Apologies for the quirky formatting. I am learning as I go.
For the basics about the four modalities of Basque pelota (ball) and the context of the professional sports in these modalities see the report for March 13-20 on this blog
For the basics about the four modalities of Basque pelota (ball) and the context of the professional sports in these modalities see the report for March 13-20 on this blog
Part 1: (General introduction and Mano)
Part 2: (Pala, Remonte, and Jai Alai)
Mano (Hand):
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Update:
The 14th Doubles Championship was idle this week, in the buildup to the final between Mtz. de Irujo--Rezusta and Olaizola II--Urrutikoetxea which will be played at Bizkaia Fronton, Bilbao (Bilbo), on Saturday, April 9 as the second match of a two match program. The program begins at 17:45 local time. M-R (15-2) have lost only to O-U (13-4). The championship match will start about an hour or so after the program begins, but you won’t want to miss any of it, so tune in early. It will be available live on EITB:
http://www.eitb.eus/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/
Later it will be available on demand.
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Later it will be available on demand.
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The teams met once in the league portion of the Championship, on December 26, 2015 and in the first round of the semi-final, on March 12, 2016. Both matches were at Bizkaia. O-U won the first match 22-18 and the semi-final 22-12.
Semi-Final Match Story
December 26 match story
A quick look at the statistics from the two stories shows in total:
Front Courters: Olaizola II: 27 winners, 6 errors
Mtz. de Irujo: 15 winners, 9 errors
Back Courters:
Urrutikoetxea: 3 winners, 7 errors
Rezusta: 2 winners, 5 errors.
Source: Asegarce match stories.
What do M-R need to do to win? Keep the ball away from Olaizola II. At all costs. Keep sending deep returns to Urrutikoetxea. The less Olaizola II touches the ball, the better M-R's chances of winning. Of course they tried this in the first two matches (see below). Right now a team has to play an almost perfect match to have a chance to beat O-U. Reztusa must be precise. In the first match he was off slightly and in the second one off even more slightly, just enough so that too many of his returns kissed the side wall before hitting the front wall, taking just enough off of them for Olaizola II to capitalize. Mtz. must keep making routinely impossible saves diving all over the apron, and use his tremendous power to smash the ball high and deep to the back in order to put pressure on Urrutikoetxea . He must also be patient and execute his own kill shots. They must play a precise, patient game and wait for mistakes. It might take a long time, The first match took over 80 minutes. The longer they play, the better chance they have.
What do O-U need to do to win? Keep on doing what they have been doing. The percentages against any team following the above prescription for M-R for a long time are pretty low. They must continue to pound on mistakes and pressure Reztusa into the small mistakes they did in the sem-final, eventually creating doubt within their opponents. Play exactly as they have been playing, cause their opponents to lose patience and try to force the game. If they keep playing with the precision and pace they have been playing with for the last three games, they should continue to reap rewards.
My prediction: O-U 22; M-R 19.
Semi Final Highlights
Semi Final Full Match (scroll until you get to the date: 12/03/2016)
December 26 match highlights
December 26 full match (match begins at 1:27:25 on the recording)
Courtesy Fronton.tv and EITB.
Semi-Final Match Story
December 26 match story
A quick look at the statistics from the two stories shows in total:
Front Courters: Olaizola II: 27 winners, 6 errors
Mtz. de Irujo: 15 winners, 9 errors
Back Courters:
Urrutikoetxea: 3 winners, 7 errors
Rezusta: 2 winners, 5 errors.
Source: Asegarce match stories.
What do M-R need to do to win? Keep the ball away from Olaizola II. At all costs. Keep sending deep returns to Urrutikoetxea. The less Olaizola II touches the ball, the better M-R's chances of winning. Of course they tried this in the first two matches (see below). Right now a team has to play an almost perfect match to have a chance to beat O-U. Reztusa must be precise. In the first match he was off slightly and in the second one off even more slightly, just enough so that too many of his returns kissed the side wall before hitting the front wall, taking just enough off of them for Olaizola II to capitalize. Mtz. must keep making routinely impossible saves diving all over the apron, and use his tremendous power to smash the ball high and deep to the back in order to put pressure on Urrutikoetxea . He must also be patient and execute his own kill shots. They must play a precise, patient game and wait for mistakes. It might take a long time, The first match took over 80 minutes. The longer they play, the better chance they have.
