This Week in Basque Pelota (Ball) Court Sports--May 6-12, 2016

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NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER UPDATES UNTIL MID-JUNE. LIFE HAS INTERVENED, AS IT SO OFTEN DOES. ENJOY THE BREAK!

Jack

Feedback is always welcome.

jbsolock1@gmail.com 
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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):

Main Neu:

1. Trophee Atharri  (Itxassou) (semi-finals, both May 7, 2016

A. Larralde-Guichandut 40 vs Ospital-Amulet 26

B. Etchegaray-Ducassou 40 vs Bielle-Benesse 35

Full Match Videos of both Matches, via either USStream.tv or Esku Pilota Youtube site

Note that Esku Pilota is making ongoing design changes for ease of access as well as multiple access points to these matches. From this link, users may choose a replay of the original USStream.tv match, or a higher definition (with a different camera angle replay) available at the Esku Pilota Youtube site. Check both feeds to see which one you prefer. Sometimes the camera angle of a less high definition feed is better for seeing the match. In the Atharee case, the high definition angle concentrated on the back of the court, and some plays in the front were missed, The USStream.tv feed missed some of the action on the back trinquet roof because it's camera was directly behind the players. Watch the feed that shows you what is most interesting to you.

2. Trophee de Cize (St. Jean Pied de Port) (semi-finals, both May 9, 2016)

A. Ospital-Amulet (substituting for the injured Bilbao) 40 Monce-Ondars--Lazcano 33 

B. Larralde-De Ezcurrra 40 v Etchegaray (substituting for Waltary)-Guichandut 32

Full Match Video for both matches

Note that for either single link that goes to both matches, you can also click on the Youtube link once the match begins to get the match directly from Esku Pilota's Youtube site. 

Mano:

CPTO 4 1/2 LEPM Final (November 29, 2015)

Urrutikoetxea 22 v Mtz. de Irujo 20

Full Match Video: Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "4", then scroll to: Urrutikoetxea vs Mtz. de Irujo (Bilbao 29/11/2015)

Note that with Fronton TV sources, the match  you are looking for now will later be moved to lower sub pages. Clicking on each number will lead to a series of 6 older matches.

Pala: 

Astra Nagusta Torneo Final (August 29, 2015)

Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez 3-0 (10-8, 10-7, 10-8) v Fusto-Aierbe

Full Match Video (Match begins at 50 minutes, 35 seconds on the recording).

Remonte:

San Fermin Torneo Final (July 11, 2015) 

Urriza-Berrenetxea IV 40 v Uterga-Exteberria III 39

Full Match Video

Jai Alai: 

Grand Chistera: 

A. 2014-15 Championnat de France Pro Am National A  Paloise 1 (Pau) Olharan-Alliez L.-Itoiz 40 Paloise 2 (Pau) Pierrou-Alliez A.-Portet 34 (May 13, 2015)

Highlights (about 23 minutes)

B. Grand Chistera with camera behind, to see how a point is initiated. (about 10 minutes)

Live TV matches this week.

Mano/Main Neu:

Various Mano matches on Friday, Saturday, Sunday as part of EITB's weekly coverage of the sport. See below under Mano/South Basque for details.

Continuing coverage of selected tournament Main Neu matches. See below under Mano/North Basque
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Editorial: This represents my opinion. Yours may be different. 

Two fascinating and exciting themes have been emerging in the world of Basque Pelota recently. They are  the development of new young players in the modalities we deal with, and the increased video exposure to the sport provided by non-commercial sources. The Oliazola IIs, Waltarys, Fustos, Ezkurras, and Egigurens are still with us, still excellent professionals, and still winning, as these reports have shown. But they are edging toward the end of their magnificent careers. We expect they will still be with us for some time to come, but they will not be around forever. Increased worldwide exposure to these wonderful sports, by any means, is a very good thing. 

It was wonderful to read that Oriamendi 2010 had added five new young players to its roster last week (a story we linked to in last week's report). All of them debuted last weekend (see below, in the Remonte section of the report). With their addition, over half the Oriamendi 2010 roster is 25 or younger. An ongoing story in the world of Mano is the emergence of 19 year old Irribarria, who is taking the  Campionato Manonista 1a (Buruz Buruko Txapelketa) tournament by storm, blasting his way toward a possible final. Other young players like Artola (Asgarce) and Rezusta (ASPE), 21 and 23 years old respectively, are also beginning to make their mark. Nearly half of the rosters of Asagarce and ASPE are 25 or younger. 7 players (almost 1/3) on the roster at the Esku Pilota Main Nue site are 25 or younger, including Larralde (top ranked at the moment), Ducassou, Bilbao, Guichandut, and Ospital. Darmendrail will also shortly make a big splash on the Main Neu scene. In Pala, Zuberi, Necol, and Ibai-Perez have injected youth into the roster. And on the Jai Alai scene in the states, Dania now has 7 players 25 or younger on its roster, while Miami has added 2, including the 19 year old Goenaga, who has been thrown in to the deep end of the pool (playing in the late games at the very beginning of his professional career).

