Multiple Modalities: 2016: 12 memorable matches

Before the memory of 2016 fades, I thought it might be fun to link to some of the best matches of the year. I will stay within the constraints of five modalities, because they are the ones that had the best full match videos available. In some cases,these were simply great matches. In others they will show you great stars in the twilight of their careers. Let's not forget them any time soon. For those of you who are new to these great sports, this is as good an introduction as any.

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta

Singles

A. Jai Alai World Tour CTO Individual MPB championship 

Final,  September 17, 2016: Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2) Goikoetxea defeated Olharan 2-0 (12-5, 12-11)

The best player of his generation defeats the (possibly) best player of the next generation. Jai Alai on the short court.

Full match video (match begins at 32 minutes, 51 seconds on the video). (Source: EITB)

Related blog post

Doubles

B. Internationaux Cesta PuntaTournament SLAM Competition

Final, August 25, 2016: Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Donibane Lohizune) (1) (2) Beaskoetxea-Irastorza defeated Olharan-Lekerika 2-1 (15-7, 12-15, 5-3)

Another generational battle won by the old guys.

Highlights

Full match video (Canal + French)

or

Full match video (EITB (Canal+ feed--Basque)

Related blog post

Quiniella

C. Dania Beach (1) (2) June 25, 2016, Game 2: Won by Erik-Urbieta

One of the better quiniella games you'll ever see.

Full game video

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

Main Nue

Singles

July 31, 2016

A. Masters de Bayonne, "Lever de rideau" (curtain raiser). Preliminary match before the final.

Trinquet Moderne (1) (2) Migueltorena (red) defeated Darmendrail (blue) 40-39

Great matches don't always have to involve great players. These two young players played the best singles match of the year.

Final Point (Source: Esku Pilota Youtube site)

Full Match Video (Source: Esku Pilota Youtube site).

Related blog post

Doubles

B. Esku Pilota Lagunak (Friends) end of year celebration

December 3, 2016: Trinquet Haitz Pean, d'Anglet (1)(2)(3) Larralde-Bilbao defeated Waltary-Ducassou 40-39

Esku Pilota elite pros ranked #1,2,4, and 8 save the best for last.

Final point (Esku Pilota Youtube)

Full match video (Esku Pilota Youtube)

Related blog post

========================================
  
Mano

Singles 4 1/2

A. Lau eta erdiko Txapelketa 2016/Campeonato del 4 1/2 de 1a categoría 2016 LEP. M competition.

Final, November 26, 2016: Ogueta Fronton, Vitoria-Gasteiz (1) (2). Bengoetxea VI defeated Altuna III 22-21

Match video highlights (EITB)

Video of final point of match (EITB)

Video highlights, various points (21iguales.com Youtube)

Full match video (EITB) (Basque)

or

Fronton.tv (Castilian) (scroll to Bengoetxea VI v Altuna III: Ogueta de Vitoria-Gasteiz - 27/11/2016)

Related blog post

Doubles

Final, Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2) Olaizola II-Urrutikoetxea defeated Mtz. de Irujo-Rezusta 16-10

This was possibly, very sadly, the great Mtz. de Irujo's final match. The injury that ended this match was followed by the diagnosis of a heart ailment that has possibly ended his career.

Full match video (EITB) (Basque) Match begins at 1:13:48 on the video.

or

Full match video (Fronton.tv) (Castilian) (scroll to Olaizola II-Urrutikoetxea Mtz. de Irujo-Rezusta: Bilbao - 09/04/2016). It is presently linked from P. 6 at the bottom of the page.

Related blog post

Singles

C. Campionato Manonista 1a (Buruz Buruko Txapelketa)

Final, May 29, 2016Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2) Irribarria defeated Urrutikoetxea 22-13

Crucial 3rd Point of the Match

Final 2 Points of the Match

Full Match Video (EITB) (Basque)

or

Full match video (Fronton.tv (Castilian) (Scroll to Urrutikoetxea vs Irribarria: Bilbao - 29/05/2016). It is presently linked from P. 4 at the bottom of the page.

