stage of the tournament. Le Garat Lundi page was succinct in its match analysis:
O-A v I-A
Domination des favoris Ospital et Ducassou
Inchauspe et Amulet ont laissé trop d'espaces à leurs adversaires.
Google English translation:
Domination of favorites Ospital and Ducassou
Inchauspe and Amulet have left too many spaces for their opponents.
B-L v E-L
Belle empoignade, Bielle et X. Lambert ont dominé.
Merci à Etchegaray et Lazcano pour le beau final!
Google English translation:
Nice punching, Bielle and X. Lambert dominated.
Thanks to Etchegaray and Lazcano for the beautiful finale!
O-D finished a perfect 5-0 in the Poule phase. This was Ducassou's 10th consecutive victory overall in 2017 . Ospital-Ducassou await the winner of the Barrage match between Group B winner L. Lambert-Palomes and Group A 4th place finishers Waltary-Guichandut. I-A finished 1-4, 5th in Poule A, and will become the 2nd place Semi-finalists in Group B. Their first knockout match will be against actual 2nd place Groupe B finisher but now moved to "3rd place" Elgart-de Ezcurra.
B-L had a more difficult time of it, but won comfortably to finish in 3rd place in Groupe A with a 3-2 record. They have won 3 in a row and could be dangerous in the knockout stage. Their Semi-final opponents will be Larralde-Bilbao, 2nd place finisher in Groupe A. E-L finished at the foot of the Poule A table and have been eliminated.
Final Poule Tables: (Source Pilota Ttiki and Pelotelive.free.fr)
Key: Team; wins-defeats; point differential (actual points scored is available from the Pelotelive.free.fr tournament links above).
Poule A
Ospital-Ducassou.......5-0...63
Larralde-Bilbao..........4-1...53
Bielle-X. Lambert......3-2...25
Waltary-Guichandut...2-3....-5
Inchauspe-Amulet......1-4...-61
Etchegary--Lazcano...0-5...-75
All Semi-finals will be played April 21-22, 2017 at Anglet and Saint Jean Pied de Port respectively. An A and B Semi-final will be played at each venue. Who will be playing when and where is undetermined at present.
A Semi-finals
Ospital-Ducassou v winner of Barrage (play-in) match between Waltary-Guichandut and Groupe B winner L. Lambert-Palomes (to be played at Arcangues April 14).
Larralde-Bilbao v Bielle-X. Lambert.
Poule B
L. Lambert-Palomes.......3-0...16
Elgart-De Ezcurra...........1-2...13
Monce-Lucu....................1-2...-6
Olcomendy-Benesse........1-2..-23
Loser of L. Lambert-Palomes v Groupe A 4th place finisher Waltary-Guichandut match v Monce-Lucu
Inchauspe-Amulet (5th place finisher in Group A) v Elgart-De Ezcurra
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.
For match videos of other FFPB CdF matches see the FFPB CdF 2016-17 National A and B Videos page on the right side of the blog. Four of Larrald-Bilbao's Poule matches (condensed full match videos, about 1/2 hour apiece) are available.
Remonte: ANNOUNCING A NEW RECURRING RESULTS PAGE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BLOG
A new "page" has been started on the right side of the blog. Euskal Jai Berri, sponsors several short court tournaments, along with an independent circuit, which will take the sport into 10 cities this summer, We will keep track of EJB matches at the Euskal Jai Berri recurring results page. You can use this page to complement the already existing Galarreta Star Match recurring results page, also on the right side of the blog. In this way you can get a more complete picture of players on the Oriamendi 2010 roster, tracking both long and short court results.
Jai Alai/Cesta Punta: Fronton Mexico Announces Changes in Scheduling
Fronton Mexico has announced a change in scheduling. Beginning immediately the Tuesday session will be dropped and replaced by a Friday session. Thursday-Saturday sessions will begin at 19:30. Sunday sessions will begin at 18:00, except for this Sunday, April 16, which will consist of only 2 partidos and 1 quiniela due to the Easter holiday. That session will begin at 19:00.
