FM Roster
Each tournament will be played over the course of two weekends, the first weekend a preliminary round, the second a semi-final and final. At present each tournament will contain either 4 or 6 pairs. After the first 4 tournaments, a 5th tournament, a tournament among the highest ranking players, will be held to crown two "Champion of Champions" winners. The winners of the Premier League will win the Copa Moises Cosio Trophy.
Parts or all of each Tournament will be streamed live via Fronton Mexico Facebook. (Consult FM website, Facebook or Twitter for times (Twitter is the quickest way to get the times, consult it the day of the matches). For those who miss the live transmissions, the matches are available on demand at the Facebook site. Selected matches may also be available at the FM Youtube site.
Note: as of July 3, 2019, all matches from Tournament 2-5 have been uploaded to the FM Youtube site. For this final Tournament, Youtube addresses will be given, as they are more easily accessible. For the previous tournaments, I will leave the Facebook addresses as they are, but add this note to the blog pages.
Player rankings (and explanation of rankings)
Injury report: April 26, 2019
Ludovic Laduche (front) (Internationaux Cesta Punta) suffered an ankle ligament injury (Fronton Mexico) in the 2nd set of the FFPB Cesta Punta Pro-Am Final (Cesta Punta Pro Tour Youtube). He will miss the entire 2 month Fronton Mexico season. He has been replaced by Angel Egea (Fronton Mexico), ex-Miami Jai Alai player. It is unknown at this time whether Laduche will be able to play in the Summer Partidos in the Basque Country.
Note: the matches are presented in reverse chronological order.
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Tournament 1
Tournament 2
Tournament 3
Tournament 4
Champion of Champions Tournaments
Injury report:
May 8, 2019
Jean Olharan (front) suffered a forearm injury in his Premier League match with Lopez v Olha-Irastorza (with the match at 15-14 O-L. He looks doubtful for O-L's Final v Goikoetxea-Ekhi on May 9.
April 26, 2019
Ludovic Laduche (front) (Internationaux Cesta Punta) suffered an ankle ligament injury (Fronton Mexico) in the 2nd set of the FFPB Cesta Punta Pro-Am Final (Cesta Punta Pro Tour Youtube). He will miss the entire 2 month Fronton Mexico season. He has been replaced by Angel Egea(Fronton Mexico), ex-Miami Jai Alai player. It is unknown at this time whether Laduche will be able to play in the Summer Partidos in the Basque Country.
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Tournament 3: May 31-June 9 2019
Premier League and National League Tournaments
T3 Information (Fronton Mexico Facebook Events)
Note: All T3 matches were played as single 30 point partidos.
Pemier League consisted of 4 teams:
Olharan**-Lopez;
(Aritz) Erkiaga-Ekhi;
Goikoetxea*-Inza;
Olha-Irastorza**
* Winner of Tourmament 1 **Winner of Tournament 2
There was a single Round Robin From May 31-June 7. Final was on June 9.
National League was a 6 team competition.
There were two groups:
Group A: Inclan-Mauricio; Polanco-Perez*; Ochoa*-Echinique
Group B: Ortega-Del Rio+**; Juan Leon**-Portet; Sierra-Ihitsague
* Winner of the first National League Tournament;
** Winner of the 2nd NL Tournamet;
+ Winner of the 1st Premier League Tournament
There was a Group Round Robin May 31-June 7. Semi-Finals (A1-B2; B1-A2) were on June 8. Final was on June 9.
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As the third Tournament finished, some fans began to wonder about the workload these players are carrying. The format was changed from two sets of 15 with a tie breaker to 5 to 30 point partidos. It took the teams most of the first weekend to adjust to the change, judging by the scores (see below). The second weekend was much more competitive, with the two finals each being decided by 4 points. But this tournament came with price tag. Jean Olharan, who was really beginning to assert himself, was injured in a meaningless Round Robin match (his team had qualified for the final by the end of the first week, his opponents were eliminated, also in the first week), forcing the suspension of the match and a quick change to a 15 point "friendly" that featured Imanol Lopez playing in the front court. In the final on Sunday, Txabi Inza had to retire with an injury. He was replaced by Edwardo Cordova, a National League player. So the final matchup never materialized and ended up as Olha-Lopez v Goikoetxea-Cordova.
This roster is being asked to play 7 matches every weekend. The format of 4 teams with semi-finals and finals that is a staple at the Internationaux Cesta Punta Tournaments in St. Jean de Luz and the Jai Alai World Tour, played all over the South Basque country, asks players to play a maximum of three matches in a tournament. JAWT tournaments, it is true, sometimes feature 8 teams, with quarterfinals added, but an extra week is added as well. Since some of the players play in the tournaments of both companies, it can be pretty taxing. See the complete results of the 2018 and 2016 Partido Seasons in the Basque Country for comparison.