Related blog post

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

Pala

Singles

A. Binaka Tournament

Final, February 20, 2016: Bizkaia, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1) (2) Fusto defeated Gaubeka 3-0 (10-6, 10-5, 10-8).

Fusto, the greatest player of his generation, at his best.

Full match video (EITB)

Doubles

B. World Doubles Tournament

Final, April 16, 2016: Mungia (1) (2) Fusto-Brefel defeated Gaubeka-Imanol 3-2 (10-8, 8-10, 10-6, 7-10, 10-7).

A classic traditional long court big bat (pala larga) match, played at the Cathedral of Pala.

Full match video (EITB)

Related blog post

========================================>

Remonte 

Singles

A. VI Individual Oriamendi Tournament

Final, January 9, 2016: Galaretta,Hernani (1) (2) Uterga defeated Urriza 30-27

A great final between two of the best players of this generation.

Full match video

Related blog post (Scroll to the Remonte section "concept of Botillero")

Doubles

B. January 9, 2016: Galaretta, Hernani (1) (2) Ezkurra-Agirrezabala defeated Etxeberria IV-Ion 40-36

Just another match in the bi-weekly 4 match sessions at Galaretta. It features Ezkurra, one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Still playing in his early 40s. Watch and enjoy the master.

Full match video (match begins at 1:20:10 on the video). Same video as above. It was the ho-hum match after the championship final.

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta: Miami Jai Alai Fall 2016 final season standings.

Miami Jai Alai (1) (2) completed its Fall 2016 season on December 31. Statistical data for the completed season is available in the statistical report of December 31, 2016 (see page 2).  Note that the changing of seasons at Miami Jai Alai is somewhat arbitrary. Competition is continuous throughout the year, but seasons are divided between Fall (July 1-December 31) and Spring (January 1-June 30). The reset on the statistics sometimes doesn't show up on the exact opening date of the new season, but for my purposes the end of the season statistics are taken from data published on the last day of the season. This can cause confusion as to weekly leading winners data, as Miami's week runs from Wednesday through Monday, meaning that weekly winners can overlap seasons. Again, many thanks to Tiger's Jai Alai Heaven and especially Tiger for helping me find my way through the thickets of American quinella Jai Alai statistics.

Entries, results, game pages, statistics

Aritz Erkiaga won the Fall season triple crown:  most wins all games (214), championship singles (25), and championship doubles (20). He played 723 games. Eric Irastorza was second in wins (161).  Irastorza won the 2016 Spring season triple crown. His numbers were 205, 16, and 32 in 810 games played. Aritz also led the Fall season in team wins-all games with 19. Irastorza finished 1st-4th in team wins all games last season with 17, 16, 15, and 14 (with 4 different partners).

Aritz' winning percentage was .296. Irastorza came in 2nd with .256. They were the only players on the roster over .200. Irastorza had the highest winning percentage in the Spring 2016 season with .253. Aritz also led the "in the money" (1st, 2nd, or 3rd place finishes)  percentage with .595. Irastorza was 2nd with .577. The only other player with an over .500 ITM was Cisneros at .510. Irastorza won the ITM% last season with .564. Jon played the most games with 919. Garro was 2nd with 875.

Leading weekly winners (July 11-December 26): (Source: Tiger's Chalk Talk discussion board release of weekly statistics)

Aritz 10; Irastorza 6; Cisneros 5; Bereikua 3; Jabi 2; Arietio 1; Benat 1;  Ladutxe 1; Tico 1. Note: in the event of a tie for weekly leading winner honors, all were listed for the purpose of this compilation.

Most wins in a full week: 16 by Aritz. Least to lead a full week: 8 by Aritz and Jabi.

For full weekly coverage of Miami Jai Alai see the Miami Jai Alai weekly leaders page on the right side of the blog.