What do O-U need to do to win? Keep on doing what they have been doing. The percentages against any team following the above prescription for M-R for a long time are pretty low. They must continue to pound on mistakes and pressure Reztusa into the small mistakes they did in the sem-final, eventually creating doubt within their opponents. Play exactly as they have been playing, cause their opponents to lose patience and try to force the game. If they keep playing with the precision and pace they have been playing with for the last three games, they should continue to reap rewards.
My prediction: O-U 22; M-R 19.
Semi Final Highlights
Semi Final Full Match (scroll until you get to the date: 12/03/2016)
December 26 match highlights
December 26 full match (match begins at 1:27:25 on the recording)
Courtesy Fronton.tv and EITB.
Pala (bat):
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Update:
Two matches were played in the World Doubles Championship on Friday, April 1, 2016 at
Gaubeka-Ibargari defeated Necol--Ibai Perez 3-2 (10-2, 5-10, 10-5, 6-10, 10-6). Gaubeka and Ibargari received 60 points apiece. Necol and Ibai Perez received 40 points apiece.
Fusto-Imanol defeated Landeta-Brefel 3-1 (10-4, 8-10, 10-8, 10-?). The Innpala Twitter feed did not provide a full score for the last game. Fusto and Imanol received 80 points apiece. Landeta and Brefel received 20 points apiece.
The standings through five rounds:
Front Courters:
Fusto 400
*Gaubeka 280++
*Necol 280--
*Necol 280--
Landeta 40
Back Courters:
Imanol 300
@Ibargarai 260
@Brefel 260
Ibai-Perez 180
*In head to head play, Gaubeka has won both games with Necol (see the + and - in game scores below. 2nd Round match: 3-2 (10-8, 5-10, 10-2, 7-10, 10-5); 5th Round match : 3-2 (10-2, 5-10, 10-5, 6-10, 10-6). Total points: 83-68.
@Brefel and Ibargari are playing each other in the final league match. It is possible one of them might be tied with Imanol after the final round. Imanol and Brefel have each won once against each other. Imanol and Ibargari have each won once against each other. Brefel defeated Imanol in a Round 2 match (10-7, 10-7, 10-4). Imanol returned the favor last weekend (10-4, 8-10, 10-8, 10-?). Imanol defeated Ibargari in Round 1 (9-10, 10-6, 10-9, 10-?). Ibargari won the return match in in Round 4 (10-7, 5-10, 4-10, 10-7, 10-8). Interestingly (and perhaps quite telling), in all four cases involving these three players, they won playing with Fusto. Total points in these tiebreaker scenarios cannot be calculated because of lack of full scores. If it comes down to a tie, Ibargari is younger than Imanol. Both Imanol and Ibargari appear to be younger than Brefel, but I could find no actual age information on Brefel on the Innpala site.
*In head to head play, Gaubeka has won both games with Necol (see the + and - in game scores below. 2nd Round match: 3-2 (10-8, 5-10, 10-2, 7-10, 10-5); 5th Round match : 3-2 (10-2, 5-10, 10-5, 6-10, 10-6). Total points: 83-68.
@Brefel and Ibargari are playing each other in the final league match. It is possible one of them might be tied with Imanol after the final round. Imanol and Brefel have each won once against each other. Imanol and Ibargari have each won once against each other. Brefel defeated Imanol in a Round 2 match (10-7, 10-7, 10-4). Imanol returned the favor last weekend (10-4, 8-10, 10-8, 10-?). Imanol defeated Ibargari in Round 1 (9-10, 10-6, 10-9, 10-?). Ibargari won the return match in in Round 4 (10-7, 5-10, 4-10, 10-7, 10-8). Interestingly (and perhaps quite telling), in all four cases involving these three players, they won playing with Fusto. Total points in these tiebreaker scenarios cannot be calculated because of lack of full scores. If it comes down to a tie, Ibargari is younger than Imanol. Both Imanol and Ibargari appear to be younger than Brefel, but I could find no actual age information on Brefel on the Innpala site.
