Jack Solock's Blog: April 2016

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

This week in Basque Pelota (Ball) Court Sports--April 21-28, 2016

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)

For information about Northern Basque modalities, see the report of April 6-12, 2016 under "Mano"

An index to all full match video links is also provided for easy access. Each of these matches is also discussed and linked to in the report.

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Index to this week's match videos (sources given below, in the text):

Mano:

1. Championnat de France Elite Pro Trinquet Main Nue Final: Waltery-Bilbao 40 Bielle-Ducasson 23.

Full Match Video: Single camera angle from behind. Just the match itself. Have to keep score yourself or listen closely to announcer. 1 hour 23 seconds.

Full Match Video: Pre and Post-match ceremonies. Multiple camera angles. Replays. Score always displayed, announcers. HD TV quality but longer: 1 hour 19 minutes 8 seconds.

2. Final points of last year's Circuit Esku Pelota Masters des Fetes de Bayonne Main Neu finale: Larralde-Martinez de Irujo 40 Waltery-Ducassou 24

Final points:

3. The Campionato Manonista (Buruz Buruko Txapelketa) 1a (Singles Tournament)

A. Artola 22 v Rezusta 17 (April 22, 2016).

Match Highlights:

Full Match Video: Scroll to Rezusta vs Artola (Begara 22/04/2016).

B. Ezkurdia 22 v Retegi B 12 (April 23, 2016)

Match Highlights:

Full Match Video: (match begins at 30 minutes 35 seconds on the recording).

C. Irribarria 22 v Juanarena 2 (April 24, 2016)

Match highlights:

Full Match Video: (Match begins at 1 hour 13 minutes 4 seconds on the recording)

D. Altuna III 22 v Victor 3 (April 25, 2016)

Match Highlights Only

Pala:

2015 Final of Bizkaia Tournament: Fusto-Chatellier v Gaubeka-Ibargari F-C 3-2 (10-9; 8-10; 10-6; 9-10; 10-6) (June 21, 2015)

Full Match Video (Match begins at 1 hour 25 minutes on the recording)

Remonte:

Both semi-final matches of the VI Sagardoaren Txapleketa (Tourneo Sidra) Tournament (both matches April 23, 2016).

Uterga-Aizpuru III (Bereziartua) 40, Ezkurra II (substituting for the injured Ezkurra)-Larranaga (Gurutzeta) 39.

Segurola (substituting for Maxtin III) -Endika (Petritegi) 40, Urriza-Labaka (Altzueta) 25

Both Full Match Videos

Jai Alai:

Final de Championnat de France 2016 -- Under 22 Cesta Punta (April 21, 2016)

Laloo-Basque 2-0 (15-6, 15-5) v Garzia-Montemat)

Full Match Video

Masters Pro Tour Final (September 14, 2015)

Ohla-Toucoullet 2-0 (15-13, 15-14) v Ohlaran-Urtasun

Full Match Video

Live TV matches this weekend:

Mano:

Three matches from he Campionato Manonista (Buruz Buruko Txapelketa) 1a (Singles Tournament). See below under Mano for details.
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Mano (Hand): Image result for pelota mano

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Update:

North Basque:

Main Neu (Trinquet):

A. In the Championnat de France A Pro-Elite final played at Trinquet Moderne, (Bayonne (Baiona)) on April 24, 2016, Waltery-Bilbao defeated Bielle-Ducassou 40-23.

Match Story: (Source: Esku Pilota)

Extensive Match Statistics, including point by point linescore, graph of the match, detailed breakdown of scoring by team, and point by point commentary.

Source: pelotelive.free.fr

There is really nothing I can add to the fantastic coverage in the second match video below, as well as the extensive coverage at pelotalive.free.fr If only the coverage of all Basque Pelota sports were like this, I could just send you URLs each week. Watch the best equipe in the Basque Country in this form of the game. Waltery-Bilbao were a finely tuned machine, defeating Bielle-Ducasson more decisively than they did in the opening phase of the competition, a match we linked to last week. And the Trinquete Moderne is one of the coolest Mano/Main Neu venues I've ever seen.
.
Full Match Video: Single camera angle from behind. Just the match itself. Have to keep score yourself or listen closely to the announcer. 1 hour 23 seconds. (Source: Esku Pilota Youtube site).

Full Match Video: Pre and Post-match ceremonies. Multiple camera angles. Replays. Score always displayed, announcers. HD TV quality but the video is longer: 1 hour 19 minutes 8 seconds. (Source: FFPV via Audiense Audiovisuel Youtube site.)

B. Last week I discovered Juan Martinez de Irujo on a trinquet court, nothing new for fans of Main Neu or Mano, but something quite interesting. He participated in the Masters des Fetes de Bayonne Tournament for the first time in five years last summer. In Main Neu he is a back courter and it is fascinating to watch him play opposite to what he usually plays, as well as dealing with all the idiosycracies of the Trinquet. In a short interview with ASPE last year he said this about Main Nue and this tournament. He played in the tournament final with Larralde v Waltery-Ducassou, held at Trinquet Moderne, on August 2, 2015. For details on that match see the match summary at pelotelive.free.fr

Final points: (about 9 minutes). (Source: Esku Pilota Youtube site.)

South Basque:

Note: A link to the full match video of last week's Irrabaria 22 v Arretxe II 14 1st Round match was added on to the April 13-20, 2016 report on April 22, 2016. Source: EITB.

The Campionato Manonista 1a (Buruz Buruko Txapelketa) (singles championship--Urrutikotxea, defending champion) moved into the Round of 8 this week:

The big news of the week, outside of the games themselves, is that Mtz. de Irujo will not be able to play due to the injury he suffered in the doubles final. Altuna III (see below), who would have been his opponent, now passes straight through to the semi-finals. I was incorrect in supposing that another opponent would substitute for Mtz.

