About Pétanque
Teams. The game is always played by two teams, each team must have an equal number of players, ranging from 1 to 4 players. Each player plays with 2 to 3 boules. The maximum number of boules per team must never exceed 12, as a consequence, players in teams of 3 or 4 players must use only 2 boules.
Objective. The goal of the game is for each team to get the most boules closest to the but/cochon.
Play area. The Teams throw their boules in an open or closed roughly rectangular play area (piste), determined by an organising committee or judge, that is approximately 4 meters by 15 meters. The play area should be flat, and reasonably free of fragile or valuable things, that varies in the types of gravel and grit.
Throwing area. Players throw their boules from within a circle (or half-circle) drawn on the ground, approximately 50cm in diameter. As play proceeds, the location of this circle within the play area changes. All players must have their feet inside the circle when it is their turn to throw a boule. When it is not their turn, the other players should enjoy a cold pastis (anisette-flavored liqueur popular in this part of France and in many other countries) and should avoid interfering with each other's throws. You must not touch a boule once it has been thrown in the play area. Pastis may be enjoyed outside of the context of pétanque, and should be consumed with moderation.
Game. Each game begins by drawing a throwing circle, then throwing the but approximately 6 to 10 meters away from the circle. For leisure activities, this rule may be bent to accommodate players' needs. The first player of Team A throws a boule as close to the but as possible; the boule may touch the but (indeed, that's ideal). The first player of Team B then throws a boule. Thereafter, which Team throws depends on which Team has the closest boule to the but: the Team that does not have the closest boule throws (and may have to throw several boules in a row), until either it places a boule closer to the but than a boule of the other Team, or until it runs out of boules. The order of players in a given Team does not matter, and a player may throw more than one boule in a row. The game ends when both Teams have run out of boules. The winning Team is the one with one or more boules closest to the but.
Match. A match (or, partie de boules) consists of any number of games required to reach a target score, usually 13 points. Points are determined as follows: for each game, the winning Team adds to its score the number of boules that are closer to the but than the closest opponent boule. Thus, if Team A's closest boules are 1 meter and 3 meters from the but, and Team B's closest boule is 5 meters from the but, Team A earns two points
History of Pétanque
The game of pétanque was devised in 1910, in a charming little town between Marseille and Toulon called La Ciotat. In those days, the locals played the so-called jeu provençal, which is now much less popular than pétanque. The rules of the jeu provençal stipulate that, before throwing the boule, a player must gain momentum by taking one or two running steps.
It happened one day that one of the game's great figures, a certain Jules LeNoir, was confined to a wheelchair as a result of an accident. He was mortified, believing that this would deprive him of the pleasure of the game forever.
The other villagers, however, were so concerned for their friend that they voted to change the rules of the game so that he would not be disadvantaged. The new rules eliminated the running requirement; in pétanque, players must throw the boule from within a circle scratched in the dirt, without running steps. In the dialect of the region, it was said that one had to play "pieds tanqués" (feet stuck, pé tanca in Provencal), and so was born a new variant of the game.
It is to be noted that, to this day, this convention continues to permit physically disabled persons to excel at pétanque; wheelchairs are a very common sight at national and international pétanque championships. As with Web Accessibility, this is another example of the famous "curb cut" effect in action: the revised game proved more approachable to more people, seniors in particular, and consequently grew in popularity while the jeu provençal ceased to be practiced.
Pétanque is the most common variant of the jeu de boules, the collective name for many games involving boules and a but, that also includes the English bowls. Jeux de boules have been played in France in one form or another since the Romans introduced it. (Jeux de boules are, of course, very "I18N": the Romans got it from the Greeks, improving the game rather significantly by adding the but.) It lost some of its popularity after the Middle Ages, but continued to be played in Provence in the southeast of France. In the 20th century, the game again spread over France. Since World War II, pétanque has been steadily increasing in popularity in European and beyond as a summer recreational activity.
Pétanque England
Petanque England (PE) is the National Governing Body for Pétanque in England, officially recognised by Sport England and UK Sport. PE are members of the World Governing Body, Fédération Internationale de Pétanque et Jeu Provençal (FIPJP) and the European Governing Body, Confédération Européenne de Pétanque (CEP).
PE’s structured of eighteen (18) regions.
https://www.petanque-england.uk
Southern Counties Pétanque Association
Southern Counties Pétanque Association, formed in 1978, is one of eighteen (18) regions within Petanque England.
Portchester Pétanque Club is one of twenty two (22) clubs within the region. The region is one of the largest in the UK, encompassing the counties of Hampshire, West Sussex, Dorset and parts of Surrey.
https://southerncountiespetanque.org
