Rings

A short poem about pre-fabricated circles by Darren.


The Ring.

So what is it with the rings then?
Why is it, a player likes to stand over the ring?
It is a ring so stand inside it.


I have tried to think of all the reasons/excuses for players standing on or outside the ring.

1. They don't know they are doing it.
2. To gain an advantage.
3. Trip hazard/health & safety (I'm trying not to laugh).
4. Fear of rings.
5. Players forget to pick it up which means they have to walk all the way back again.
6. Not for the purist.
7. Some don't like change.

I'm sure Lindsay could make up more amusing ones.

NCPA competition

I'm Hoping a few of us will be there, although the event clashes with our home match against Yaxley Cherry Tree in the Suffolk Coastal.  Darren and Luke are also unavailable.  On the plus side though, I have managed to persuade Lindsay to play against Yaxley as a one off (I hope she can remember what to do).

Away day cheer

Suffolk Coastal League (KO Plate 1st Round)

Huntingfield Hares 0, Bressingham 4 (18-52)

It was the first time we had played at Huntingfield and it turned out to be a fine day all round.  The weather was lovely and the setting just as good with the terrain raised high above the road.  The playing surface was very small 'sharp' gravel and plenty of it (target boule didn't move far when hit).

Pat/Jenny won 13-2, Les/Russ won 13-3, Dave/Les won 13-11, Pat/Russ won 13-2.

Pat and Russ had a field day and Jenny also impressed.  Our opponents were very accommodating and they laid on some tasty grub afterwards - thanks Ray (and all the team).

Flyers refuelled (NCPA Division 3)

Bressingham Flyers 4, Buckaneers 1

After a disappointing run of losses (in both the Norfolk & Suffolk leagues and KO matches) the team finally triumphed against a re-shaped Buckaneers side.  However, the match wasn't free from incident (something to do with the circles again).  I even had to give a verbal warning to one of my players for head movement whilst I was about to throw (sorry Pat).

My games were long and drawn out (no change there then).  8-0 down in the triples (I was playing terribly) we then staged an unlikely comeback, eventually scraping through 13-12.  The other triple had a seemingly straightforward win as they led from start to finish.  Excellent wins in two of the pairings (Pat/Steven and Les/Russ) but not so good for Darren and myself as we let a 9-0 lead slip away... silly game :).

It looks like the Vikings/Duval match was cancelled.  My guess is that they will play next Thursday as there is a free week (except for those teams still in the KO Shield).  League results and tables here... http://www.ncpa.webeden.co.uk/#/div-three/4549117164.

Suffolk Coastal... two results in one?

Meadlands 3, Bressingham 1 (42-37)

It rained all match as predicted but it didn't bother me too much as I was all kitted out.

A bit of an oddity this one, as the match finished 2-2 (for a minute or so) until I noticed that we had only notched up 12 points (I was the last one off the piste).  So the players had to return to finish the game for a second time (it took a few more ends) with Meadlands edging it 13-12 (hence 3-1).  Well done to Les and Russ as they played out of their skins to win their game.

Dave/Les lost 13-8, Pat/Russ lost 13-4, Les/Russ won 13-3, Dave/Pat lost 13-12.

We are currently bottom of the league with three defeats but we were complimented by the Meadlands team on our performance and sportsmanship.

Update - it looks like I can't add up either as it was pointed out to me that we scored 37 points and not 36!

Success story

A crowd of us went along to this years Russell Harris Fun Pairs at St. Faiths on the outskirts of Norwich.  The entrance fee was still only £3 per person which included a free hot dog/burger and special (non-edible) 30th anniversary pen.  The event was well organised as usual.

I teamed up with Enzo for the first time.  I wasn't expecting much as it was a venue where I normally end up getting thrashed.  The draw was a little kind to us and Enzo's shooting was prolific.  We ended up with four wins from four (plus our joker win) to take top spot.

That's me on the left. Enzo's 'scooter' shooting was first rate.

That's not all... Darren and Luke 8 (okay, so they had a six start) and Les and Daniel (four start) both finished in the top eight (out of 22).  Each pairing had some fine wins against experienced players, winning three games each (four if you include the joker round)... well done chaps.

Local derby

Diss Vikings 3, Bressingham 2 (54-52)

It was a fairly cold and windy evening (still wore shorts though).  The terrain has had some shingle added since I last set foot on it and it played really well.  It was encouraging to see Jordan putting in some good boules in the first triple.  Cyril/Pat/Russ missed out by a single point in their threesome.  On a brighter note, we won two of the pairs but it wasn't quite enough to swing the match.  We're home to Buckaneers next.

The Bressingham club would like to wish Trevor Forder a speedy recovery (he is still poorly) and Peter Turner a successful op.

Boules rouge

Tea stained with a lashing of red marker pen - should last about five minutes :(.

I plan to use them in the Diss match this Thursday (which is nearer than a home match for most of us).

Here's something that was sent to me a while back that may be of interest...

PetanqueTube.com is site born from the idea of creating a platform that connects players around the world. PetanqueTube is an non profit video community, run by passionate petanque players. You can share your petanque videos and watch others. Site has a YouTube integration what makes uploading really simple. If you have your video already uploaded to YouTube then you can simply submit your video with just one click.

Kind regards from PetanqueTube team.

http://www.petanquetube.com

Flyers falter (NCPA Div 3)

Bressingham 1, Les Garnier 4

A disappointing result for the team on a glorious sunny evening.  My triple were already on our second end when one of the players from the opposition (in the other game) refused to play using the official Obut circles. This caused a delay in both games.  I resolved it by allowing the player to play on (drawing the circle instead of using one) as I deemed this to be more in the spirit of the game.  It was either that, or the away team would have had to play with only five players making it a mismatch.  However, this didn't go down too well with one or two of my team mates.  Please leave a comment to explain what you might have done in this situation.

Not only that but in my pairs game, the dreaded equidistant rule came into being.  This is the rule where you play bowls halfway through a pétanque match.  All this does is confuse everybody and where you have to stop players throwing in mid swing because it isn't their turn.  My view is - if you don't beat your opponents boule (being level with it is no good) the same team should throw again until they do (the fundamental rule of pétanque).  Ray Ager agreed with me on this so it must be right :).

On a much sadder note, we send our condolences to the Eccles club on the passing away of Chris Golding.