Jai Alai/Cesta Punta--Eric Irastorza finishes his carreer at Maimi Jai Alai--Nicholas Eyheragary (Yeche) injured in traffic accident

1. Eric Irastorza finished his 18 year American Quiniela Jai Alai career, leaving Miami Jai Alai on  January 15, 2017.  He began his American career in 1999. His long career and many championships in the states and the Basque Country are chronicled in a Jai Alai News Facebook article (auto-translate may be available). Last Spring, he won Miami Jai Alai's triple crown (most wins, singles championship, and doubles championship).

2. Dania's back court player Yeche (Nicolas Eyheragaray) recently suffered a fractured leg in a traffic accident. He will be lost to Dania Jai Alai for about 6 months. He recently played in and won the Master 4 Championship (with Alex Hormaetxea) of the 2016 Internationaux Cesta Punta competition.

Jai Alai News Facebook page article (auto translate may be available).

Main Nue--FFPB Championnat de France Elite Pro Individuel--Results of January 21, 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

Villefranque (1)(2)(3)

 A5: Bilbao defeated Guichandut 40-34

Preview article  (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article, along with an audio interview with Bilbao (Esku Pilota)

Selected linescore (winner always listed first) (source: match articles above)

10-5; 12-6; 15-6; 19-12; 20-12; 21-13; 25-19; 26-19; 30-22; 33-23; 35-23; 39-29; 39-34; 40-34

Bilbao was in control throughout, building up a 9 point lead in the first half  of the match, maintaining it until almost the end, and then holding off a late Guichandut charge. Guichandut, who had beaten Amulet at Arcangues on January 6 after trailing 33-38 and 35-39, was hoping for another great finish. Both match articles mention that Bilbao has a new coach (Philippe Carricart). Bilbao moves on to the Liguilla phase of the tournament.

Bilbao will first face Larralde (seeded into the tournament at this level)  at historic Saint Palais (0:12-0:24 on the video if your device doesn't parse the section) on January 29, 2017.

 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. 

Main Nue--FFPB Championnat de France Elite Pro Individuel--Results of January 20, 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 won their way in and two who were 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

Arcangues (1) (2)

 B8: Etchegaray defeated Inchauspe 40-24

Preview article  (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article (Esku Pilota)

Selected linescore (winner always listed first) (source: match articles above)

5-10; 12-12; 18-15; 18-18; 30-23; 35-24; 40-24

Etchegaray won easily again, his 3rd decisive victory in this tournament. He has outscored his opponents 120-74. The first half of the match was close, with Inchauspe in control early. Runs of 25-13 and 10-1 enabled Etchegaray to advance to the Liguilla phaseof the tournament.

Etchegaray will first face Elgart (seeded into the tournament at this level) at historic Saint Palais (0:12-0:24 on the video if your device doesn't parse the section) on January 29, 2017.

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. 

Pasaka--LPPB (Ligue Pelote Pays Basque) Premier Series Quarter-final.

For more information on Pasaka and its importance in Basque culture and history, as well as an explanation of the game, see the blog post here.

LPPB, which is formally known as Comité Territorial Pays Basque de Pelote Basque/Euskal Herriko Eusko Pilota Batzorde, is one of the amateur club regional leagues of the Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque (FFPB).

One of 4 quarter-final matches in the LPPB Premier Pasaka Competition, which began on November 13, 2016 and will end with a final on February 5, 2017, was held on January 15.

Urrugne (1)(2) : Urrugne (Urrunarrak) (Ourquia-Ussaralde--white) defeated Saint Pierre d'Irube (Hiriburuko Ainhara 2) (Lapergue-Latxague--red) 13-9

Full match video (Urrunarak Youtube)

Score source: LPPB Resultats and Pelotelive.free.fr

Competition Context

A. LPPB (pick "Championnat d'Hiver 2016-17" for Competition and "Trinquet / Pasaka" for Specialite. Then click on "voir..")