Front Courters
Fusto W(3-1); W(3-0); W (3-1); W (3-2); W (3-1)--(5-0) (15-5)
Gaubeka L(3-1); W(3-2+); W(3-0); L(3-2); W(3-2+)--(3-2) (12-10)
Gaubeka L(3-1); W(3-2+); W(3-0); L(3-2); W(3-2+)--(3-2) (12-10)
Nicol W(3-1); L(3-2-); L(3-1); W(3-0); L(3-2-)--(2-3) (11-10)
Landeta L(3-1); L(3-0); L(3-0); L(3-0); L(3-1)--(0-5) (2-15)
Back Courters
Imanol W(3-1); L(3-0); W(3-0); L(3-2), W(3-1)--(3-2) (11-8)
Ibargarai L(3-1); L(3-2); W(3-1); W(3-2); W(3-2)--(3-2) (12-9)
Brefel L(3-1); W(3-0); L(3-1); W(3-0); L(3-1)--(2-3) (9-9)
Ibai-Perez W(3-1); W(3-2); L(3-0); L(3-0); L(3-2)--(2-3) (8-12)
Matches scheduled for Friday, April 8, 2016: Udala (City) Fronton, Mungia . Matches begin at 19:30 local time.
Gaubeka--Ibai Perez v Landeta--Imanol
Fusto-Brefel v Nicol-Ibargari
Last week's results clarified some things, but muddied others, Fusto has clinched a position in the final. Landeta and Ibai Perez were eliminated last week. But there is all to play for for everyone else. Five players will be fighting for three finals places. Brefel, who was hobbled by a weak partner last week, gets the strongest partner in the Championship this week. Imanol, who last week had the strongest partner, this week gets the weakest. And even the players who have been eliminated will have a lot to say about who is going where. Remember Ibai-Perez was on the winning team the first two matches playing with Necol and Gaubeka before he slumped. It should be a wild finish, with multiple chances for tied final places. The first tie breaker is head to head competition. If that doesn't solve things the youngest qualifies. As mentioned above, the Fusto v Nicol match will be a tie breaker in and of itself. But otherwise, who knows? The rules of the tournament are listed under the Mundial de Parejas tab on the Innpala home page. You can follow the matches, game by game at the Innpala Twitter feed.
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There were no televised matches this week. I thought you might find something a little different to be of interest. It's a women's final played on a short court with a slightly different kind of bat. It's part of a long program of amateur and professional pala held last year at Bizkaia. It can be seen here. Courtesy EITB.
Remonte: (racquet)
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Update:
Latest results In the VI Sagardoaren Txapleketa (Tourneo Sidra) Tournament:
Mar. 31: (end of the first phase of the tournament)
Ezkurra II-Larranaga defeated Maxtin VI-Barrenetxea IV 40-29.
Zuberio II-Zuberi forfeited their match to Ansa II-Ion due to the inability of procuring a substitute for the injured Zuberio II.
This result moved E-L from last place to first place in Group A because they had beaten Exteberria IV-Zaldua (substituting for Agirrezabala) in their Mar. 24 Tournament match. It also moved them directly to a semi-final match. The victory, according to the Oriamendi 2010 match story, was due in great part to the excellent front court play of Ezkurra II. He had 20 winners and only 2 errors. Larranaga had 7 service aces. A 10-0 run took the score from 14-16 to 24-16 and the Gurutzeta team stretched their lead to as many as 13 points at 36-23 before coasting to victory. That Ezkurra II has become a force in this tournament is a fascinating development. He has been given an opportunity and he has capitalized on it. He has played five matches as a substitute in this tournament, two with Zuberi and three with Larranaga. While splitting his last four matches (beginning with the match analyzed in the Mar. 13-20 Part II report (scroll to the remonte section), he has shown great potential. It will be fascinating to continue watching his progress as the tournament unfolds.
