Welsh
Petanque Association Welsh Petanque Association - 2008 Archive News Reports
31st December 2008 |
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Dudley Lewin, 1942 - 2008
As reported on the EPA web site it is with great sadness that we have to announce the sudden death of Dudley. The WPA Executive and all its members pass on our condolences to Dudley's family and we certainly miss seeing him at all the competitions. My initial encounter with Dudley was at the very first Home Nations Championship held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in 2000, when England won the Championship and holding the trophy aloft he stated that the competition would continue in to the future. 2008 saw England win the Championship again which must of been very pleasing for him, the 2009 Home Nations Championship will again be in Wales and a friend will be sadly missed. Should you wish to send any message of condolence to Dudley's family, please send them in the first instance to Mike Pegg who will ensure that they are forwarded to the family. Tony Smith
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11th December 2008 |
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News from the FIPJP and CEPReceived by email: At a meeting of the new FIPJP executive on the weekend of 6th/7th December, the executive confirmed that there will be no World Pétanque Championship in 2009, but there will be a World Championship in 2010, as reported by the WPAPresident at the WPA AGM . The FIPJP will endeavour to organise a Woman's World Championship in 2009, but at this time no venue has been identified. The CEP has also announced this week that the European Pétanque Championship for Women, which was due to be held in Tel Aviv in 2009 will now not go ahead. In its place the CEP will organise the first European Championship for Men in Nice, France from 24th to 26th July 2009. The CEP is also expecting to receive an invitation from Club DUC to participate in Euro Pétanque 2009, which will be held in Nice one week before the European Championship. Details of this competition will be forwarded to all Federations/Associations in due course. Tony Smith |
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7th December 2008 |
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2nd English Pétanque Associations International Open.
The following report was originally posted on the Abergavenny Pétanque Club web site. The Abergavenny Pétanque Club triple of Julie Bailey, Peter Clarke and Bérengère Demay were victorious in the Bronze competition of the English Pétanque Association International Open at Godmanchester on 1st and 2nd November. After a slow start on day one where the seedings were decided for day two, the team clicked into action in their last game of the 1st day, winning 13-5 and there was no looking back on day 2, winning 5 out of 6 games, including the Bronze final 13-2 to claim a "financial reward" and a bottle of wine each! Also representing APC at the competition were Ian Bailey, Stewart and Gareth Spencer who had some good results on day 1 and entered the premier "Platinum" competition on day 2, but unfortunately lost in the Quarter Final of the Platinum Consolage event 13-10 in the second afternoon. 3 other teams from the Welsh Pétanque Association, 2 from Caerleon Rugby Club and 1 from Penarth were also playing at the event, which included French, Slovakian and a Dutch team who scooped the overall top prize. 
Full reports and results regarding the EPA International Open can be found on the EPA's web site. |
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9th November 2008 |
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Brno City CupAugust 29th-September 1st 2008 Wales were represented in this annual tournament by three players from Panteg Phoenix Pétanque Club. The tournament, which was held in the second city of the Czech Republic, was a very well run competition, with eight teams from twelve countries being represented. The Welsh team, who were sponsored by AJS Landscapes Ltd (Cwmbran), were well looked after during their stay and made very welcome by their hosts. Although they did not qualify for the second day of competition, in which only the top eight teams of the eighty teams entered got through, they did not disgrace themselves. They won 3 out of 5 games and pushed some excellent teams along the way, including one French team (12-10) and one Slovenian team (13-11). Overall, it was an excellent four day trip, a well organised competition and the team would not hesitate to experience it all again if invited to do so! |
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9th November 2008 |
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Community Chest GrantsUnder the Sports Council for Wales Community Chest funding scheme Penarth Petanque Club has recently been awarded £860.30 towards the purchase of: 2 No. Petanque coaching initiation kits. This current grant was on top of a grant obtained in 2007 for £600.00 to obtain Club Coaches and Umpires. Do not forget these grants are also available for your club. |
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4th November 2008 |
