Unusual sport:Pelota Vasca

[loladel73@gmail.com]

I want to write about an unusual sport called “Basque pelota”.
This is a name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using one hand against a wall. It is played in Spain and France, specially in the Basque country and its neighbour areas,also in countries like Peru,Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay.
Basque pelota is played in a two walled court.;these courts are often built in villages using a wall of a church as frontal one, to which it has been attached another longer wall, with marks for the distance to the frontal one. The lateral wall is always at the left of the frontal one, while the right side is open and the playing area is simply delimited there by a line on the floor.
About the equipment, the “handball” is played with minimal protections in the hand and with a traditional ball made of wool around a hard core and covered with leather. The standard ball should weigh 92-95 grams. It is played in the short court either individually (one vs. one) or by couples (two vs. two).
Women can’t play(!!!), it is reserved for men, and players can be distinguished by the swelling of their hitting hand.