ASPE Story

A. At Municipal Fronton (Bergara) Artola defeated Rezusta 22-17 on April 22, 2016.

Match Story Deia (Bilbao (Bilbo))

The key line in the statistics of the match story in this opening Round of 8 match between the front courter Artola and back courter Rezusta is the error line. Rezusta actually had more winners (service aces plus winners in play) than Artola. However, Rezusta's errors were three times the number of Artola's, giving the winner more than half of his points, and finishing Rezusta's tournament. The match was played, for the most part, high in the air, with each player trying to keep his opponent as far back as possible, and returning shots from as high an angle as possible. While both played a mostly defensive game, Artola played it better. This was the third match in the tournament where a front courter played a back courter. The front courters have won all three. Artola now moves on to face Bengoetxea VI at Atano III (San Sebastian (Donostia)) on April 29, 2016.

Match Highlights: (Source: EITB)

Full Match Video: Scroll to Rezusta vs Artola (Begara 22/04/2016). (Source: Fronton.tv).

B. At Labrit (Pamplona (Iruna)), Ezkurdia defeated Retegi BI 22-12 on April 23, 2016.

Basic Statistics of the Match: (Source: ASPE).

Retegi BI had better luck with Ezkurdia than Merino II had last week. He scored 10 more points but was still dominated in a 22-12 Ezkurdia victory. A lesson to be learned is that it is probably not a good idea to constantly hit the ball deep and keep Ezkurdia away from the front wall. He will do the same and keep the opponent even further away. In an awesome display of power 7 of his 16 winners were tremendously hard hit high passing shots, a couple of of which landed near the 9 line. Eskurdia also hit a cross court winner from the four line. His power will most likely be a challenge for anyone. Retegi BI tried to stay with a strategy of keeping the ball high on the left wall and moving the big man back. On the second point of the match he blasted a long passing shot of his own to win the point. The next point Ezkurdia did the same thing, not quite so deep, but just as effective. On the fifth point Ezkurdia hit an incredible side wall-back wall "dos paredes" from the 5 line that seemed to travel meters from the side to the front and then drop in perfectly. Retegi BI played a great match to keep it as close as it was, making great saves on the apron, climbing the side wall, and also running miles back after high passing shots and actually saving some. But he was in no position to win the points he saved. One of his high points was the 6th point of the match, when he was able to maneuver the big man both ways across in the front court while winning a point. But he went back to his original strategy, for the most part, after that. Urrutikoetxea has the tools to compete with Ezkurdia in the front court. It will be interesting to see if he tries to keep the match there when he can. We'll find out next week, when they meet at Bizkaia (Bilbao (Bilbo)) on April 30, 2016.

Match Highlights: (Source: EITB)

Full Match Video: (match begins at 30 minutes, 35 seconds on the recording).
(Source: EITB).

C. At Polideportiva de Lajuventad (Soria) Irribarria defeated Juanarena 22-2 on April 24, 2016.

Match Story: Deia (Bilbao (Bilbo))

The match story sub-headline said something to the effect that Irribarria destroyed Juarnarena with an "exhibition of power, strength, and ambition." That is as good a description as any of the dominance that Irribarria showed in this match. He revealed his strategic intention immediately, winning the first point with a high and deep passing shot. He followed this with four straight service aces and a cross court kill shot after a long return of a deep serve. Juanarena made an error and then Irribarria repeated the earlier cross court kill shot. By that time the score was 8-0 and the match, for all practical purposes, was over. Irribarria did not take his foot "off the pedal" for an instant, starting with a 12 point run, answering Juanarena's first point with a 4 point run, and his second point with a 6 point run to finish things off. He constantly pushed Juanarena far back on the court with powerful serves. As the match progressed, Juanarena was setting up near the 9 line to receive the serve. Watching the complete dismantling of a professional athlete is difficult. It only took 26 minutes. One can easily see where Ezkurdia's power comes from. Irribarria's is surprising at first because he doesn't seem a very big man. But his high, deep shots just keep going and going and going. He seems to do this effortlessly. All this and he is 19 years old. He now moves on to face Oliazola II (winner of the recently completed doubles tournament and four time winner of this tournament), at Labrit (Pamplona (Iruna)) on April 30, 2016.

Match highlights: (Source: EITB).

Full Match Video: (Match begins at 1 hour 13 minutes 4 seconds on the recording), (Source: EITB).

D. At Beotibar Fronton (Tolosa) Altuna III defeated Victor 22-3 on April 25, 2016, in a match that I had no full video access to.

Basic Satistics of the Match: (Source: Asegarce)

Based on the time of the match (a little over 30 minutes), the 8 service aces (some of which are in the match highlights below), and the fact that even in a two minute highlight package we see Victor setting up to receive the serve at the 8 line, this match of back courters was similar to the Irribarria match discussed above. Altuna III now passes straight to the semi-finales, since Mtz. de Irujo's injury prevents him from playing.

Match Highlights Only: (Source: EITB)

All of the quarter-final round matches will be available on EITB

Pala (bat):

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo - Invitación a un Juego de Argolla (ca: 1665-1670).

(Dulwich Picture Gallery via Wikimedia Commons)

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Update:

The Bizkaia Open will begin with a match between Sanz-Brefel and Necol-Ibai Perez at Gallarta Fronton (Zierbena) on April 29, 2016. Zubiri-Imanol and Landeta-Ibargari will play on May 1, 2016 at Bizkaia (Bilbao (Bilbo)) to complete the first round action. This tournament runs from April 29-June 18. More information on the structure and schedule of the tournament can be found at the Innpala site. Basically, it's a 6 team doubles round robin of five matches, followed by playoffs and a final. Points will be given for sets won. There will also be an amateur tournament. Check the Innpala Twitter feed for live scores if available. Pictures of the 12 participants in the tournament are available at the Twitter feed. Gordon and Sanz are the two invited amateur players who will be part of the tournament along with the regular roster.