MY ARTICLE: Miami Fall 2016 final standings: Wins and Wins by Playing Position.

Main Nue--Trinquet Garat Super Prestige singles tournament--Semi-finals

The 23rd Super Prestige is a singles tournament, an EP 2000 competition played at the cathedral of Main Nue, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port's (Donibane Garazi) "Le Garat"(1)(2).

It will be played on Mondays from November 28, 2016 to January 8, 2017 (Note. The tournament competition page shows that the final will be played on January 22, 2017. Originally it had been scheduled for January 8 (see original seeding chart below). The delay is due to a hand injury to Ducassou (source: Esku Pilota website).  This is a seeded singles tournament,  with 2 matches each Monday. The tournament will be played in knockout fashion with 4 "tours", followed by two semi-finals and a final (played on a Sunday). Seeding in one bracket (from low to high) is: Guichandut, X. Lambert, Bilbao, and Larralde. And in the other bracket: Ospital, de Ezcurra, Waltary, and Ducassou. The seeding can be seen graphically here.

2015 SP results

The tournament is organized by Garaziko Pilota (Societe Sportive Goizeko Izarra)

Tournament Competition page

The ongoing results of the tournament will be available on a "ladder" chart. Statistics and commentary for only the most recent Monday matches should be available, but it is unknown whether they will be available for every match. Esku Pilota sometimes puts these statistics into a spreadsheet. If they do, they will be linked to. If not, because of the importance of this tournament, I will copy them.

Tour 1 (November 28, 2016)

Tour 2  (December 5, 2016)

Tour 3 (December 12, 2016)

Tour 4 (December 19, 2016)

Source for match statistics for both matches: H. Ocafrain

December 26, 2016

Semi-Finals

Semi-finals preview article (Pilota Ttiki)

1. Larralde defeated Gonzalez 40-33.

Equalities: 29-29; 30-30; 33-33

Decade linescores: (winner always listed first)

1-9; 9-11; 11-19; 18-22; 23-27; 37-33

Complete linescore: (pelotelive.free.fr)

Time of the match: 1 hour, 8 minutes, 46 seconds; actual playing time: 21:42

Scoring:

Larralde +29 (12 service aces, 6 egindatukoak, 2 xareat, 6 pumpa xare, 1 buruzgain, 1 motz, 1 izkin motz) -3
Gonzalez +30 (12 service aces, 3 egindatukoak, 3 xareat, 4 pumpa xare, 1 ziloat, 2 dejadas, 1 buruzgain, 2 motz, 2 izkin motz) -11

2. Ducassou  defeated Ospital  40-26.

Equalities: 3-3; 4-4; 5-5; 6-6; 10-10; 13-13; 18-18; 19-19

Decade linescores

5-5; 10-10; 16-14; 21-19; 28-22; 34-26

Time of the match: 1:08:56, actual playing time: 23:12

Scoring:

Ducassou +33 (6 service aces, 6 egindatukoak, 8 xareat, 6 pumpa xare, 4 dejadas; 2 motz, 1 izkin motz) -6
Ospital +20 (8 service aces, 3 egindatukoak, 3 pumpa xare, 1 ziloat, 1 burzgain, 1 motz, 3 izkin motz) -7

Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article for both matches, an audio interview with Mikel Gonzalez, and full match videos for both matches (Esku Pilota).

