'Pilota' museum to open

Four-generation ‘Pilota Valenciana’ family to open Bellreguard museum

A POPULAR local sport is about to get its own museum in Bellreguard with photos, videos, posters and match reports dating back to before the Civil War.

The Pilota Valenciana Museum is the brainchild of the late well-known local player Emilio Peris Mascarell's sons Hugo, Emi and Domi, largely as somewhere to put their 83 years' worth of souvenirs to prevent these getting lost or damaged.

The footage and memorabilia covers four generations of the same family, which runs a trinquete, or ‘Pilota valenciana’ court, a club and training centre, known as 'El Zurdo', or 'The Left-Hander'.

It is named after Emilio's grandfather Francisco Peris, a left-handed player from Pamís, near Ondara, known – logically

– as 'El Zurdo de Pamís'.

Emilio's parents Domingo and Concheta took over running the family business from Francisco, and Domingo also played at district level – and it is hoped Emilio's grandchildren Emi and Claudia will take up the Peris tradition and become pilota generation number five.

He had not retired from the game at the time of his death on November 21, 2017.

His sons Emi and Domi run the trinquete and train the 'El Zurdo' team, whilst Hugo works for Val Net, a professional pilota team training company.

“Given that we've got a suitable premises in Bellreguard for a museum, and with the amount of historic stuff we've got lying around, the best thing we can do is offer it to the public,” says Emi.

It will offer visitors, including school groups, the chance to have a crack at pilota themselves during their tour.

The Pilota Valenciana Museum will be at number 8 of the C/ Rei Jaume I, very close to the town hall and Casa de Cultura, and will be the first of its kind in La Safor and only the second in the region, after that of Genovès (La Costera).