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EPA 2nd International OpenOver the weekend of 1st/2nd November the EPA held their second International Open held at the Wood Green Animal Sanctuary, Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. It was very pleasing to see 5 Welsh teams enter the competition, two teams from Abergavenny, two from Caerleon and one from Penarth, there were also teams from France, Germany and the Netherlands at the event. Stewart Spencer, Gareth Spencer, Ian Bailey All the teams that entered the competition enjoyed the experience of playing new teams and fortunately on the first day none were drawn against each other. Sunday saw Penarth and Caerleon drawn against each other in a very interesting and well fought match, with a number of interesting and new playing techniques being used. Caerleon finally won the match after strong comeback from Penarth. Stewart Spencer's team fought their way to the Platinum - Consolage competition where they lost in the first round of the knock-out stage. Tansy Mayfield's team qualified for the Silver - Main competition where unfortunately they were also knocked-out in the first round. Both Richard Harris and Tony Smith's team qualified for the Silver - Consolage competition, where again both teams failed to pass the first round. The high note was with Peter Clarke's team who qualified for the Bronze - Main competition and won the event, congratulations to Peter's team on their success. All team members would like to thank the EPA's organising team for a great and enjoyable event. The full results of the weekend competition can be downloaded by following this link. |
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28th October 2008 |
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PositionsI am happy to report that two members have declared their interest in assisting with the development and updating of the associations website. Graham Attfield and Linda Hutchinson will be coming on board shortly to learn all about our website. The association is still looking for a Competition Organiser, any volunteers? Tony Smith |
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27th October 2008 |
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A ReminderI have sitting in my office a box of Division 2 Runner-up trophies from the EPA Inter-Regional Competition, those members who attended and not received a trophy on the day, please let me know and I will arrange to get one to you. Tony Smith |
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23rd September 2008 |
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Presidents Cup 
For the Second year running the paring of Neil Dobbins (Monkstone) and Ian Bailey (Abergavenny) have won the Presidents Cup, the runners-up were Peter Westall (Monkstone) and Jake Caston (panteg Phoenix). The competition was held at Penarth Petanque Club; the home club of the WPA's current president Tony Smith, in brilliant sunshine. 12 teams took part in a 3 game snake competition in the morning with the top eight teams playing in a knock-out competition in the afternoon. The bottom four teams played in a plate competition. The final was not a walk over for the winning pair as the final score was 13-10, however, the game was at 10-10 on the final end, but the more consistent play won through to take the game and the title for 2008. The winners of the Plate competition were Jenny Spooner and Lynda Williams both from Penarth Petanque Club. A thank you to all the teams that took part to make the competition a very enjoyable day. |
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16th September 2008 |
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PositionsThe executive have identified two areas where members can assist the association in helping its overall effectiveness to its membership.
Anybody member interested in either of the positions or wish to discuss the matter further, please contact Tony Smith by email or telephone.
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15th September 2008 |
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Ladies World Championship - UpdateBoth teams that were eligible to represent Wales at the World Championship in in Samsun, Turkey between 10th to 12th October 2008 are unable to attend and therefore sadly Wales will not be represented in 2008. It is very important for any team entering a qualifier where representation will be offered that they ensure that all members of their team are aware of this before entering. Tony Smith |
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15th September 2008 |
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WPA Inter-CountiesThis years WPA Inter-County competition is to be held on Sunday 5th October at Brecon RFC. Each county requires two triples teams to be entered. Counties with more than one club will require a play-off or an agreement prior to the competition. Please can you inform Bob Pugh of the teams prior to 5th October. Where counties are not to be represented, if teams would like to enter to boost the competition, again let Bob Pugh know.