Match article (Deia) (Castilian)

Video interview with Mikel Gonzalez (EITB) (Castilian)

Full match videos for both matches (Esku Pilota Youtube site--see below)

1. Mikel Gonzalez' fabulous unseeded 4 match  run through this tournament was finally ended by the top seeded defending champion. But not without a struggle. This match was book ended by two great runs. Gonzalez blazed out to a 9-0 and then 10-2 lead.  The first 9 points began with a shot banked off the right side wall into the xilo box. That was followed by 2 service aces, a beautiful shot into the dugout mesh, 4 more aces, and a Larralde error. The aces were a perfect mixture of low and high, right and left. But Larralde stayed patient and within himself, not trying to get 5 points with every shot. Within 10 points he was back in the game, but by the end of the third decade he was right back where he was at the end of the first. Another player may have cracked under that kind of pressure, but there is a reason Larralde is at or near the top of the Esku Pilota rankings. Although he held a 1 point lead late in the 5th decade, and achieved equality at 30, Gonzalez once more took a 3 point lead. But that was the last point Gonzalez scored. Larralde, after fighting that hard and long, found the resources to pass and then finish Gonzalez, scoring the last 10 points of the match. It was an amazing display of fitness, determination, and talent. His reward is a rematch in defense of his championship v last year's opponent, Baptiste Ducassou.

Full match video

Note: Youtube segments below may not resolve properly in certain browsers or smart phone apps. Exact times on the videos will be provided for those users. Simply move the slider bar to the times listed. Apologies for any inconvenience caused (Added January 7, 2017)

Gonzalez 0-0--10-2 (0:00--7:50)
Larralde 30-33--40-33(57:02--end of video)


2. This match was much closer and more difficult for Ducassou than the final score indicated. The first half of the match was highlighted by 8 equal scores. The last two decades show how a great player pries open a game from an up and coming young star. It wasn't that Ospital had a bad match. At 29-26, he was still very much "in the game." But from there on, Ducassou completely closed the door. And so there will be a rematch of last year's final, the two best players in the game at present, a front man v a back man, both with unlimited reserves of athleticism, talent, intelligence, and passion. Larralde has had much the better of the last two singles finals they played, the 2016 Championnat de France (40-22) and last year's Super Prestige final (40-26). I wouldn't be surprised if this match goes deep into the 8th decade before a winner is decided on January 22.

Full match video

Ducassou--29-26--40-26 (51:24--end of video)

Mutiple Modalities--The amateur scene regional and national scene in the North Basque at the end of 2016.

Several regional tournaments in various modalities were completed before the end of 2016. The easiest way to find them is a specialized lookup at pelotelive.free.fr.

Click on "Voir" to look at any of the competitions. Cut and paste the Organization name or abbreviation along with "pelota" and do a google search in order to link to the regional organizations that sponsor these tournaments. The Federation Francais de Pelote Basque (FFPB) also has a listing (unfortunately not live linked at present) of the major regional organizations.

For regional competitions with match videos another specialized search of PFF will retrive most of them. Click on "voir" and search for matches with the film icon.

With the beginning of the new year the FPPB National Championnat de France competitions begin in earnest. The easiest way to follow them is the Calendar at FPPB.

Check results at FFPB or at PFF.  As these tournaments come on line, there are likely to be match videos. Watch the media box for a film icon.

Following any of the amateur competitions in the North Basque Country may seem daunting, but a little creative use of PPF or FFPB results pages will go a long way toward enjoying the feast of North Basque amateur competition that takes place through the winter and spring months.

Main Nue: Tournois Biper Saria

Tournois Biper Saria, an EP 500 competition, was held at Trinquet de Saint-Pee (1)(2) and Trinquet D'Espellete (1)(2) on December 23 and 28.

Score source: Esku Pilota match articles and Resultats page

December 28,2016

Final:

Trinquet d'Espelette: Etchegaray-Bilbao (substituting for Guichandut) defeated Bielle-Amulet 40-35

Source for score

Note: Guichandut played and won v Bielle in a Championnat de France Main Nue Individual tournament match on December 30, 2016..

December 23, 2016

Semi-finals

Trinquet de Saint-Pee. The matches were moved from Trinquet Dospi to Trinquet de Saint-Pee due to a moisture problem at Dospi.

