For basics on Basque Pelota, please refer to Part I of this
report, which can also be found on this weblog.
For Pala and Remonte, to access on demand matches
from EIBT TV:
If the direct
addresses I provide don’t work for you, the best way to get EITB on demand
matches is to go to the above address and then search for the terms “erremontea
2016” or “Pala 2016”. Those searches will quickly take you to the games. At present, there are no links to Jai Alai
matches. Note that in these sports the ball moves very fast. Sometimes it is
difficult to follow what is happening. EITB usually does one or more replays (some
in slow motion) after a point is scored.
Watch these closely until your eyes adjust to the speed.
A quick and easy source list of major Internet
addresses regarding this report is available at the end of the report.
The first part of this report discussed developments for the
week in Pelota Mano (handball). The games are compelling but the hand can only
hit the ball so fast. In this part of the report, we will be accelerating the
speed of the ball between 20 and 70 miles per hour (depending on the modality).
This is because the modalities we will
be discussing in this report involve hitting the ball with a bat or racquet, or
catching and throwing it with a basket. The first thing you’ll notice when you
watch any of these three modalities is the crash helmets worn by players and
referees. You’ll also notice the netting that protects the crowd from stray
shots. So strap yourselves in, the ride is about to get faster, much faster.
1. Pala. (We discuss the game, the context, and one of the great
players, Fusto).
Update:
TV games are available on demand for the March 11 (3rd)
Round of the 2016 World Doubles Championship (2 matches) at the EITB
Network website. If this address doesn't work directly, simply search on the term "Pala 2016" and click on the furthest left choice of the two available.
Watch now if you wish, but it will make more sense in
context, as I explain below. Fusto’s game (more on him later) begins at 42:06
of the recording
Latest results from the 4th Round of the 2016
World Doubles Championship
Played Mar. 18, 2016 at Udala Fronton (Mungia). For
standings and points explanations see below.
Nicol-Brevel defeated Landeta---Ibai-Perez 3-0 (10-5, 10-4,
10-9). Nicol and Brevel receive 100
points apiece. Landeta and Ibai Perez receive 0 points.
Fusto-Ibargari defeated Gaubeka-Imanol 3-2 (10-7, 5-10, 4-10,
10-7, 10-8). Fusto and Ibargari receive 60 points apiece. Gaubeka and Imanol
receive 40 points apiece.
===============================================================
Pala is played with a
bat. I couldn’t find any regulations about the size of the bat or ball in the
Basque professional game. The bat looks
like this. It’s about 19
inches long and weighs about 32 ounces. Pala is played on a long court (click on
“fronton sizes”) (about 177 feet long). The width and wall sizes are the same
as those we discussed in the Mano section of the report. So it’s about 60 feet
longer than a Mano court. The reason for this is that the ball gets going a lot
faster when you hit it with a bat that size. Most Pala matches are played at Udala (City) Fronton in Mungia, Bizkaia Province.
However, a good number are also played
in Bilbao at Bizkaia Fronton, which is a Mano court. I
don’t know if the equipment of the game is altered or not when played on courts
of this size. There is a shorter bat format but if they use a short bat, I
can’t tell.
To get a flavor for Pala see this short clip. It’s not
exactly the modality we’re talking about (bat is shorter) but it’s pretty high
quality play for amateurs. Also, at the end of the clip you will see the
familiar trophy ceremony for the winning team. But it isn’t the trophy you want
to look at. It’s the
txapela that’s the key part of the ceremony. In every Basque court sport
modality, the winner of a championship gets a txapela. A unique way of crowning
a champion.
Professional Pala is run by the Innpala Entertainment Company. At present
there are 10 professional players on Innpala’s roster. This is the smallest
roster of any modality we will deal with.
Context:
The main competition going on at present is the Mundial de
Parejas 2016. The World Doubles Championship. It is being contested by 4 pairs.
You can get more information about any of these players by clicking on the
“Pelotaris” tag at the top of the Innpala home page. Roll your mouse over the
player’s image and click the square with the arrow for more information on that
player. The Innpala site does not provide a lot of match information but the Innpala Twitter feed does provide live updates
of MP matches. Those matches are usually played on Friday evenings. When you
only have four pairs contesting a tournament you need to come up with a fresh
way to determine the finalists. Innpala has done this very cleverly. The tournament
works this way. Each round has two matches. The next round switches the pairs
so that front courters will play with three different back courters and vice
versa. It is a 6 match double round robin. With all the switching of partners
the scoring system that determines the finalists has to be different. Pala is
the only professional modality that regularly scores matches by games. A match
is three out of five games, ten points a game. For this tournament, if your
team wins a match 3-0 both the front and back courter get 100 points. 3-1
yields 80 points. 3-2 yields 60 points.