This is a short court tournament, different from the Mungia long court tournament that ended last week. The style of play is different, and I think the bats are smaller, but I'm not sure about that. Last year's final at Bizkaia (Bilbao (Bilbo)) on June 21, 2015, was a classic short court final, a five set match between Fusto-Chatellier v Gaubeka-Ibargari, F-C finally prevailing.

Full Match Video (Match begins at 1 hour 25 minutes on the recording)

Remonte: (racquet)

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Update:

Latest results In the VI Sagardoaren Txapleketa (Tourneo Sidra) Tournament played at Galaretta Fronton, (Hernani)

Both semi-finals took place on Saturday, April 23, 2016. Both teams that finished the first portion of the tournament in 1st place in their divisions lost to teams that had to fight their way through two knockout rounds to get to the semi-finals.

1. Uterga-Aizpuru III (Bereziartua) defeated Ezkurra II (substituting for the injured Ezkurra)-Larranaga (Gurutzeta) 40-39.

Match Story for both matches: Source Oriamendi 2010

Only three of the matches in this tournament have been decided by less than 5 points. Uterga-Aizpuru III have been involved in two of them. This was a match that had an interesting rhythm and flow, as the match linescore indicates (winners listed first):

0-1; 2-1; 2-2; 3-2; 3-3; 8-3; 8-4; 10-4; 10-5; 11-5; 11-6; 12-6; 12-10; 13-10; 13-13; 18-13; 18-14; 20-14; 20-16; 26-16; 26-19; 27-19; 27-24; 28-24; 28-25; 31-25; 31-29; 34-29; 34-31; 35-31; 35-35; 39-35; 39-39; 40-39

E-L led only one point in the match, the first point. They spent the rest of the match trying to come from behind, almost winning at the end. The match story praises Ezkurra II for outscoring Uterga, but the match itself was a bit more complex. Ezkurra II played an excellent match and made some great shots, but the crafty, experienced Uterga made the shots when they counted. After a great shot by Ezkurra II brought the score to 35-34, Larranaga tied the score with his 6th service ace. At 35-35, Ezkurra II made an error in judgment, in my opinion, as he attempted to retrieve a shot that was too high at the side wall and would have been better left alone. Points 37, 38, and 39 were scored by Uterga on a beautiful 2 wall shot, a shot that hugged the wall, and a smash back to the middle. But at 38-35, Ezkurra II put a brilliant shot of his own down the wall. Larranaga followed with his 7th and 8th aces to even the score. After Uterga's smash, Ezkurra II made a great shot to even the match again at 39. Then a mis-hit by Larranaga ended it. So it seems everyone had their "day in the sun." Ezkurra II made the most of his opportunities in this tournament, playing as a substitute for 2 different teams in 6 matches. He was impressive and looks to have a great future. The Bereziartua team enters the final with a tournament record of 4-2, including their last 3 straight, all knockout matches. The Gurutzeta team finished 2-2.

2. Segurola (substituting for Maxtin III) -Endika (Petritegi) defeated Urriza-Labaka (Altzueta) 40-25

Match linescore (winners listed first):

1-0; 1-1; 3-1; 3-2; 8-2; 8-4; 9-4; 9-6; 10-6; 10-8; 11-8; 11-9; 13-9; 13-10; 14-10; 14-12; 15-12; 15-13; 16-13; 16-14; 19-14; 19-16; 23-16; 23-18; 26-18; 26-20; 30-20; 30-21; 33-21; 33-22; 34-22; 34-23; 38-23; 38-25; 40-25

This match did not have the passion and drama of the first match, but was played at a higher talent level all the way through. Urriza is the hardest front court hitter I have seen on the roster, a talented, experienced presence on any team. Segurola has had a streak of excellence that started in late February. Since then he has won 14 and lost 2. In this match he stayed right with Urriza, time and again returning rockets from the big man. But the real story of this match was Endika, who was magnificent from the back court. The turning point of this match, the finest point of the match, one of the finest points I've ever seen in remonte, came at 16-14 S-E. It occurs at 1 hour 46 minutes 10 seconds on the full match video recording linked to below.

1. Labaka serves

2, Segurola, pinned to the left wall, returns high on the front wall

3, Labaka, deep, hits high on the front wall

4. Segurola, still pinned to the wall, reaches up and taps high on the front wall in defense

5. Urriza, at the 6 line, launches an overhand rocket down the line along the side wall

6. Endika underhands a return from past the 10 line near the side wall

7. Urriza, racing to the 3 line about 12-15 feet from the wall, launches a sidearm rocket

8. Endika, still at the 10 line, overhands the return

9. Labaka returns from near where Endika was

10. Segurola, pinned against the side wall at the 5 line, overhands a soft defensive shot

11. Urriza, just behind the 7 line, about 10-15 feet from the wall, launches an overhand rocket to the outside

12. Endika, with one foot on the apron at about the 10 line, returns

13. Labaka, about 5 feet from the wall at the 7 line, passes down the wall

14. Endika moves across from the apron at the 10 line to about 5 feet from the wall, and returns a falling rebote (rebound) off the back wall, falling back toward the middle of the court, that passes Urriza, pinned to the side wall, to his right at the 5 line to win the point.

Point ends at 1:46:52. A sequence of 14 shots in 42 seconds. At that point, when the score could have been 16-15 four times, it was 17-14. U-L never recovered.

Later, at 34-23, Endika scored on another falling rebote from the apron, one of the finest remonte shots I've ever seen, an almost impossible shot in this modality. It was a shot great Jai Alai players would be proud of.

Segurola was also very impressive with long high shots that scored regularly.

The Petritegi team enters the final with a tournament record of 4-2, including their last 3, all knockout matches, in a row. The Altzueta team finished 3-1.