B. Pelotelive.free.fr

Normally, an amateur competition below the level of FFPB Championnat de France wouldn't be covered in this blog, but I couldn't resist because of the excellent quality of the video provided by the Urrunarrak Club (note that it is not a commercial quality video--you must listen closely to keep score--more explanation is available in the "MY ARTICLE" link below). This Pasaka is quite different from the Oiartsun V. Txapelketa Final covered in the blog in August (See the link above). That match was played with bare hands and a somewhat smaller ball in an Arkupe (alcove of a municipal building or church). This form is played with a small cesta strapped to the right hand. The pelota is the biggest and heaviest of any Basque pelota modality (up to 250 grams--about 1/2 pound), around twice as heavy as a Jai Alai or Remonte pelota. It is a bit smaller in circumference than an American 12 inch softball. It is not easy to propel it to all corners of a 28 meter trinquet court.  It takes a combination of strength and finesse to play Pasaka successfully.

The implement used is the direct ancestor of the larger and more modern cestas used in Jai Alai, Remonte, and Joko Garbi. And if you watch the match closely, you can see how the strategy, tactics, and mechanics of those modalities evolved from this form.

This was a very competitive and attritional match. Its 22 games, lasting a little over an hour (individual game scoring is identical to tennis), consumed nearly 750 balls in play. The mammoth 20th game, won by the eventual losers of the match, consumed 92 balls in play and took nearly 10 minutes. Watching Pasaka provides a look back in time to the beginnings of the modernization of Basque Pelota, what might be called its industrial revolution, as the artisan tool (the hand) evolved into various tools whose purpose was to propel the pelota further and faster, very much faster.

MY ARTICLE: Details of the match.

Main Nue--FFPB Championnat de France Elite Pro Individuel--Results of January 16, 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

Le Garat, St. Jean-Pied-de-Port (1) (2)

Preview article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)

Match statistics source: H. Ocafrain (Garat "Lundi" page). Note: the statistics will only be available until the next "Lundi" match. Occasionally, Esku Pilota copies these statistics into a spreadsheet. If that happens, I will link to it. If not, I will copy these out to preserve them here. 

A6. The scheduled A6 match between Ospital and Waltary was postponed due to Ospital's heel injury. It has been rescheduled for next Monday, January 23, 2017 at Le Garat.

In its place, a "lever de rideau" (curtain raiser)  between two amateurs was played.  

Cubiat defeated Iturbe 40-30.

Match statistics:

Equalities: 4-4; 7-7; 11-11; 12-12; 14-14; 16-16; 17-17; 18-18

Decade linescores: (winner always listed 1st)

4-6; 11-9; 16-14; 22-18; 27-23; 33-27

Time of the match: 58 minutes, 31 seconds. Actual playing time: 20:28.

Scoring: Cubiat +34 (12 service aces, 5 egindakoak, 4 xareat, 5 pumpa xare, 1 ziloat, 3 dejadez, 1 buruzgain, 1 motz, 2 izkin motz), -11 (including 1 service error)
                Iturbe: +19 (4 service aces, 4 egindakoak, 1 xareat, 3 pumpa xare, 4 dejadez, 2 buruzgain, 1 izkin motz), -6

From the scoring evidence, Cubiat did a little more of almost everything (including errors), but his service ace advantage was decisive. The first half of the match was very competitive before Cubiat slowly pulled away.

B7. Benesse defeated Palomes 40-31.

Match statistics:

Match statistics (Esku Pilota spreadsheet of Ocafrain statistics) (added January 18, 2017)

Equalities:

7-7; 9-9; 10-10; 13-13; 14-14; 15-15; 18-18; 19-19;

Decade linescores (winner always lised 1st)

7-3; 10-10; 15-15; 21-19; 28-22; 32-28; 39-31

Time of the match: 56:23. Actual playing time: 19:46

Scoring: Benesse +22 (5 service aces, 8 egindakoak, 2 xareat, 4 pumpa xare, 1 buruzgain, 2 izkin motz), -9 (including 1 service fault)
               Palomes: +22 (5 service aces, 4 egindakoak, 2 xareat, 5 pumpa xare, 1 ziloat, 2 dejadez, 3 izkin motz), -18 (including 3 service faults).

The first half of this match was even. Palomes was still in the match going into the 7th decade. At that point an 8-3 run sealed the match for Benesse.  A quick look at the scoring may be instructive. The difference in error totals was the exact difference in the match. Benesse advances to the Liguilla phase of the tournament.

Benesse will first face Monce (seeded into the tournament at this level) at Le Garat on on January 30. They played in a "lever de rideau" on  January 2. Monce won that match, 40-33. 

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. 

