It is this Sunday, March 13 that the Great Mass of bare hand pelota starts. The French team championship, under the aegis of the French Pelota Federation. Six weeks of competition for 24 pilotari, until the final scheduled for May 1 at the Modern trinquet in Bayonne. The capital of Labourd, which will host the parties like five other cities: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Irissarry, Arcangues, Mauléon and Hasparren.
A 2022 edition whose table is balanced. In group A, the defending champions, the Peio brothers and Bixente Larralde, are separated. Peio, five-time winner of the competition is associated this year with the promising Yon Saint-Paul. Hence the pressure for the Arrangoistar, recent winners of Group B head to head. “Every year they win, so I hope this year it will be the case again, otherwise I will ask myself serious questions (laughs). I won group B, I continue my progress and we will have to confirm because it is not the same exercise as the two to two, especially in A.”
“Raise the Level”
Bixente Larralde will form an amazing pair of promising youngsters with Mickael Darmendrail. “We are very good friends, it’s a first for both of us in competition and we want to start this championship well and then play more relaxed.” For his part, Baptiste Ducassou, the sixfold txapeldun of the head to head will aim for his first coronation in 2 to 2, in the company of Mattin Olçomendy.
Small particularity this year: the 2nd of each pool in group A will have to go through a jump-off with group B. A trap for some players, in the second part of the tournament. One way to keep the pilotari under pressure assumes Stéphane Saint-Laurent, from the organization commission at the FFPB. “We have players who have been there for a while, all this without questioning. There are young people, of quality, who are growing and it will do good, it will bring freshness to this competition but more generally, in the circuit. We also always see the same parts, for the pelotazale it can become exhausting, boring […] it is all this that we want to question, to raise the level.”
In group B, the duo Bielle-Iphar champion in title and Ziarrusta-Ugarte, the double champions of the Basque Country amateur, will have a hard time facing the pros: Elgart-Cubiat, Niang-Iturbe, Monce-Amulet and Héguy-Luro
Start this Sunday 10 a.m. at Berria
- Bielle/Ipar vs Elgart/Çubiat (Group B);
- Peio Larralde/Jon Saint-Paul vs Baptiste Ducassou/Mattin Olçomendy (Group A)
The teams
Group A teams
- Group 1: Mattin Olçomendy-Battit Ducassou, Peio Larralde-Jon-Saint-Paul, Eñaut Etcheverria-Peio Guichandut.
- Pool 2: Mathieu Ospital-Ximun Lambert, Mickaël Darmendrail-Bixente Larralde, Alexis Inchauspe-Luis Sanchez.
Group B teams
- Pool 1: Philippe Bielle-Andoni Iphar, Vincent Elgart-Vincent Cubiat, Alexis Heguy-Antton Luro.
- Group 2: Ekhi Ziarrusta-Inhar Ugarte, Antton Monce-Antton Amulet, Malik Nyang-Ion Iturbe.
Replacements: Maxime Etcheverry, Thierry Harismendy, Cédric Lucu, David Barreneche, Andoni Larre. For the full competition schedule, click HERE.
Calendar
- The play-offs will take place in Garindein (April 3), Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (April 4) and Hasparren (April 10);
- Semi-finals in Anglet (April 15) and Hasparren (April 17);
- Finals at the Trinquet Moderne in Bayonne for group A (May 1) and at the Garat in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port for group B (May 2)