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10th september 2008 |
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EPA Inter-Regional ChampionshipOn the weekend of the 6th/7th September a squad from the WPA was travelled to play in the EPA Inter-Regional Championship at Pontins Holiday camp at Brean Sands. There are three competitions running over the weekend, Division 1, Division 2 and the Challenge Cup, in 2007 the WPA was demoted to Division 2 and therefore the target this year was to regain our place in Division 1. The WP Executive would like to thank all the squad for attending the Inter-Regional Competition and epically to those members who changed team at the last moment to ensure teams had a full complement of players. The WPA Executive is very happy to report that we achieved our target of winning promotion to Division 1 by coming second to the West Midland Region with 64 wins. Wales 1, comprising Matthew Franks, Phil Bradshaw and Neal Dobbins was our best team with 10 wins over the competition, they were the third best team in Division 2. The Juniors triple team comprising Rhys Lee, Sam Lepitz-Robic, Rhydian Lee & Jesse Lepitz-Robic assisted in achieving promotion to Division one by winning 6 of their games. Follow this link to download the results and analysis data for the IR Championship. |
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10th september 2008 |
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Sponsorship Deal for Wales 1
The Welsh Petanque Grand Prix Champions of 2008 consisting of Phil Bradshaw, Matthew Franks and Neil Dobbins have this week signed a two-year sponsorship deal with S.H.S Scaffolding based in Cardiff. In June the trio travelled to Drobrovce, Slovenia to compete in the Centrope East European Cup. The trip was entirely paid for by S.H.S Scaffolding. Tom Gent who is a director of the company said: “His company were proud to be associated with the Welsh Grand Prix Winners, who not only played the game to a high standard, but were also ambassadors for both the City of Cardiff and the country as a whole”. The team captain Phil Bradshaw said: “S.H.S Scaffolding had agreed a £3000 sponsorship deal to cover 6 trips abroad. This will enable us as a team to carry on representing Wales. Without this sponsorship we would be unable to travel to these destinations”. In early August the team travelled to Switzerland to represent Wales in the Annual Zurich International Petanque Championships. The team reached the quarter-finals and came a credible 8th in the competition. For the next two years the team will be known as "S.H.S Scaffolding Petanque Team". It is believed to be the largest sponsorship deal agreed by any individual petanque team since the sport began to be played in Wales. |
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3rd September 2008 |
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Youth Development Officer
The Executive is pleased to announce that Scott Murray has agreed to take on the role of Youth Development Officer until the re-election of the Executive at the next AGM. Scott's full-time job as Leisure Centre Manager at Penarth makes him suitably qualified to undertake this role to increase the awareness of petanque in schools, youth clubs and alike and ultimately encourage juniors to join WPA affiliated clubs. Tony Smith
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2nd September 2008 |
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La pétanque, discipline olympique à Combrit
On the weekend of 23rd/24th August a representative team from the WPA travelled to France to play in the 8th National Pétanque de Combrit et de Cornouaille, as you can see from the extracted newspaper article below it was a hectic weekend for Ian Bailey, Peter Westall and Don Jenkins. 