Petanque 1
Weekly, Tuesdays at 11am & 1pm in Twickenham. Also alternate Fridays & Sundays at 1.00pm.
We play all year round on average 3 times a week.
This group has 50 players. PLEASE NOTE: 11am Group on Tuesday is currently full.
Group Leader: Caroline Cunliffe
If you wish to make contact please use the email connection on the right hand top corner of this webpage.
Basic tuition for the game of Petanque (French Boules) with friendly games organised. We are a large informal social group but many of us do regularly play at competition level. In retirement playing Petanque regularly is not only good exercise in the fresh air but the fun, laughter and joy it generates is a bonus and many of our group feel it has definitely enhanced their lives.
Petanque is the quintessentially French version of the game of boules. Metal balls are thrown close to a jack. Simple and easy for beginners but be warned, it can take a lifetime to perfect the deft art of the game.
Our History: I started the group in March 2013 but by June 2015, nine members from the Pétanque group took part in The Londonaise International Pétanque Festival held at Barnard Park in Islington, competing with teams from Gibraltar, Hungary, Belgium, Sweden and France. English teams from Kent, Chilterns and the London Region, including French-London teams also played, 64 teams in all, including 3 World Champion Pétanque players. We returned to Londonaise in 2016 when one of our triples beat a young Swedish team.
April 2016, twelve members from our group travelled to Malmesbury, Wiltshire for a few days to take part in inter-friendly competition games with U3A Malmesbury, Cirencester, Fairford and Highworth (Swindon).
June 2016 Sherston Boules (Wiltshire) 192 Players took part overall. A few from Richmond were lucky enough to gain a place in the random draw. The village is closed to traffic, covered with sand forming 32 pistes and games played throughout the day. One of our players was part of the team reaching the quarter finals. We continue to take part in this annual event.
16-19 September 2016 twelve members from our group took part in the first ever U3A National Petanque Championship held on Hayling Island and distinguished themselves by taking the Gold Trophy as overall competition winners. 162 players took part. Other members of our group won the 'Leisure Boules' category also receiving an award.
May 2017 seven members were invited to La Turballe France for 7 days to take part in daily competitions including playing with the French club Esto-Petanque La Turballe. We had a great experience and will return in 2018. Players from various groups attended but Richmond managed to score with a best overall male player and two best joint overall female players.
We also take part in the U3A Top Pig Competition held at Crondall and separately other competitions in Sherston and Malmesbury, Wiltshire and The London Cup at Vauxhall. In September 2017 eighteen members took part in the U3A National Petanque Championships again. These occasions are always great fun and although we did not do as well as last year, we did come away with 6 medals. There were 175 players competing within 52 triple teams from 16 U3A's. Competition is stiff but we are delighted with a little success once in a while.
In October 2017 we were invited to the Oxshott Petanque Club and eighteen of us competed in a friendly melee which was great fun. It was an unusually warm Autumn day spent with fellow petanquers enjoying great games and interesting conversation. Not forgetting the tea and cake which went down well.
2018 had a very long cold winter but we played throughout. First, was a Charity Match at Oxshott first week of January. In April, we competed at Crondall and separately 10 players travelled to Malmesbury, Wiltshire where we played melees with U3A's Malmesbury and Cheltenham. We stayed for 3 days and on our final day we were invited to play at the Upper Thames Boules Club at Royal Wootton Bassett which was a new addition to our circuit.
We returned to France in early May for a rematch with the Esto-Petanque club. We had a fun week playing petanque all day and every day. In July, one squad took part in 2018 Sherston Boules and another took part in The London Cup held at Vauxhall. We begin 2019 with a diary full of events.
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