Both Full Match Videos (source: IETB)

The final between the Petritegi and Bereziartua teams, will be at Galaretta on Saturday, April 30. Hopefully EITB will carry it live over the Internet. If not, hopefully, it will be available on demand.

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Final Standings, first phase, along with the playoff schedule can be found at the Oriamendi 2010 site story linked to here.

Live scoring on a match by match basis is available at the Oriamendi 2010 Twitter site.

Full explanation of how the tournament works, as well as how to navigate the Oriamendi 2010 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.

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Jai Alai: (basket) Image result for jai alai

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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.

At the time this report was finished there was no information about who had the most wins or "in the money" (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) finishes for last week at Miami.

At Dania, for the week ending April 23, 2016, Diego (Beaskoetxea--two of his partido matches in the North Basque were linked to in the March 13-20 Part 2 and March 21-28 reports respectively) was the leading winner with 12 wins in 33 games played. Eric lead the "in the money" (1st, 2nd, or third) category, 23 times in 37 matches, a .622 percentage.

Dania Jai Alai has live online telecasts of all its matches here.

The best way to watch the Dania season unfold is to watch the online telecasts. There are no replays or on demand games.

This week in the North Basque, the Championnat de France Pro/Am 2016 Cesta Punta--National A Competition final between B Group Winner Pau 1 (Egiguren-Alliez) and A Group Winner Pau 2 (Olharan-Itoiz) at Euskal Jai (Biarritz), on April 21, 2016, was postponed to a later, indefinite date, due to a complaint filed by the St. Jean de Luz 1 team (Ohla-Ihitsague). St. Jean de Luz 1 (with Sallabery substituting for Ihitsague, lost to the team of Olharan-Portet (substituting for Itoiz) 15-10, 15-5. The highlights of that match were linked to in last week's report. The complaint involved the participation of the Junior player Jerome Portet on the Pau 2 team. The St. Jean de Luz team claimed that Portet violated the FFPV regulation that says no player can participate in more than two of the competitions at the same time. Portet played in the National B competition, which ended on March 26, 2016. His Pau team was eliminated from that competition in a "Barrage" round match on February 28, 2016 (See the match score at pelotelive.free.fr) He then played in the National Junior Cesta Punta competition. His Pau team was eliminated on April 1. (See the match score at pelotelive.free.fr). He played in the semi-final of the National A tournament on April 15. The complaint, if I understand it correctly, was due to the fact that the Junior competition was still active on April 15, even though he had been eliminated two weeks before. (In fact, the Junior championship match was played on April 21, 2016 at Biarritz, on the night the National A championship was supposed to be played). Due to the complaint, the National A championship match was postponed. The story of the complaint (in French) can be found here. The story was found on the pelota-basque.com Paloise section site. ("La finale Cesta-punta PRO-AM reportee!") Judge for yourself the validity of the complaint (though you may need an attorney to help you). When we find further information about the match, we will inform you of it.

Since there was no National A final, we hope you will enjoy these matches instead. Both were played at Euskal-Jai Aguilera Fronton (Biarritz) Matches are played in sets to 15 pts, best 2 out of 3.

1. Championnat de France 2016: Cesta Punta: Juniors (under 22)

Final de Championnat de France 2016 (April 21, 2016)

Laloo-Basque defeated Garzia-Montemat) 2-0 (15-6, 15-5)

For the context of this tournament, consult pelotelive.free.fr for the

Junior Championnat 2016

Under "Equipes Engagees" click on either L-B (Koastakoak) or G-M (Luzean) to highlight their matches as you scroll down through all the matches. For Luzean's April 1 match there are match linescores, graphs, statistics, and a point by point commentary.

Full Match Video

Masters Pro-Am Tour Final (September 14, 2015)

Ohla-Toucoullet defeated Ohlaran-Urtasun 2-0 (15-13, 15-14) Link to players page at Biarritz. Scroll to the player and click on photo for more information.

Here is a chance to see some very fast paced Jai Alai and to get a long look at Jean Ohlaran, one of the participants in the upcoming National A finals, when the above listed complaint is settled. Euskal Jai plays very fast, according to what I could pick up from the announcers.

Full Match Video Source for both: FFPV via Audiense Audiovisuel Youtube site.

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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 EITB TV:

http://www.eitb.tv/es/

Search either “Erremontea 2016 (or 2015)” or “Pala 2016 (or 2015).” At present, there are no links to Jai Alai matches.

Pala:

Innpala

Player and selected match information. Latest scores. Upcoming matches.

Innpala Twitter Feed

Match scores by set in real time.

Professional Pala at the Munduko Pilota Batzarra (World Pilota Council)

Player information, match stories, excellent source of real time happenings in the world of professional Pala.

Remonte:

Oriamende 2010

Match stories, standings, player statistics, match database, upcoming matches.

Oriamende 2010 Facebook Page

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).

Galaretta Jai Alai Remonte Youtube page

Selected short clips.

Jai Alai:

A. Pari-mutuel:

Miami Jai-Alai

Schedules, game results, statistics, roster, see game pages for results of last ten games for each player.

Simulcasts (fee based):

Dania Jai Alai

Schedules, game results, statistics, roster, see game pages for results of last ten games for each player.

Simulcasts (free of charge):

B. Partido:

Internationeaux Cesta Punta-St. Jean de Luz

Exhaustive information about the annual festival (in French)

Official sources of video for Jai Alai full games:

Internationaux de Cesta Punta

Excellent quality videos.

International Jai Alai Players Association (I Ja Pa)

Jai Alai World Tour

Northern Basque Pelota Modalities:

FFPV Federation Francaise de Pelota Basque

Organization, competitions, results, regulations, history

Pelotelive.free.fr

A gigantic database, easily queried, of all of North Basque pelota (live scores, pictures, commentary, videos).