2,500 joueurs et 5,000 spectateurs sont attendus tout le week-end a Combrit pour le National de pétanque. A partir de vendredi 22 août, Combrit va vivre trois jours sous le signe de la pétanque en accueillant sur le terrain de Croaz Ver la 8e édition du National Pétanque de Combrit et de Cornouaille. Préparé depuis plusieurs mois par Alexis Floc'hlay et son équipe, ce National, qui se déroule une année sur deux à Combrit et I’ autre année a Kerlouan dans le Nord-Finistère, promet de belles rencontres puisque ce sont plus de 2,500 joueurs, répartis au sein de 300 équipes, dont des Gallois et des Allemands, qui sont attendus pour disputer les différentes phases éliminatoires devant plus de 5,000 spectateurs. Afin de bien recevoir tout ce monde, les organisateurs ont fait appel á plusieurs associations locales (comité des fêtes, Fête paysanne, APPO, club de fléchettes de l'Odet, parents d'élèves de I’ école publique du bourg) qui se relaieront pour assurer les parkings, la restauration (moules, frites, merguez, casse-croûte) et la buvette. Parmi les temps forts de ces trois journées, qui Commenceront vendredi a 9 h pour s'achever a 19 h, figurera le plateau exhibition, ainsi dénommé par les responsables, qui aura lieu le vendredi 22 á partir de 19 h et où s'affronteront huit équipes parmi lesquelles I’ équipe de France B, I’ équipe composée par Christian Fazzino, joueur du siècle, 14 fois champion du monde ; I’ équipe gagnante de l’édition 2006, I’ équipe de François Sarandiaye, vice-champion du monde de tir 2005; I’ équipe championne de Bretagne 2008; I’ équipe de Rouen, club jumelé avec Combrit, composée de joueurs champions de Seine-Maritime; I’ équipe du club de Combrit avec Stéphane Le Cœur, Julien Cloarec et Thierry Fouillard et enfin I’ équipe locale représentant le secteur 4. Autre moment privilégié à ne pas manquer samedi 23 à partir de 14h ou sera organisé le concours des élus, des sponsors et de la fédération. Toutes ces rencontres mettront en concours des triplettes dans toutes les catégories.
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15th August 2008 |
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Boules Marathon comes to aid of Air AmbulanceAug 14 2008 by Jonathan Evans, Pontypridd Observer A 24-HOUR boules marathon will take place to raise money for charity. The aim of the game, which is popular in France, is to get large balls as close to the small jack ball as possible. One form of the game is called Pétanque – and The Barn pub in Mwndy Cross have their very own team. They will be playing continuously from 7pm on August 29 until 7pm the following day to raise money for the Welsh Air Ambulance Service. Everyone is welcome to come along. Club treasurer Dan Saxton said: “The first £1,000 we raise will be split 50-50 and everything after that will go to the Air Ambulance. “We decided to do it to help them out with fuel costs. We’ve got a couple of players who work for them and they said it’s going to cost an extra £80,000 this year for fuel. “The competition is open to everyone of all abilities. We are also going to try to get some of the Welsh coaches down so people who want to learn about the game are more than welcome. “The bar in The Barn will be open for the 24 hours as well.” Anyone interested can call The Barn on 01443 222333 or Dan on 0791 952 2407. |
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6th August 2008 |
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2nd Open Triplet Tournament, Kaunas, Lithuania. Day two used a knockout barrage – each of the 16 top teams would have at least 3 games, with the winners staying in the top competition and the losers of each the first 3 rounds stepping down to the plate or the consolage. We started very strongly, beating a Russian team 13-2 and the top Russian team (the only side not to drop a game the day before) 13-5. This took us into the 3rd round to play Lithuania 1 for a second time. I had shot well all weekend but struggled for the first part of the game leaving them to take a 4-0 lead. We rallied a little to keep in the game but were still 6-3 down when we had loose end that should have seen them take 5 points off us – in fact the nerves got the better of them and they only took 2 so we decided to use this as a turning point with me becoming 1st point, and Paul taking the shooter’s job for the first time that weekend. It worked a treat – you could see them wondering what they had to do to beat us as I started pointing on the jack every time, and Paul walloped out anything they could put Day one used a Swiss system with 5 timed games played over the day to decide the 16 teams that would go through to the knockout stage on Sunday. Despite a very long day we really worked hard to keep our concentration and focus up – and we won 4 of our 5 games. Of the 5 games, the toughest was against Lithuania 1. The