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Bowled over by Pétanque
2009-11-28 12:38
Over the centuries, many games of skill have been invented using stone, clay or wooden balls and based on variations on the rules of pétanque, such as boule lyonnaise, bocce, and lawn bowling. Nowadays, there can't be a town or village in southern France where boules isn't played. And so it is in Monaco, whose Bowling Club now numbers 700-plus members
The rules of pétanque as we know it were formulated only in 1907, but the basic game is simplicity itself: a circle is drawn on the ground, and from within its boundary each player has to throw his or her boule as close as possible to the small wooden 'cochonnet,' or jack.
The name 'pétanque' comes from the Provençal word "pèd tanco" (pied tanque in French) and it means the feet are kept together on the ground. The boule can be delivered either from an erect, bending or squatting position. Pétanque is the only game of bowls that is practised in a squatting position and is now played far more than the original Jeu Provençal, from which it derives.
The related game 'Boule Lyonnaise' (also called 'longue' in the French Midi) involves the shooter taking several steps before throwing the boule. It's like the major league of boules! While the game is basically the same as pétanque, it is much more difficult to play. But once you've tried it, you'll know why people get hooked. The main difference between pétanque and longue is the length of the terrain and, naturally, the way the boule is thrown. A jeu provençal terrain can be up to 24 metres long. The jack must be thrown between 15 and 20 meters from the circle.
Jeu Provençal and pétanque form part of the same French federation with the size and weight of the boules and the jack being the same in each discipline.
Sitting watching a game of boules is fascinating. The players get themselves into the strangest positionsm, and there is always much discussion on the rules - and of course no self-respecting boules player would turn up without a measuring tape to save any argument as to whose boule finishes nearest to the jack - the whole point of the game, of course.
Click here for details of the Club Bouliste Monégasque