The Welsh Government has issued a written statement late on 8th April that due to the improving Covid-19 situation in Wales, the return for organised outdoor activities/sports has been brought forward to Monday 26th April. This is excellent news for all sports in Wales, and we can now see the possibility of a full return to play.
You can read the Welsh Government’s full press release here.
As of Monday 26th April, organised outdoor activities for up to 30 people can restart, allowing us to begin to get back to play within our clubs and begin to think about organising club open competitions.
The Welsh Governments advice regarding Alert Level 4 can be found here, and there are links to our updated Guidelines for Clubs and Players on our COVID-19 page.
As and when the First Minister makes further announcements, we will issue updates as soon as we become aware of them.
However, in the meantime, we are preparing to get the WPA League underway, starting May, so if you have not entered yet, then now is your opportunity.
The Welsh Government has issued a roadmap out of lockdown late on 31st March to avoid being suspected as an April Fool’s joke. Unfortunately, for organised outdoor activities/sports, they are now scheduled to restart on 3rd May; this is very disappointing, especially after all the hard work that all the NGBs in Wales has undertaken to ensure that their sport is Covid-19 safe.
The Welsh Government’s full press release can be read here.
The Welsh Sports Association (WSA) has issued a statement today, reflecting how the news has been received, a copy of which can be read here.
This still means that your club’s organised events are not permitted as we have not formally entered Alert Level 3.
However, limited play can occur between a maximum of 6 people from two households. Therefore, your club may allow singles to play between two people from the same household or two different households. Also, doubles and triples play may occur from the same or two different households according to your club’s Covid-19 Guidelines.
The Welsh Governments advice regarding Alert Level 4 can be found here, and there are links to our updated Guidelines for Clubs and Players on our COVID-19 page.
Further announcements by the First Minister are still expected to be made later this month. However, we will issue a further update as soon as we become aware of them.
The Welsh Government has announced some relaxation of the current rules (click here to read the article). The ‘Stay Local’ rule in Wales is to end from Saturday 27/03/2021; this will allow unrestricted travel within its borders.
Currently, this still means that organised events at your club are not permitted as we have not entered Alert Level 3. Only organised outdoor activities and sports for under-18s can resume. These restrictions will be in place until 22/04/21 when it is hoped we shall move into Alert Level 3; however, it is up to each one of us to do our part and follow the Welsh Governments Covid-19 guidelines.
However, limited play can occur between a maximum of 6 people from two households. Therefore your club may allow singles play to occur between two people from the same household or from two different households. Also, doubles and triples play may occur from the same or two different households according to your club’s Covid-19 Guidelines.
The Welsh Governments advice regarding Alert Level 4 can be found here, and there are links to our updated Guidelines for Clubs and Players on our COVID-19 page.
The Welsh Government’s Coronavirus Control Plan: Revised Alert Level in Wales (March 2021) has been updated and can be accessed on our COVID-19 page. The image below explains how the varying alert levels affect organised outdoor sports.
Welsh Government (2021)
Further announcements by the First Minister will be made on 12/04/21. However, we will issue a further update as soon as we become aware of them.
I hope you are all well and beginning to enjoy your new-found freedoms, well as much as we can.
No doubt, by now you would be aware that we have come out of “Lockdown” and entered “Alert Level 4” restrictions covering the whole of Wales from Saturday 13th March.
This means that that organised events at your club are not permitted while we remain at Alert Level 4. However, limited play can occur between a maximum of 4 people from two households, therefore your club may allow singles play to take place between two people from the same household or from two different households. Also, doubles play may take place from the same or two different households according to your club’s Covid-19 Guidelines. These restrictions will be in place until the end of March when it is hoped we shall move from Alert Level 4 to Alert Level 3; however, that is up to each one of us to do our part and follow the Welsh Governments Covid-19 guidelines.
The Welsh Governments advice regarding Alert Level 4 can be found here, and there are links to our updated Guidelines for Clubs and Players on our COVID-19 page.
We will issue a further update as soon as we become aware of them.
I hope you and you families are continuing to stay safe and well.
As you may already be aware, today the First Minister of Wales has begun the careful journey out of lockdown.
You may have listened carefully to his statement and wondered how what he has announced today affects us getting back to play. Therefore, this message from the Executive, I hope, will begin to answer some but not all the questions you may have.
