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.

This week in Basque Pelota (Ball) Court Sports--April 29-May 5, 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:

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

A. Bengoetxea VI 22 v Artola 8 (April 29, 2016)

Match Highlights:

Full Match Video:  (Match begins at 1 hour 24 minutes 34 seconds on the recording),

B. Irribarria 22 v Olaizola II 14  (April 30, 2016)

Match Highlights:

Full Match Video: Scroll to Olaizola II vs Irribarria (Pamplona-Labrit 30/04/2016)

C.  Urrutikoetxea 22 Ezkurdia 19 on May 1, 2016.

Match Highlights

Full Match Video Scroll to Urrutikoetxea vs Ezkurdia  (Bilbao-Bizkaia 01/05/2016). 

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

Main Neu:

Championship final from the Pilotarianak Anglet (May 4, 2016)

Etchegary-Ducassou 40  defeated Waltery-Bilbao 23

A. Full match video--HD quality, sound echoes making it difficult to follow the score, low camera angle, time between points edited out, running time: 53 minutes, 25 seconds.

B. Full match video--Lower video quality, higher sound quality, higher camera angle, complete full match with pre and post match ceremonies (though they are split into different videos, total running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes, 40 seconds.  Watch the videos from right to left starting from the far right of the "Pelota Basque" live stream. The last point of the match is with the post match ceremonies on the third video.

Trophee Atharri  (Itxassou) (both May 1, 2016)

A. Ospital-Amulet 40 Elgart-Lazcano 25.

Full Match Video

B. Darmendrail 40 Bonetbelche 34

Full Match Video

Pala: 

Two matches from the recently completed Gravni Txapelketa

Pala Motza Final: Mitxel-Echavarren 40, Garate-Gordon 21 (Gordon is Iker Gordon, the amateur who will be playing in the Bizkaia Open with Fusto).

Women's Paleta final Bizkaia (blue) 30, Naffaroa (red) 21

Watch these matches here.

Remonte:

VI Sagardoaren Txapleketa (Tourneo Sidra) Tournament Final:  (April 30, 2016).

Segurola (substituting for Maxtin III) -Endika (Petritegi) 40, Uterga-Aizpuru III (Bereziartua) 38

Full Match Video

Jai Alai: 

Final of Cesta de Nadau (Pau) Tournament (December 18, 2016)

Ohlaran-Itoiz (15-11, 15-14) v Egiguren-Alliez

Full Match Video 

Canal Plus TV d'Interior Sport documentary on Eric Irastorza (originally aired in January 2016).

A Bout de Bras 

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 for details.

Continuing coverage of selected tournament Main/Neu matches. See below under Mano/North Basque
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Mano (Hand): 
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Update:

South Basque:

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

A. At  Atano III  (San Sebastian(Donostia)), BengoetxeaVI defeated Artola 22-8 on April 29, 2016.

Match Story and Statistics Deia (Bilbao (Bilbo))

In the first of two quarter-final matches where an up and coming talented young player met a long term established player, the established player, Bengoetxea VI easily beat Artola. The match was very tightly contested through the first 16 points (8-8), but from there, Bengoetxea scored the last 14 points. He featured 8 service aces and an attack that moved the younger player backward and forward, as well as side to side. In the end, Artola had no answers. In the match story, an early point is described as one of the longest of the match, 19 shots, finally won by Bengoetxea VI to level the scores. Played almost entirely in the air, it was an early indication that the veteran player had no intention of letting the younger one dictate terms relative to who was going to be forward and back. It was a bit of a surprise to watch an even match suddenly become a one sided match, but Bengoetxea VI made very good shots that Artola could not counter. Bengoetxea VI is interesting to watch in that he has a timing mechanism for his shots. He lifts his arm over his head and then bends it quickly at the elbow before he takes the shot. I hadn't seen anything quite like it before. It was, obviously, very effective for him. His next opponent will be Irribarria at Astelena (Eibar)  on May 15, 2016.