1. Etchegaray-Guichandut defeated X. Lambert-L.Lambert 40-35

Partial linescore (winners always listed 1st)

21-7; 27-30; 40-35

In a match dominated by huge runs (21-7, 6-23, 13-5), E-G produced the last one and rode it to victory.

2. Bielle-Amulet defeated Inchauspe-de Ezcurra 40-22

Partial linescore

10-7; 20-11; 30-15, 40-22

B-A broke the match wide open in second half to win easily.

Match article for both matches

Remonte: XII Torneo Individual de Remonte de Navidad 2016

The 12th Torneo Individual de Remonte de Navidad, sponsored by Fundacion Remonte Euskal Jai Berri was played at Olatz Txipia (Olaz) (1)(2) and Labrit (Iruna (Pamplona)) (1)(2) December 26 and 30, 2016.

Source for all articles; Euskal Jai Berri

December 30, 2016

Final:

Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona): Urriza defeated Uterga 30-22

Match preview

Match article

Match linescore (winner always listed 1st). Source: Navarra TV

1-0; 1-1; 2-1; 2-2; 2-3; 3-3; 4-3; 5-3; 5-4; 6-4; 7-4; 8-4; 8-5; 8-6; 8-7; 8-8; 9-8; 10-8; 11-8; 12-8; 12-9; 13-9; 14-9; 15-9; 15-10; 16-10; 16-11; 17-11; 17-12; 17-13; 17-14; 17-15; 17-16; 17-17; 18-17; 19-17; 20-17; 21-17; 22-17; 23-17; 24-17; 25-17; 27-18; 28-18; 28-19; 28-20; 29-20; 29-21; 29-22; 30-22

Urriza led virtually from start to finish, and won this final going away. Every time Uterga challenged--2-3 (the only time he led), 8-8, and 17-17 after a 6-0 run, Urriza answered with major runs (6-1, 7-1, 11-1). I was able to watch a Narvarra TV feed of the match and Urriza showed how devastating he can be in the short court format. He controlled the tempo and when he was able to set up in front he launched his typical rockets, either pinning Uterga against the left wall, passing him there, or forcing him into difficult rebotes. The victory evened the score over the last two years in this tournament after Uterga won last year's final 30-15.

Match article for 2015 final, played at Labrit, January 18, 2016

December 26, 2016:

Semi-finals

Match article for both matches

Olatz Txipia (Olaz)

1. Urriza defeated Ion 30-21

Selected linescore (winner always listed 1st)

2-8; 3-10; 18-18; 30-21

15-8 and 12-3 runs by Urriza at the end of the match more than neutralized Ion's fast start.

2. Uterga defeated Etxeberria IV 30-20

Selected linescore (winner always listed 1st)

17-17; 20-18; 30-20

This was a very even match until Etxeberria IV suffered an ankle injury during the 20-18 point. Though he continued, he was limited by the injury and Uterga dominated the rest of the match.

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

In 2016 Uterga and Urriza faced each other in 7 Euskal Jai Berri tournament matches. Uterga won 4, Urriza 3. Uterga won 3 of the 5 championship finals they played.

Jan. 19, 2016--Navidad--Uterga 30, Urriza 15

Apr. 22, 2016--Casco Viejo--Uterga-Barrentxea IV 35, Urriza-Etxeberria III 32

Final point of the match (32 balls in play--the longest point I have seen in a Remonte match)

May 29, 2016--San Isidro--Urriza-Ion 35, Uterga-Etxeberria III 33

Jun. 11, 2016--Gipuzkoa Kopa--Uterga-Aizpuru III 35-Urriza-Zaldua 25

Full match video (match begins at 1 hour, 6 minutes, 30 seconds on the video) (EITB)

Dec. 30, 2016--Navidad--Urriza 30, Uterga 22

Mano--Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas--Week 4

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 end. 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:

Short video recap of all 4 matches (Elezkano-Zabaleta v Mendizabal III-Barriola highlights are here).

