Petanque Pizza Party a Success

Now that the Detroit Petanque Club's courts have been professionally groomed in the winter bouleodrome we decided to start our Friday pizza parties.  Throughout the Winter we'll be bouleing it up down in the club and don't worry about something cold to drink -- we have a fridge too!

We're getting the couches and dartboard brought in next week...

Today's score:  Sam & Jeff = 7 to Tim & Fred = 10  (we play to 10 points due to pizza eating interruptions).  I took a strong shot against a biberon (boule touching the cochonnet) to knock it out into the open for 3 points, but Team-Tim/Fred were too strong.

Petanque inside a Bank Vault in Detroit

Neither snow, nor sleet, nor darkness of night shall keep us from playing petanque.  At least in Detroit!  Pat secured a top secret location for the club to play during the cold Winter months in Detroit.  The space comes complete with ample court space, a very realistic rolling surface, with high ceilings for plombe, shooting, and shouts of victory!

Oh did I not mention that there's a giant vault in the room in case of a nuclear attack (or zombies).  If the sh^t hits the fan we know we'll be the last petanque players to survive!

Possibly the Last "Outdoor" Game for the Season in Detroit

With colder temperatures arriving I'm thinking this might be the last game for the 2011 Season - outdoors that is.  Pat has secured an indoor location which might be put into use as early as next week.  (Note: I'm not in the office from Thursday to Monday so our next boule-ing opportunity will be Tuesday (11/22).

Today's game:  Abu/Jeff vs. Fred - with Team Abu/Jeff taking an early lead, getting 6 points before Fred warmed up to the Court - but when he dialed in, it was as if every round he'd get one point while we sat perpetually on 6 points.  When it was all over, Fred took the win 13 to our 9.



Hey, Someone Turned off the Heat!

I was happy to wear my sherpa hat today because the wind and chill definitely cut into our hands and after a few rounds really worked against our shooting/pointing.  I'm not sure if this is it for the season because you never know when the weather will become warm again in Michigan.  Pat A. has secured an indoor location which will allow us to continue despite any snowdrifts and ice on the ground.  Stay tuned!



The official lighting of the Campus Martius Tree is fast arriving (November 18th)



We're Having a Heatwave in the Mid-West

MVP Sam really tightened the screws at today's game in Campus Martius Park.  Leading the batting order for our team, Sam rolled in close boule after close boule - leaving Team-Pat/Abu/Maury scrambling to point in.  We took the lead early on and kept a healthy margin - with Team-Pat only gaining 1 point in their early rounds while we gained 2 and 3 points per round.  Towards the end they made a comeback with a couple of three-point rounds, but it was all over and done when Tim pointed in two boules for the 13/10 win.

Ice Rink Nearly Frozen Over at Campus Martius Park

 It is hard to imagine that in a month the rink behind our court will be filled with skaters.  For now, hoever, the conditions are ripe for petanque playing.

 Multi-tasking is our middle name.  When a business phone call rings in, we can still point in the close boule.

 Seasonable weather for a monday, with lots of folks congregating in the park for the cider and doughtnuts (at the Compuware float) and to check out our game playing.

Welcome to the Fall Foliage at the Petanque Courts in Detroit

With November came some really bright color transformations in the foliage surrounding Campus Martius Park in Detroit where we play our afternoon petanque games in the warmth of the sun.  There's some leave on the terrain, but they don't disturb our boule pointing, in fact, it only adds to the charm of playing so deeply into our season.  The ice rink is installed and soon the park will be getting the ice surface installed.  The holiday tree has been lowered into position and this weekend the special "Tree Elves" will be hanging all of the super-sized ornaments (they sort of look like giant boules!)