Player burnout is not an issue unique to Fronton Mexico. But there are some things that exacerbate a taxing workload.
1. Age of the players. Of the 8 players who play the lions share of Premier League matches, only 2 (Ekhi and Olharan) are under 30. Aritz Erkiaga is the only player between 30-34. Lopez, Inza, Goikoetxea, and Ohla are between 35 and 40. Irastorza is 41. They are all very effective players, still the best in the world, aging like fine wine, etc. But scheduling that asks them to play two matches in two nights, as has often been the case in the first three tournaments, is asking for trouble.
2. The Fronton. FM is, by some accounts, 62 meters long, a full 8 meters longer than a standard 54 meter Jai Alai concha. It is the longest concha in the world. This takes adjusting to and is physically taxing.
3. The format. As mentioned, Round Robin or League formats, which all the tournaments so far have been, demand 3 matches of all participants, 4 for the finalists. They are spread over two weeks, but within each week, there can be very difficult and taxing periods for players. And forcing a team like Olharan-Lopez to play a meaningless match in the context of the tournament, again, is asking for trouble. And trouble is what FM got last week.
4. Format switching. Switching from sets to full 30 point partidos in the middle of the season seems to serve no purpose, and actually hurt the competitive balance until the players adjusted. As this is posted, I have not been able to find a Tournament 4 schedule, and so don't know what the format will be.
Of course it is understandable that FM wants to get as many matches in as possible, for economic reasons. But asking these players to put on 70 matches over a 10 week period, with a relatively small Premier roster, given all the other factors listed above, is, I think dangerous for the players. Hopefully, the injured players will return and fans will be able to watch the best Jai Alai in the world. Hopefully.
As the third Tournament finished, some fans began to wonder about the workload these players are carrying. The format was changed from two sets of 15 with a tie breaker to 5 to 30 point partidos. It took the teams most of the first weekend to adjust to the change, judging by the scores (see below). The second weekend was much more competitive, with the two finals each being decided by 4 points. But this tournament came with price tag. Jean Olharan, who was really beginning to assert himself, was injured in a meaningless Round Robin match (his team had qualified for the final by the end of the first week, his opponents were eliminated, also in the first week), forcing the suspension of the match and a quick change to a 15 point "friendly" that featured Imanol Lopez playing in the front court. In the final on Sunday, Txabi Inza had to retire with an injury. He was replaced by Edwardo Cordova, a National League player. So the final matchup never materialized and ended up as Olha-Lopez v Goikoetxea-Cordova.
This roster is being asked to play 7 matches every weekend. The format of 4 teams with semi-finals and finals that is a staple at the Internationaux Cesta Punta Tournaments in St. Jean de Luz and the Jai Alai World Tour, played all over the South Basque country, asks players to play a maximum of three matches in a tournament. JAWT tournaments, it is true, sometimes feature 8 teams, with quarterfinals added, but an extra week is added as well. Since some of the players play in the tournaments of both companies, it can be pretty taxing. See the complete results of the 2018 and 2016 Partido Seasons in the Basque Country for comparison.
Player burnout is not an issue unique to Fronton Mexico. But there are some things that exacerbate a taxing workload.
1. Age of the players. Of the 8 players who play the lions share of Premier League matches, only 2 (Ekhi and Olharan) are under 30. Aritz Erkiaga is the only player between 30-34. Lopez, Inza, Goikoetxea, and Ohla are between 35 and 40. Irastorza is 41. They are all very effective players, still the best in the world, aging like fine wine, etc. But scheduling that asks them to play two matches in two nights, as has often been the case in the first three tournaments, is asking for trouble.
2. The Fronton. FM is, by some accounts, 62 meters long, a full 8 meters longer than a standard 54 meter Jai Alai concha. It is the longest concha in the world. This takes adjusting to and is physically taxing.
3. The format. As mentioned, Round Robin or League formats, which all the tournaments so far have been, demand 3 matches of all participants, 4 for the finalists. They are spread over two weeks, but within each week, there can be very difficult and taxing periods for players. And forcing a team like Olharan-Lopez to play a meaningless match in the context of the tournament, again, is asking for trouble. And trouble is what FM got last week.
4. Format switching. Switching from sets to full 30 point partidos in the middle of the season seems to serve no purpose, and actually hurt the competitive balance until the players adjusted. As this is posted, I have not been able to find a Tournament 4 schedule, and so don't know what the format will be.
Of course it is understandable that FM wants to get as many matches in as possible, for economic reasons. But asking these players to put on 70 matches over a 10 week period, with a relatively small Premier roster, given all the other factors listed above, is, I think dangerous for the players. Hopefully, the injured players will return and fans will be able to watch the best Jai Alai in the world. Hopefully.