Match Highlights:  (Source: EITB)

Full Match Video:  (Match begins at 1 hour, 24 minutes, 34 seconds on the recording), (Source: EITB)

B. At  Labrit (Pamplona (Iruna)), Irribarria defeated Oliazola II  22-14 on April 30, 2016.

Match Story and Statistics: Deia (Bilbao (Bilbo))

The second match of the weekend also involved a young, developing player against a long established star player (four time winner of this tournament). It produced the first real upset of the tournament. Irrabarria, just 19 years old, easily defeated Olaizola II the same way he won his first two matches, with tremendously powerful high, deep, arching shots to the far reaches of the court. Of his 18 winners, 12 were on these passing shots, one that Olaizola II actually tried to attempt a rebote (rebound) off the back wall to return. For the most part he refused to play the short game with Olaizola II. Olaizola's cross court kill shot was in evidence, but he did not get to use it as much as he would have liked to, so far away was he from his favorite spot most of the match. He was really never in the match, although he was able to make a few small runs (7-2 to 7-4, 18-9 to 18-11, 21-12 to 21-14). Irribarria, on the other hand had the big runs of the match (2-1 to 7-1, 14-8 to 18-8). Olaizola II could do nothing to prevent Irribarria's high and deep shots. The key, of course, is to not let him make those shots (far easier said than done). In some of the points Irribarria lost it was clear that the young player still has room for improvement in the placement of his short shots (although he did make one amazing two wall shot--17-8 to 18-8). After he was beaten on Olaizola II cross court shots, he made immediate adjustments on a couple of occasions where he not only got to the shot on the apron, but returned it, yes, high and deep. It was an eye opening performance. His next opponent will be BengoetxeaVI  at Astelena (Eibar) on May 15, 2016

Match Highlights:: (Source: EITB)

Full Match Video: Scroll to Olaizola II vs Irribarria (Pamlona, Labrit 30/04/2016. (Source: fronton.tv)

C. At Bizkaia (Bilbao (Bilbo)), Urrutikoetxea defeated Ezkurdia  22-19 on May 1, 2016.

Full Match Statistics (Source: ASPE)

This match was by far the most competitive of the tournament so far. Anyone who has seen last November's 4 1/2  (quattro e medio (lau eta erdiko)) final (where Urrutikoetxea overcame 7-1, 18-9, and 20-10 deficits to defeat Mtz. de Irujo as part of his sweep of all three major tournaments in the last 10 months), knows that you can never count Urrutikoetxea out of a match.  Again, ASPE has provided a great thumbnail sketch of the match in statistics and graphs. The graph and match linescore show that Urrutikotxea's first lead came at 19-18. Ezkurdia seemed to be in control for much of the match previous to Urrutikotxea's late comeback. Ezkurdia broke out to an early lead, was evened at 6, 10, and 18, and at one time had a 17-11 lead. But Urrutikoetxea was relentless, constantly fighting back. After the match was tied at 6, Ezkurdia re-established the lead with a brilliant cross court kill shot that came from past the 4 line. With Urrutikotxea closing in at 17-14, after a long rally Ezkurdia made a brilliant cross court run to get to a ball close to the wall and claim the point with a great cross court kill shot. But it was on this play that he suffered his second injury of the match. His first injury came at 10-9,when he ran a long way to get a ball off the left wall and accidentally hit the ball into his face, cutting him above the eye. He went off, got treatment, and came back. After losing a point, he re-estrablished the lead at 14-10 and 17-11. Ezkurdia's second injury was a painful looking turned ankle, after which he again went off for treatment. This time when he came back, he scored only one more point the rest of the match. Whether the injury hampered him or not is unknown. Ezkurdia began the match with a strategy designed to keep Urrutikotxea back, but abandoned it little by little as the match  began to be played more and more in the front half of the court. This slowly worked to Urrutikoetxea's advantage, as well as the fact that he began to pepper Ezkurdia with perfectly placed high shots that came down pinning the big man to the side wall. In the end, the defending champion survived. His next match will be against Altuna III at Bizkaia (Bilbao (Bilbo)) on May 14, 2016. Altuna III, you may recall, passed directly through to the semi-final when Mtz. de Irujo, his opponent in the quarter-finals, had to drop out due to a finger injury.

Match Highlights (Source: EITB)


Full Match Video Scroll to Urrutikoetxea vs Ezkurdia  (Bilbao-Bizkaia 01/05/2016). Source: Fronton.tv

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

 Both semi-final round matches will be available on EITB on the weekend of May 14-15, 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.

North Basque:

Main Neu fans were presented with a great gift when Esku Pilota began online live broadcasts  of selected tournament matches. The schedule of upcoming tourmament matches is here. Last week the championship final from the Pilotarianak Anglet (Angelu) (Trinquet Haitz Pean) and  two matches from the Trophee Atharri  that were played at Itxassou were broadcast live and then made available on demand.