December 22, 2016

A. Uarkape, Arrasate (Mondragon) (1)(2)(3): Ezkurdia-Merino II defeated Urrutikoetxea-Imaz 22-15.

Match article with statistics and linescore (Deia)

An 8-1 start propelled E-M to their second consecutive victory. 8-1 was maintained all the way to 20-11 before U-I were able to close the gap and make the score more respectable. E-M 2-2 U-I 1-3

Match highlights (EITB)

Match Highlights (21iguales.com Youtube) Parts or all of 12 points.

December 23, 2016

B. Biaizpe, Irurtzun (1)(2): Elezkano II-Zabaleta defeated Mendizabal III (substituting for Altuna III)-Barriola 22-3. Altuna III, injured in the 1st match of the League phase, is expected to return on January 1, 2017 v Ezkurdia-Merino II.

Match article with statistics and linescore (Deia):

Feature article on Elezkano (Deia)

Feature article on Altuna III return from injury (Diario Vasco)

Led by Danel Elizkano's  +16 (more than doubling the output of the other three players combined) and a 19 point run at the finish, E-Z won their 2nd consecutive match, dominating M-B. E-Z 2-2 A-B 1-3. 

Match highlights (see video recap of all matches above).

Full Match video (Fronton.tv) Scroll to "Irurtzun-Biaizpe - 23/12/2016".

December 24, 2016

C. Beotibar, Tolosa (1)(2):  Victor (substituting for Artola)-Albisu defeated Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe 22-20

Selected linescore: (winner always listed 1st)

0-6; 7-7; 14-14; 15-15; 16-16; 17-17; 22-20

Match article

Match statistics (Asegarce)

With Victor substituting for Artola for the first of what could be 8-10 weeks, V-A got off to a slow start. But then they clicked into gear and evened the score with a 7-1 run. From there the two teams were evenly matched until the end, when V-A eked out the victory. They had to overcome 13 errors in order to do so. A-A 3-1 B-L 1-3

Match highlights

Full match video (match begins at 1 hour, 7 minutes, 7 seconds on the video).

December 25, 2016

D. Astelena, Eibar (1)(2):  Irribaria-Rezusta defeated Oliazola II-Untoria 22-7

Match article with statistics and linescore (Deia)

I-R took Oliazola II completely out of the match (+2 -5) and remained the only undefeated team in the competition with this easy victory. The match linescore shows no big runs, just a continual accumulation of the lead throughout the match. This match was a statement of intent for I-R, as O-U  are thought to be one of the favorites to win. I-R 4-0 O-U 2-2.

Match highlights

Full match video (match begins at 1:05:23 of the video).

Pala--La Liga Kutxabank--Week 9--end of League Phase

La Liga Kutxabank competition began on October 29, 2016 at Bizkaia Fronton, Bilbo (Bilbao) (1)(2). This tournament includes the entire InnPala roster, divided into 5 teams which will participate in a double round robin League competition, followed by a semi-final between the 2nd and 3rd place teams. The winner will face the League winner in a final on January 7th, 2017. Most of the matches will be at Bizkaia. There will also be matches at Sopela and Gallarta. For more on the tournament see the tournament page at InnPala.

Week 1--October 29, 2016

Week 2--November 5, 2016

Week 3--November 12, 2016

Week 4--November 19, 2016

Week 5--November 25-26, 2016

Week 6--December 2-3, 2016 

Week 7--December 10, 2016

Week 8--December 16, 2016

Week 9 (Source for match and individual joko scores: Diario Vasco Cartelera (Dec. 24, 2016). This was the final week of the League phase. 

December 23, 2016

Chiquito de Gallarta (1)(2)(3)

Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez defeated Necol-Ibargarai 3-1 (10-5, 10-8, 8-10 ,10-7). 

Fusto-Gordon defeated Landeta-Imanol 3-2 (10-7, 8-10, 10-5, 1-10, 10-9)

Match article (InnPala Facebook page). Auto-translate may be available at the site. (Added Dec. 26, 2016).

