We've had no luck so far with obtaining some sort of wooden surround, to prevent boules from escaping. I've worked out that we would need twelve, 4" square timbers to enclose three sides. Buying from new would cost around £100, so we might just go with what we have.
At last years Suffolk Coastal League Finals in Blyford, I noticed there was nothing to prevent boules from rolling out. I still hope to get at least one end of our pistes sealed off though, as boules sometimes end up underneath vehicles.
The earth on the side nearest the fence, has now been flattened and is ready for seeding. Lindsay's car came in useful for this, as it wasn't worth hiring out any more machinery.
Monday, 27 February 2012
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Coastal League Team venues
Here is a little something I made up using Google Maps. It shows the locations of this years Suffolk Coastal League teams, relative to one another. Some of the addresses were taken from the Captains Handbook that Simon Fletcher had put together. Others I worked out myself.
View SCL-2012 in a larger map
Teams are colour coded to show their respective division. Multi-coloured pins, indicate teams that play at the same venue but in different divisions. Please let me know of any errors.
Dave.
View SCL-2012 in a larger map
Teams are colour coded to show their respective division. Multi-coloured pins, indicate teams that play at the same venue but in different divisions. Please let me know of any errors.
Dave.
Monday, 13 February 2012
Bressingham Pétanque Club fixtures (revised)
Cotton and Yaxley have both kindly agreed to move their matches against us to a later date. This means our first match will now take place on March 18th. Here is the full list...
Mar 18 - Laxfield Ladies (a)
Apr 1 - Yaxley (h)
Apr 15 - Cotton (h)
May 13 - Laxfield B (a)
May 27 - Laxfield A (a)
June 10 - Yaxley (a)
July 1 - Laxfield Ladies (h)
July 15 - Cotton (a)
July 29 - Laxfield B (h)
Aug 19 - Laxfield A (h)
Thanks to the teams involved for their co-operation.
Dave.
Mar 18 - Laxfield Ladies (a)
Apr 1 - Yaxley (h)
Apr 15 - Cotton (h)
May 13 - Laxfield B (a)
May 27 - Laxfield A (a)
June 10 - Yaxley (a)
July 1 - Laxfield Ladies (h)
July 15 - Cotton (a)
July 29 - Laxfield B (h)
Aug 19 - Laxfield A (h)
Thanks to the teams involved for their co-operation.
Dave.
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Suffolk Coastal League 2012 update
Bressingham have been drawn against Yaxley, Cotton and three teams from Laxfield in the preliminary group stages of this years Sunday league.
I am very grateful to Nikki and Andy Watts from Yaxley Cherry Tree, for allowing us both to play for their team last season. They made us very welcome and provided delicious food during the home matches.
Cotton are a new team. I'm assuming they will play at the Village Hall recreational grounds. I will find out more when the handbooks are issued.
We have played a few of the Laxfield crew before. A friendly bunch that also have an all ladies team.
Fixtures to follow soon.
Dave.
I am very grateful to Nikki and Andy Watts from Yaxley Cherry Tree, for allowing us both to play for their team last season. They made us very welcome and provided delicious food during the home matches.
Cotton are a new team. I'm assuming they will play at the Village Hall recreational grounds. I will find out more when the handbooks are issued.
We have played a few of the Laxfield crew before. A friendly bunch that also have an all ladies team.
Fixtures to follow soon.
Dave.
Saturday, 11 February 2012
Club day
Lindsay and I were out playing pétanque on the snowy terrain.
After one of the coldest nights I can remember, the sun made an appearance first thing and some parts of us soon warmed up.
Lindsay (aka the Snow Queen) adapted to the conditions far quicker than I did.
Dave.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Terrain update
I decided to even out the grassy/weedy area near the fence (on the left), the day before the snow fell. I dug out the clumpy areas first and then set about transporting earth from nearby. The arrow in the picture indicates a mound of earth that wasn't being used for anything else (right near the tall hedge).
The wheelbarrows had long gone, so I had to improvise with a corrugated plastic box and Lindsay's cycle. It took more than a dozen trips backwards and forwards, balancing the box on the back of the bike. Once there, the earth was raked in to cover over any low points. The sandy area to the left of the white line, may be used later on, if more lanes are needed.