game was closely fought all the way, with some very good play from both sides, and several dead ends to save points. With 5 minutes left to play Lithuania won the end, putting them 3 points clear of us at 5-8. This was where our experience of timed games came to the fore and we played the next end solely to keep them from putting themselves beyond our reach. We pulled back to 7-8 as the time ran out, leaving us with one last end to play. Paul put in an excellent first boule which they tried to out-point with all 6 boules, despite Linas having shot so well throughout the game. With their last boule they pointed inside Paul’s: it was their last gasp as I shot their boule out first time and Paul pointed in to make it 9-8. As it was a Swiss, we elected to take the safe option of claiming the game with 3 boules still in hand. After a couple of loose points, Lithuania put a boule on the jack. Paul missed and then neatly shot out their holding boule, which they replaced. Roger shot this out before they put in their last boule – a weak but holding point. With 2 boules in hand – and what appeared like plenty of space – Roger and I elected to point in but failed leaving them to take the game 9-8, a reverse of the previous day’s result and a another well fought contest. The Lithuanians went on to play Estonia in the Final – and to the delight of the crowd in a very close match ran out the winners after Linas (perhaps remembering his match against us yesterday) shooting out the Estonians’ boule to clinch victory. We played the team that we had lost to the previous day in the 3rd/4th play-offs – a relatively inexperienced but very determined team from Vilnius. Knowing that their determination and positive play could make them tricky adversaries we decided to use the opened-up terrain to our advantage throwing the jack diagonally each time. They struggled to adjust their pointing to the churned up ground, whilst Barney pointed perfectly each time, and we won the match 13-2 – a very satisfying 3rd place. After the competition on Sunday the organisers had arranged a meal for the top-placed and visiting teams at a restaurant in old Kaunas and we rounded out the weekend with our new friends in style. We had a very good weekend – the organisers and players could not have been more welcoming to us, and the enthusiasm and positive attitude of everyone at the tournament was notable. We had many invites to play in Estonia, Russia and Switzerland over the course of the weekend, and we made some useful contacts. The standard of play was generally at Welsh Grand Prix standard, but with a few teams – notably the Russians and the Estonians – who were stronger. I imagine that the standard in Lithuania will rise quickly as they have such a positive attitude to the game and have made arrangements for French coaches to work with their players. I know they intend to invite a Welsh team to next year’s tournament and (as it is an Open competition) I would recommend anyone to go along – especially as Lithuania itself seems to be a very attractive and welcoming (and cheap!) place to visit. Report by Tansy Mayield |
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29th July 2008 |
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Slovenia International TriplesThe Welsh Grand Prix team of Phil Bradshaw (Captain) Matthew Franks and Neil Dobbins made the journey to Debrovce, Slovenia to play in The Slovenia International Triples Event. The Welsh team began well beating Austria 13-12 in a very tight game. They followed this up with wins over Poland 13-2, Ukraine 13-4 and The team were then drawn to play Slovenia in the quarter final but unfortunately after building up a lead of 12-0 went on to lose the game 13-12 in a game lasting just under 2 hours. Welsh team captain Phil Bradshaw said “They were disappointed to lose 13-12 but he felt they had put Welsh Boule firmly on the map”. The team will now travel to Zurich, Switzerland in August for the Annual Zurich Open International Petanque Competition. SHS Scaffolding who agreed to sponsor the team to play in Slovenia enabled this trip. They also confirmed that they will be sponsoring the team when they travel to Zurich.
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29th July 2008 |
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New Welsh Shirt.