The other recent development was Esku Pilota's commitment to bring more Main Neu to online viewers, both live and on demand. Since the Esku Pilota Channel at USStream.tv opened, and with the ongoing presence of the Esku Pilota Youtube channel, fans of Main Neu have a large choice of full match videos to chose from. In the last two weeks, I have been able to watch parts or all of 6 tournament semi-finals and finals. All this from a non-commercial source. EITB is a wonderful, indispensable source of Basque Pelota. Without EITB, I would never have discovered all the amazing modalities that make up Basque Pelota. Because of the resources available in the South and North Basque Country, it looks like a very positive future for viewing Mano, Main Nue, and Jai Alai. But with Pala and Remonte, it is a little more difficult. EITB is very conscientious about broadcasting major finals and selected other matches. But the two sports don't get anywhere near the coverage that Mano gets. InnPala has put little snippets of games, single points, on its Twitter feed. It's like an oasis in the desert. Esku Pilota is showing that Main Nue can be broadcast online. If you watch the recent commercial broadcast of the Main Neu Championnat de France final (available at the Audiense Audiovisuel Youtube site), look closely at the shots from the front wall, looking back toward the back trinquet roof. Above the commercial broadcasters you will see a man working a small TV camera on a tripod. It is the Esku Pilota version of the telecast. If they can do it, certainly, unless there are commercial TV rights issues that I am unaware of, InnPala and Oriamendi 2010 can do it. I for one would love to be able to follow two of my favorite modalities in this way. It would create more fans and spread the sport. And for those fans who have access to the live sport, it would be more likely to improve attendance than to hurt it. This has been shown to be the case for decades. And it certainly wouldn't hurt the tourist trade. Hopefully, I will soon be able to partake of the feasts that occur twice a week in Hernani, and the long and short of things in Pala on a more regular basis. Esku Pelota is showing the way forward. Hopefully, Oriamendi 2010 and InnPala will follow.

Mano (Hand): 
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Update:

North Basque

Two tournaments are taking place simultaneously, and completed their semi-finals this week, setting up finals next week. Three of the young players discussed in the editorial above (Guichandut, Ducassou, Ospital, and Larralde) figured prominently in both. But the one who stood out above the rest was Peio Larralde. The top ranked player at present starred in both of his matches.

1. Trophee Atharri  (Itxassou) (semi-finals, both May 7, 2016)

A. Larralde-Guichandut  defeated Ospital-Amulet 40-26

B. Etchegaray-Ducassou defeated Bielle-Benesse (substituting for the injured Bilbao) 40-35

Match Stories with links to match linescores, charts, and one of the two full match videos available for both matches. Links to both full match videos are available below. (Source: Esku Pilota, pelotalive.free.fr)

In the first match Larralde showed exactly why he is at the top of the player rankings at the moment. After an ordinary first half of the match (to 20-18) in which he had, by my subjective judgment, 4 winners, 5 service aces, and 5 errors, he personally tore open the game with a second half consisting of 12 winners, 4 service aces, and just 1 error, for a total of 16 winners, 9 service aces and 6 errors. He uses every shot imaginable, has great touch, and a powerful serve when needed. Ospital-Amulet had their moments, but most seemed to be in the first half the match. The were outscored 20-8 in the second half.

In the second match, Etchegaray continued his hot streak, following up last week's Pilotarianak 2016 final victory (also with Ducassou) at Trinquet Haitz Pean, Anglet (Angelu)), (reported on in last week's update) with another victory. It didn't come easily, as E-D had to overcome deficits of 5-17 and 27-34, outscoring B-B 13-1 in the final 14 points of the match. A couple of errors in the last 5 points of the match helped E-D to win.

A word about the venue. As we mentioned last week, the Itxassou fronton is a "mur gauche", a short court that has had a side and back trinquet dropped in. You will see strange sights, such as Larralde shooting Oliazola II quality cross court shots that leave the court. Nothing hit that low will ever leave a real Trinquet court. Something a little different for Main Neu. It was a lot of fun to see major professional Main Nue in a small town venue. A horn player serenaded the crowd during breaks in play (available on the USStream.tv but not the Esku Pilota video) and the announcer chanted out a little song before giving the score, a very traditional part of Basque Pelota that I first learned about from watching a 1950s Orson Welles documentary on the Basque Country (chanting is at about 33 minutes 30 seconds of the recording). There was one problem and the players simply adjusted to it. The floor was quite slippery, and players had to re-calibrate their speed in order not to slip. They did slip quite a bit. Hopefully this factor won't have and effect on the final.

