The Place for pétanque

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I discovered pétanque ten years ago, when my wife Elisabeth showed me around the seaside town of Locquirec, in Brittany, where her family spent summers when she was a young girl.  She remembered visits to neighbouring villages to witness the locals’ passion for pétanque, a game played with steel balls or boules. One Sunday afternoon she took me to watch it played in a lovely village square. There was much discussion between a player standing in a circle drawn in the dust and other members of the team, about irregularities in the surface surrounding ‘le cochonnet’, the piglet, a small wooden target ball. In the UK it’s called the ‘Jack’.

The objective of pétanque is simple, to get as many of your boules closer to the jack, than your opponent’s. Pétanque is the French version of the ancient game of bowls (two balls and a jack were discovered in the sarcophagus of an Egyptian prince) and the only one when the player must keep both feet on the ground when throwing the ball.

As I watched the game, it became clear that a member of each team was an expert at the high lob. The ball is thrown to a hight so that it drops down almost vertically thus avoiding boules blocking the jack. I admired a variation of the high lob. A toss that lands directly on top of the opponent’s boule knocking the winning boule out, leaving yours in its place.

I was hooked on the game and immediately bought a set of boules before returning home. Back in Jericho, I enlarged gravel path in the back garden and created a pocket-sized boule pitch and began practising my high lob.

Fast forward ten years, having joined the Greening Jericho gardeners, my mattock is much in demand for prying out the roots of a large clump of snowberry shrubs that have invaded much of the large bed by the brick wall. While taking a break, I looked towards the canal and was reminded of those picturesque scenes of pétanque in Brittany. It struck me that one would be hard pressed to find a more perfect spot for playing boules than beside the canal in Mt. Place.

While fine tuning the boule pitch in Mt. Place, I’ve began playing with some of the local residents. Simon Smith has already become a fan and he’s planning to have regular sessions with his Whitworth Place neighbours. I look forward to joining them. 

What I enjoy most about pétanque is the sociable nature of the game and the friendly competition. It’s also an inclusive game that can be played by all ages. The basic skills can be acquired very quickly. Mt. Place is the perfect spot to give pétanque a try with friends. Sets of boules are available from the the Old Bookbinders, which is just a stone’s throw away. 

Basic Rules

1. Standing inside a 50 cm. circle someone from Team A throws the jack 5 – 8 m down the pitch.
2. Remaining inside the circle the same player throws a boule underarm at the jack keeping feet on the ground until it touches the ground.
3. Now someone from Team B throws. This team keeps throwing until they land a boule closer to the jack than Team A or run out of boules.
4. Then it’s Team A’s turn again. 

Points are scored when everyone is out of boules: one point for each boule closer to the jack than the best placed boule of your opponents. Alternating ends after each round, first team to 13, wins.