If your team loses 3-2 40 points are awarded, 3-1, 20 points, and 3-0, no
points. So it’s important to win as many games as possible whether your team
wins the match or not. There is no bonus for winning the match. At the end of
league play the top two front courters and back courters will meet in the final,
which will be held on Apr. 16. How the two pairs will be paired up (1-1 v 2-2
or some other combination), I do not know.
With that in mind, here are the standings as of Mar. 18, the
end of the fourth round. This information is also at the very bottom of the
Innpala home page, but I repeat it here for convenience.
Front Courters:
Fusto 320
Nicol 240
Gaubeka 220
Landeta 20
Back Courters:
Brefel 240
Imano 220
Ibargarai 200
Ibai-Perez 140
Here’s how they got there:
Note that individual scores of games are available and can be tracked
back at the Innpala twitter site, which is where I found them. Scores of
matches are only available on the Innpala website until the next set of games,
as far as I can tell..
Front Courters
Fusto W(3-1) W(3-0) W (3-1) W (3-2), 4 wins no losses
NIcol W(3-1) L(3-2) L(3-1) W(3-0), 2 wins 2 losses
Gaubeka L(3-1) W(3-2)
W(3-0) (L 3-2), 2 wins 2 losses
Landeta L(3-1) L(3-0) L(3-0) L(3-0), 0 wins 4 losses
Back Courters:
Brefel L(3-1) W(3-0) L(3-1) W(3-0), 2 wins 2 losses
Imanol W(3-1) L(3-0)
W(3-0) L(3-2), 2 wins 2 losses
Ibargarai L(3-1)
L(3-2) W(3-1) W(3-2), 2 wins 2 losses
Ibai-Perez W(3-1) W(3-2) L(3-0) L(3-0) 2 wins 2 losses
With two matches to play, 7 of the 8 players have a very good
chance to make the final. Which is exactly the way Innpala and Pala fans want
it. It’s an ingenious solution to the problem of a small roster.
There were no televised matches the week of Mar. 18, which
is unfortunate because Fusto-Ibargari had an epic match with Gaubeka-Imanol ,
winning 10-8, 5-10, 4-10, 10-7, 10-8, winning the match while losing total
points 43-39.
TV games are available on demand for the March 11 (3rd)
Round of the 2016 World Doubles Championship
(2 matches played at Udala (City) Fronton, Mungia , provided by
the EITB Network website. If the direct link doesn’t work simply search "Pala 2016" and then click on the game furthest to the
left of the choices. Fusto’s game begins at 42:06 of the recording.
Why do I separate out Fusto’s game? Because Fusto (Pablo Hernan Fusto), front courter, is the
best professional Pala player in the world at this time. He is an example of
what I was referring to when I wrote about Urrutikoetxea in the Mano part of this report, but
in reverse. He has a back courter’s size and strength (6 ft. 2 ½ inches, 210
pounds) but a front courter’s touch. He hits the ball as well and as hard or
harder than anyone in Pala. Since 2011 he has won 14 championships, including
the World Doubles or Singles Championships six times. He is more dominant in
singles than in doubles. And although the game you watch here does not show him
at his best, he still figured out a way to be on the winning team, the hallmark
of a great player in any sport. He is also reminiscent of the recently retired
Jai Alai superstar Inaki Goikoetxea, another big man who dominated his
sport for years from the front court (see the Jai Alai section below, which
will link you to a Goiko match).
One other thing that might be of interest. At the end of each TV match, there are several
individual statistics that are shown. For your purposes now, you only need to
pay attention to the bottom two variables: Eginak (winners) and Galduak
(errors). As always, team 1’s winners plus team 2’s errors will add up to team
1’s total points. In this case that is total match points regardless of any
final individual game score. Front courters are compared first, then back courters
. The other variables are all types of shots, errors, service aces, or service
faults. It’s difficult enough to understand them in English. I won’t burden you
with translations unless someone is interested.
There was an off-day on Mar. 26. The Championship
continues on Fridays in Mungia from Apr. 2 through the final on Apr. 16.
2. Remonte (Analysis of one game, available to you on demand from EITB,
is highlighted in this section).