Mano--Binakako Txapelketako/Campionato Parejas--Week 7

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;  Week 5;   Week 6

Week 7

January 13, 2017

The league phase reached its halfway point with Irribarria-Rezusta in command at 6 wins and 1 loss (corrected from 5-2 January 19, 2017). 6 other teams were bunched together with either 4 or 3 wins. Urrutikoetxea-Imaz were at the bottom of the ladder with 2 wins and 5 losses.  

A. Fronton Daniel Ugarte, Hendaya (1)(2): Bengoetxea VI-Larunbe defeated  Irribaria-Rezusta 22-16. 

Match article with statistics and linescore 

B-L handed I-R their first loss of the tournament. The winners came out smoking and quickly led 10-2, including 3 left wall winners by Bengoetxea VI where Irribarria was moving the wrong way.  I-R came back late and a 5-1 run from 17-11 left them in a position for a great comeback victory. But it never happened, as Bengoetxea VI personally shut the door, with a left wall winner, a cross court kill shot, a beautiful high-deep shot that forced a Rezusta error, and a serve that Irribarria mis-hit.   I-R 6-1 (-1) B-L 3-4 (+1)

Match highlights

Full match video (match begins at 1 hour 8 minutes on the video)

January 14, 2017

B. Labrit, Iruna (Pamplona) (1) (2):  Altuna III-Barriola defeated Olaizola II-Untoria 22-16.

 Match article with statistics and linescore

In a match pitting two of the best shot makers in the tournament, Altuna III got the best of Olaizola II, leading his team to victory. According to EITB, it was Altuna III +12 -4 and Olaizola II +8 -3. Altuna III won the left wall battle 6-4, the cross-court kill shot battle 2-0, and the 2 wall battle 2-0. Olaizola III won the high and deep shot battle 3-0. He was also less accurate with his own lethal cross-court kill shot than usual. As a result, A-B got off to a quick start, and then, after Olaizola II began working over Barriola with high deep shots to get O-U back in the match, A-B took the lead again, this time for good. A-B remain undefeated when playing together. When either one or both of them have been out, the team has lost all its matches. A-B 4-3 (+3) O-U 3-4 (-2)

Match highlights

Full Match video (match begins at 1:09:07 on the video).

January 15, 2017

C. Adarraga, Logrono (1) (2): Ezkurdia-Merino II defeated Jaka (substituting for Elezkano II)-Zabaleta 22-15

Match article with statistics and linescore 

Feature article on Erik Jaka (Deia)

Erik Jaka debuted in this competition in a match that had many more errors than winners (23-14 by the count of EITB, 21iguales.com had the count slightly different). From 16-15 to the end most of the 6-0 run by E-M that finished the match were due to E-Z errors. Jaka showed potential and a deft touch on his left wall shot that earned him 5 winners. However the winners were neutralized by 4 certain winners that he hit too low. Elezkano, whom Jaka replaced, will be out at least 3 to 4 weeks with an ankle ligament injury. E-M 4-3 (+2) E-Z 3-4 (-1)

Match highlights

Match highlights (21iguales.com Youtube) (15 selected points, including the final point).

Full match video (match begins at 59:50 on the video).

January 16, 2017 

D.  Beotibar, Tolosa (1)(2): Urrutikoetxea-Imaz defeated Victor (substituting for Artola)-Albisu 22-18.

Match article with statistics and linescore 

A 9-3 run by U-I broke open a tight match (12-10--21-13). V-A made a valiant comeback with a 5-0 run of their own but it wasn't enough. There were almost as many errors as winners in the match. Victor was in double figures with winners and errors. U-I 2-5 (+1) A-A 3-4 (-3)

Match highlights

Match highlights (21igaules.com) 11 selected points.

Main Nue--FFPB Championnat de France Elite Pro Individuel--Results of January 14, 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").

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 matches;    January 6, 2017 matches;  January 9, 2017 matches

January 14, 2017

Villefranque (1)(2)(3)

Preview article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki) 

Match article for both matches: (Pilota Ttiki)

Match article for both matches (Esku Pilota)

A5. The scheduled A5 match between Guichandut and Bilbao was postponed due to Bilbao being ill with influenza. It has been rescheduled for next Saturday, January 21, 2017 at Villefranque.

In its place, as a "lever de rideau" (curtain raiser) Monce defeated Elgart 40-32.

Selected linescore: (winner always listed first).

