Petanque or French Boules
by Steven Hawkes
Whilst traversing the leafy lanes and roads of Normandy with the sun casting dappled lights upon the mossy banks and iris filled ditches, you have no doubt come across the French idyll of beautiful mellow cottages, a quaint village square, with neatly clipped trees, overlooked by the sentinel of a Norman church.
Observing the scene you notice the bustle of the boulangerie, the scent of the freshly baked bread tempting you, the tabac bar, the hub of village news and gossip, and perhaps a group of young and old alike enjoying the pastime of Petanque or French boules.
From your vantage point you can hear the thump, click of the boules as they connect, the laughter and good humour of the players, and clearly understand that the game brings people together, but instils a gentle competitiveness.
Throughout France these scenes take place, from towns with their purpose built clubs, villages with picturesque friendly squares and of course, the most familiar to us travellers and tourist, the beach.
So as the good weather and the warmer seasons approach, the tug of the Petanque with its hazy summer memories beckons, pushed to the forefront of our minds with the arrival of the soaring and acrobatic swallows who careen joyfully heralding the arrival of spring.
So what are the rules of this typical French game. Below are the rules and regulations that will enable you to enjoy with your family and friends this relaxing summer game.
The rules
The game consists of two teams of two or three players. Teams of two play with three boules, teams of three with two.
Equipment used for Petanque are metal boules between 7 and 8 cm in diameter, weighing about 800 grammes, the cochonet or marker ball ideally having a diameter of between 25 and 30mm, and a measuring device to decide those difficult calls in distance which can occur in scoring.
The team that goes first is decided on the toss of a coin. One of the winning team members chooses the starting place and draws a circle on the ground about 30 to 50 cm across in which they then stand. Both feet of the thrower must remain within this circular boundary until the thrown boule lands.
The first player throws the cochonet between 6 to 10 metres, clear of any obstacles by at least 50 cms. He or she then throws their first boule, with the aim of trying to place it as close to the cochonet as possible.
A player from the opposing team then enters the throwing circle to try and then throw their boule closer to the cochonet, or even displace their adversaries placed boule. The boule closest to the cochonet is the leading boule.
Then it is up to a player in the team not leading to throw until his or her team gets the leading boule position and so the game goes on.
When a team has no more boules left, the points are counted. Points are awarded to the boules nearest to the cochonet, and thus the team with the boules nearer to the cochonet is victorious.
A player from the winning team then throws the cochonet back up the terrain from where the game started, and thus the game starts again, with the direction of the game going back and forth, until one team reaches the final score of 13 points.
It should be noted that if playing in a regulation area, when a boule hits the wooden perimeter frame, then the boule concerned is considered out of play.
Also in the event of an exact distance match or tie, the same game should be replayed from the same end as played originally.
Well happy playing over the coming months, and enjoy this easygoing sporting pleasure.