A small, but very enthusiastic group of Pétanque players gathered on the Village Green on Saturday afternoon (15/05/2021). Well, perhaps it is a stretch to say we were all Petanque players, but by the end of the session we had all learnt a great deal about the game and had honed some new skills. Twelve players gave us enough for two teams and there were even a few spectators who came and went during the course of the afternoon.
Expert coaching was provided by Les and Lynn Hyland, who not only provided their pétanque sets for us to use, but also gave us a crash course on how to play the game. Scoring was undertaken by Lynn who kept a sharp eye on any would-be cheating during the play!
Players quickly developed a range of skills which were necessary given the sloping terrain on the Village Green and the deep grass cover. By the end of the afternoon, ‘Team B’ led by Captain Bruno were the valiant winners. Bruno invented a new technique in the game with the ‘Pentaque lob’.
All in all, a great deal of fun and laughs were had by both players and spectators. Drinks and snacks were enjoyed after the game and everyone agreed we should play again very soon.
Text & Photos by Michele Bird