The 2025 WPA Veterans Championship made a triumphant return this weekend, six years after it was last held in 2019, bringing together nine determined triples teams from six WPA-affiliated clubs. Hosted at Caerleon RFC Petanque Club, the event was a showcase of strategy, precision, and camaraderie, with the host club providing excellent facilities and warm hospitality throughout the day.

Clubs represented in the championship included Caerleon RFC PC, Cardiff Harlequins, Monkstone PC, Pontyclun PC, Twyn-y-Ffrwd PC, and the Vale PC.

Qualification Round

The day began with a qualification stage, consisting of three rounds to determine rankings. Two teams emerged undefeated:

• The Vale team: Julie Bailey, Jean-Yves Robic, Ian Bailey, and Len Field.

• A combined team from Monkstone PC, Twyn-y-Ffrwd PC, and the Vale PC: Tony Smith, Jim Frackrell, and Sean Smith.

Four other teams secured two wins, while one managed a single win. Two teams remained winless, forcing a one-end play-off to decide who would take the final spot in the top eight. The losing team exited the tournament, with the remaining eight advancing to the knockout phase of the National Championship.

Championship – Quarter Finals and Semi-Finals

As expected, the top four seeds advanced through the quarter-finals, setting up an exciting semi-final stage.

In the first semi-final, the Vale team faced off against Monkstone’s team of Vickie and Bernard Adshead, Roger Griffin, and Keith Miller. Monkstone raced to an 11-4 lead, threatening to cause a significant upset. However, a tactical change by the Vale shifted momentum. At 11-11 and two excellent points from Len Field, the Vale completed a stunning comeback to win 13-11.

The second semi-final was a rematch of a closely fought earlier encounter between two combined teams. Sean Smith’s side (Smith, Frackrell, and Smith) took an early lead, but a strategic substitution by their opponents — bringing on Derek Jones for Ken Aston — helped turn the tide. The Caerleon RFC PC/Pontyclun PC team edged out their rivals 13-11, clinching a hard-fought place in the final.

A 5-point lead, but this soon disappeared after a substitution of Aston for Jones. During the latter stages of the game, both teams had a chance to win, but at 11-11, the combined team from Caerleon RFC PC and Pontyclun PC gained an extra point, making it 12-11. With a perfect point, they managed to hold off their opposition to take the encounter 13-11 and their place in the final.

The final between the Vale and the combined team from Caerleon RFC PC and Pontyclun PC pitched two good sides against each other. The team from the Vale had already won the National Triples title, and Kon Tomczyk from the opposing team is this year’s National Precision Shooting Champion.

A Championship-Worthy Final

The final pitted two elite teams against each other: the Vale squad, fresh from a National Triples title, and the Caerleon RFC PC/Pontyclun PC team featuring National Precision Shooting Champion Kon Tomczyk.

Both sides traded points early, but the Vale’s consistency began to tip the scales. As the pressure mounted, the Caerleon/Pontyclun side faltered at a critical moment, unable to remove a decisive boule. That opened the door for the Vale, who capitalised to seal a 13-5 victory and the 2025 National Veterans Championship title.

 

National Veterans Champions: Len Field, Jean-Yves Robic, Julie Bailey and Ian Bailey – Vale PC	Runners-Up: Ken Aston, Steve Snudden, Kon Tomczyk and Derek Jones – Pontyclun PC/Caerleon RFC PC

Congratulations to everyone taking part in the competition and making it a success.

The WPA would like to thank the members and committee of Caerleon RFC PC for welcoming the teams and using their facilities.