Cold Thursday Brings Warm Victory for Jeff, Fred, and Sam

Boule Playing As the Christmas Tree is Lowered into Campus Martius Park

Today's game was full of careful playing by the rules as a cochonnet, knocked (for an Article 13 hopeful) out of bounds bounced against a "dead boule" that remained on the court.  The ruling?  The cochonnet was still in-play as it did not leave the field of play but the dead boule became dead when a player (from the same team as the boule thrown) stopped the boule with his foot before it rolled off the court.  This is an "understood policy" with our club (out of convenience) so as not to have to chase down far flung invalid boules across the pavement. 

Technically, the "dead" boule should have been allowed to leave the court before being touched by a player, and removed (as per Article 18 - "Boules out of Play"):

Any dead boule must immediately be removed from the playing area*. If it is not it will be considered in-play once the next boule is played by the opposing team.

* It is the responsibility of the team playing to remove any dead boule that has re-entered the playing area. If the dead boule is not removed and the next boule is played by the same team, and as a result of that play the dead boule is struck or strikes other boules, the opponent may choose to accept all the new positions of those boules or declare them all dead. The same applies if the jack hits, or is moved by, the dead boule or boules set in motion by it. Regardless of the opponent's choice, the re-entered boule remains dead and must be removed.

The cochonnet, upon hitting the non-removed "dead boule" would be considered dead or kept at it's resting position.  I chose to keep the cochonnet where it lay, but to remove the dead boule (as it's movement was interfered with by a player from the throwing team).

The result was that the opposition was able to get three points from that round - and the eventual win 13/11.



Jeff, Sam, Tim, Pat, Abu, Fred, and Maury just before their big petanque game



Lots of analysis of strategy and rules for the petanque games at Cadillac Square Park



2nd Boule Played When 1st Boule Already Had the Point

Today's game brought up a situation where a Player from Team-A threw a boule which was closest, but he didn't realize and he then threw a 2nd boule.  Then Team-B  threw their boule to get closer.  What is the proper protocal/rule for this situation?

Typically, if the proximity of the 1st boule was not obvious, and a measurement was not called for, and the 2nd boule was thrown, we would keep the 2nd boule on the court where is rested.  It is advised that teams have a member at the cochonnet end of the court to observe and measure when closeness is not obvious.

Article 16 – Throwing of the First and Following Boules


The first boule of an end is thrown by a player belonging to the team that has won the toss or the last scoring end. Following boules are played by the team not holding the point.


Article 24 – Throwing Boules Contrary to the Rules.


Any boule thrown contrary to the rules is dead and, if marked, everything it has moved in its travel is put back in place. The same applies to any boule played from a circle other than that from which the jack was thrown.

However, the opponent may play the advantage rule and declare it to be valid. In this case, the boule pointed or shot is valid and everything it has displaced remains in its place

What Happens When Cochonnet is Accidently Struck by Opponent's Body?

Today, Pat struck the cochonnet with his boule, but his teammate, standing nearby, accidently blocked the cochonnet's travel off the Court, and it bounced back on to the court.  We, as the opposing team, chose to (i) leave the cochonnet in its new position.  (We didn't "mark" the cochonnet's original position and so we couldn't choose options ii or iii.   But, we were happy for the accident as it prevented Pat's team from getting 4 or more points on an Article-13 (cochonnet off the court).    Pat's shooting, by the way, with the house boules was very successful.  He might leave his "lead bombs" back at his office.


Article 14 – Positioning the Jack after it has been Stopped


(a) If the jack, having been hit, is stopped by a spectator or by the Umpire, it remains where it stops.

(b) If the jack, having been hit, is stopped by a player, his opponent has the choice of:

(i) leaving the jack in its new position.

(ii) putting it back in its original position.

(iii) placing it anywhere on the extension of a line from its original position to where it is found up to a maximum distance of 20m (15m for Cadets and Minors) and such that it is visible.

Abu leapt out of the way of the cochonnet numerous times, gaining considerable height in his jumps.