Article announcing the change (www.pitlane.mx) According to the article, the management feels that Fridays are better for "así que ahora se eliminará la función de los martes y se agrega la de los viernes, que por nuestra experiencia es el mejor día para presentar a los pelotaris al público aficionado y a quienes van en busca de la apuesta." (Google Translate English): "Tuesdays (will be dropped) and Friday is added, which for our experience is the best day to present the pelotaris to the amateur public and those who are looking for the bet."
This week's (April 13-16) Schedule
Note that this week also offers an interesting 3 v 2 Star Match on Saturday, April 15. Egiguren-Lopez v Laduche-Christophe-Etxeto.
Article announcing the change (www.pitlane.mx) According to the article, the management feels that Fridays are better for "así que ahora se eliminará la función de los martes y se agrega la de los viernes, que por nuestra experiencia es el mejor día para presentar a los pelotaris al público aficionado y a quienes van en busca de la apuesta." (Google Translate English): "Tuesdays (will be dropped) and Friday is added, which for our experience is the best day to present the pelotaris to the amateur public and those who are looking for the bet."
This week's (April 13-16) Schedule
Note that this week also offers an interesting 3 v 2 Star Match on Saturday, April 15. Egiguren-Lopez v Laduche-Christophe-Etxeto.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Mano--Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas--2016-17 Final
Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas, the premier doubles competition of the 2016-2017 Mano season, began December 2, 2016. 8 teams competed for the title. The first (league) phase was a double round robin (14 matches). The top 4 finishers will faced off in a single round robin (3 matches). The two winners played 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; Week 11; Week 12; Week 13; Week 14--End of the Quarter-final League phase; Semi-Final League--Jornada 1; Semi-Final League--Jornada 2 ; Semi-Final League--Journada 3
Table of the 4 teams that advance to the Semi-final League.
Key: Team, match record, point differential, winning-losing streak going into the Semi-final League.
Irribarria-Rezusta: 12-2, +79, +5
Elezkano-Zabeleta 7-7, +41 +1
Oliazola II-Untoria 7-7, +10 +2
Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe 7-7 -12, -1
===================================
April 9, 2017
Final
Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1)(2)
Irribarria-Rezusta defeated Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe 22-14
Full linescore: (winners always listed 1st)
0-1; 1-1; 1-2; 1-3; 2-3; 3-3; 4-3; 4-4; 4-5; 5-5; 5-6; 6-6; 7-6; 8-6; 9-6; 10-6; 11-6; 11-7; 12-7; 12-8; 12-9; 13-9; 13-10; 13-11; 13-12; 14-12; 15-12; 16-12; 16-13; 17-13; 18-13; 19-13; 20-13; 21-13; 21-14; 22-14
Scoring (EITB)
Irribarria +4 -4 Rezusta +0 -2
Bengoetxea VI +7 -3 Larunbe +1 -15
Balls in play: 442: Irribarria 106 Rezusta 119; Bengoetxea VI 84 Larunbe 133
Number of balls in play: Number of points (my counts)
0-9: 18
10-19: 13
20-29: 2
30-39: 1
40-49: 1
50+: 1
Longest point: 59 (13-11--13-12).
Match highlights
The final point
The champions celebrate with friends and family
Match highlights (21iguales.com) parts of 12 points including the final point.
Full match video (changed the link April 13, 2017 from the original EITB final link to EITB Finals link that only has the final match on it. It is also more likely to be archived at this link.
Full match video (Fronton.tv--Castilian) (Scroll to: "Bilbao - 09/04/2017"). Note: this is on the first page of videos at present. Eventually it will be moved to higher numbered pages when it has been moved. (Added April 19, 2017).
Match article including match statistics and linescore
Other match articles:
Deia
Diario Vasco
DV photo gallery (39 photos)
mundodiportivo.com
El Correo
Feature articles (from various points of view):
Deia: Botilleros (1)(2); Other: (1)(2)(3)
Diario Vasco: (1)
I-R capped a brilliant 16-2 Mundo Parejas with their 9th consecutive victory, easily defeating B-L, the only team that had beaten them, 22-14. You can read all the articles describing how I-R used a simple and brutal strategy: keep the ball away from the explosive Bengoetxea VI, who had great matches against Jaka-Zabaleta and Olaizola II-Untoria to get to this final. And the best way to keep Bengoetxea VI away from the ball was to make Larunbe hit it as often as possible. The balls in play breakdown by player is extremely instructive in demonstrating how this strategy was successfully executed. And finally, inevitably, like most of the other back court players who faced I-R in this competition, he cracked under the pressure, erring on I-R's last 5 points, for a total of anywhere from 11 to 15 errors, depending on the scoring source. Irribarria's relentless power and Rezusta's steady defensive presence (he won the "most valuable" player award for the tournament) were an unbeatable combination.
