Petanque clubs throw in for seasonal comp

PLAYERS from petanque clubs from throughout regional Victoria got together over the weekend for some friendly games and the conclusion of their winter competition.

The event took place at the Ballarat East Bowls Club on Saturday, where the Ballarat Petanque Club hosted players from the Smythesdale, Mount Macedon and Maldon.

Organiser and Mount Macedon Petanque Club member Lindsay Kinghorn said the day served as a great way to connect the groups while celebrating the results of their winter competition.

“Today is purely a social get-together and Ballarat have been great to offer their clubhouse for this,” he said.

“It’s all about promoting the sport, and having people in the clubs playing in a competition format and improving their abilities.

“I know with Maldon, they have people in that club that now believe they can compete outside their club. That’s a real improvement.”

Petanque is a boules sport that emerged from France, where unlike bowling, the boule is thrown rather than rolled.

Following a barbecue lunch, results of this year’s Golden Boule interclub winter comp were announced

With Ballarat and Smythesdale joining Maldon and Mount Macedon for the tournament, this year’s tournament consisted of a game a month from June to August between the four clubs.

Maldon Petanque Club was this year’s winner, followed by Mount Macedon, then Smythesdale and Ballarat.

Although wet weather reduced the day from two games to one, Beverly Forsyth, vice-president of the Maldon Petanque Club, said it still provided a pleasant social atmosphere.

“It’s really heart-warming to see the happy interactions. Very few of the people here are talking to just members of their own clubs, so as a social event this is fabulous,” she said.

She also said the interclub tournament have been especially beneficial to players’ development.

“Golden Boule allowed each club the opportunity to put players forward to give them the chance to learn how different a tournament is to a social game,” she said.

“People who were completely new to tournaments have had an opportunity to learn and find out they aren’t so terrifying after all.”