Paleta has several modalities. One of them is called Paleta Gomme Creuse. See the modalities page on the right side of the updates blog for the specifics of Paleta Gomme Creuse.
Women's final:
Leiza-Graciet defeated Halsouet-Comet 2-1 (14-15, 15-10, 10-7)
Men's Final:
Laxalde-Guillenteguy defeated Lissar-Bidegain 2-1 (10-15, 15-11, 10-8).
The best place to watch all of the video from these matches is Ustream, (click on "videos" to reveal all 6 videos) where they were orignally live streamed and have been made available on demand.
I had never seen a Paleta Gomme Creuse match played anywhere before these matches. The first thing I noticed was the lack of crash helmets, because the small hollow rubber pelota is not considered a possibly lethal projectile, as are the much harder leather pelotas of other modalities. I also noticed the size and very wide surface area of the paleta, compared to other modalities. But as with other Paleta varieties, the sound was unique. The architecture of the paleta makes for more control and, ultimately, longer rallies. It is a game of finesse more than strength, but also a game of speed and fitness. And on the trinquet, with all of its ornamentations, it is great fun to watch the pelota fly all over the place.
Paleta Gomme Cruese is also played on the 30 meter short court (mur a gauche), a court which is also explained on the modalities page. For an excellent example of that, see the Championnat de France men's National A singles final, contested March 19, 2016 at La Sablier Fronton, La Hallian. The competition page at pelotelive.free.fr provides context. The final match page provides two full match videos, one filmed from the front, the other from the back. One is at the beginning of the commentaries. The other is at the end. On the mur de gauche court, practitioners as good as these finalists can make the ball move very fast. Both had great quickness and regularly needed to chase down balls at each end of the court. Because they had no partners to help them, the athleticism of these players was tested a lot. To see how they did with these challenges, enjoy the video.
Pucheux defeated Suzanne 2-1 (12-15, 15-12, 10-8).
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