Esku Pilota

Central Information site for all things Main Neu. Results, match stories (in French), player information (use the arrows to scroll up and down the player page, only three players at a time are visible), player rankings, etc.

Esku Pilota Youtube site

Selected Main Neu matches.

Tout sur la Pelote Basque Youtube site.

Quickest, easiest, and most reliable way to watch French Basque Pelota.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

This week in Basque Pelota (ball) court sports--April 13-20, 2016

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)

2. The Campionato Manonista 1a (Singles Tournament)

A. Ezkurdia 22 v Merino II 2 (April 15, 2016)

Match Highlights:

Full Match Video: (Match begins at 30minutes on the recording)

B. Artola 22 v Untoria 8 (April 16, 2016)

Match Highlights:

Full Match Video: (Scroll to "Untoria vs Artola (San Sebastian, 16/04/2016)

C. Irrabaria 22 v Arretxe II 14

Match Highlights:

Note: A link to the full match video of this match was added on April 22, 2016, as soon as I discovered its availability on demand at EITB.

Full Match Video: (Match begins at 55 minutes 38 seconds on the recording)

Pala:

2016 Mundial Parejas (World Doubles) final and third place match, played at Udala (City) Fronton, Mungia, on April 16, 2016. Championship: Fusto-Brefel 3, Gaubeka-Imanol 2. Third place match: Necol--Ibai-Perez 3, Landeta-Ibargari- 2

Full match video of both matches

Remonte:

2013 final del Campionato Remonte Individual (singles final) Urriza v San Miguel, played September 7, 2013 at Galaretta, Hernani.
U30-S24

Full Final match.

Jai Alai:

Extensive Match Highlights from the Championnat de France Pro/Am 2016 Cesta Punta--National A Competition

A. Poul 2 Match Pau: (Egiguren-Alliez) v Guethary (Laduche-Etcheto) Jan. 29, 2016
E-A won 10-15; 15-6; 10-7

B. Poul Playoff A: St. Jean de Luz (J. Tambourindeguy-Inza) v Pau (Olharan-Itoiz) Mar. 26, 2016
T-I won 12-15; 15-12; 10;7

C. Poul Playoff B: St. Jean de Luz ( P. Tambourindeguy-Maya) v Pau (Egiguren-Alliez) Apr. 1, 2016
E-A won 15-13; 15-14

D. Semi-Final: No 1a v No 2b: Pau 2 (Olharan-Portet (subsituting for Itoiz) v St. Jean de Luz 1 (Sallabery (substituting for Ohla)-Ihitsague) Apr. 15, 2016
O-P won 15-10; 15-5

Live TV matches this weekend:

Mano:

Three matches from he Campionato Manonista 1a (Singles Tournament). See below under Mano for details.
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Mano (Hand): Image result for pelota mano

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Update:

North Basque:

Main Neu (Trinquet):

In the second Semi-Final of the A Group of the Championnat de France 2016: Main Nue Par Equipe (doubles) - Trinquet - Elite Pro FFPB competition. At Trinquet Gantxiki, (Saint Pee sur Nivelle (Senpere)) Bielle-Ducassout defeated Etchegaray-Lazcano 40-39 on April 15, 2016.

Note that all player profiles are at one Internet address of the site for much information about Main Neu, Esku Pilota. Simply use the arrows at the top right side of the page to move through the roster, alphabetically, three players at a time.

Match Story: Scroll to the story by Stephane Oliazola, April 16, 2016. Note that the full video of the match is embedded in the story. However, if that doesn't work there will be another address provided below.

This was, quite simply, a match for the ages. I counted 767 shots. There were 13 ties (equal scores) and the lead changed hands nine times over the course of the match. One team seemed to be in control for long stretches and then the other team would come back. The match linescore reveals what an incredibly hard fought match it was. (Winning team is listed 1st).

0-1; 2-1; 2-6; 4-6; 4-9; 8-9; 8-10; 11-10; 11-13; 15-13; 15-15; 16-15; 16-18; 18-18; 18-19; 20-19; 20-20; 22-20; 22-21; 26-21; 26-29; 27-29; 27-32; 32-32; 32-36; 34-36; 34-37; 36-37; 36-39; 40-39.

It was even more exciting than it reads. The 36-39 point came after a rally that lasted 31 shots (including the serve) and was won by a perfect shot by Lazcano that hit the indented square on the low right hand side of the front wall and took an unexpected direction, impossible to return. Surely at this point... But that was the point that Bielle came to the party. After a fairly slow start in the first half of the match where Ducassout's shots from the back (I counted what I thought were 8 winners) stole much of the thunder, B-D found themselves on the back foot much of the second half of the match. Bielle played his best Main Neu in this part of the match, never losing his composure even as Ducassout seemed at times to be in doubt. If you look at Bielle's player information, you will see a listing of over 25 "important victories." At 36-39, with their backs firmly plastered to the wall, Bielle quite calmly made brilliant shots to take the next two points, the second of which came after a rally of 15 shots, the match riding on half of them. And then Ducassout came back and won the last two points, the winning point with a shot that pinned Etchegary against the trinquet roof wall, a bit too high for him to get a clean shot away. Etchegary's body language showed he thought he'd made an error, but it was a great shot that beat him. Ducassout was so elated with the victory that he lay down on the floor and had to be coaxed up by Bielle. Bielle, "cool as a cucumber," took it all in stride, just another day at the office. The next day at the office will be a match with Waltery-Bilbao for the Championnat.

Since there were no statistics given (my only access to these matches is through video that is unencumbered with announcers, except for the announcer who tells the score), I tried to keep my own. I have little experience with Main Nue, but I think I know a winner from an error. I tend to assign points as winners if I have any doubt, and look to the body language of the players for help when I need it. So these statistics are completely subjective, and you might see things differently.

Front Court:

Bielle: 5 service aces; 11 winners, 1 error.
Etchegary: 6 service aces: 2 service faults; 15 winners, 3 errors.