June 9
FINAL
Olha (substituting for Olharan)-Lopez (3-1) 30 Goikoetxea-Inza-Cordova (2-2) 26 (Fronton Mexico Facebook full match video--match begins at: -1:22:50 from the RIGHT Side of the slider bar )
Note: Inza had to retire with an injury late in the match and was replaced by Eduardo Cordova.
Note: For the championship, Lopez was awarded the standard 100 points. Olharan was awarded 51. Olha was not awarded any points for this Tournament.
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres)
June 8
Olharan-Lopez (2-1) 14 Olha-Irastorza (1-2) 13 (Match is ended after Olharan suffers an injury. The evening finished with a quickly organized "friendly" between Lopez-Irastorza and Olha-Portet. It was won by O-P 15-10) (Fronton Mexico Facebook full match video, begins at 0:00. Note: video begins at 5-3 O-L.)
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres)
June 7
Goikoetxea-Inza (2-1) 30 (Aritz) Erkiaga-Ekhi (1-2) 28 (Fronton Mexico Facebook full match video--match begins at -2:27:27 from the RIGHT side of the slider bar)
Goikoetxea-Inza advance to the Final on June 9 v Olharan-Lopez
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
June 2
Goikoetxea-Inza (1-1) 30 Olha-Irastorza (0-2) 25 (Fronton Mexico Facebook full match video--match begins at -1:00;25--move the slider bar from the RIGHT to -1:00:25)
Olha-Irastorza are eliminated
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
June 1
Olharan-Lopez (2-0) 30 (Aritz) Erkiaga-Ekhi (1-1) 17 (Fronton Mexico Facebook video--match begins at -54:10 from the RIGHT side of the slider bar. Slide back from -54:10)
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres--via Jai Alai News Facebook)
Olharan-Lopez clinch a place in the Final
May 31
(Aritz) Erkiaga-Ekhi (1-0) 30 Olha-Irastorza (0-1) 15
Olharan-Lopez (1-0) 30 Goikoetxea-Inza (0-1) 18
Full match video for both matches (Fronton Mexico Facebook video 1st match begins at -1:58:35 from the RIGHT side of the slider bar. Slide back from -1:58:35. Second match follows the first.
Match articles for both matches (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres)
National League
National League Final Table
Group A
Inclan-Mauricio (1-1; +2) (57-55)
Ochoa-Echinique (1-1; +0) (57-57)
Polanco-Perez (1-1; -2) (55-57)
Group B
Sierra-Ihitsague 2-0
Ortega-Del Rio 1-1
Juan Leon-Portet 0-2
June 9
FINAL
Sierra-Ihitsague (3-0) 30 Inclan-Mauricio (1-2) 26 (Fronton Mexico Facebook full match video--match begins at 0:00. Match begins at 2-0 S-I).
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres)
June 8
Group B
Sierra-Ihitsague (2-0) 30 Juan Leon-Portet (0-2) 27 (Fronton Mexico Facebook full match video--match begins at 0:00)
Selected linescore (winners always listed first)
19-12; 19-21; 30-27
Sierra-Ihitsague gain a place in the final.
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Fegueres)
June 7
Group A
Ochoa-Echinique (1-1) 30 Inclan-Mauricio (1-1) 27 (Fronton Mexico Facebook full match video--match begins at 0:00
Inclan-Mauricio gain a place in the final based on the best total points score (57-55)
Group B
Sierra-Ihitsague (1-0) 30 Ortega-Del Rio (1-1) 21 (Fronton Mexico Facebook full match video--match begins at -1:00:31 from the RIGHT side of the slider bar)
Match articles for both matches (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Fegueres
Table after 1st week
Group A
Inclan-Mauricio 1-0
Polanco-Perez 1-1
Ochoa-Etchenique 0-1
Group B
Ortega-Del Rio 1-0
Sierra-Ihitsague 0-0
Juan Leon-Portet 0-1
June 2
Group A
Polanco-Perez (1-1) 30 Ochoa-Echenique (0-1) 27 (Fronton Mexico Facebook full match video--match begins at 0:00)
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres
June 1
Group A
Inclan-Mauricio (1-0) 30 Polanco-Perez (0-1) 25 (Fronton Mexico Facebook video--match begins at 0:00)
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres--via Jai Alai News Facebook)
May 31
Group B
Ortega-Del Rio (1-0) 30 Juan Leon-Portet (0-1) 21 (Fronton Mexico Facebook video, match begins at 1-2 JL-P at 0:00 on the video)
Match article (Jai Alai y Mas Facebook--Fernando Sierra Felgueres)
