TWIG PETANQUE CHARITY CHALLENGE CUP and PICNIC
DATE: Sunday 8th May
TIME: 11am
PLACE: The Boulodrome at La Salvetat St Gilles
COST: Entrance fees: Adults = 5 euros and children (under 12) = 2 euros.
CONTACT: Carol Bliault
DEADLINE: Monday 2nd May
DETAILS:
Open to all members and their families, this is your chance to mix light hearted rivalry with the chance to contribute to TWIG’s 2011 nominated charity.
Competitions will involve both teams and individuals. Do remember to bring your own boules – but there may be some spares to borrow on the day. The rules will be those used by the local French boules clubs – all teams will play all the other teams. (see below for Heather’s background article.)
The local Pétanque club have kindly offered their facilities for the day. There will also be an opportunity to practice before the competition proper – so saying you don’t know how to play is no excuse for not coming along.
The TWIG Challenge Cup will be presented to the overall winners and the Wooden Spoon to the Last Team!!
Exact details will be circulated nearer the time including confirmation of the date.
For more details or if you would like to take part in the event
Background
This game is traditionally played with metallic balls on a dirt surface beneath plane trees, with a glass of pastis at hand (optional!) and the local boulodrome is often the social focal point in the local area.
The object of the game is to throw your balls — usually with somewhat of an arched back-spin — so that they land closer to the small object ball (cochonnet ) than those of your opponent, or strike and drive the object ball toward your other balls and away from your opponent’s. Despite any fears to the contrary, the only really essential equipment is a set of three steel boules.
To be legitimate for competition play, a boule must conform to the following specifications:
Weight: From 650 to 800 grams [1lb. 7oz. — 1lb. 12oz.]
Diameter: From 70.5 to 80.0mm [2.78” — 3.15”]
Some Hints and Tips
A player who specializes in pointing (or placing) should normally favour a small, heavy boule. A heavy boule is slightly more difficult to displace, and a boule of the minimum allowable diameter presents a smaller target to the opposition’s shooters. Women and young boys, usually having smaller hands and less arm strength, frequently compromise by selecting a boule that is both light and small.
A shooter should choose a lighter boule for the best chance of success. This may seem surprising, but in fact the decreased momentum of a light boule gives it the best chance of remaining in place after knocking an opponent’s boule out of the game (the perfect, and much admired, shot known as a carreau ). A shooter should not use a small boule: a shot that just barely misses with a small boule might have been effective if only that extra 5 mm had been on the radius.
In choosing a boule, however, perhaps the overriding consideration is “play with what feels comfortable to you.”
Very non-essential equipment
The following pétanque trivia is definitely not necessary, although some of it is undeniably fun….
Peaked cap for playing against the sun
Calipers for really fine measurements of distance/tape measure
Hand-held score keeper
Powerful magnet on a string: for those who have trouble bending down to pick up boules
Special cloth for wiping grit off boules.
Rules = refer to the Règlement International de Pétanque at:-
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Sports/regle_petanque.shtml#art1