===============================================================
Update:
Two matches from the Mar. 19, 2016
matches played at the Galaretta Fronton,
Hernani, Gipuzkoa
, including a match from the Sagardoaren Txapelketa (Tourneo Sidra) tournament,
are available on demand from the EITB Network. If the direct lnk doesn't work, then search "Erremontea 2016" and click on the furthest left choice of matches). The date will
appear when the match starts. The tournament game is the first game on the
recording.
Latest scores from the tournament:
Mar. 17:
Segurola (replacing the
injured Maxtin III)-Endika defeated Ezkurra II (replacing the
injured Zeberio II)-Zubiri 40-27.
Mar. 19:
Urriza-Martirena (replacing
the injured Labaka) defeated Ezkurra II (replacing the
injured Zeberio II)- Zubiri 40-23. (This
was the EITB network televised match).
Etxeberrria IV- Etxeberrria
III (replacing the injured Agirrezabala) defeated Uterga-Aizpuru III 40-38.
Tournament standings at the end of Mar.
19.
VI Sagardoaren
Txapleketa
Grupo A
1. Etxeberria
IV-Agirrezabala (Gaztañaga) 8 puntos 2 partidos (2-0)
2. Matxin
VI-Barrenetxea IV (Oialume Zar) 5 puntos 2 partidos (1-1)
3. Uterga-Aizpuru
III (Bereziartua) 2 puntos 2 partidos (0-2)
4.
Ezkurra-Larrañaga (Gurutzeta) 0 puntos 0 partidos (0-0)
Grupo B
1.
Urriza-Labaka (Altzueta) 8 puntos 2 partido (2-0)
2. Matxin
III-Endika (Petritegi) 4 puntos 2 partidos (1-1)
3. Ansa II-Ion
(Setien) 4 puntos 2 partidos (1-1)
4. Zeberio
II-Zubiri (Larre-Gain) 0 puntos 2 partidos (0-2)
Note. Puntos are points. Partidos are
matches played. The names in parentheses are commercial sponsors in the Cider
sector (Tourneo Sidra=Cider Tournament). Sagardoren also has to do with cider. Wins earn 4 points. Losses earn 0 points unless the losing team gets at least 32 points. 32-35 points earns one point. 36-39 points earns two points. Substitutes are used when players are injured. The standings are shown with the
original players’ names. In the case of the televised match, the substitutes
played with the original players’ names on the back of their shirts. Ezkurra-Larranga have yet to play a
match but are scheduled for later in the tournament.
==============================================================
Remonte is the modality where a “racquet” is used. The
racquet looks like
this. Remonte cesta is #6. Jai Alai
cesta is #5. The remonte cesta is narrower and stiffer than the Jai Alai cesta.
It is for hitting, like you would use a racquet in tennis. The Jai Alai cesta is for catching and throwing. Remonte is an exceedingly fast and difficult
game, played mostly on a large court, but can also be played on a Mano court.
To see what it looks like, see this. (Not the best
recording, but two great players. Direct EITB recordings are of much higher
quality than this one). Note immediately that the ambidexterity demanded by
Mano and Pala has now disappeared, as the cesta is strapped onto the right
hand. Because the side wall is a left wall, all Remonte (as well as Jai Alai)
players must play right-handed.
Remonte is played professionally almost exclusively in the
North of the Basque Country, near San Sebastian. There are usually four matches
every Thursday and Saturday afternoon and evening at
Galaretta.
Context:
Professional Remonte is run by Oriamendi, a name which has
historical significance in Spain, but it’s actually the ownership of this
Fronton that runs the game, if I have not misunderstood. The game is played
professionally by 24 players. It is organized into a series of tournaments and
also a schedule of matches that keep the Fronton busy and helps achieve player
rankings (on a monthly basis). Matches in Remonte are generally played to 30 or 40 points.
Oriamendi’s website
has a wealth of information in both Basque and Spanish regarding players, the
fronton, future match schedules, results, news stories, etc. Use a translation
program if you must (I certainly do), and you will find out most of what there
is to know about how the remonte is going.
The main tournament going on now (Tourneo Cidra) can be accessed
here, which is part of a database where you can look up players information
and records, along with records of other tournaments (players are known as
jugadores or remontistas). Stories about the tournament (experiment to find
them or use a translator) will have the up to date standings of the tournament
contained within them. Wins are worth four points, defeats 0, but there is also a bonus
system which rewards losses with 32-35 points with 1 bonus point and losses with 36-39 points with 2 bonus points. So 8 points from 2 matches means, basically 2 wins 0 losses. Etc. There is an A group and a B group to set up playoff rounds later. Partidos are matches. . I’m not exactly sure who the dominant players in the game
are at the moment, as one era, the Ezkurra
era is coming to an end. He has dominated the sport for many years, and is a
wonderful player to watch, as I hope to show you in the future.
