When access issues prevented the Vale Pétanque Club from hosting the 2026 Celtic Challenge Qualifier, the Monkstone Pétanque Club stepped in at short notice to ensure the event went ahead as planned. Their willingness to host and their excellent facilities helped deliver a smooth and enjoyable weekend of competition.
Twelve Teams Compete for National Selection
Twelve teams took part in the qualifier, each aiming for one of four places to represent Wales at the 36th Celtic Challenge, to be hosted by the Irish Pétanque Association in 2026.
The event was played over two days, with six rounds on Saturday and five on Sunday, allowing every team to face each other once in a full round-robin format. Consistency and stamina were key as players battled through eleven rounds of high-quality play, which was tested further by the predicted weather, especially on Sunday morning.
Final Standings
After a weekend of close contests and excellent pétanque, the top four teams secured selection to represent Wales in the 2026 Celtic Challenge. Teams qualifying 5 and 6 are first and second reserve teams, respectively.
The team lead by Julie Bailey deserved their top place as the won all of their 11 matches winning two games 13/0 and the highest points taken against them was 9, ultimately giving the team a points difference of 100.
- Julie Bailey, Ian Bailey, Sean Smith & David Paine (Vale PC)
- Derek Jones, Hugh Morris (Pontyclun PC) & Geoff Jones (Wenvoe PC)
- Cai Jones (Twyn-y-Ffwrd PC), Gary Griffiths, Jean-Yves Robic (Vale PC) & John Legge (Green Lawns PC)
- Danielle Horrigan, Jim Fackrell, Richard Edwards (Twyn-y-Ffwrd PC) & Roger Green (Monkstone PC)
- Reserve Team 1: David Languerand, Andy Rios Hall, Kon Tomczyk & Stephen Snudden (Caerleon RFC PC)
- Reserve Team 2: Joe Williams, Didier Mac (Vale PC), Kym Jeffrey & George Hill (Twyn-y-Ffwrd PC)
These teams will now represent Wales at the Celtic Challenge, continuing the long-standing friendly rivalry among Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.
Acknowledgements
The WPA extends sincere thanks to Monkstone Pétanque Club for hosting the event at short notice, and to all players and WPA officials who contributed to a successful weekend.
Congratulations to all participating teams for their sportsmanship and competitive spirit — and best of luck to the Welsh squad heading to Ireland in 2026!