Back Court:

Ducassout: 15 winners; 5 errors
Lazcano: 12 winners; 4 errors

Back courters score much more freely in Main Neu than the Southern Basque back courters do in Mano, it seems. I assume it has something to do with the fact that the court is smaller and enclosed on all four sides.

If you want to see Main Neu at its most exciting, do not miss this epic.

Full Match Video:

Source: Esku Pilota Youtube channel.

Note that both the Waltery-Bilbao and Bielle-Ducassout semi finals were against the top two teams in the B division.

This will be the second meeting of W-B v B-D in this competition. They met on February 22, 2016 at Trinquet Garat (St. Jean Pied de Port (Donibane Garazi)). W-B won that match 40-28. The full match video is available in two versions:

Condensed version: all points, clearly visible scoreboard and crowd, camera further away from players: running time: 44 minutes, 12 seconds. (Source: Bixintxo Bilbao Youtube site).

Full version: all points in real time, camera angles closer to players, no visible scoreboard or crowd: running time: 1 hour, 12 minutes, 20 seconds. Source: Esku Pilota Youtube site.

The Championnat A final will be played on April 24, 2016 at Trinquet Moderne, (Bayonne (Baiona)) at 11:00 am local time. You can follow it in real time at pelotelive.free.fr Scroll to the bottom of the page. Hopefully it will also be available for viewing on demand later.
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In the Championnat Group B Final, at Trinquet Ramuntxo (Ascain) Inchause-Amulet easily defeated L.Lambert-De Ezcurra 40-23 on April 17, 2016.

Match Story:

After the amazing semi-final A match two days before, this match was somewhat anti-climatic, as I-A wore down L-E over the course of the match.

Group B Final match video

Source: Esku Pilota Youtube site

South Basque:

The Campionato Manonista 1a (singles championship--Urrutikotxea, defending champion) began with 4 matches:

A. At Labrit (Pamplona (Iruna)), Ezkurdia defeated Merino II 22-2 on April 15, 2016.

Basic Statistics of the Match: (Source: ASPE).

The opening match of the tournament was an interesting contrast of styles and sizes. Merino II, a back courter, scored the first point of the match. 20 points later he scored again. He had no answers to front courter Ezkurdia from beginning to end. Ezkurdia is a much bigger man (6 foot 3 inch, 205 pounds--and another example of a big man in the front court) than his back court opponent. Ezkurdia used a whole textbook worth of shots in this very short game. He now moves on to face Retegi BI April 23, 2016 at Labrit (Pamplona (Iruna)).

Match Highlights:

Full Match Video: (Match begins at 30 minutes on the recording). Source: EITB

B. At Atano III (San Sebastian (Donostia)), Artola defeated Untoria 22-8 on April 16, 2016.

Match Story: (Source: Asgarce).

A strategy of keeping the back courter Untoria as far in the back court as possible paid rich dividends to front courter Artola as he won easily. Untoria's last point of the match made the score 10-8. He spent much of the rest of the match running miles and miles without ever catching up to Artola's winners. Artola now moves on to meet Rezusta April 22, 2016 at Municipal Fronton (Bergara).

Match Highlights:

Full Match Video: (Scroll to "Untoria vs Artola" (San Sebastian, 16/04/2016). Source: Fronton.tv

C. At Addaraga (Logrono), Victor defeated Elezkano II 22-19, on April 16, 2016, in a match that I had no video access to.

Basic Statistics of the Match: (Source: ASPE).

The beautifully done thumbnail sketch of the match provided by ASPE allows interested fans to replay it almost in the detail that they would have seen it. The graph and running linescore show that Victor was in "the drivers seat" through much of the first half of the match, leading 9-3. Elezkano II then fought back (most likely with the help of some of Victor's 9 galduaks (errors)) to take a lead of his own at 13-11. Victor, to his credit, kept his poise and re-captured the lead. Then he had to withstand another Elizkano II rally that tied the match at 19. Victor then won the last three points for a very hard fought victory. In the space of half a page, the ASPE summary has painted a beautiful picture of how exciting (if not perfectly played) this match must have been for the fans who were fortunate enough to watch it. An interesting aside is that this was the first match in this tournament where two front courters played against each other. Victor now moves on to play Altuna III on April 25, 2016 at Beotibar Fronton (Tolosa)

D. At Astelena (Eibar) Irribarria defeated Arretxe II 22-14 on April 17, 2016.

Basic Statistics of the Match: (statistics, linescore, and match graph)

Match story Deia (Bilbao (Bilbo)), also with match statistics

In another match between two front courters, Irribaria used his power to great effect in driving Arretxe II to the deepest reaches of the court, neutralizing any short game hopes that he might have had. While he stayed in the game until 9-8, Arretxe II was passed behind 6 times among Irribaria's 11 or 12 total winners (depending on which summary you read) and this was a leading factor in the match. Irrabaria now moves on to play Juanarena on April 24, 2016 at Polideportiva de Lajuventad (Soria).

Match Highlights:

Note: A link to the full match video of this match was added on April 22, 2016, as soon as I discovered its availability on demand at EITB.

Full Match Video: (Match begins at 55 minutes 38 seconds on the recording)

Source: EITB.

Three of next weekend's matches will be available on EITB

http://www.eitb.eus/es/deportes/deporte-en-directo/

Check Viernes, Sabado, Domingo (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Times are local times. Later the matches will be available on demand.

This championship is in a single elimination tournament format, seeded with four players receiving byes to the round of 8, and four other players receiving byes to the quarter-finals. For the structure see the ASPE Campionato Manonista page. Note that Rezusta has a bye to the round of 8, and the other three doubles championship finals players have byes to the quarter-finals. It will be interesting to see if Mtz. de Irujo will be ready to play by his first scheduled match, May 1. If he has not recovered from his fractured finger, suffered in the recently played doubles final, he will be replaced by a substitute. The tournament ends with a final on May 29.