It is now Thursday and there is still a couple of inches of lying snow, although the surface underneath is not frozen. We'll be along there on Saturday and Sunday to see who (if anyone) turns up.
Dave.
The wheelbarrows had long gone, so I had to improvise with a corrugated plastic box and Lindsay's cycle. It took more than a dozen trips backwards and forwards, balancing the box on the back of the bike. Once there, the earth was raked in to cover over any low points. The sandy area to the left of the white line, may be used later on, if more lanes are needed.
It is now Thursday and there is still a couple of inches of lying snow, although the surface underneath is not frozen. We'll be along there on Saturday and Sunday to see who (if anyone) turns up.
Dave.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Suffolk Coastal League 2012
The league is run by Simon Fletcher with more and more teams entering each year. Matches are played on Sundays (one match every two or three weeks) between March and September . I'm guessing that the format will be more or less like last term.
Teams are made up of a minimum of four players. It is also possible to take along eight players with everyone getting a game. A match consists of four doubles games, so you could end up with a 'Desmond' (2-2).
The preliminary stages are mini leagues (maximum of six teams) which are geographically sorted. If a team finishes high enough, they then proceed into the last sixteen, where a knock-out competition will take place (obviously no draws at this stage).
We have played in the leagues previous two years with Sunset Boulevards (Diss) and Yaxley Cherry Tree. It's a great way of meeting new people, making new friends, going to places you've never been before and you get to play pétanque.
More info here... http://suffolkcoastalpetanque.blogspot.com/
Teams are made up of a minimum of four players. It is also possible to take along eight players with everyone getting a game. A match consists of four doubles games, so you could end up with a 'Desmond' (2-2).
The preliminary stages are mini leagues (maximum of six teams) which are geographically sorted. If a team finishes high enough, they then proceed into the last sixteen, where a knock-out competition will take place (obviously no draws at this stage).
We have played in the leagues previous two years with Sunset Boulevards (Diss) and Yaxley Cherry Tree. It's a great way of meeting new people, making new friends, going to places you've never been before and you get to play pétanque.
More info here... http://suffolkcoastalpetanque.blogspot.com/
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Have you seen this hat?
This is me, playing at the Morley Buck near Attleborough. The hat followed me nearly every where I went. I didn't go much on the colour but it was a perfect fit. It was last seen at the Hethersett Social Club. Thanks to Steven Penny who supplied the picture.
Dave
Friday, 3 February 2012
Game for all
We wanted to find a sport that all the family could take part in. Two 40-something parents and a pair of pre-teenage boys. Diss Pétanque Club was holding an open day to drum up some new members so it seemed
an ideal opportunity.
The sport is advertised as being suitable for all ages, both sexes and all abilities. How right that claim was – we were hooked. Unfortunately, the boys had better things to do with their time and it was their parents who saw their lives change dramatically. Warning: Pétanque is addictive!
Despite the wet day, the warm welcome and picnic lunch soon had us wanting to learn more about the club and the sport. We were soon playing in the team and competitions across the county, expanding into Suffolk and beyond as the game got a grip.
It is an enthralling battle of wits and skills. Picking the right shot, the best landing spot, when to shoot, when to point or when to close things down were all soon intense topics of conversation. Smooth or 'pineapple' boules, bar towel or duster, tape measure or extendable rule – nothing was too trivial to discuss at great length. Best of all, the social side with new friends made across Norfolk, eager to welcome new players and pass on their own knowledge and useful tips.
Hospitality is always friendly, no matter what the score, although the variety of after-match fare varies – from the virtual full meals at Strumpshaw and Eccles to the soggy biscuits and out-of-date supermarket pasties at other clubs I'd better not mention.
It's an easy game to play, fairly simple to master but capable of delivering crushing blows to your confidence when a complete novice trounces you with an embarrassing 'fanny'. Speaking of the infamous 13-0 defeat. The first time Dave and I played a county competition, we were soundly beaten by a veteran pair in just four ends on the undulating Cottage terrain at Thorpe. It was the only time we faced outright gamesmanship – the old guard showing the cheeky young upstarts how it's supposed to be done. Revenge was a while coming but a few years later that same couple were 'fannied' in just three ends on the smooth surface at Diss - they didn't take kindly to it at all!