25-25; 32-32; 40-32

This match might be a preview of  a possible liguilla match, as they are both seeded in to the tournament at that level. Elgart held the advantage early. Monce took over the match in the late stages. They will resume tournament play on January 29 and 30. If they win, they will face each other in the final.

B6. Etchegaray defeated L.Lambert 40-27.

Selected linescore (winner always listed first). Source: both articles above.

10-4; 15-9; 20-13; 26-13; 26-19; 40-27.

With the exception of a 6-0 run by Lambert that cut his deficit to 7 points, Etchegaray was untroubled in this match. The total score of his two matches is 80-50. His next match is against Alexis Inchauspe at Arcangues on January 20.

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. 

Pala--Mundial Individual 2017 begins

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.

January 14, 2014

Unseeded play-in matches

Joko score sources: Diario Vasco Cartelera, January 15, 2017

1. Necol defeated Landeta 3-2 (10-8, 10-8, 8-10, 9-10, 10-6) (47-42)

2. Zubiri defeated Gordon 3-1 (10-7, 2-10, 10-7, 10-5) (32-29)

Note: Both Innpala.com match article links were removed as they were simply overwritten by the match stories from the next week's (January 21) matches without any change of URL. For obvious reasons, I won't be linking to their match stories until this design flaw if fixed. (Removed January 22, 2017).

Match article for both matches (InnPala Fronton Facebook page) (auto translate may be available) (added January 16, 2017)

The favorites won both matches. Necol had a difficult struggle with Landeta but finally prevailed in a match that consumed 89 of a possible 95 points. Outside of a very poor 2nd joko, Zubiri dominated his match. The next matches are on January 21, 2017: Necol v Brefel and Zubiri v Imanol.

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

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 14, 2017

Gaubeka(d)..7-2.....24-15..+2*....1(La Liga)
Zubiri(d)......7-5.....27-20..+2*
Fusto(d)........5-5.....20-21..-2
Necol(d)........5-7....23-28..+1
Landeta(d)....3-7.....17-25..-1

Ibai-Perez(z)..7-3....25-18..+1*....1(La Liga)
Brefel(z).........5-4....20-16..+2
Ibargari(z).....5-6....23-23...-1
Gordon(z)......5-7....21-27...-3
Imanol(z).......3-6....15-22..+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.  

Jai Alai/Cesta Punta-Two important news articles

1. Jai Alai News Facebook page has released an extensive interview with Pedro Andrinúa Santibáñez, manager of the newly remodeled Fronton Mexico (Mexico City) scheduled to re-open on Mar. 4, 2017. Many topics are discussed, including the process of remodeling the 1,800 seat fronton, the signing of (so far) 18 players, (including Lopez, Irastorza, Egiguren, Olharan, and Olha), and the mechanics of how the matches will work. The interview is in Castilian. Auto translation to English may be available. In the title are the words "Great Expectations." Indeed!

Interview with Pedro Andrinúa Santibáñez

2. "Gotzon Enbil, elegido nuevo Presidente de la Federación vasca de pelota" ("Gotzon Enbil, elected new President of the Basque Pelota Federation")," by Igor G. Vico (Deia, January 14, 2017) 
 

Euskadiko Euskal Pilota Federakuntza (EEPF) Club competitions begin

Euskadiko Euskal Pilota Federakuntza (EEPF) has announced the beginning of its 2017 Club competitions. Club competitions began January 12, 2017 and will end for most competitions on March 12. Competitions will be at the cadete, juvenil, sub-22, and senior level in the modalities of mano singles and doubles, paleta goma men's and women's, paleta cuero, pala corta, frontenis, and cesta punta. Women's paleta goma (juvenil and senior) semi-finals will be held January 21, with finals to be held January 28.

EEPF Announcement (with attached schedule files in Microsoft Excel format)

To follow results of individual competitions: Click on "CPTO. DE EH. DE CLUBES". A drop down menu of each of the individual competitions will appear. Click on any of them to open that competition. Click on "Calendario" for the schedule and "Calendario de Resultados" for results. All competitions (except the paleta goma listed above) will begin with league phases, followed by playoffs and finals. Calendarios are available in HTML and Microsoft Excel formats. It is unknown at this time if any of these competitions will have match videos on EITB or elsewhere. If playoff phases are televised, they will be linked to in the blog.