Note that these matches are available live from USstream.tv. Esku Pilota now has a dedicated channel on USstream.tv.  There is a place for live streams and also a set of archived matches at this site. The videos are also saved to the Esku Pilota Youtube site, sometimes in a slightly different form. The EP videos are usually high definition, but sometimes the sound (crucial in many of these matches because the score is not easily available visually) is not as clear. The best way to keep appraised of what upcoming matches are going to be streamed live is to subscribe to the newsletter on the Esku Pilota home page. Live or on demand, Esku Pilota is to be congratulated for providing such a fantastic service

Note that these are not commercial broadcasts, but more like the highlights and full match broadcasts linked to at the Tout Sur la Pelote Basque Youtube site. That means that you might have difficulty either picking out which players are which, or what the score is. Listen closely to the announcer for the score. If you are new to Main Neu you might want to watch a few matches on demand, using the final score information available either at the Youtube site or in the match stories and/or results information available at the Esku Pilota web site to learn the context of these matches. Studying the player pages is also very helpful. This is a new and exciting model of bringing the sport to the fans when commercial broadcasting is not available. If there are not commercial TV rights issues, Innpala and Oriamendi might want to look into it.

1. Pilotarianak 2016 Final:

Etchegary-Ducassou  defeated Waltery-Bilbao 40-23

Match Story (Source: Esku Pilota)

Match linescore, graph, and link to full match video (Source pelotefree.live.fr)

Julien Etchegary was the only player in this match who did not appear in the recently completed Championnat de France match. As you may recall from our match analysis in the April 21-28 report, the last point of a 40-39 match that would have put Etchegary-Lazcano instead of Bielle-Ducassou  into the final against Waltery-Bilbao, was a shot by Ducassou that pinned Etchegary to the trinquet roof wall and forced him to miss a return. Etchegary was devastated, sure that his error had cost the match. Whether that was true or not, he took full advantage of this match to guarantee a different outcome. He was the dominant player of the match, with many service aces and great shots. He seemed to be everywhere.  As the graph shows, E-L relentlessly pulled away in the second half of the match. Ducassou played his usual gritty, determined match.

A. Full match video--HD quality, sound echoes making it difficult to follow the score, low camera angle, time between points edited out, running time: 53 minutes, 25 seconds.

B. Full match video--Lower video quality, higher sound quality, higher camera angle, complete full match with pre and post match ceremonies, match split into three different videos, total running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes, 40 seconds.

2, Two matches from the Trophee Atharee were broadcast last week.

Match Stories for both matches  (along with a thorough statistical breakdown--Microsoft Excel format for the first match below--"voir les statistiques de la partie"). The match stories also link to the full match videos. (Source: Esku Pilota). You can also link to the Esku Pilota Youtube versions of these matches from the match story link videos. The Youtube versions, as mentioned, are of higher quality

A. Ospital-Amulet defeated Elgart-Lazcano 40-25.

B. Darmendrail defeated Bonetbelche 40-34.

Both matches are also available at the USStream.tv Esku Pilota channel.

Of interest in both these matches was how the two types of handball courts compare, since one has been super-imposed on the other. It is easy to see how much bigger a short court is than a trinquet court.The difference in play between a court with four walls and a court with, for all practical purposes, two walls is well illustrated.

The other interesting aspect was watching Mickael Darmendrail (in the red shirt) play. He is, according to the Esku Pilota match story, the "nouveau champion de France amateur." For more about Darmendrail, see the July 9, 2015  feature article about him in lejournaldusport.fr He is a very powerful hitter of the ball, both on the serve and in play. From what I saw, he has the ability to develop into an excellent professional Main Neu player. But judge for yourself.

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 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. (Source: Innpala Twitter feed)

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. (Source: Innpala Twitter feed).

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

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

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

I did some research and came up with a "sneak preview" of one of the amateurs. His name is Iker Gordon and he is the amateur back courter who is paired with Fusto. This past weekend, in Navarre (Nafarroa) one of the best known and largest amateur pelota tournaments was held, the Gravni Txapelketa. One of the modalities in this tournament is called pala motza (short bat). It is played on short (36 meter) courts, the same type of courts that the Bizkaia Open is played on. The bats are smaller, as is the ball. The action is intense. And, thanks to EITB, there was a broadcast of the Pala Motza final from Labrit (Pamplona (Iruna))  played on May 1, 2016 between Mitxel-Echavarren and Garate-Gordon. Iker Gordon. We have linked to that match so that you can get a preview of this amateur. He is 25 years old, 1.84 meters (6 ft.) tall and weighs 84 kg (185 lbs.). He is from Sopela, Bizkaia.

M-E won the match 40-21.

The second half of the broadcast is a women's paleta goma (smaller bat, hard rubber ball) between teams from Nafarroa (red) and Bizkaia (blue), won by Bizkaia 30-21. An interesting feature of the match is the man who acts as Botillero (coach, mentor) for the blue team. Watch for him. He also appears in the background at the post match ceremony. If you see him and you know anything about Pala, you'll recognize him.

