Last Game Until Wed. July 11th

Great games this week friends, and that'll do it until I return from vacation on July 11.  In the meantime, if you have a hankering to play petanque, there's some great games being played over in Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor Petanque Club) which meets Sundays at around 2 p.m.

Until then...  May your boule always be the closest (except for mine!)

Paul B. Joins the Club - and His Pointing is Excellent

Plenty of good petanque at today's afternoon games.  I teamed up with Paul who played the game years ago in Montreal, and it shows in his excellent pointing.  We had a tight game against Abu & Maury, with plenty of close cochonnet pointings (and shots).  Nici is with us this week, then she's off until next year (we'll miss you).  Pat/Tim volunteered (thankfully) to take custody of the petanque equipment while I'm in Nantucket (July 1 through 10th) so everyone make sure that your games players and scores are noted for me to include in the spreadsheet.

Petanque Results as of June 26, 2012

Ping Pong and Petanque at Cadillac Square in Detroit

Abu giving Nici some pointers on throwing



Pat and Maury trying out the Ping Pong tables



Very Well-Planned Strategic Moves in the Detroit Petanque Games

Pat Seizes a Commanding Lead in Detroit Petanque Club

Summer in Detroit Looking Excellent for Petanque



Fred and Alpha - sporting matching sunglasses and mohawks

  Campus Martius Park announced its Summer Schedule of events, including concerts, Friday movie nights, and an assortment of outdoor games (including petanque - of course!).  The gala today had free ice cream, cupcakes, water, and coffee for any who attended.  I think my club consumed about 60% of the ice cream and cupcakes!


Mark B. laying in some nice points




Fred getting one of the perks of playing Petanque in Detroit, Courtside Coffee!



New Scoreboards and Campus Martius Park

The new club scoreboard (something I put together in the steampunk workshop)

The game score was again, 13/12.  This usually means that all of the players are playing at a very high level, such that the score never really takes off in a round.  That is a good thing.   We all had to adjust to the new ground surface which was a combination of bare patches and  thicker gravel patches.  Also a good thing, as I feel a player should know how to deal with different types of surfaces.



Playing at Campus Martius among the crowds



Boule Cloutee (Studded) from Petanque's Early Days



Long before the forged/poured boules there were the "nailed" boule cloutee.  This manufacturer says that they use "Racines Wood" a region in the center of France.



 In order to identify boules apart, the boule cloutee had patterns of numbers, letters, emblems and such of different types of metals.  The shapes of the nails also differed, some used the square nailheads, others, overlapping round nailheads to create a "fish-scale" effect.  I think they're quite beautiful looking.

A close game - 13/12 and... a not so close game: 13/1

When the Cochonnet Really Does Fly Away!

Turkey Vulture carried Sam away during the game.  Article 11 of the Rules of Petanque didn't cover this instance

Article 11 – Jack Obscured or Moved

If, during an end, the jack is accidentally masked by a leaf or a piece of paper, these objects are removed.

If the stationary jack is moved by the wind or slope of the terrain for example, it is put back in its place on condition that it had been marked.

The same applies if the jack is moved accidentally by the Umpire, a player, a spectator, a boule or jack from another game, an animal or any moving object.

If the jack is moved by a boule played in this game it is valid.

To avoid any argument, the players must mark the jack’s position. No claim can be accepted regarding boules or jack whose positions have not been marked.

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During our game, in the initial toss of the cochonnet, a seagull swooped down and snatched up the cochonnet and flew off with it.  I told the players that if this had occurred during a round with boules on the ground, we'd need to consult Article-11, which would, in this instance, invalidate the round as the cochonnet was moved completely off the court (and probably into some nearby trees).