In the Inter-Village Championship of Gipuzkoa, seventeen localities have been registered in the hand mode, with 210 pelotaris. The municipalities of Aduna, Altzo, Amezketa, Andoain, Ataun, Azkoitia, Bergara, Hernani, Idiazabal, Larraul, Oiartzun, Oñati, Tolosa, Zaldibia, Zestoa and Zumarraga. The smallest of these villages is Larraul, who will participate for the first time in the tournament. The final will be held on 24 June at the Atano de Donostia.

The conditions to participate in the Intervillages are that the pelotaris of the group are registered in the village at least one year in advance, are not professional and form pairs of the three categories.

Azpeitia, the second largest locality in the town

Azpeitia has formed one more year a great team. After Azkoitia is the winner of the Inter-Peoples Championship, as it has won eight times. This year it has between eight and ten Cadete category pelotaris, seven and eight juvenile category and five senior category pelotaris. Members sufficient to make changes based on injuries and gambling.

Among the cadets are Iñigo Sarasua and Jokin Artetxe; among the youth Beñat Labaka and Beñat Ezama and Senior Iker Egiguren and Jakes Elosegi.

The smallest is Larraul, for the first time in the Interurban

How does a team of eight pelotaris leave the Cadete, Juvenile and Senior age groups in a town of 258 inhabitants? We address Iñaki Esnal, a veteran pelotari who has been teaching local children ball for years and who has managed to bring young people together in an interurban team:

In Esnal's words, there are a couple of years that begin to revolve around the idea with the father of the Otaegi brothers who are going to participate in the Intervillages: "We talked about joking, not this year, but perhaps in a couple of years..." It is pleased that this year they have managed to form a team. To do so, they have had to make several adaptations: on the one hand, the Cadete Urko Otaegi must play in the category of elderly, Juvenile. On the other hand, Iraitz Irazu and Ugaitz Belauntzaran, who had already left the ball, had to convince them to resume it. Esnal is very happy to see the two young people who had left motivated: "That's the biggest achievement, if these two pelotaris continue, we've gained a lot." In Belauntzarán he has cost him the yes more and Esnal said "no commitment, to come to a training": "I think what surprised him most about the training was Belauntzaran himself, everything would come to him. It's an absolute pelotari, it does a lot of damage on the field."

Therefore, the pelotaris representing Larraul are Cadeten Adur Otaegi and Iraitz Irazu, Jubeniletan Ugaitz Belauntzaran and Urko Otaegi and Seniorrak Jon Urbieta and Iñaki Esnal. Alternates are Andoni Urbieta and Xuban Irazu, both of the Senior category (in lower categories there are no substitutes). They also have a bottle, Ibai Urbieta. Iñaki Esnal, at the age of 49, will be the oldest in Intervillages.

Longboat Runner-up and Chanpionsa in Valencia

This young and veteran crew of Larraul is already gathered to play a ball: in 2022 they worked at Jackpot Luzea in Ugaitz Belauntzaran, Jon Urbieta, Xabi Urbieta, Andoni Urbieta, Ibai Urbieta, Iraitz Irazu, Xuban Irazu and Iñaki Esnal. They have remained sub-champions of the Basque Country and represented the Basque Country together with the Biscayan team in the Txanpions championship that was played at the end of the year in Valencia.

Iñaki Esnal has participated in this year’s World Championship in the modalities of Llargues and International, where five teams are faced.

Local Ball School: In 15 courses Esnal has trained 45 children in ball

Of the eight pelotaris that have formed the Inter-Village Championship team, four have been part of Larraul’s ballschool, whose teacher is Iñaki Esnal. We asked him about creating the ball school: "Olga started everything from Villaga. Ana Cabañas and I came to live from Hernani to Larraul in 2007. Then in the village there was a very nice group of children from 8 to 9 years old and Olga asked me if I was going to teach them in ball. This is how we started in 2008-2009 and until today. In these fifteen courses there has been everything, in one year there were only three children, and I asked the city council if it was worth it and he said yes, if I was willing to follow. For me that was a bargain, being only three, because I had plenty of time to offer to each one."

Some 45 students participated in these fifteen courses, nine of them girls. Larraul has been the vast majority of ball students, but students from Asteasu, Zizurkil and Hernani have also attended. There are currently twelve students at the ball school, of which eight are from Larraul, two from Hernani, one from Zizurkil and another from Villabona. And today there is a girl in ball school who has started playing games: Maialen Esnal, daughter of Iñaki, and her son Eneko does not lose training either. He is 7 years old for the youngest and 15 years old for the adults, and they all train together on Monday afternoon, but Esnal is always ready to play and give advice to improve each one; every day and at any time it is no wonder that in the Larraul's pediment there is a ball.

All students who have ever been to Larraul's ballschool will take a picture after the Inter-Village Championship match. It will be an historic day for Larraul.

"We will do what we can on the fronton and secure in the village"

"The rivals are very good, one of the favorites to win the championship," says Esnal asking about the Saturday match. But he remembered that before playing, you never have to be discouraged: "We're not going to think they translate us, if not, we wouldn't go out. We will do our best. The students of the ball school will be flirting in the sight of a party of this kind in the village and to see if other children are willing to train in the ball. In the village we will have a party, at least for sure."

The appointment will be on Saturday 13 May at 18:00 on the fronton of Larraul. It will later be in Azpeitia. The team that won most matches in these two days will be ranked and the other will be removed. If they were matched in the number of parties won, they would look at the many: "That is why the People is ruthless, the adversary cannot be allowed to do just as much, because it can be decisive," Esnal said.