The men’s and women’s raspall championship will kick off on 12 April in Castelló, with matches taking place on 14 and 18 April in Càrcer, and on 15 and 19 April in Guadassuar, featuring a double final
The Trofeu Mancomunitat de la Ribera Alta, which in 2026 will host one of the most special editions in its history to mark the institution’s 30th anniversary, was presented this Tuesday. The men’s and women’s raspall championship will kick off on 12 April at the trinquet in Castelló and conclude on 19 April in Guadassuar. The town of Càrcer will also host the semi-final on 14 April and the bronze medal match on 18 April.
The event took place at the headquarters of the Mancomunitat de la Ribera Alta in Alzira and was attended by the president of the Mancomunitat de la Ribera Alta, Paqui Momparler; the sports director of the Valencian Pilota Federation, Santi Navarro; the mayor of Càrcer, Vicente Tomas Lloret; Càrcer’s Councillor for Sport, Antonio Garcés; and some of the players who will be taking part in the championship.
Paqui Momparler highlighted the significance of this trophy in such a special year for the Mancomunitat de la Ribera Alta. “This year we are celebrating our 30th anniversary, and this pilota trophy has been running almost as long as the Mancomunitat itself. It has been running for 23 years now and began with escala i corda. Since 2019, it has been played in the raspall format and, from 2024, will also include a women’s competition. The Mancomunitat de la Ribera Alta will be wherever pilota is played. It is our sport and so we must continue to support it”.
The championship begins on 12 April at the Castelló trinquet at 4.30 pm with the women’s raspall semi-finals: Vanessa, Natalia and Marina, against Clara, Mireia and Laura. Next up will be Iván and Raúl, who will face the trio of Ian, Murcianet and Momparler. The next women’s raspall semi-final will be played on 14 April at the Càrcer trinquet, featuring María, Júlia and Anabel, who will take on the team of Erika, Myriam and Isabel (6.00 pm). Meanwhile, on 15 April, the second men’s raspall semi-final will be played at the Guadassuar trinquet: Vercher and Seve against Montaner, Lorja and Marc at 4.45 pm.
Myriam will be one of the players returning to the competition this year and she seemed pleased. “I’m happy to be playing in the Ribera Alta Regional Council Trophy again. What’s more, my partner Erika has been out of action for a long time and is now back playing. We’ll also be playing with Isabel, and I think the semi-finals will be very evenly matched”.
The third and fourth place matches for both tournaments will be played on 18 April at the Càrcer trinquet. The women’s raspall will take place at 5.00 pm, followed by the men’s teams at 6.00 pm. The event bringing the championship to a close will take place on 19 April at the Guadassuar trinquet, starting at 5.00 pm with the women’s raspall and followed by the men’s competition at 6.30 pm.
Speaking on behalf of the Valencian Pilota Federation, Santi Navarro highlighted the support of the Ribera Alta Regional Council. “We would like to thank the local councils and the Mancomunitat for participating and supporting pilota. A large part of our squad is at the World Championships in Argentina, but many will be available as the dates approach, and we also have local players such as Paco Lorja, Momparler, Murcianet and Ian, among others”.
Ian spoke specifically about the standard of competition in men’s raspall and his participation: “I’m really pleased they’ve picked me and I’m raring to go. There are four very strong teams, but we’ll fight to reach the final and win it”. Paco Lorja also touched on the standard of play and his hope that Alzira will be included in future editions. “I think there’ll be some good matches and I’d like to see the Alzira trinquet included next time. It’s a relatively new, large trinquet with good facilities. I’d like the local council to get involved in these professional tournaments because it’s a council that’s also very committed to schools, and it would be great if it hosted the event in the future”.