Even in defeat, no one can accuse B-L of anything short of tenacity. The final 3 points of a match they were behind by 7 points consumed, by my count, 21, 18, and 32 balls in play. However, for me the greatest symbol of I-R's domination of the entire competition came very early: from the point beginning at 1-1 to the point ending at 3-3 (1:14:05--1:18:11 on the video). The two point lead that B-L fought for 35 grueling balls in play to achieve was gone after 7 balls in play over the next two points.
For Irribarria the potential for greatness seems unlimited. Rezusta has now played in two consecutive finals (he played with Mtz. de Irujo last year), and seems to be the best back court player in professional Mano at the moment (because the one player that could contest that did not play in the back court in this competition). I-R will most likely be on different teams next year and it will be interesting to see how Rezusta handles the bombs that come from Irribarria's steam shovel of a left hand. In only 8 months, we will begin to find out.
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; Week 11; Week 12; Week 13; Week 14--End of the Quarter-final League phase; Semi-Final League--Jornada 1; Semi-Final League--Jornada 2 ; Semi-Final League--Journada 3
Table of the 4 teams that advance to the Semi-final League.
Key: Team, match record, point differential, winning-losing streak going into the Semi-final League.
Irribarria-Rezusta: 12-2, +79, +5
Elezkano-Zabeleta 7-7, +41 +1
Oliazola II-Untoria 7-7, +10 +2
Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe 7-7 -12, -1
===================================
April 9, 2017
Final
Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1)(2)
Irribarria-Rezusta defeated Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe 22-14
Full linescore: (winners always listed 1st)
0-1; 1-1; 1-2; 1-3; 2-3; 3-3; 4-3; 4-4; 4-5; 5-5; 5-6; 6-6; 7-6; 8-6; 9-6; 10-6; 11-6; 11-7; 12-7; 12-8; 12-9; 13-9; 13-10; 13-11; 13-12; 14-12; 15-12; 16-12; 16-13; 17-13; 18-13; 19-13; 20-13; 21-13; 21-14; 22-14
Scoring (EITB)
Irribarria +4 -4 Rezusta +0 -2
Bengoetxea VI +7 -3 Larunbe +1 -15
Balls in play: 442: Irribarria 106 Rezusta 119; Bengoetxea VI 84 Larunbe 133
Number of balls in play: Number of points (my counts)
0-9: 18
10-19: 13
20-29: 2
30-39: 1
40-49: 1
50+: 1
Longest point: 59 (13-11--13-12).
Match highlights
The final point
The champions celebrate with friends and family
Match highlights (21iguales.com) parts of 12 points including the final point.
Full match video (changed the link April 13, 2017 from the original EITB final link to EITB Finals link that only has the final match on it. It is also more likely to be archived at this link.
Full match video (Fronton.tv--Castilian) (Scroll to: "Bilbao - 09/04/2017"). Note: this is on the first page of videos at present. Eventually it will be moved to higher numbered pages when it has been moved. (Added April 19, 2017).
Match article including match statistics and linescore
Other match articles:
Deia
Diario Vasco
DV photo gallery (39 photos)
mundodiportivo.com
El Correo
Feature articles (from various points of view):
Deia: Botilleros (1)(2); Other: (1)(2)(3)
Diario Vasco: (1)
I-R capped a brilliant 16-2 Mundo Parejas with their 9th consecutive victory, easily defeating B-L, the only team that had beaten them, 22-14. You can read all the articles describing how I-R used a simple and brutal strategy: keep the ball away from the explosive Bengoetxea VI, who had great matches against Jaka-Zabaleta and Olaizola II-Untoria to get to this final. And the best way to keep Bengoetxea VI away from the ball was to make Larunbe hit it as often as possible. The balls in play breakdown by player is extremely instructive in demonstrating how this strategy was successfully executed. And finally, inevitably, like most of the other back court players who faced I-R in this competition, he cracked under the pressure, erring on I-R's last 5 points, for a total of anywhere from 11 to 15 errors, depending on the scoring source. Irribarria's relentless power and Rezusta's steady defensive presence (he won the "most valuable" player award for the tournament) were an unbeatable combination.