Latest standings:
Grupo A
1. Ezkurra-Larrañaga (Gurutzeta) 8 puntos 3 partidos (2-1)
1. Ezkurra-Larrañaga (Gurutzeta) 8 puntos 3 partidos (2-1)
2. Etxeberria IV-Agirrezabala (Gaztañaga) 8 puntos 3 partidos (2-1)
3. Uterga-Aizpuru III (Bereziartua) 6 puntos 3 partidos (1-2)
4. Matxin VI-Barrenetxea IV (Oialume Zar) 5 puntos 3 partidos (1-2)
Grupo B
1. Urriza-Labaka (Altzueta) 12 puntos 3 partidos (3-0)
2. Ansa II-Ion (Setien) 8 puntos 3 partidos (2-1)
2. Ansa II-Ion (Setien) 8 puntos 3 partidos (2-1)
3. Matxin III-Endika (Petritegi) 5 puntos 3 partidos (1-2)
4. Zeberio II-Zubiri (Larre-Gain) 0 puntos 3 partidos (0-3)
Full explanation of how the tournament works, as well as how to navigate the Oriamendi2010 site, is available in Part 2 of the March 13-20 report, linked to at the top of this report. Names in parenthesis are cider related sponsors of the teams.
Upcoming match:
Thursday, April 7
Maxtin III-Endika (Petritegi) v Maxtin VI Barrenetxea IV (Oialume Zar)
Matches, as always, begin at 16:00 local time. This will be the first match of the second phase of the tournament and is scheduled to be the second match of the program.
Perhaps a more intriguing match will be the fourth match of the program:
Ezkurra II-Zaldua v Segurola-Larranaga. More about Segurola below.
Live scoring on a match by match basis is available at the Oriamendi 2010 Twitter site.
Leading ranking points for March (40 points maximum): Group A: Uterga 34.86. Group B. Segurola: 38.63.
Ranking points are based on a system (scroll to the bottom of the page) where 40 points are given for each victory (no matter how many points it takes to win) and less points are given for less points scored in a loss on a sliding scale down to 20 points. Points are divided by number of matches (4 matches minimum in order to obtain ranking points). Each month everyone's points are reset to 0.
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Since there were no matches televised on EITB this week, we will look at two themes and point you to two matches that illustrate those themes.
The first is the explosive winning streak of Segurola. He has won his last 6 straight matches and 9 of his last 10 since February 27 (click the arrow next to "Seleccionar jugador" and scroll to Segurola, then click on "buscar" to see the streak). During this time he has won doubles matches with seven different partners, an amazing feat. He was discussed in the match pointed to above in the March 13-20 Part II report on this blog, but only as an afterthought. The streak was just beginning then. I went back and took a closer look at that match. I scored it as best I could and found that in the 40-30 victory, he had 18 winners and 7 errors. He played with great control but also with great power, several times causing the opposing back courter to attempt rebote (rebound) shots off the back wall. All this from a man 1.65 meters (5 ft. 5 inches) and 66 kg (145.5 lbs). Since that match he has gotten better and better, most recently more than holding his own against Urriza, a much bigger and more experienced front courter, in a match won by Segurola's team 40-37 on April 2. In that match Segurola had 20 winners and 4 errors to Urriza's 22 winners and 4 errors. You can see Segurola in his March 19 match with Ion v Ansa II-Endika here. The match begins at exactly 1 hour on the recording. Courtesy EITB.