When Fusto-Gordon came out to play their match against Landeta-Imanol they knew that Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez had given them the smallest opening to a possible semi-final appearance by holding Necol-Ibargari to 1 joko (set). A win for F-G would give them 17 points, equal to N-I and Zubiri-Brefel, who had finished their schedule a week ago. And F-G were able to win their match, but just barely. They squandered 1-0 and 2-1 leads before coming back from a devastating 1-10 4th joko loss to win their match--the final point of the final joko (after trailing 7-9). That point propelled them into a semi-final match at Bizkaia December 30 v...Necol-Ibargari.

Final League Table:

Key: Team, Match record, Joko (set) record, League points

Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez.. 6-2....(3-2, 3-1, 3-2, 3-2, 3-1, 2-3, 1-3, 3-1)...21
Necol-Ibargari:...........3-5....(3-1, 2-3, 2-3, 3-2, 1-3, 3-1, 2-3, 1-3)....17
Fusto-Gordon.............5-3....(1-3, 0-3, 3-2, 3-0, 1-3, 3-0, 3-2, 3-2)....17
Zubiri-Brefel...............4-4....(2-3, 3-1, 3-0, 2-3, 3-0, 0-3, 1-3, 3-1)...17
Landeta-Imanol..........2-6....(1-3, 1-3, 2-3, 0-3, 0-3, 3-1, 3-2, 2-3)....12

Let's stop for a moment and examine this table. This is the order that the teams are listed on the InnPala home page (although, as of Dec. 26, InnPala has Z-B and L-I with only 7 matches instead of the 8 they have actually played). How is it possible that a team the won 3 matches of 8 finished above a team the won 5 of 8 (though for purposes of the semi-final, there is no advantage in coming 2nd rather than 3rd)? More importantly, how is it possible that a team that won 3 of 8 is in the semi-final and a team that won 4 of 8 is not? The key to this is the fact that the entire system is based on jokos  won. Matches won have nothing to do with anything (except as a reflection of jokos won). I wondered how ties would be broken in the League phase, as the rules of the tournament (see the InnPala Tournament link above) are mute on this point. The way this standing was determined, as far as I can tell (which may or may not be correct), based on number of jokos won, was determined by N-I, F-G, and Z-B jokos in matches against each other. Again, the only thing that matters is number of jokos won. One of the reasons I keep track of match wins-losses is that I think that statistic is important to the players, though it may mean next to nothing in determining positions on a League phase ladder. This tournament didn't really consist of 8 matches per team, but rather anywhere from 24 to 40 jokos, interrupted 8 times by a match happening to be won or lost. A team winning all 8 matches could score 24 points. Under this system, a team losing all 8 matches could score 16.

Necol-Ibargari v Zubiri-Brefel

N-I 3 Z-B 2 (November 26, 2016)
N-I 3 Z-B 1 (December 10, 2016)

Necol-Ibargari v Fusto-Gordon

F-G 3 N-I 2 (November 25, 2016)
F-G 3-N-I 2 (December 16, 2016)

Fusto-Gordon v Zubiri-Brefel

Z-B 3 F-G 0 (November 12, 2016)
F-G 3 Z-B 0 (December 3, 2016)

Total Jokos: N-I 10; F-G 9; Z-B 6

N-I, by losing their 5 matches more closely than Z-B lost their 4, were able to accumulate enough joko points to be part of the three way tie that gave them an advantage at the end. If one only looks at match results of the three teams against each other one sees: F-G 3-1, N-I 2-2, Z-B 1-3, which also knocks Z-B out of the semi-final.