Like all sports, there are plenty of ploys to put off your opponent. I've suffered from opponents who manage to drop sweet wrappers just as you're about to throw, or suffer a sneezing fit, start moving behind your target or decide to query rules and break your concentration. It's all part of the game unfortunately.
Surfaces vary enormously but the secret is to stick to the basics and plan your shots to make the most of anything you can. Corners of bricks, deep shale, puddles, motorway-smooth lanes and even beer barrels and lamp-posts all need to be negotiated.
For variety, try playing in the snow – the boules are turned into snowballs and the coche is buried. For even more fun, go to the beach. A well-placed boule a fraction away from the coche can suddenly turn tail and disappear to the distant waterline. Even watching pétanque can be addictive.
The different styles of play are enormously entertaining.
The ponderer – takes for ever to prepare for the shot and is seemingly unable to release the boule from clenched fingers.
The entertainer whizz – bang! No foreplay here, wallop and a tight game is scattered across three pistes.
The magician – one lady plays in a long skirt and always throws the boule from between her legs – one day I'm convinced it won't come back down…
The clockwork man – a couple of players have a very rigid style of play which is almost like a ratchet as the boule is delivered.
The chicken – A bizarre pre-delivery that looks for all the world as if the player is about to lay an egg.
There are lots more – feel free to add your own favourites.
Steven Penny
The sport is advertised as being suitable for all ages, both sexes and all abilities. How right that claim was – we were hooked. Unfortunately, the boys had better things to do with their time and it was their parents who saw their lives change dramatically. Warning: Pétanque is addictive!
Despite the wet day, the warm welcome and picnic lunch soon had us wanting to learn more about the club and the sport. We were soon playing in the team and competitions across the county, expanding into Suffolk and beyond as the game got a grip.
It is an enthralling battle of wits and skills. Picking the right shot, the best landing spot, when to shoot, when to point or when to close things down were all soon intense topics of conversation. Smooth or 'pineapple' boules, bar towel or duster, tape measure or extendable rule – nothing was too trivial to discuss at great length. Best of all, the social side with new friends made across Norfolk, eager to welcome new players and pass on their own knowledge and useful tips.
Hospitality is always friendly, no matter what the score, although the variety of after-match fare varies – from the virtual full meals at Strumpshaw and Eccles to the soggy biscuits and out-of-date supermarket pasties at other clubs I'd better not mention.
It's an easy game to play, fairly simple to master but capable of delivering crushing blows to your confidence when a complete novice trounces you with an embarrassing 'fanny'. Speaking of the infamous 13-0 defeat. The first time Dave and I played a county competition, we were soundly beaten by a veteran pair in just four ends on the undulating Cottage terrain at Thorpe. It was the only time we faced outright gamesmanship – the old guard showing the cheeky young upstarts how it's supposed to be done. Revenge was a while coming but a few years later that same couple were 'fannied' in just three ends on the smooth surface at Diss - they didn't take kindly to it at all!
Like all sports, there are plenty of ploys to put off your opponent. I've suffered from opponents who manage to drop sweet wrappers just as you're about to throw, or suffer a sneezing fit, start moving behind your target or decide to query rules and break your concentration. It's all part of the game unfortunately.
Surfaces vary enormously but the secret is to stick to the basics and plan your shots to make the most of anything you can. Corners of bricks, deep shale, puddles, motorway-smooth lanes and even beer barrels and lamp-posts all need to be negotiated.
For variety, try playing in the snow – the boules are turned into snowballs and the coche is buried. For even more fun, go to the beach. A well-placed boule a fraction away from the coche can suddenly turn tail and disappear to the distant waterline. Even watching pétanque can be addictive.
The different styles of play are enormously entertaining.
The ponderer – takes for ever to prepare for the shot and is seemingly unable to release the boule from clenched fingers.
The entertainer whizz – bang! No foreplay here, wallop and a tight game is scattered across three pistes.
The magician – one lady plays in a long skirt and always throws the boule from between her legs – one day I'm convinced it won't come back down…
The clockwork man – a couple of players have a very rigid style of play which is almost like a ratchet as the boule is delivered.
The chicken – A bizarre pre-delivery that looks for all the world as if the player is about to lay an egg.
There are lots more – feel free to add your own favourites.
Steven Penny
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)