Even in defeat, no one can accuse B-L of anything short of tenacity. The final 3 points of a match they were behind by 7 points consumed, by my count, 21, 18, and 32 balls in play. However, for me the greatest symbol of I-R's domination of the entire competition came very early: from the point beginning at 1-1 to the point ending at 3-3 (1:14:05--1:18:11 on the video). The two point lead that B-L fought for 35 grueling balls in play to achieve was gone after 7 balls in play over the next two points.
For Irribarria the potential for greatness seems unlimited. Rezusta has now played in two consecutive finals (he played with Mtz. de Irujo last year), and seems to be the best back court player in professional Mano at the moment (because the one player that could contest that did not play in the back court in this competition). I-R will most likely be on different teams next year and it will be interesting to see how Rezusta handles the bombs that come from Irribarria's steam shovel of a left hand. In only 8 months, we will begin to find out.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Fronton Jai Alai TV Special Edition--Fronton Mexico.
The April 7, 2017 edition of Fronton Jai Alai TV, produced by Quintana Roo (Cancun), Mexico's Canal 10, is a special edition spotlighting the newly re-opened Fronton Mexico. Presenter Javier Eguia Berestain and panelist Jose Marie Fernandez Urquiaga host the show. This show is built around extended highlights from the March 26, 2017 FM Star Match between Olha-Irastorza and Egiguren-Inza. It includes interviews with newly signed young Basque players Julien Del Rio, Aaron Gonzalez, and Ekhi Martnez (Del Rio and Ekhi have already played in Star matches), Mexican players Gustavo Lopez and Gonzalo Sierra (Sierra has also played in a Star match), and the ball and cesta maker. There is also an interview with Intendente Pedro Andrinua. The show is in Spanish and runs a little over an hour and 20 minutes. It is available on demand via the following outlets:
Canal 10 Web Page
Canal 10 Youtube
Vimeo
Archived shows going back to October 15, 2016 are available at each site.
For more information about Fronton Mexico Star Matches see the Fronton Mexico recurring results page on the right side of the blog.
Canal 10 Web Page
Canal 10 Youtube
Vimeo
Archived shows going back to October 15, 2016 are available at each site.
For more information about Fronton Mexico Star Matches see the Fronton Mexico recurring results page on the right side of the blog.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Pala--Sestao welcomes Ibai Perez Home With a Festival
Sestao welcomed home Ibai Perez after he won his 3rd Championship this season, the Mundial Parejas, (along with the earlier La Liga and Mudial Individual) The festival was held on April 7, 2017 at Las Llanes, and featured two amateur matches preceding the main event: a match between Gaubeka-Ibai Perez and Necol-Imanol. That match was won by Necol-Imanol 3-2. (Source: Iosu Urkijo).
For more on the festival see the InnPala Facebook Page post. Also see the related article in Deia.
For more on the festival see the InnPala Facebook Page post. Also see the related article in Deia.
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--A Glimpse of Aritz
If you have been following this blog, you know that on the right side of the blog, at the top, is a list of "10 + winning streaks". At present, and for every day but one (March 8, 2017) since February 8, Aritz Erkiaga, who plays the front court on the "A" roster at Miami Jai Alai, has been on that list. He had a streak of 24 performances (sessions of 12 games in which a player has a minimum workload of 5 games) with at least 1 win that was broken on March 8. The next day he started another streak that, as of this posting (April 6) has reached 24. He has had at least 1 win in 48 of his last 49 performances (He did not play on March 3). Within each streak he had a streak of multiple wins (16, also stopped on March 8, and 11, stopped on March 24). In January he had a performance streak (at least 1 victory) of 14.
