Back to the boules in Smythesdale

SMYTHESDALE Petanque Club has returned home to play at the Woady Yaloak Recreation reserve, following months away due to COVID-19.

Club administrator and founder, Jeff Langdon said between eight and fifteen people have been coming out twice a week on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

“Non-contact sports like ours have COVID-safe ways of doing things. We don’t touch one another’s boules, which are the steel balls we play with, we stay apart, we don’t shake hands and we have sanitiser,” he said.

“We play social games with each piste, which is the playing terrain, separated by a couple of metres.

“The league is allowing up to 36 people to play, provided you have four square metres per person. That’s about how many we could manage at the rec reserve.”

The club has between 35 and 40 members. Twenty of them are active players, regularly heading to the home piste.

Mr Langdon said new members are always welcome to learn how petanque works and give it a go, even in the challenging pandemic climate.

“It gets you in. Usually it’s played with teams of two or three against each other. It’s normally first to 13, with points gained by getting close to the jack.

“Shooting is exciting, where a strong throw tries to move the opposition’s boule away. There’s not a lot of aerobic output. A bit like lawn bowls, you throw boules and try to out-fox your opposition,” he said.

“Over a couple of hours, we travel 3000 steps, so it gives particularly older members access to a sport that has a high level of competition, but a high level of physical activity is not required.”

Member, Phil Blake said the social side of the club is its greatest strength and the element he enjoys the most.

“You can come and get to know people from all walks of life,” he said.

“There is no age barrier, and anyone that walks off the street can come along to learn and play.”

Mr Langdon said outside of COVID-19 restrictions, players usually stay after their petanque session to sit down for a drink together.

“We’ll have a glass of wine or a cider, and share some cheese and bickies.”

Victoria has 26 petanque clubs, including Avoca, Ballarat and Gisborne. It is the strongest state playing the sport and only 60 clubs exist across Australia. It is a low-cost activity.

Visit smythesdalepetanqueclub.net.