As far as any prognostications go, I would look closely at Fusto-Gordon. Since their poor (0-2 (1-6 jokos) start, they have gone 5-1 (16-9 jokos)). They have played better than anyone over the last half of the League phase, and when the "money was on the line," i.e. their survival in the tournament was at stake in the last two matches, they won both. They beat N-I (their semi-final opponents) after being down 0-1 and 1-2. Then they beat Landeta-Imanol, the team that finished at the bottom of the table, but a team that had won their previous 2 matches (6-3 jokos), including an upset of the League winners Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez. Over the past 8 weeks, G-I were clearly the best team. But right now, F-G are the most in form.

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

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.

December 23, 2016

Gaubeka(d)..6-2....21-15..+1*
Fusto(d).......5-3....17-15...+3
Zubiri(d)......5-4....20-14..+1*
Necol(d).......3-6...17-22....-2
Landeta(d)...2-6....12-21...-1

Ibai-Perez(z).6-2....21-15...+1*
Gordon(z).....5-4....17-18...+3
Brefel(z)........4-4....17-14...+1
Ibargari(z).....4-5.....20-19...-2
Imanol(z).......2-6....12-21...-1*

*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. 

Mano--Tourneo Bankoa Credit Agricole-DV--finals.

The finals of the 25th Tourneo Bankoa Credit Agricole-DV (Diario Vasco) Tournament were played on December 23, 2016. The tournament began with 64 amateur players on September 17. It was played at multiple venues in the South Basque Country.  It consisted of a "promesas" and senior tournament. It is one of the most prestigious of amateur tournaments, and many of its players have gone on to become professional players.

The tournament was covered extensively in Diario Vasco

Background on the tournament

Tournament coverage

December 23, 2016

Beloki, Zumarraga (1)(2)(3)

Promesas Final:

Garcia-Eskiroz defeated Etxeberria-Aranguren 22-15

Match article (Diario Vasco)

Senior Final:

E. Labaka-Martinez defeated P. Labaka-Arratibel 22-4.

Match article (Dairio Vasco)

Full match video for both promesas and senior final matches (Source: EITB) Senior final begins at 1 hour 5 minutes 58 seconds on the video.

60 photos (Diario Vasco)

Multiple Modalities--Highlights of the Master International Pelote 2016 - 2nd edition amateur competition.

Master International Pelote was a set of 3 amateur competitions--organized by the Pelote Club du Chaudron, with several sponsors, including the Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPB) and InnPala--held in La Reunion (an overseas Department of France located on an island in the Indian Ocean) November 12-19, 2016.

In mid-December DMB production released a 29 minute 23 second video highlighting the week's competitions and youth outreach.

MIP 2016 Édition 2 (Dominique Meyer-Bisch - DMB Production)

Competitions were held in Main Nue, Pala Corta, and Paleta Cuir (all on mur a gauche courts). The Paleta Cuir competition was fully covered by pelotelive.free.fr. The Pala Corta competition was partially covered by PFF. The pala/paleta competitions were also covered by the MIP Facebook page.  Both sources have links to several match videos. Look for thought bubble or film icons at PFF. Make sure to "disactiver" PFF's auto-refresh or the video will stop. A complete listing of MIP Facebook match videos can be found here.

One of the highlights of the competition was the upset of InnPala professionals Fusto-Brefel by the local La Reunion team of Mahabo-Mangaman in a Paleta Cuir semi-final.

Mahabo-Mangaman defeated Fusto-Brefel 2-0 (15-12, 15-11).

Selected match video Make sure to "disactiver" PFF's auto-refresh or the video will stop.

Also available at MIP Facebook page

November 19, 2016

Paleta Cuir Final:

Clain (substituting for Mahabo)-Magaman defeated Sainz-Skufka 2-1 (6-15, 15-10, 10-7).

Match video (match video is at the bottom of the page)

November 19, 2016

Pala Corta Final:

Zozaya-Muruzabal defeated de Elizondo-Belestin 2-1 (15-10, 12-15, 10-4)

Full match video and complete linescores are available at the pelotelive.free.fr match page. Scroll to the bottom of the page for videos. Part 1 is at the bottom of the page. Part 2 is directly above Part 1.