Author: huddersfieldpetanque

Not a lot happening in Winter but still a few organised events. Wrap up warm, bring your waterproofs and see if you can attend some of these events.

Next Club event is Winter Melee on Sunday 7th December. 1pm start prompt. 3 rounds where we keep scores then maybe  time after for more games. No entry fee and members only. Scores go to Winter long league table. November had 28 players. Let’s see if we can beat that.

Heckmondwike are hosting a Northern Region Winter League on December 14^th starting at 0930. 5 games in a day. Entry fee and prizes. Higher level of competition but please join in if you want. Bring extra fleeces, woolly hats and gloves. Ask a committee member for information.

On Sunday 21^st we’re having a Shortest Day melee. Mulled wine and Mince Pies to all who attend. Bring a torch. It will get dark early.

Christmas Leftovers Event. Bring mince pies & sherry and unwanted presents for a raffle on December 28^th 1pm. Also a 3 round melee.

Looking forward the Xmas dinner is on January 15^th. See a committee member if you want to go.

Also in January we will be hosting a Northern Region Winter League on January 18^th starting at 0930. 5 games in a day. Entry fee and prizes. Higher level of competition as at Heckmondwike but please join in if you want. Ask a committee member for information. There won’t be any room for social play as the whole terrain will be taken over by this event.

Chair 07977772971 or Secretary 01484-541195 for more info.

Look in the gallery just above the top picture. Click on photos to enlarge.

If you’re thinking about buying a set the club has negotiated a special deal with Complete Boules.

They supply La Franc boules which are approved by EPA for use in all competitions.

They’re Carbon steel matt finish. Roy has a set he’ll show you. You can choose from a range of weights and diameters and patterns.

They are normally £55 plus postage total £67-92 but we can get a set for £51 including postage if we buy 10 sets at once. That’s about 20% discount.

Contact a Committee member with your requirements in writing.  The graphic says £49 but it’s out of date. I’ve printed the patterns below so they’re easier to see.

On Thursday we had 5 people interested. We’ll update this post if others join in. UPDATE. 16/11/14 Orders coming in, 7 so far. Email Roy with your weight, diameter & pattern. 

..and dozens of spectators made over 60 people playing or watching last sunday. There were 20 teams playing a mixed pairs competition over all 10 lanes and after 3 rounds the top 4 were 2 teams from Heckmondwike and 2 from Huddersfield who shared the prizes There were many positives – the new stringed pistes worked well; the raffle went well and everyone had a good afternoon.

It was by far our biggest event and we’ll be holding more. It’s proved that Petanque can work in
the park. It’s fun; it keeps you fit and it’s easy to learn. Our next big event is the first sunday of the month melee on December 7th (members only) and in January there is a regional event with players from all over Yorkshire on the 18th.

The image? It’s a full house.

Heckmondwike club is preparing to order from Obut and by bulk buying they can probably avoid heavy postage costs. Let us know if you want to join in with their order which will be sent in November to arrive before Xmas.

 

There are 3 general sellers of boules. The market leader, some expensive designer names and the cheap but just as good foreign competitor.

Obut is the market leader. Based in France with large share of the market. Prices are high and the best buy is the Compet Junior at 72 euro. You get a choice of plain or with a pretty triangle pattern and all have 70.5 diameter with weights from 650 to 670. Suitable for official competitions. See them on the Web. Buying direct from Obut is cheaper than from a reseller.

Even cheaper is the Obut Tatou range with more pretty patterns but no weight or diameter specified. I think they are 650g and range from 65 to 74 but can’t find confirmation. Although not allowed in EPA competitions they would be welcome at most clubs and they’re cheap.

UPDATE: another source has confirmed that Tatou are 74 diameter so light but large.

If you want you can buy much more expensive Obut boules which promise a lot but may not be much better than a basic set.

The good thing about Obut boules is they can be engraved at source. Engraving is 9 euros if your name has 3 letters or 17 euros for up to 15 letters.

Finally there is the cheap foreigner. The country is Thailand and the maker is La Franc. The only UK supplier I can find is Complete boules and they cost £49 or £55. There’s a good range of boules. Diameter from 71 to 76, weights from 680 to 720 and a choice of 6 different patterns. Just as good as Obut but not with the same cachet. Find them on the web. If enough members want to buy these we’ll see about a bulk order to save on postage charges.

For most club players you should forget the blurb about soft boules, hard boules, shooter’s boules, rebound boules and carreau boules. Don’t pay lots of money for a fancy name. The most important thing is to buy a boule that has the right size and weight for your hand. If in doubt buy smaller and lighter rather than you think.  Talk to other players and try lots of boules before you decide what to buy. Your own set of new boules will give your confidence a lift and probably improve your game.