Full Match Videos of both Matches, via either USStream.tv or Esku Pilota Youtube site

Note that Esku Pilota is making ongoing design changes for ease of access as well as multiple access points to these matches. From this link, users may choose a replay of the original USStream.tv match, or a higher definition (with a different camera angle replay) available at the Esku Pilota Youtube site. Check both feeds to see which one you prefer. Sometimes the camera angle of a less high definition feed is better for seeing the match. In the Atharee case, the high definition angle concentrated on the back of the court, and some plays in the front were missed, The USStream.tv feed missed some of the action on the back trinquet roof because it's camera was directly behind the players. Watch the feed that shows you what is most interesting to you.

2. Trophee de Cize  (Trinquet Garat) (St. Jean Pied de Port (Donibane Garazi))
(Semi-finals, both May 9, 2016).

A. Ospital-Amulet (substituting for the injured Bilbao) defeated Monce-Ondars--Lazcano 40-33

B. Larralde-De Ezcurrra defeated Etchegaray (substituting for Waltary)-Guichandut  40-32

Match stories with links to statistics and links to full match videos (from Esku Pilota Youtube site--click on the youtube icon in the embedded video to receive the feed directly from the Youtube site, if you wish). Note that the first match is joined in progress. (Source: Esku Pilota)

Links to line scores and charts for both matches (Source: pelotelive.free.fr)

In the first match, the individual statistics in the spreadsheet indicate a very even match. An error here, a winner there, added up, over the course of the match, to a victory by O-A. They took an early lead, and except for one equality at 24-24, held that lead for the duration of the match.

The second match again showed the versatility and prowess of Larralde. He had 20 winners, scored in many different ways, and again showed a powerful serve when needed, If you want to watch two points that summarize Larralde's performance, watch the following. At 24-14, E-G were in danger of falling out of the match. Some great play by both of them brought them 10 straight points and equality (27:00 on the recording). The horn player in the crowd played a short song to celebrate a match coming back to life. Then, 34 seconds later, after rebounding the serve off the back wall, Larralde set up in front and with a quick and easy two wall (front to trinquete) shot, killed the point. E-G never got that close again. The second point to watch is the point that took the score from 29-25 to 30-25 (beginning at 31:22 on the recording). The point consumed 58 shots from serve to finish and lasted 2 minutes 47 seconds. It ends with Larralde, after De Ezcurra had to travel far toward the front right side of the court to retrieve a shot, going all the way to the back left corner to follow a ball on the trinquet roof, returning it high and two wall, angling from the side wall to Etchegary at about half court near the trinquet wall. Etchegary misses on the return and the point ends with Larralde crouched like a baseball catcher against the back wall, momentarily exhausted. He earned an almost impossible point, and with it another broken opponent. Actually the whole sequence from 24-24 to 30-25 shows Larralde at his very best, a little quicker, a little more precise, a little... better.

If the Trinquet Moderne in Bayonne is the epitome of modernity in Main Neu, Trinquet Garat represents the beating heart, spirit, and history of the game. Situated in a town of less than 2,000, with a simple (though electronic) scoreboard and an analog clock with no numbers, the number 1937 high atop the front wall, Garat takes the viewer back through time. Most of the seating seems impossibly high up, far above the action. It looks like 500 would be a very large crowd. And yet it gets very loud, and the players seem to be on a very large stage as time seems to stop. An hour and a half in Garat seems to go by quite quickly. And they play there every Monday afternoon, with matches to 50 (the final of this tournament, to be played next Monday,will be played to 50). Watching these semi-finals, I felt as if I was in a cathedral. I hope to go there some day.

Upcoming televised matches:

1. Trophee Atharri Final

Larralde-Guichandut v Etchegaray-Ducassou at Itxassou  on Saturday, May 14, 2016, 17:00 local time

2. Trophee de Cize Final

Larralde-De Ezcurrra v Ospital-Amulet at  (Trinquet Garat) (St. Jean Pied de Port (Donibane Garazi)) on Monday, May 17, 2016 at 17:00 local time.

Check the home page of Esku Pilota for details about live and/or on demand full match videos.