Today’s announcement states that from Saturday 13th March all activities are to ‘stay local’, which means that within a 5-mile radius of our homes and that “A maximum of 2 households can take part in using local sports facilities.”
This will mean that singles and limited doubles play, where each doubles team are from the same household will be able to take place. However, the Executive will review its guidance notes to Clubs and Players as a matter of urgency and publish them on the Association’s website after attending a meeting of the Outdoor Sports Recovery Group on Monday afternoon and final approval from the Executive.
We sincerely hope this will be the beginning of our sport’s recovery and the socialising with friends again.
The EC will continue to monitor the Welsh Government and Sport Wales advice and will provide an update as soon as we are able.
In the meantime, we appreciate your ongoing patience, and hope you and your families stay healthy.
All our members should by now be aware that I decided to stand down as National President, having held the role for the last 2 years.
At last night’s Annual General Meeting, Tony Smith was appointed to replace me as National President and Jean-Yves Robic was appointed to replace Tony as National Treasurer.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them on their new appointments and wish them well for their coming 2 year tenure.
The position of Director of Public Relations remains vacant and I’m certain the Executive Committee would be delighted to head from anyone who is interested in taking on this role and helping to keep the Association developing and moving forward.
Finally, I would like to thank all our members for their support and patience during my period as National President, especially during the unprecedented challenges of the last year.
I look forward to seeing you on a piste somewhere, hopefully quite soon.
I hope you and you families are continuing to stay safe and well.
You will, no doubt, have seen the Welsh Government’s (WG) announcement today of the introduction of the “Alert Level 4” restrictions covering the whole of Wales from Monday 28th December.
The Government’s Coronavirus Control Plan: Alert Levels in Wales, shows how the different Levels affect Outdoor Activities and Sport. Level 4 means that organised outdoor activities and sports are NOT permitted.
This means that all Clubs MUST NOT meet for organised play while we remain at Alert Level 4.
Organised Activities and Sports
The WG advice can be found here (and there is a link to this on our COVID-19 page.
We will issue a further update as soon as we have it.
A Cold and Wet Day for the opening round of Assessments
The morning (in particular) weather didn’t help the competitors in the first round of the Qualifying Assessments for the 2021 World Championships (Triples: Men), European Championships (Triples: Men) and European Championships for Veterans (Triples: Women & Men).
I need to begin with thanking the Monkstone PC for giving over their pistes for the day to allow us to safely spread out and run the three individual Assessments, as well as a distanced area for playing/warming up (a term I use lightly, given the weather).
I must also thank the people who marked each event – Jean-Yves Robic, Tony Smith and, especially, Lyn Babbage who stepped in at the last minute to help out after I had to pull-out due to illness.
There had been a lot of discussion among the Executive Committee and with the National Coach prior to the event taking place – firstly around whether it should have gone ahead at all. We always knew it would be a risk, starting such an important process in nearly December, and we have 2 further weekends for scheduled into the 2021 Draft Playing Calendar for more rounds for these events, as well as a separate event for the World Championships (Triples: Women). In addition, this is partly driven by the closing date for entries to the World Championships. Based on our experience earlier this year, the organisers will need full details of the team by early Spring.
Given this likely requirement, along with the uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus restrictions in Wales, we decided it would be useful to get at least one round “in the bag” while we had a window of opportunity.
We added a second day to the Playing Calendar in case we needed that extra time, depending on the number of players who entered, but as it turned out, only the Saturday was needed.
With a slight evolution of the process, we used in 2019, the original plan for the day involved a number of timed triples matches between teams made up of the players not undergoing their individual assessments and taking place simultaneously with those. The plan was for these games to be observed and each player marked using the same process as our coaches follow at international events. Unfortunately, the lack of people available to undertake this observation & marking meant this element had to be removed from the event.
All the players who took part have been asked for their feedback on the event. I am grateful for the replies received so far and hope the people who haven’t responded yet, will be able to do so. All suggestions/thoughts/views will be considered before the next rounds.
The Standings at the end of Round 1 can be seen below. Each player’s individual detailed scoring will be emailed directly to them by the National Coach.
Congratulations to everyone who took part, and a big thank you again to Monkstone PC and the volunteer markers.