The first batch of Welsh shirts has been produced for Wales 5 for their trip to Lithuania departing on 31st July. The shirt will be ready for the Home Nations on 16th and 17th August and EPA Inter-Regional Competition early in September. Those members who are playing in the EPA Inter-Regional in September and have not informed Bob Pugh of their shirt size can they please do so as soon as possible. This shirt will replace the existing Crymu/Wales Petanque shirt (easily recognised by the green dragon) for all International competitions e.g. Celtic Challenge, Home Nations, Welsh Team Invitations , World Championships and the EPA Inter-Regional Invitation or where when requested, permission is given by the WPA Executive. This shirt shall not be worn for any other competition e.g. WPA qualifying or National events. Those members qualifying to play for Wales this year will be eligible for one free replacement shirt, additional shirts can be purchased at a cost of £19.90. If a second shirt is required please inform Bob Pugh when ordering your first shirt. The existing jumpers, fleeces, water-proof tops etc that have been purchased by some members will still be allowed to be worn until further notice. The Executive are looking into providing alternatives to these garments. |
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29th July 2008 |
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2009 Celtic Challenge QualifierOn what must easily of been the hottest day of the playing calendar this year, thirteen teams battled it out for the four places to represent Wales in the 2009 Celtic Challenge which is to be hosted by Ireland. It was going to be a tough challenge for any team to qualify in the top 4 places, as Wales 1, 2 and 3 were represented together with a host of very competent teams. Round 1 saw Glyn Attley's team (Piste Artistes) loose to Penarth who came from behind to win 13/12 and YSL loose to Fatty Returns 13/0, seeing Paul Bond teaming up with Neil Dobbins and Matthew Franks after some time away from the sport. The first round also saw the Dubliners, who have qualified for the last 4 years loose. Round 2 saw some surprise results, Fatty Returns dropped a game to the DJ's 13/11, together with ABC (Wales 3) loosing to Penarth 13/0. Rounds 3 and 4 saw the top teams win their matches, however a surprise team winning all their games to this point was Penarth, could they maintain their composure? Round 5 again saw the top team win their games together with a few surprise wins that took valuable games away from some of the contenders. Round 6 became critical as two teams were on 5 wins each (DIP1 and Penarth), two teams with 4 wins and 3 wins, any surprise losses would result in missing the top 4 places. Round 6 saw DIP1 drop a game to the Piste Artistes 13/1. Fatty Returns needed to win their final game against ABC, they were well in front when ABC began to fight back and put them under pressure and shots began to go wrong, however, they dug deep to win 13/8. The Dj's won their match 13/9 against the Bouligans and Penarth won their final match against the Monkey Business 13/2, who were then the only team not to have dropped a game throughout the entire day.
The WPA would like to thanks the members of the Brecon RFC Petanque Club for their hospitality throughout the day and also to the top four teams. Organiser: Tony Smith |
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12th July 2008 |
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2008 National DoublesThe 2008 National Doubles took place at Wenvoe Petanque Club on Sunday 6th July. 16 teams took part to endeavour to win the 2008 title, which saw the 16 teams play three games in the morning, the top eight teams then went through to the main competition and the bottom eight playing in a plate competition in the afternoon. The top eight teams to qualify were: Pool A: Pool B: This initial stage of the afternoon play was extremely tight especially in Pool A, as the favourites Jokers, dropped a game and this left the place in the final up for grabs, as many of the teams were on equal wins and in the end it came down to points difference to get through to the finals. Pool B was more straight forward as the Monkstone went through to the final without dropping a game. 
The final not only saw last year’s winners Neil Dobbins and Phil Bradshaw (Monkstone PC) playing against Peter Westall and Ian Bailey (Monkstone PC and Abergavenny PC) but the skies opened and the rain fell causing the spectators to dash for cover leaving the finalists and the umpire to get a little damp. 
Phil and Neil stormed into a 10-0 lead, but excellent play from Ian and Peter saw them come back to within two points. A brilliant tactical shot from Neil saw the pair take the match and the title as National Champions 13-9. The plate competition saw Barbara Vaughan and Kon Tomczyk from Caerleon RFC and Peter Clarke and David Mason from Abergavenny play in the final, Barbara and Kon took the game and the prize. Congratulations to the Winners of both competitions and a thank you to all the teams that took part in the National Doubles and made it a very enjoyable day. Thanks also the the staff of the Wenvoe Arms for their hospitality and excellent lunch-time menu.