Watch these matches here. (Source: EITB).

 Upcoming Bizkaia Open matches this weekend:

At  Bizkaia (Bilbao (Bilbo)), on May 6, 2016 at 19:30 local time:

Zubiri-Imanol v Necol-Ibai Perez

Fusto-Iker Gordon* v Gaubeka-Ayerbe

At Armintza, on May 7, 2016  at 18:00 local time:

Fusto-Iker Gordon* v Mikel Sanz*-Brefel

Gaubeka-Ayerbe v Landeta-Ibargari 

* 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.

 

Remonte: (racquet) 

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Update:

VI Sagardoaren Txapleketa (Tourneo Sidra) Tournament Final: at 

Galaretta Fronton, (Hernani) (April 30, 2016).

Segurola (substituting for Maxtin III) -Endika (Petritegi) defeated 

Uterga-Aizpuru III (Bereziartua) 40-38  

Match Story (Source: Oriamendi 2010)

Match linescore (winners listed first):

4-0; 4-2; 5-2; 5-3; 6-3; 6-8; 9-8; 9-9; 10-9; 10-10; 12-10; 12-14; 13-14; 13-16; 18-16; 18-19; 20-19; 20-22; 21-22; 21-23; 23-23; 23-26; 25-26; 25-27; 30-27; 30-29; 31-29; 31-30; 37-30; 37-33; 38-33; 38-38; 40-38

Basic Statistics of the Match:

Uterga 13 eginaks (winners) 6 gaulduaks (errors)

Segurola 9 and 7

Endika 17 and 5

Aizpuru III 13 and 8 (Source: EITB match broadcast)

Last week's semi-finals featured one match that was passionately contended and in doubt until the final point, and one match that was played at a very high level of talent on both sides. This week's final featured both those aspects. In a match that that was tied 11 times and featured 8 lead changes, a barrage of  six consecutive winners (including 5 consecutive service aces) by Endika, which moved the score from 31-30 to 37-30, helped the Petritegi team win the match and tournament. But not before having to hold off one final rally by the Bereziartua team (a 7-1 run that tied the score at 38). The final two points of the match were scored on yet another Endika winner (he led all players with 17, including 11 service aces) and Uterga's slight miscalculation on his attempted 9th two wall winner, It ended 40-38 and was closer than the score indicated. It was not an error free match (26 errors), but the 54 winners and many spectacular points made this a match that was impossible to look away from. 

Everyone had shining moments. Aizpuru III was steady on the serve (6 aces-- including 2 in his team's final run, and no faults) and steady in defense. Segurola had his high passing shot working (scoring 4 times with it, as well as putting great pressure on Aizpuru III on several other occasions). He also scored with hard shots down the middle of the court and with shots that hugged the wall. His defense was not as impeccable as it was last week, and toward the end, he made a couple of errors in judgement trying to return shots that might have been better left alone, especially considering who was playing behind him. That said, he played a great match. His record since late February moved to 15 wins, 3 losses, including two victories over Urriza and one over Uterga, all in the last month. Uterga was routinely brilliant. He can hit the ball hard when he needs to, but he wastes little energy and has an uncanny feel for the best angles to use. His two- wall shots were amazing, making Petritigis fly all over the place and ultimately into the protective netting on many occasions. He is beginning to look like another undersized but fantastically talented member of the roster. For the second week in a row, in my opinion, Endika had the best game of all. His statistical numbers only hint at the quality of his play the last two weeks. He races all over the court, backward and forward, side to side, and is always where he needs to be. He routinely hits falling rebotes (rebound shots of balls caroming off the back wall, a shot that is incredibly difficult to execute in Remonte). His serves were like lightning strikes, a little too hard, perhaps, as he was forced to make several second serves and faulted twice (once at 38-33). But he did not yield on the serve, and in the end, his serve won his team the match. 

The match was played in a very sportsmanlike way by players who have much respect for each other. As they congratulated each other after it ended, their body language seemed to suggest that they knew that they had just put on a wonderful show for all who viewed it. They demonstrated why Remonte is such a joy to watch when played at this level. Petritigi finished the tournament with 5 wins and 2 losses. Bereziartua finished at 4 wins and 3 losses. 

Full Match Video (Source:EITB)

In other Remonte news:

1. The highest ranking players for April were (40 possible points)

Group A: Endika 37.5
Group B: Aizpuru III 38.4

Full April Rankings Note: this page also contains full rankings for every month back to July of 2011, as well as a complete explanation of how the rankings are determined.