Pala (bat):

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo - Invitación a un Juego de Argolla (ca: 1665-1670).

(Dulwich Picture Gallery via Wikimedia Commons)

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Update:

Note: I discovered that I made an error in attributing the format of the Mundial de Parejas 2016 to Innpala. The format was designed by the Munduko Pilota Batzarra (World Pilota Council).

The final and third place match of the 2016 Mundial Parejas were played at Udala (City) Fronton, Mungia on April 16, 2016. In the championship final,

Fusto-Brefel defeated Gaubeka-Imanol 3-2 (10-8, 8-10, 10-6, 7-10, 10-7). In the third place match that followed, Necol--Ibai-Perez defeated Landeta-Ibargari 3-2 (8-10, 10-5, 4-10, 10-6, 10-9).

Note: linking from any name will lead to the players page. At present there are only 10,so they all fit on one page. Click on any picture for more information about that player.

Match Story (Deia (Bilbao (Bilbo)):

For me, one of the most fascinating things about Pala is the sound of the game. It is the only modality where the sound of the striking of the ball is as loud or louder than the sound of the ball hitting the wall and floor. It develops a compelling rhythm, almost like a heart beat. When I first watched Pala, the "crack" of the bat immediately resonated with me, as I am a lifelong baseball fan. And when I found out that the weight of the Pala larga "bat" can be up to 950 grams (about 32 ounces), a common weight of bats used by US major league baseball players, I was astounded. A major league player uses both hands and stands still, waiting for a "pitch" that comes every 20 to 30 seconds. Pala players are constantly moving, carrying that weight in one hand, switching it from one hand to the other, and swinging it as if it were a tennis raquet, easily over 100 times in these matches. It can take a baseball player up to one month to put the ball into fair play as many times as any of the players did on Saturday in the course of 60-90 minutes. The strength, touch, and accuracy needed to do that is quietly astonishing.

The heart beat was strong and intense on Saturday at Mungia Udala, a long court where the entire competition was played over the last month and a half. A large, enthusiastic crowd was on hand to see if the experimental format created by Pilota Munduko Batzarra to reveal the best two teams (switching partners every match, with a scoring system that rewarded dominant victories as well as close fought defeats) would be vindicated. It was, without doubt, by the close, intensely competitive match finally won in 5 sets by Fusto-Brefel over Gaubeka-Imanol.

The heart beat 564 times. In a maximum length 5 set match (10-9 every set), there are 95 points. This match had 86. Fusto-Brefel won 45.

The length of the points was another indicator of quality. There were 35 points that lasted 0-4 shots. 32 points that lasted 5-9 shots, and 19 points that lasted 10 shots or more (3 of those lasted over 20 shots). The longest point of the match was the second point of the third set, 27 shots.

The match linescores also demonstrate the quality and competitiveness of this match. (Winners are listed 1st).

Set 1: 0-1, 1-1, 1-3, 4-3, 4-4, 5-4, 5-5, 7-5, 7-7, 8-7, 8-8, 10-8 (F-B)
Set 2: 1-0, 1-2, 3-2, 3-3, 4-3, 4-5, 7-5, 7-8, 10-8 (G-I)
Set 3: 0-4, 2-4, 2-5, 9-5, 9-6, 10-6 (F-B)
Set 4: 0-2, 2-2, 2-4, 3-4, 3-7, 10-7 (G-I)
Set 5: 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-3, 5-3, 5-4, 7-4, 7-5, 8-5, 8-7, 10-7 (F-B)

It was a long, intense, incredibly entertaining struggle to watch. EITB is excellent at catching subtle and not so subtle body language and that only added to the suspense. If there was a "turning point" it probably came in the middle of the 3rd set. G-I were "on fire," with a 4-0 lead, having won the last 7 straight points going back to Set 2. Then Imanol, a very reliable server (6 service aces in this match) faulted. This was followed by a 19 shot point finally won by a terrific, low smash by Fusto to make the score 4-2. After G-I got the next point, Imanol faulted again. By the time G-I scored again the were down 9-5. The seven point run put F-B back in the lead 2-1.

In some cases, a crushing setback like that would finish the team that suffered it. Not so with G-I. On life support at 3-7, Imanol led G-I back with 3 service aces in their own run of 7 straight points to send the match to its final set. In the end, it wasn't quite enough. After yet another brilliant ace by Imanol brought the 5th set to 8-7, the last two points consumed 12 and 15 shots respectively. When they were finished, Fusto and Brefel were champions.

Fusto's signature was all over this match. He had 19 winners, more than twice as many as anyone else. Two stood out for me. After beginning the match with an error, he was looking down the barrel of a 0-2 deficit when Gaubeka launched a terrific "dos paredes" (side wall to front wall) winner... only it wasn't. Fusto went onto the apron and answered with a perfect dos paredes of his own, to win the point. Early in the 5th set, he had another dos paredes, this time completely different. A high, soft shot, perfectly placed to bounce too high for anyone to retrieve. He also had 6 ezker horman (left wall--hard shots that hug the left wall, cramping the opponents for room to return).

Final eginak galduak (winner-error) breakdown:

Fusto 19-8; Gaubeka 8-4;
Brefel 9-16; Imanol 9-12

The second match, for third place in the tournament, was also a hotly contested 5 set match won by Necol--Ibai Perez over Landeta-Ibargari 3-2 (8-10, 10-5, 4-10, 10-6, 10-9). The heart beat in this match 427 times. Individual totals:

Necol 16-7; Landeta 9-7
Ibai-Perez 5-13; Ibargari 11-14

In the end, the heart did not want to stop beating. Line score of the last set (winner listed first).

0-1; 6-1; 6-3; 7-3; 7-4; 8-4; 8-5; 9-5; 9-9; 10-9. The point at 8-5 consumed 34 shots, the most of any point all day.