Miami Jai Alai plays Quiniela Jai Alai in two 6 month seasons per year. They play 6 performances a week, one each day except Tuesday. Because the context of this sport is wagering, each player plays a combination of singles and doubles games against seven other players (or teams). Players commonly play more than their minimum workload. They often play 6 to 8 games a day. 9 games is not unheard of. Humans scratch, just like horses do, and must be replaced for the games to go on. Doubles partners constantly change, as do post positions (order of matchups, 1-8). Both of these variables complicate wagering and make it more difficult for players to win consistently. The nature of Quiniela Jai Alai also makes it difficult to win. One team plays another. The winner scores a point (or two) and keeps playing. The loser goes to the back of the line and has to wait 7 matchups to play again. There is no time to get into a rhythm and no margin for error. It is a very different sport from the partido Jai Alai now being played at Fronton Mexico or the Jai Alai that was played in last summers' partido season in the North and South Basque Country.
I say all this as a way of contextualizing Aritz' streaks. No one else this season at Miami (or Dania Beach for that matter) has come close to one of these streaks, much less two.
Unfortunately, we cannot watch Aritz play via free live streaming.. We can only go by the spartan result sheets and statistics pages Miami Jai Alai releases every day.
That situation was remedied for a few games last week, by a fan who took some video of Aritz during the April 2, 2017 performance. Available on the video is a condensed video of Aritz-Ubilla's 3rd game "perfect game" (a game where one team wins between 4 and 9 points in a row, depending on the length of the game and the post position of the players). There is also selected video of some of Aritz' other games that day. The 3rd game win was his only win of the day. He played in 4 other games with two other partners (one singles game) and had 1 second and 1 third place finish in those matches. Watch the player with the number 36 on his back. You will see him in a different color shirt in different games. Colors are coordinated with post positions.Watch and marvel at a player who is playing this game about as well as it is possible to play.
Aritz (36)--Maimi Jai Alai--April 2, 2017
For a statistical and "win chart" breakdown of Aritz' last 8 weeks, going back to the week ending February 13, all of which he led or tied for the lead for most wins for the week, see the Miami Jai Alai weekly leaders page on the right side of the blog.
Miami Jai Alai plays Quiniela Jai Alai in two 6 month seasons per year. They play 6 performances a week, one each day except Tuesday. Because the context of this sport is wagering, each player plays a combination of singles and doubles games against seven other players (or teams). Players commonly play more than their minimum workload. They often play 6 to 8 games a day. 9 games is not unheard of. Humans scratch, just like horses do, and must be replaced for the games to go on. Doubles partners constantly change, as do post positions (order of matchups, 1-8). Both of these variables complicate wagering and make it more difficult for players to win consistently. The nature of Quiniela Jai Alai also makes it difficult to win. One team plays another. The winner scores a point (or two) and keeps playing. The loser goes to the back of the line and has to wait 7 matchups to play again. There is no time to get into a rhythm and no margin for error. It is a very different sport from the partido Jai Alai now being played at Fronton Mexico or the Jai Alai that was played in last summers' partido season in the North and South Basque Country.
I say all this as a way of contextualizing Aritz' streaks. No one else this season at Miami (or Dania Beach for that matter) has come close to one of these streaks, much less two.
Unfortunately, we cannot watch Aritz play via free live streaming.. We can only go by the spartan result sheets and statistics pages Miami Jai Alai releases every day.
That situation was remedied for a few games last week, by a fan who took some video of Aritz during the April 2, 2017 performance. Available on the video is a condensed video of Aritz-Ubilla's 3rd game "perfect game" (a game where one team wins between 4 and 9 points in a row, depending on the length of the game and the post position of the players). There is also selected video of some of Aritz' other games that day. The 3rd game win was his only win of the day. He played in 4 other games with two other partners (one singles game) and had 1 second and 1 third place finish in those matches. Watch the player with the number 36 on his back. You will see him in a different color shirt in different games. Colors are coordinated with post positions.Watch and marvel at a player who is playing this game about as well as it is possible to play.
Aritz (36)--Maimi Jai Alai--April 2, 2017
For a statistical and "win chart" breakdown of Aritz' last 8 weeks, going back to the week ending February 13, all of which he led or tied for the lead for most wins for the week, see the Miami Jai Alai weekly leaders page on the right side of the blog.
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