South Basque:

The Campionato Manonista 1a (Buruz Buruko Txapelketa) (singles championship--Urrutikotxea, defending champion) was not active last week.

For your entertainment, if you have not already seen it, and to show you just how tenacious a player Urrutikoetxea is, watch what might be the greatest comeback in Mano history. This is a 4 1/2 modality Mano match. The service area is between the 3 and 5 line. There is a special line put down at 4 1/2. All rallies must land inside that line. So it is a singles match with no high, long, deep shots. It stresses quickness and accuracy of shots and is very different from the singles matches we've been watching the last few weeks. Oh, and by the way, Urrutikoetxea is pretty good at this too.

CPTO 4 1/2 LEPM Final (November 29, 2015)

Urrutikoetxea defeated Mtz. de Irujo 22-20

Full Match Video: Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "4", then scroll to: Urrutikoetxea vs Mtz. de Irujo (Bilbao 29/11/2015) (Source: Fronton.tv)

Note that with Fronton TV sources, the match  you are looking for now will later be moved to lower sub pages. Clicking on each number will lead to a series of 6 older matches.

Televised Semi-Finals to be played this weekend.

Urrutikoetxea v Altuna III at Bizkaia (Bilbao (Bilbo)) Saturday May 14, 2016

BengoetxeaVI v  Irribarria  at Astelena (Eibar) Sunday May 15, 2016

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

Check Sabado, Domingo (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.  The tournament ends with a final on May 29.

 

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

(Dulwich Picture Gallery via Wikimedia Commons)

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  Pala (Bat)

 

Update:

We will keep a record of all the Bizkaia Open matches here for ease of access:

The second round of the Bizkaia Open took place last weekend, Friday May 6 and Saturday, May 7, 2016 at Armintza Fronton (Armintza)  and Bizkaia (Bilbao (Bilbo)) respectively. 

(Source for all game scores: InnPala Twitter feed)

May 6: 

Zuberi-Imanol defeated Necol--Ibai-Perez 3-0 (10-7; 10-7; 10-7)

Fusto-Iker Gordon* defeated  Gaubeka-Ayerbe 3-1 (10-3; 10-9; 3-10; 10-5)

May 7:

Mikel Sanz*-Brefel defeated Fusto-Iker Gordon* 3-1 (7-10; 10-4; 10-5; 10-3)

Landeta-Ibargari defeated Gaubeka-Ayerbe 3-0 (10-7; 10-7; 10-7) 


The Bizkaia Open began on Friday, April 29 and Sunday, May 1 2016 at Gallarta Fronton (Zierbena), and Bizkaia (Bilbao (Bilbo)) respectively.

Necol-Ibai Perez defeated Mikel Sanz*-Brefel 3-1 (10-3; 7-10; 10-9; 10-4) on April 29.

One point from that match, was recorded at the Innpala Twitter feed.  Note: the winners of the match are in green shirts.

 Zubiri-Imanol defeated Landeta-Ibargari  3-0 (10-6, 10-6, 10-6) on May 1, 2016.

According to the regulations of the tournament points are awarded for each joko (set or game) won. League phase standings after the second weekend's matches: match record and joko (set) records are given individually by match:

Zubiri-Imanol (2-0) (3-0; 3-0) 6 points
Mikel Sanz*-Brefel  (1-1) (1-3; 3-1) 4 points
Fusto- Iker Gordon* (1-1) (3-1; 1-3) 4 points
Necol-Ibai Perez (1-1) (3-1; 0-3)) 3 points
Landeta-Ibargari (1-1) (0-3; 3-0) 3 points
Gaubeka-Ayerbe (0-2) (1-3; 0-3)  1 point

*Amateurs. These amateurs have been paired with the recently crowned Mundo Parejas champions.

Highlight of the week was Fusto-Gordon's defeat at the hands of Sanz-Brefel. It broke a 10 match winning streak for Fusto going back to early January of 2016.

Upcoming Bizkaia Open matches this weekend:

At Zalla on May 13, 2016 at 19:30 local time:

Gaubeka-Ayerbe v Necol-Ibai Perez

Fusto-Iker Gordon* v Zubiri-Imanol

 At  Urduliz, on May 14, 2016 at 17:30 local time. Note: this match takes place after 2 amateur matches. So it will probably start around 19:30 local time.

Gaubeka-Ayerbe v  Mikel Sanz*-Brefel

* Amateur

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 jokos (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 tournament is played exclusively on short courts.

In other news:

The latest player rankings since the addition of the Mundo Parejas results and current as of April 16, 2016 are available here. Rankings are based on the place achieved in a competition multiplied by the importance of that competition, as explained on the rankings page. Fusto leads the front courters with 186 points. Imanol leads the back courters with 150.