Competition Organiser: Bob Pugh |
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5th July 2008 |
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2008 National Singles & Shooting Competitions
The National Singles and Shooting competition was formally opened by the Mayor of Penarth, Mrs Maureen Kelly Owen on Sunday 16th June. The morning took a snake format, with the top 4 players going through to the Main knockout competition. Paul Mayfield (who took the Welsh title in 2006) had the best morning – winning all 4 of his first round matches comfortably and taking the 1st seed spot in the afternoon. This set him up for a semi-final against the 4th seed - an all too familiar opponent - his wife, Tansy. In the other semi-final, Derek Jones played Jean-Yves Robic, both from Penarth Pétanque Club. The lunch break had seen a torrential downpour and the pistes were very muddy and churned up for the afternoon session, so it was the players that made the quickest adjustment that had the upper hand. Jean-Yves Robic and Tansy Mayfield won through to the Final, whilst Paul Mayfield went on to win the 3rd/4th place play-offs. 
In the final Tansy stormed into the lead with 9-1, with good shooting keeping her ahead. Over the next couple of ends Jean-Yves hit form, and pulled back to 11-7. Tansy was gifted a chance to close the game on the next end, but a timid 3rd boule meant that she only took one point. Jean-Yves looked as if he had done enough to save the game on the next end, placing his last boule an inch in front of the jack but Tansy shot his boule neatly to win the match and the Welsh Singles title. The Shooting Championship followed straight after the conclusion of the Singles. It followed the World Championship format - a very exacting series of challenges with 20 boules being thrown over 4 different distances, at 5 different set ups (e.g. hit the middle boule out of 3, hit out the jack). With only one boule at each distance, it gives no time to find the range and it was a humbling reminder of just how far off the pace most shooting in Wales is. Only five of the players took the challenge, which was a good test of holding your nerve in the face of such a cruel format! The final outcome was quite tight, with the top three players within 4 points of one another. It was reverse of the Singles competition, with Tansy Mayfield as runner-up, losing out by one point to Jean-Yves Robic, who became the first Welsh National Shooting Champion. Competition Organiser: Bob Pugh |
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26th June 2008 |
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National Mixed Doubles Competition.After the postponement due to inclement weather at the end of May, the competition was rescheduled for 22nd June at the Pentwyn Leisure Centre, a less played and hidden terrain, with interesting twists and turns that provides any player with a challenge. Eight teams challenged each other to endeavour to win the National Title, slightly disappointing that very few clubs were reprented. However, Abergavenny Petanque Club, Caerleon RFC Petanque Club, Penarth Petanque Club and The Wheatsheaf Petanque Club were represented. In the morning teams played a series of matches to split the group in to 2 pools, the Main competition who would play for the National Title and the Plate competition, the split between the two competitions came down to points difference in many instances. After two semi-finals the plate competition final was between Tortola and Nevers C'est Dai's. The final was won by the mixed pair of Yvonne and Stewart Spencer from Abergavenny Petanque Club. Plate Semi-Final 1 - Nevers C'est Dai's beat Red & Blue 13/ 9 Plate Final - Nevers C'est Dai's beat Tortola 13/ 3 The main Competitions semi-finals were between: Main Semi-Final 1 - Barbie & Kon beat Rough Diamond & A Gem 13/ 9 The Main final was between Gareth Spencer and Bérengère Demay and Barbara Vaughan and Kon Tomczyk. Some tough ends were played throughout the final, with some being played at unusual distances - including one at 12 metres. The Benin Boulers played some great boules and ultimately taking the game and the title over Barbie & Kon 13/8. The WPA would like to congratulate both Gareth Spencer and Bérengère Demay from Abergavenny Petanque Club on being the first National Mixed Doubles Champions. Also to Barbara Vaughan and Kon Tomczyk from Caerleon RFC Petanque Club as Runners-up and to all the other entrants who made this a very enjoyable competition.
Organiser: Bob Pugh |
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26th June 2008 |
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Qualifying Grand Prix Teams for Invitation Events in mainland Europe.