A wonderful end to a wonderful competition.

Full match video of both matches

Source: EITB

Final records, matches and sets:

Front Court:

Fusto: 7-0: 21-8
Gaubeka: 4-3; 17-14
Necol: 3-4; 15-15
Landeta: 0-7; 5-21

Back Court:

Brefel: 4-3; 15-12
Imanol: 3-4: 14-14
Ibai--Perez: 4-3: 14-15
Ibargari: 3-4; 15-17

The next matches for these players will be the Bizkaia Open, beginning next week in Bilbao (Bilbo).

Remonte: (racquet)

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Update:

Latest results In the VI Sagardoaren Txapleketa (Tourneo Sidra) Tournament played at Galaretta Fronton, (Hernani)

Quarter-finals:

April 14:

Uterga-Aizpuru III (Bereziartua) defeated Ansa II-Ion (Setien) 40-26.

Match Story: Source Oriamendi 2010

This was a match in three parts. The first and third part were identical. The second part won the match for the Bereziartua team. Selected match linescore (winner listed first):

11-12; 29-14; 40-26

The first and third sections were closely fought. There was only one team on the court in the 18-2 run that won for U-A. Again, as has happened on more than one occasion in this tournament, the back courter was a key scorer. Aizpuru III had 11 service aces. While he was doing that, Uterga was chewing up the Setien team to the tune of 20 winners while committing only 3 errors (all at the beginning of the match, according to the match story). By the time A-I regained their footing to put in at least a semblance of resistance, winning 12 of the last 23 points, exactly as they had done to begin the match, the outcome had long before been determined. The Bereziartua team is now 3-2 and moves on this week to a semi-final with the winner of Group A Ezkurra II (substituting for the injured Ezkurra)-Larranaga (sponsored by Gurutzeta), who are 2-1. The match will take place on April 23. Ansa II-Ion finish at 2-2.

April 16:

Matxin III-Endika (Petritegi) defeated Etxeberria IV-Exteberria III (substituting for the injured Agirrezabala) (Gaztañaga) 40-17.

Match Story: Source: Oriamendi 2010

Not much can be said about a match this one sided, and the match story says...not much. But says it perfectly. The story leads with the score, says that there was only one team on the court, and also says that no matter how poor the opponent, the winning team has to take care of business, which the Petritgi team emphatically did. There are no individual statistics or any score line in the story.
Maxtin III-Endika are now, like the Bereziautua team above, 3-2, having won two elimination matches. They move on to face the winner of Group B, Urriza-Labaka (sponsored by Altzueta), the only undefeated team in the tournament (3-0). This match will also take place on April 23. The Gaztanaga team finishes 2-2.

On April 30, the winners of these two matches will meet in the final.

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Final Standings, first phase, along with the schedule and results of the rest of the tournament can be found at the Oriamendi 2010 site story linked to here.

Live scoring on a match by match basis is available at the Oriamendi 2010 Twitter site.

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Since there were no matches televised on EITB this week, we will look at:

2013 final del Campionato Remonte Individual (singles final) between Urriza (one of the Altzueta team in next week's tournament semi-final) and San Miguel. A couple of weeks ago we watched the latest final singles match that Urriza played in, a hard fought defeat at the hands of Uterga. Today's match was held September 7, 2013. The opponent was San Miguel, a perennial top of the roster player at the time. The outcome, for Urriza, was a happy one. When players like this have a match, there is always excellent remonte to be watched. Enjoy.

Full Final match.

Source: Galaretta Jai Alai Remonte Youtube site.

Jai Alai: (basket) Image result for jai alai

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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.

The top winner at Miami for the week ending April 18, 2016 was Irastorza, with 9 wins in 30 games played. He was "in the money" (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) 16 times, an amazing .533 percentage.

At Dania, for the week ending April 16, 2016, Eric was the leading winner with 12 wins in 45 games played, and 25 times in the money, an also amazing .556 percentage. For those interested, you can watch Eric at the Dania link directly below. He is a late game player (usually games 5-8). He's been playing great Jai Alai for some time.

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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 EITB TV:

http://www.eitb.tv/es/

Search either “Erremontea 2016 (or 2015)” or “Pala 2016 (or 2015).” At present, there are no links to Jai Alai matches.

Pala:

Innpala

Player and selected match information. Latest scores. Upcoming matches.

Innpala Twitter Feed

Remonte:

Oriamende 2010

Match stories, standings, player statistics, match database, upcoming matches.

Oriamende 2010 Facebook Page

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).

Galaretta Jai Alai Remonte Youtube page

Selected short clips.

Jai Alai:

A. Pari-mutuel:

Miami Jai-Alai

Schedules, game results, statistics, roster, see game pages for results of last ten games for each player.

Simulcasts (fee based):

Dania Jai Alai

Schedules, game results, statistics, roster, see game pages for results of last ten games for each player.

Simulcasts (free of charge):

B. Partido:

Internationeaux Cesta Punta-St. Jean de Luz

Exhaustive information about the annual festival (in French)

Official sources of video for Jai Alai full games:

Internationaux de Cesta Punta

Excellent quality videos.

International Jai Alai Players Association (I Ja Pa)

Jai Alai World Tour

Northern Basque Pelota Modalities:

FFPV Federation Francaise de Pelota Basque

Organization, competitions, results, regulations, history

Pelotelive.free.fr

A gigantic database, easily queried, of all of North Basque pelota (live scores, pictures, commentary, videos).

Esku Pilota

Central Information site for all things Main Neu. Results, match stories (in French), player information (use the arrows to scroll up and down the player page, only three players at a time are visible), player rankings, etc.

Esku Pilota Youtube site

Selected Main Neu matches.

Toute sur la Pelote Basque Youtube site.

Quickest, easiest, and most reliable way to watch French Basque Pelota.