The other theme is about coaching. In Basque pelota there is the concept of the Botillero, a coach, mentor, friend. On a 54 meter court where, in a singles final like the one you will watch, a player has to defend some 5,000 square feet by himself, a coach can be a valuable asset. In this match Urriza's opponent Uterga was coached by Patxi Olazal. Urriza's botillero was Seve Arzelus. Watching the interaction between Arzelus and Urriza was almost as interesting as the match itself. Arzelus provides what American coaches would call "tough love" in advising his players. He begins this advising with Urriza ahead 3-2. The lead quickly goes to 8-3 before Uterga begins a comeback. A 9-5 lead evaporates into a 10-11 deficit. At 10-9 there is a long talk. Another at 11-11. The microphones pick up the coaching. Though I do not speak either Spanish or Basque it is easy to tell that it is "tough" talk. Urriza retakes the lead. At 17-15 he faults. At 17-17 he is at the wrong end of a very close call by the referee. Soon the score is 19-22 (singles matches go to 30). At this point Arzelus uses (loudly enough to be clearly picked up by the microphone) one of the few Spanish words I know: "Cojones!" It is fascinating interplay. It is a great match, ebbing and flowing to the end. It is also a match within a match. Extraordinary to watch this passionate coach interacting with this passionate player. You can watch it here. (Courtesy of EITB).
Jai Alai: (basket)
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Update
The players with the best records for the winter season are available for Miami and Dania. Click on Stats for Miami and View Info for Dania. The game pages have each player’s record in his last ten games.
Dania Jai Alai has live online telecasts of all its matches here.
There isn't anything really to say about this kind of Jai Alai except that these players grind out four to five games a day, 6 days a week, week after week, in front of small crowds, doing what they do, which is making the impossible routine. It must be watched over time to see just how difficult this game is, and how amazing these players are. Imagine a baseball fielder constrained to a three finger glove and you begin to get the idea of just how difficult it is to catch a rock hard pelota that is coming at between 85-100 miles per hour on every play, play after play. An error sends the player to the bench, from which he might not see the light of day for the rest of the match. A doubles partner lasts the length of a game. Then another, and another. Three to four different partners every day.
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We said that the organization of Jai Alai is in flux in Spain. As I learn more about that, I will write about it. In France it is much more organized. There are tournaments going on all the time, it seems. There is a Youtube site called Toute sur la Pelota Basque (All of Basque Pelota) that covers much of the French
Basque pelota scene, including modalities we will not be discussing here. It has
excellent Jai Alai coverage. Full matches are not provided, but very thorough
highlights that make a more or less "condensed match" are. It is a very up to date
site. About a week ago there was a match involving Egiguren and Alliez (they are
in the dark green shirts). These matches are played in sets, two to 15 points and a
third, if necessary, to 10. Egiguren and Alliez are long time professionals. Egiguren
is known for the thick elbow pad he wears because of all the falling rebote
(rebound) shots he takes. Alliez is a catching machine. The match is captured in
about 22 minutes by a single camera. I have not seen a match where the ball is
so visible, the amazing things these players do so well revealed. The match was
played in Pau.
Watch and enjoy.
Basque pelota scene, including modalities we will not be discussing here. It has
excellent Jai Alai coverage. Full matches are not provided, but very thorough
highlights that make a more or less "condensed match" are. It is a very up to date
site. About a week ago there was a match involving Egiguren and Alliez (they are
in the dark green shirts). These matches are played in sets, two to 15 points and a
third, if necessary, to 10. Egiguren and Alliez are long time professionals. Egiguren
is known for the thick elbow pad he wears because of all the falling rebote
(rebound) shots he takes. Alliez is a catching machine. The match is captured in
about 22 minutes by a single camera. I have not seen a match where the ball is
so visible, the amazing things these players do so well revealed. The match was
played in Pau.
Watch and enjoy.
Sources: Most sources are available in Spanish and/or Basque and French only. I use Google translate. It is clumsy but workable.
Mano:
Asegarce Entertainment Company --Player, match, and Fronton information.
Aspe Entertainment Company--Player, match, and League table information
EITB Television Network--Matches and highlights.
Fronton TV (click on "Videos" then "Programmas").--Matches
Wikipedia article on Basque Pelota--basics and dimensions of the sport.
For Mano, Pala and Remonte, to access on demand matches from EIBT TV:
Search either “Erremontea 2016 (or 2015)” or “Pala 2016 (or 2015).” At present, there are no links to Jai Alai matches.
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.
Oriamendi 2010 Twitter site
Live scoring of matches (full score at the end of the match only at this time).
Selected short clips.