Teams attending the above invitations will be asked to submit a report for all the membership to read. |
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26th June 2008 |
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WPA Pin - Update
The WPA pins have now been received from the manufacturers and are being distributed to club officials, so each paid up member of the WPA should receive one very soon. Please wear them, I have mine on my jacket and wear it to work, already a number of people have commented favourably about the pin. Additional pins can be purchased at a cost of £1.25 (WPA Members) and £2.50 (Non-members). |
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22nd June 2008 |
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Home Nations 2008The WPA squad for the2008 Home Nations Championship is as follows: Wales 1 - Peter Westall, Ian Bailey & Derek Jones The WPA is endeavouring to send one Junior team to the event, England have kindly offered to "lend" Wales a junior team if we cannot send two. |
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22nd June 2008 |
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EPA Inter-Regional Championships 2008The WPA squad for the EPA Inter-Regional Championship is as follows: Wales 1 - Phil Bradshaw, Neil Dobbins & Matthew Franks |
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31st May 2008 |
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European Cup for ClubsPhotographs from this morning:
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26th May 2008 |
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Youth Development OfficerIt is with regret that I have on behalf of the WPA Executive accepted the resignation from Alison Walton as Youth Development Officer for personal reasons. I would like to thank Alison for all of her assistance whilst she has been in the role of YDO since 2006 and epically for formulising the Junior Award Scheme. The WPA Executive wish her all the best. If any member of the WPA is interested in taking up the position of Youth Development Officer, please could they contact me for further information. Tony Smith |
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8th May 2008 |
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A Players view of the Celtic Challenge.Wales sent a squad of 4 teams to compete in the Celtic Challenge which was held in Scotland this year, including Tansy and Paul Mayfield of the RFC, playing with Gay Evans of Cardiff Yacht Club. Tansy Mayfield |
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March 26th 2008 |
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Updated Rules for Rules of Entry for WPA Events and Competitions.The rules of entry for WPA events and competitions have been reviewed and updated by the National President, Vice President Playing and the National Umpire, we hope that the new version resolves some of the questions that arise each year. The section on Dress Code is still be discussed by the Executive, any changes will be communicated to the members in due course. |
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February 20th 2008 |
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WELSH BOULERS ON ‘EGGHEADS’On Saturday 23 February a team of Welsh boulers face their biggest challenge yet. No, it’s not playing England in the pouring rain in Inverness. They are going to challenge the elite ‘Eggheads’ team on the popular BBC2 quiz programme. The WPA was invited to provide a team of quick-witted, intelligent quiz buffs to audition for the programme. We couldn't find anyone who met the criteria but, nevertheless, the following team got through their audition and will take on the Eggheads next Saturday: Jake Caston (captain) Panteg We don’t know when the programme will be broadcast and, if we get humiliated, we probably won’t tell you the date! |
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January 28th 2008 |
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2007 WPA Presentation Evening.This took take place on Saturday 26th January at the Brynhill Golf Club, Barry. The event was again well supported by the membership and an enjoyable evening was had by all those attended. The evening was hosted by Tony Smith ably assisted by Alison Walton after a meal provided by the Chef at the Brynhill Golf Club. Awards were presented to the winning teams and individuals who competed throughout the 2007 playing season, for the first time the membership was asked to nominate their choices for Most Improved Player and Senior Player of the Year, the Executive then voted on those nominations. Further details appear on the awards page. For your information we are hoping to hold the 2008 Presentation in the Caerleon/Newport area, if any club knows of a venue, please inform a member of the executive. |
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in with Roger continuing to play a good millieur. We pulled back to 8-8 as time ran out – one last end to decide who went through to the Final! Roger Griffin, Tansy Mayfield, Paul Mayfield and John Barnes have just returned from Lithuania where they represented Wales at the second Kaunas International Petanque competition. This year there were 24 teams competing (double the number of the previous year) with players from Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Switzerland, France and Holland as well as Wales. The competition took place in Kaunas football stadium – a great setting with a well-laid piste and a stand for spectators and knackered players! 
