The Cesta Punta Pau Cup is a professional competition that is part of an international organization, the “Jai-Alai League”, which brings together the “Summer League” during the summer season. A selection of nearly twenty of the best players in the world from the French, Spanish, American and Mexican championships. They compete on…
The Cesta Punta Pau Cup is a professional competition that is part of an international organization, the “Jai-Alai League”, which brings together the “Summer League” during the summer season. A selection of nearly twenty of the best players in the world from the French, Spanish, American and Mexican championships. They compete on the Jai-Alai of Biarritz, Saint Jean de Luz and Pau. The Section Paloise pelota club wishes to combine sport and conviviality by offering, in agreement with the Pilota restaurant, a refreshment bar with the possibility of dining every Friday evening during the summer.
What’s new in this 4th edition
The formula extends over 9 evenings from July 12 to September 6, every Friday evening from 8 p.m. There will be two Masters and a Slam. This model is inspired by tennis. There will be two semi-finals and a final each time. Participating players score points in each tournament played and these points are counted. At the end, the top 4 forwards and backs are selected. There will therefore be a classification specific to the Pau tournament.
Example: when a player wins in 2 rounds he scores 4 points, when he wins in 3 rounds he scores 3 points, when he loses in 3 rounds he scores 1 point and when he loses in two rounds he does not score a point. There are also offensive and defensive bonuses put in place to grab additional points. In the event of a 15 to 12 defeat, for example, the competitor will score half a point. The idea is to reward the combativeness of the players.
Two Béarnais qualified
Among the selected players, there are two Béarnais: Jean Olharan and Jérôme Portet who have qualified. Jean Olharan should enter the competition on the first evening and Jérôme Portet on the second evening. He will have the privilege of playing with the world number 1.
“A must-see summer sporting event in Pau”
For Eric Saubatte, deputy mayor of Pau in charge of sports, “it is a great pleasure (to host the Cesta Punta Pau Cup, Editor’s note), because pelota has been a must in Pau, since the construction of the Jai-Alai that we owe to André Labarrère. But also thanks to our contribution to restoring it. Today it is a joy to see this new wall and these new screens, the setting is worthy of this great competition. I hope that we will see our two Pau players in the final. This event will be one of the sporting driving forces of the summer season in Pau, whose success has not waned year after year.”
A book about the Laberdesque brothers
On the sidelines of the press conference on the competition, the organizers announced the release of a book written by Gérard Bouscarel, former sports director of Elan Béarnais and Raymond Cazadebat, one of our pelota correspondents, entitled “Inusables Laberdesque”. The first author explains the approach: “We are going to publish a book dedicated to two exceptional champions, whom I had the pleasure and honor of meeting. I discovered two extraordinary characters, namely Olivier and Yannick Laberdesque. I would like to thank them for trusting me to delve into their past and recover the elements that allowed the creation of this book, says Gérard Bouscarel. When we go to discover the Laberdesques, we rub shoulders with perfection and exceptional longevity and track record, with 7 world titles and 39 national titles. They are gifted people who only played for fun.”
The complete program
– July 12: Semi-final 1 Master 1
– July 19: Semi-final 2 Master 1
– July 26: Master 1 Final
– August 2: Semi-final 1 Master 2
– August 9: Semi-final 2 Master 2
– August 16: Master 2 Final
– August 23: Semi-final 1 Slam
– August 30: Semi-final 2 Slam
– September 6: Slam Final
“Slam” or “Grand Slam”: this is the final consecration, which selects the best of the best players by a ranking by points over all three competitions.