2.  Oriamendi 2010 announced the debuts of 6 new professional players beginning this Saturday, May 7, 2016. Learn more about them here.

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Final Tournament 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) 

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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 Miami, for the week ending April 25, 2016, Zinkunegi was the leading winner with 10 wins in 33 games played. Aritz lead the "in the money" (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) category, 19 times in 35 matches, a .543 percentage. For the week ending May 2, 2016, Rekalde was the leading winner with 11 wins in 34 games played. Ladutxe led the "in the money" category, 23 times in 35 games played, a .657 percentage. 

At Dania, for the week ending April 28, 2016, Barandika  was the leading winner with 8 wins in 20 games played. Eric lead the  "in the money" (1st, 2nd, or third) category,  14 times in 22 games, a  .636 percentage. Dania closed its Winter season on April 28, and came back with a new season beginning on May 4, 2016.

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.

This week in the North Basque, in the Championnat de France Pro/Am 2016 Cesta Punta--National A Competition the FFPB (Federation Francais de Pelote Basque) disqualified the Pau 2 team of Olharan-Itoiz from participating in the final against the Pau 1 team of  Egiguren-Alliez  They agreed with the complaint (see the Jai Alai section of our April 21-28 Report, where this was discussed in detail) filed by the St. Jean de Luz 1 team of Ohla-Ihitsague that the Pau 2 team used an illegal substitute (Jerome Portet--for Itoiz) in the semi-final match with Philippe Sallaberry (subsituting for Ohla)-Ihitsague). Olharan-Portet won that match 15-10, 15-5 (highlights of that match were also linked to in the April 21-28 report). The FFPB ruled that Portet had participated in too many tournaments at the same time. I have found nothing on the FFPB site that discusses their ruling. You can find an explanation here. The final, originally scheduled for Apr. 21, was postponed while the FFPB took up the case, and was replaced, ironically, by the Junior Final (one of the tournaments Portet had previously been eliminated from). The final was quickly re-scheduled for April 28, 2016 at Euskal Jai (Biarritz). Egiguren-Alliez demolished Sallaberry-Ihitsague 2-0 (15-3 (as reported by FFPB) or 15-4 (as reported by pelotelive.free.fr)), 15-9. 

In my opinion, whatever that is worth, the FFPB made a two obvious errors in this decision. First,  they misinterpreted their own rules, as Portet had long been eliminated from any other competition he participated in, regardless of whether that competition was still going on, when he played in the contested match. Second, foundering what could have been a very competitive and entertaining final match on the shoals of a rules technicality was idiotic. Fans wanted to see the best two teams play in what supposedly was the "Championnat de France." A quickly arranged final with a team that clearly didn't belong in it denied Jai Alai fans the best, most fairly earned match that they deserved. Dithering for nearly a week on this before coming to an incorrect decision was also bad for the sport. We have not been able to find any video highlights of the match that did take place. If we do, we will link to them. At the above listed pelotalive.free link, there are 24 photographs and a tweet from Jean Ohlaran. Loosely translated, the tweet says: 

=======================
The Federal Mafia struck the ball. They disregarded their own rules to disqualify us from the Championnat de France final.
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To top things off, the Jai Alai de Pau Organization released, via the Audiense Audiovisuel Youtube site, a full match video of the Final of the Cesta de Nadau (Pau) Tournament, played December 18, 2016. The contestants were, you guessed it, Egiguren-Alliez v Olharan-Itoiz. O-I won 15-11, 15-14. Watching this intense, if not perfectly played match gives fans a taste of what last week's Championnat match might have been had the FFPB made the correct decision. Enjoy this beautiful, HD match.

Full Match Video 


This week, while looking for a possible source for video of the above final, I stumbled upon a wonderful 36 minute documentary biography of the Jai Alai professional Eric Irastorza. It was featured on Canal Plus' d'Interior Sport and titled: "A Bout de Bras." It originally aired in January of 2016. It is in French, with a little Spanish and English (French subtitles). But you don't need to understand the language to understand what the documentary is about. It covers Irastorza's history in both the Basque Country and the United States (playing in pari-mutuel quinellas at Miami). There is a lot here about the history of Jai Alai in the United States. The present state of the sport in the US is made perfectly clear. Irastorza is still, late in his career, one of the best back court players of his era.  He also has a remarkable sensitivity to the bittersweet nature of plying his trade in quinellas.  The importance of Jai Alai (cesta punta), past and present, in the history and culture of the Basque Country is another highlight of this documentary. 

Watch and enjoy here.

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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.