News

St David’s Day Shotgun Pairs had Joyce and Moira winning first prize (3 wins +22) and Phil & Roy taking second place (3 wins & +19 and winning a tie break for 2nd/3rd place). Welsh themed prizes were awarded.

The first of 2 trial events for Midweek Pétanque is next Tuesday 1030 at Heckmondwike. They’ve been designed for players who want to try a more competitive game than the HPC sessions but not as demanding as regional events. Here’s the answers to the most asked questions.

Who started this? We’re a group of pétanque players from West Yorkshire Clubs. We are not a club. At our first meeting were Clive, Gordon, Tony, Colin, David, Bev, Roger, Roy, Paul, Robin, Brendan & Shirley. We’re hoping to put on competitive but friendly midweek pétanque events targeting players about an hour’s drive from venues in West Yorkshire.

Why? There’s a significant amount of social pétanque played in local clubs but there is also a demand for more competitive play from some players. There may only be a few in each club but there is enough for such players to work together to provide competitive events that cut across club boundaries. Regional & national events tend to be at weekends and long days with early starts and we think there is a market for mid week, off peak, short day events.

Where? Our initial plans are for events at West Yorkshire clubs. We hope to have 2 trial events in early 2023 to see if the idea works.

When? As the name suggests they will be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays and run from mid morning to mid afternoon thus avoiding rush hour traffic. Typical timings will be 1030 start; 1245 lunch; 1315 restart; 1515 finish.

What? The format will be a 4 round snake with a low entry fee. You’ll keep the same partner all day. All money returned as prizes. No licence, no membership, no affiliations required. No ranking points, no league tables. Each event will be self contained, no pre-registration & pay on the day.

How much will it cost and are there prizes? £5 for pairs and £9 for triples. All entry fees will be returned as prizes but the emphasis is on more little prizes rather than a few big prizes.

Can I bring a 3 person pairs team and a 4 person triples team? Yes

What if it’s bad weather? Wear extra layers for a cold day and bring waterproofs if it might rain. Only extreme weather will force a cancellation.

How do you decide the winner? Similar to HPC melees. Most wins is the winner and points difference resolves ties. All players who give their email will be emailed the results sheet.

Over the last year Huddersfield Petanque Club has been fundraising for its chosen charity Prostate Cancer UK.

During 2022 Sue Crofts and her team of helpers organised many fund raising events which generated record donations from club members and players throughout the year

Many events featured themed pétanque games ranging from Race Day and Bastille Day to a very self indulgent and enjoyable Strawberries and Prosecco day

With a Yorkshire Pairs competition hosted by the Huddersfield Petanque club and tickets from Sue’s team raffles we were able to boost the funds to a very creditable £600

History

The West Yorkshire league started in 2015. There is a league called York league but this was for teams east of Leeds such as Bridlington and the distances involved in an evening fixture made them reluctant to admit teams from the west of the region. So 4 clubs set up a league in West Yorkshire. The first season had 4 clubs but this grew to 6 clubs. You can read more history and see results from the league and also the short lived Kirklees Autumn League by clicking on https://rb.gy/nggpgo This season’s fixtures are also posted there.

Level of play

This is a step up from social play. It’s likely (but by no means guaranteed) that you’ll be playing the better players from other clubs. Players will mark the ring and the jack and generally play to the full rules. They’ll take longer to decide which shot to play and walk up to the head and study and chat before they decide.

Format

The fixtures have 2 triples followed by 3 pairs so 6 players make up a team. A fixture will take about 2 hours and teams play each other home and away so there are 10 fixtures for each club. The league winner is the club that wins the most games and if there is a tie points difference decides the placings.

At the end of the season the West Yorkshire Cup is held. This is a knockout competition and with only 6 clubs doesn’t take too long.

Trophies are awarded for both competitions. Huddersfield were 1 game away from winning the league in 2016 and lost the Cup final 2-3 in 2022. Our ambition is to one day win one of these competitions.

Time and days

Each club decides when to play its home fixtures. Currently Huddersfield play Tuesdays at 1pm. Other clubs will use different days. The league starts after Easter and usually ends in June.

Our Club Captain

Moira has taken on the job of Club Captain which means she’ll pick the teams for any fixture the club has with other pétanque clubs. There will be around a dozen every year. Nell is the vice captain. They will arrange the dates, organise transport if required and select the teams. There’ll be a further post when they’ve decided how they’re going to do it. If you want to improve your play and get more information about what is happening in the region, why not join Yorkshire Pétanque? Membership at 2022 prices costs less than 16p per week and gives you access to free coaching from qualified Yorkshire coaches, as well as access to all parts of the highly informative YP website.

Interested?

If you feel you want to play for the club you should talk to Moira & Nell and members who have played in a league game in the next few months and find out more. When we play other clubs we prefer players to wear club colours so now’s the time to buy a polo, fleece, waterproof with a club logo.