Two matches from the Mar. 19, 2016,
matches played at the Galaretta Fronton,
Hernani, Gipuzkoa , including a match from the Sagardoaren Txapelketa (Tourneo
Sidra) tournament, are available on demand from the EITB Network. If the direct link doesn't work, search“Remontea 2016” and then chose the furthest left choice of matches. The tournament game is the first game on the recording.
The tournament match had Urriza
and Martirena (substituting for the injured Labaka—note
that Martirena is wearing a shirt with Labaka’s name on it) against Ezkurra
II (substituting for the injured Zeberio II)-Zuberi
in a Group B match. Ezkurra II also wore a shirt with Zeberio II’s name on the
back. Urriza-Martirena won by 40-23.
The match was a fascinating combination of youth and
experience in both the front and back courts. It was not accompanied by
televised statistics, so I decided to do some myself. The main variables in any
Basque pelota match are eginaks (winners) and galduaks (errors). They are not
only telling with respect to each player’s game, but also tell fans the quality
of the overall match. Though the score of this match was not close, but the
quality was terrific.
Match line: this is a line that tells the course of the
match, point by point. Winning team will be always listed first.
4-0; 4-1; 7-1; 7-2; 9-2; 9-3; 15-3; 15-4; 17-4; 17-5; 20-5. At this point, the match was half-over from
the winners’ standpoint. We will refer to this point below. 20-6; 21-6; 21-10;
25-10; 25-13; 27-13; 27-16; 31-16; 31-18; 33-18; 33-20; 36-20; 36-23; 40-23
Time of Match: 52 minutes 7 seconds.
Total shots (including serves): 322. Total points:
63. Points with 1-4 shots: 34; 5-9 shots: 18; 10 shots or more: 11. Average
point length: 5 shots. There was one 10 shot point where Urriza accidentally
obstructed Ezkurra II. He immediately took responsibility for the obstruction.
The point was replayed without penalty.
For individual statistics, I had to use my own
judgment as to winners and errors, so this is completely subjective. I have
watched my share of Remonte but I am certainly not an expert. So this is one
view.
Individual statistics:
Front Court:
Urriza: 18 winners, 3 errors; Ezkurra II: 15 winners, 4 errors.
Back Court: Martirena: 13 winners (including 9
service aces); 1 error. Zuberi: 4 winners (including 1 service ace), 5 errors.
Urriza-Martirena:
31 winners. Ezkurra II-Zuberi: 9
errors= 40 points.
Ezkurra II-Zuberi:
19 winners. Urriza-Martirena: 4 errors=23 points
Total winners: 50. Total errors: 13 (78% winners).
This match was won by many great plays.
Urriza-Martirena simply made more.
Urriza played a terrific match. He had 9-1
winners/errors in the first half of the match and 9-2 winners/errors in the
second half. He is an experienced professional, and another example of a big
man (6 foot 3 ½ inches, 196 pounds) playing the front court instead of the back
in Basque pelota. He shot with great power when he needed to, but two of the
best shots of the match came from high, soft, two wall (side to back) shots
that hit the floor very close to the line and then simply bounced too high to
be returned before they crashed into the protective netting in front of the
crowd. Perfect, beautiful shots. Urriza’s performance in the first half of the
match sealed the victory. His performance in the second half made sure the seal
would not be broken.
But there were two hidden gems in the match which
you should look for if you watch it. In the second half of the match, Ezkurra
II played some excellent Remonte. (Ezkurra II is the son of one of the all time great Remonte players, Ezkurra, and it will be very interesting to follow the son’s career.) After an ordinary first half of the match
(1-2 winners/errors) he had 14-2 winners/errors in the second half of the
match. Almost all of the spurts his team had in the second half were due to his
excellent play. Each thrust was also parried, partly due to the continuing
great play of Urriza But here is where the second gem came into the
game. Martirena played a terrific match, particularly his serves, which were
vexing throughout. His last two service aces were points 39 and 40. A young
player called into a big match due to an injury, might be tense and make
mistakes. Martirena played with great poise, returning everything he got to,
playing within himself, and also featuring some beautiful rebote (rebound off
the back wall) shots. The rebote shot is extremely difficult in remonte, as you will see if you watch.