Let’s hope the following rounds take place in kinder conditions.
Rainbows, Road-Closures & Floodlit Finale fail to Dampen Spirits
Re-arranged after being postponed as a result of the recent Welsh Government Firebreak, this year’s National Mixed Doubles finally got underway at Caerleon RFC PC.
Having offered to host the original event, we were delighted that Caerleon were able to also meet the revised date. Our thanks to the Rugby and Petanque Clubs Committees, and especially Richard Harris for making it happen.
The build-up to this event was, I think it’s safe to say, less than ideal. With more teams entered than the Welsh Government limit of 30 people allowed, it meant we unfortunately had to decline the entries of a few teams. It’s rare for us to run an oversubscribed event, and our sincerest apologies to these unlucky players. We were able to accommodate some more, when a few teams dropped out at the last minute, which left us with 12 teams fighting for the title.
There’s a clear risk to holding competitions mid-November, and today we found out enough weather to prove this, with sunshine, light showers, proper Welsh rain, winds and hail making it a challenge.
Four rounds of timed games including a short lunch break, led to the top four teams heading for the semi-finals, where Maesteg PC’s Julie & Ian Bailey defeated Wheatsheaf PC’s Gail Brooksbank and Robert White, and club-locals Tansy Mayfield and Richard Harris defeating Monkstone PC’s Jayne Dunn and Peredur John.
With the semis and final being untimed, the light was fading-fast as the finalists threw the first boule. Ironically, as the light faded, the clouds parted and the sky truned out be the clearest it had been all day!
Mayfield & Harris got off to a flying start with a 1 and 6 on the first 2 ends taking them into a strong lead – the 6, in particular, coming from some outstanding pointing.
Just at the point when many teams would crumble, former champions, the Baileys, dug deep and began their recovery, clawing their way back in 1s and 2s, till the edged ahead as the light went completely and we had to resort to using temporary floodlighting (thanks to Marie & Derek Jones for the inspirational decision to throw them into the bag of the car in the morning).
The next few ends saw the lead change hands until both teams were tied on 11 each, with Baileys taking the point on the next end, just missing out on the winning point, before finally closing the game out 13-11.
Huge congratulations to our 2020 National Mixed Doubles Champions, and, once again, our thanks to Caerleon RFC PC for hosting the event in a safe and sporting way.
Next-up is the National Precision Shooting for Women & Men, currently scheduled for November 22nd – venue still to be confirmed.
WPA National Mixed Doubles Champions 2020: Julie & Ian Bailey
WPA National Mixed Doubles Runners-Up 2020: Tansy Mayfield & Richard Harris
I hope you and you families are continuing to stay safe and well.
You may have seen in yesterday’s announcement from the First Minister that outdoor gatherings of up to 30 people will be allowed again from Monday 9th November.
Coupled with the lifting of travel restrictions WITHIN Wales, this means we have decided to commence competitive play, as we’d previously said we would do if possible.
The WPA Playing Calendar has now been updated with the addition of 2 National events – the National Mixed Doubles has been scheduled for 15 November, and the National Precision Shooting (Men and Ladies) for the weekend after, 22nd.
Please note – the Venues for all these events are still under review and will be confirmed as soon as possible.
In addition, we are intending to run the first 2 Assessment events, as we’ve done in previous years, to find Teams to compete in the 2021 World and European Championships. Initially, this will be for the Men’s teams, with the Ladies teams to follow (this is because the Men’s competitions are earlier in the 2021 Calendar than the Ladies – so there’s a little more “breathing space” for them). It is still our intention to run these as early as possible in order to give the qualifying teams as much chance as possible to play together in 2021.
The WPA 2021 Playing Calendar is currently being drafted and we hope to have that published in the coming days.
Entries to the National competitions are welcomed using the appropriate online form here.
Entries to the Men’s Assessment Qualifying Series are welcomed using the appropriate online form here.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ENTRIES MUST NOW BE PAID EITHER BY BANK TRANSFER OR CHEQUE IN ADVANCE OR BY CONTACTLESS/CARD PAYMENT ON THE DAY. CASH PAYMENT WILL NO LONGER BE ACCEPTED.
In the meantime, we appreciate your ongoing patience, and hope you and your families stay healthy.