Since there were no televised Pala matches last week you might enjoy this one, another final on a short court.

Astra Nagusta Torneo Final at (Bizkaia (Bilbao (Bilbo)) (August 29, 2015)

Gaubeka--Ibai-Perez defeated v Fusto-Aierbe 3-0 (10-8, 10-7, 10-8). This was a "coming out" party for another new young member of the roster, Ibai-Perez. Gaubeka basically played Fusto to a standoff, as you'll see in the final statistics. Ibai-Perez' play was the difference in the match.

Full Match Video (Match begins at 50 minutes, 35 seconds on the recording)

 

Remonte: (Racquet) 

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Update:

Oriamendi 2010 debuted 6 new professionals at 

Galaretta Fronton, (Hernani) on Saturday May 7, 2016. Four of them debuted in the first match:

Eburu-Garces defeated Barricart-Otano 35-28 

Match Story (Source: Oriamendi 2010)

Selected linescore (winners listed first):

13-0; 19-5; 25-11; 29-22; 33-28; 35-28

Ironically, among all the new young faces, it was the oldest debutant, Garces (age 31) who made the biggest splash, helping his team get off to a 13-0 lead with 10 service aces. Newcomers down by that score could have given up. Barricart-Otano did not. They fought back bravely in the second half of the match but could not overcome the early deficit. Garces closed out the match with a service ace. He finished with 14 service aces, 3 winners, 3 service faults, and 4 errors, a busy and productive day. 

On Thursday, May 5, 2016, the program was highlighted by another epic match involving Urriza and Uterga, two of the best front courters on the roster.

Urriza-Exteberria III defeated Uterga-Endika 40-38

Match Story  (Source: Oriamendi 2010)

Selected linescore (winners listed first)

10-2; 10-8; 17-11; 19-19; 20-20; 20-21; 25-21; 27-27; 28-28; 30-30; 33-33; 33-34; 34-34; 36-35; 38-35; 38-37; 39-38; 40-38

Urriza had 20 winners and 2 errors. Uterga had 19 winners and 5 errors.

Now that would have been a great match to watch, had it been televised. Unfortunately it wasn't. Since the beginning of 2015, for matches Oriamendi 2010 has scores for, these two have met 21 times, mostly, of course, in doubles matches. Uterga has won 11, Urriza 10. To give you a flavor of what this match might have been like, we turn to the: 

San Fermin Torneo Final  (Euskal Jai, Huarte, Navarre (Nafarroa) (July 11, 2015)

Urriza-Berrenetxea IV defeated Uterga-Exteberria III 40-39

Full Match Video

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Jai Alai: (Basket) 

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Update

Dania Jai Alai has announced a new format for the fall 2016 season, beginning in September. The new format will set up teams that represent cities and play for a championship, something very different from the present pari-mutuel quinella system. Four cities will be represented: Dania Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and one to be named. Each will have a team of eight players, battling for a winner's prize of about 35,000 US dollars. For more information see the article at Southflorida.com

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 Miami, for the week ending May 9, Irastorza was the leading winner with 12 wins in 37 games played. He also lead the "in the money" (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) category, 23 times in 37 matches, a .627 percentage.

At Dania, for the week ending May 7, 2016, Leke  was the leading winner with 7 wins in 28  games played. Leke and Foronda lead the  "in the money" (1st, 2nd, or third) category, both with   17 times in 28 games, a  .607 percentage. 

Final statistics for the Dania Winter 2016 season.

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.

There was no other televised Jai Alai this week, so it might be interesting to look into the history of this great sport. It is played outdoors as well as indoors. The outdoor game, in the North Basque Country, is called Grand Chistera. It is played on a court that is about 80 meters long (much longer than the 54 meter long courts it is played on indoors). There is one wall, a front wall. 80 meters away, there is another wall, but I have yet to see it hit, and so do not think it is in play. It is played by teams of three players apiece. The back men are so far away you can hardly see them. But this is the way the game was played before it was played professionally. It is awesome to watch the throwing and catching skills of these players (many of whom have been discussed and viewed in these reports). 

Grand Chistera: 

A. 2014-15 Championnat de France Pro Am National A:  Paloise 1 (Pau) Olharan-Alliez L.-Itoiz defeated Paloise 2 (Pau) Pierrou-Alliez A.-Portet 40-34 at (Pau Fronton Place Libre) (May 13, 2015) 

Highlights (about 23 minutes)

B. Grand Chistera with camera behind, to see how a point is initiated. (about 10 minutes)

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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.