It lasted 49 minutes and 5 seconds, contained 326
shots, 70 points, and had 47 winners and 23 errors. It was highlighted by the
front court play. Segurola and Ansa II are young players who love to hit the
ball hard. They bashed the ball all over the court, but without the accuracy of
an Urriza. Still, the power of the Remonte cesta, which looks like a fragile
instrument, was showcased by the ferocity with which the two front men played. A
very entertaining match. And these were the middle matches of a four match
evening, just another Thursday at Galaretta. There are usually 4 matches on
Thursdays and Saturdays at this time of year. If you happen to find yourself in
San Sebastian, it is a great evening’s entertainment.
4. Jai Alai (Cesta Punta) (A basic
introduction to the sport, its tools, and two of its greatest players are highlighted in this section).
===============================================================
Update:
Jai Alai is seldom played professionally at this
time of year in the Basque Country. It is a summer sport. Its organization in
Spain is in flux. There is a two month Jai Alai season in France (July-August)
with matches in St.
Jean de Luz. The game is also played in Florida. The two main frontons are in Miami and Dania Beach It is played in pari-mutuel format. Miami has 11 games per performance (a program is called a performance when it is in pari-mutual form), 6 days a week. Dania Beach has 8 games per performance, 6 days a week. The two frontons employ 36 players apiece.
===============================================================
If we might say, in terms of the speed of the ball,
that Mano is a pleasant ride in the country and Pala and Remonte are speeding
down an Interstate Highway, then Jai Alai is a ride on a jet plane. It is,
arguably, the sport in which the ball moves the fastest on a consistent basis,
the fastest ball sport in the world. Claims of 150 to 200 miles per hour are
pure hype. EITB televised matches in Spain have used speed guns. The ones I
have seen topped out at around 130 mph. But it is the average speed of every
throw (except drop shots, which are slow by design) that makes this modality
breath-taking. The matches I saw clocked came in at speeds, consistently, of
85-100 mph. Jai Alai is different from the other modalities in that it is a
catch and throw sport, not a hit the ball sport. It is played on a large court.
You saw what the catching and throwing implement (cesta) looks like when you
saw the Remonte cesta above.
A good, if somewhat dated, short documentary on the
sport is available here
(Part 1) and here
(Part 2). You’ll get a good look at the game, the ball, the cesta, and how
players think about the game.
Context:
In Florida the game is played purely for gambling
purposes. One performance will contain 8 (singles) or 16 (doubles) players.
Team one plays a point against team two. The winner gets a point. The loser
goes to the bench and the back of the line. This continues until one player or
team has accumulated 7 or 9 points. The first round is worth one point.
Subsequent rounds are worth two points. Player uniforms have numbers on the
front (post numbers 1-8) and personal numbers on the back. The shirts are also
color coded. Players usually play 4 or 5 games per performance. Early games are
played by less experienced/talented players than later games. Pairings
and post positions change from game to game.
A good
example of the flow of a pari-mutuel Jai Alai game can be found here.
In the Basque Country Jai Alai is played in partido
format, the same as all the other modalities. Matches are generally played to
35 points, but in St. Jean de Luz, there are other point limits, and some
matches are played in two of three match games, each game to 15 points, the
third game, if necessary, to 5 points.
Two of the greatest modern players, front courter
Inaki Goikoetxia and back courter Imanol Lopez have recently retired from the
game, an immense loss. Goikoetxia was yet another example in Basque pelota of
the trend of big men playing the front court.
As good as any place to start if you haven’t watched
a Jai Alai match is the St. Jean de Luz 2014 final between Goiko-Lopez and
Beaskoetxia (Diego Beaskoetxia)-Irastorza (Eric Irastorza). All were or still
are great players, with years of experience in both types of jai-alai.
For Full match replays of Jai Alai partido matches see
the sources listed below under Jai Alai:
Sources: Note: Sources for Pala and Remonte are available in Spanish and/or Basque only. I use Google Translate . It is clumsy but workable
For Pala and Remonte, to access on demand matches
from EIBT TV:
Search either “Erremontea 2016"/”Erremomtea 2015" or “Pala 2016/"Pala 2015.” At present it appears that EIBT does not keep longer than one year archives, except for Mano championship matches. Also at present, there are no links to Jai Alai matches. Use this method retrieve referenced matches if the direct addresses provided don’t work.
Pala:
Player and selected match information. Latest scores. Upcoming matches.
Match scores in real time.
Remonte:
Match stories, standings, player statistics, match database, upcoming matches.
Quick access to the latest.
Selected short clips.
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