Winter Time Detroit Bouledrome Secured at Secret Location

A hard won victory for Sam/TimC./Nick/Jeff against Fred/Pat/Maury at Campus Martius Park this afternoon.   Sam led off each round putting in a boule at around 20 inches from the cochonnet at a medium distance - tempting for the opposition to beat his point (and not to shoot) - which worked to our advantage time and again as Team-Pat threw down 80% of their boules before regaining the point.  This left us with a majority of boule with which to point and a consistent lead in score.  A couple of well placed shots from me, together with the unfailing pointing from Nick and TimC. gave us a comfortable lead despite Team-Pat having a "boule advantage" (Pat and Maury each had three boules to use). 

Club Members have been sworn to secrecy the locationof the "boule bunker" which doubles as a safe-haven in case of zombie apocalypse.  Stocked with food and beverages for a five year span - we could be playing boule in an ice-age

Pat and Tim Gain Another Petanque Victory

Swept! Team-Pat sweeps up and propels to top of rankings

Team-Jeff/Fred/Sam were schooled today at Campus Martius Park with a Fanny (13/0 loss) to Team-Pat/Maury/Abu.  Every round they had a close first boule, and we expended nearly everything to win back the point.  I'm not sure what was keeping us back - we switched up our playing order, we changed strategy on pointing and shooting - but nothing we attempted worked to our advantage.   They were just the better team.  Aaron E. joined us for the second game which improved somewhat as we had three points this game, but still a loss to Team-Pat (13/3).  I guess some days are like that.  Hopefully not TOO many!  Pat took a healthy lead in the standings - regained.  It'll take quite a few games to dislodge him (if ever).

Zanesfield Petanque Club's Newest Member

In an odd news story that has crossed the Country, an exotic animal keeper has set free over fifty wild animals from his Zanesville property in Ohio.  Zanesville is on the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio.  Some of the animals include African lions, grizzly bears, wolves, chimpanzees, and an orangutan!   Local police are using their rifles to go on a local Safari hunt but some of the predators remain at large.

An odd coincidence at the Zanesfield Petanque Club courts, also in the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio, as new members include, Yogi, a grizzly bear and expert pointer; and Boo-Boo, an Orangutan and experienced shooter.  The new members will be representing the Zanesfield Petanque Club at the next petanque tournament in Amelia Island, Florida.

Fred Maintains his Top Position at the Detroit Petanque Club

Strong Games Played - Now at Campus Martius Park

As the October winds arrive, we've moved across the street to a more sheltered (and sunnier) Campus Martius Park for our boule games.  Monday's game was pretty exciting with lots of boule-for-boule exchanges on the piste.  Sam and Maury were holding their own against Abu and Fred - while I was sneaking in a boule now and then.  At 13/12 - you could tell everyone played their hardest.  Thanks to all who attended.

Days Becoming Chillier at Detroit Petanque Club

Fred K. Tops the Club Standings

In the first game today, Fred K. (teamed up with Maury B. & Jeff W.) kicked butt with a 13 to 1 victory over Team Pat A.; Tim C.; and Abu M.   The wide point spread was sufficient to knock Pat A. into second position, leaving the other players stunned and in awe of Fred's new accomplishment.  I was proud to be on the winning team today, as we laid in point after glorious point, leaving Team-Pat to watch our steady ascent.

The second game almost had a reversal, with a revenge match giving Pat's team a 6 point to zero lead.  But we caught up and tied our opponents, and agreed (due to time constraints) to play a final round, with the winning team at 13 and the losers at 12.  We ended up in a strong position, with the cochonnet at 11 meters and protected - but Pat's shot found a hole and knocked the cochonnet to 15 meters - and kept the point for the win.

Double Losses Plague Team-Pat

Monday's games brought Team-Pat together with Tim C. and Eric C. re-joining the weekday gaming.  What was initially thought to be a "power-team" turned into quite a fight for survival as Team-Fred & Jeff piled on the points with control of the cochonnet and Fred anchoring in the points while Jeff slammed away any offending boules from the mix.  Will Pat (who is only marginally above Fred's score) maintain his top position?  Today might very well be the day when Pat is toppled.  Come out and see (or DO the toppling!)