Hartley Country Club Petanque

……it began with a considerable amount of toil and digging by Colin Senneck, with the help of a JCB to produce the original playing surface, known as the piste, or terrain.

One not so sunny Sunday morning in October 1992 a group of six Club members arrived to try out this new game.

The original plan was for a trial three Sunday morning sessions to assess interest, with the intention of starting a Pétanque Section in the following spring. From that first Sunday morning in October 1992 however, pétanque has been played at Hartley on a regular weekly basis continuously through all the seasons until the present day.

Over the early weeks the pétanque games were full of humour, non stop talking and strange styles of play. Jean-Louis Guiot was one of the early members of the Section. He knew how to play the game, and therefore became the guiding light. He also had the ability to “shoot”, which the other Club members, new to the game, regarded as being very advanced at the time. He also offered suggestions that the game required a degree of tactics other than lots of chat and a good laugh, suggestions that have been proved, of course, to be correct.

The “Section” proper was formed at a group meeting on 26th January 1993, and the original members at that first meeting were C.Senneck, E&C.Middlemiss, R&M.Yates, L&G.Pearson, D&W.Brooks, C&I.Gibbs, A&J.Rush, P.Bryant, K.Flowerday, P&A.Higson and P.Philpot (A.Senneck and J.L.Guiot were absent).

At this first meeting the first Section committee was elected, which was C.Senneck Chairman, A.Rush Treasurer, R.Yates Secretary. L.Pearson, D.Brooks, and C.Gibbs, followed by the addition of C.Middlemiss and K.Potter who were co-opted onto the committee later in the year.

At the time of this first meeting, the governing body for pétanque in Great Britain was the British Pétanque Association (BPA). The annual BPA registration fee was £8 per person and our own Section subscription was set at £2 per person.

The original members of the Section were keen to encourage social events as well as the playing of pétanque. They were also determined to create an atmosphere that was open, friendly, and would be welcoming to new members. With the present Section membership standing at around seventy members, the original ideals have been achieved. Trusting that new members to the Section maintain the original ideals, the Section will continue to flourish.

SECTION DATES

There are three fixed dates within the Section calendar. These dates are......

(a) the Section Annual General Meeting is held in January

(b) the Section Summer Finals Day is held in August/September

Members are advised to keep a regular eye on the Section notice board, so that they are aware of the

exact dates of all of the Section activities.

THE SOCIAL SIDE OF PÉTANQUE

One of the main strengths of the Section is the social side. On a weekly basis several Section members will adjourn to the bar after the Section “club” pétanque session for an informal chat and a drink or two.

Over the years social events have ranged, for example, from organised trips to the theatre, to greyhound racing, ten pin bowling, open air concerts and several events held on the club premises. Each year a Section social sub-committee is established to plan and manage social events. In addition, occasionally a Section member will organise an event. The club notice board will display a list of proposed events, some of which will be a long way in the future, some will be reasonably cheap and some will be slightly more expensive. The option to take part is purely at the choice of each individual Section member.

For many years around 50 Section members have enjoyed the Bracklesham Bay Holiday Camp weekend at the end of March each year. This has been a pétanque competition attracting up to around two hundred pétanque players from all over the south of England. The weekend has always been very good value, costing around £120 per person. The programme has included an evening meal on the Friday night, followed by dancing and a cabaret, etc (etc = bingo), breakfast, lunch and dinner on the Saturday, followed by more dancing and a cabaret (and bingo), and breakfast and lunch on the Sunday. The pétanque is good, with well run competitions on both the Saturday and the Sunday. The competition on the Saturday is from 10 in the morning to around 6 in the evening, and the Sunday competition is from 10 in the morning to around 3 in the afternoon. It is played on an unusual terrain, with cash prize money, and Hartley normally have teams finishing in the top six of both competitions.

When booking the Bracklesham Bay weekend, Hartley receives one free place for every 25 participants. However as everyone pays to attend, the “free” places act as a cashback as the money collected is paid into Section funds. Over the years that club members have participated in the Bracklesham Bay weekend, more than £1000 has been added to Section funds.

In the early days of the Section two weekends were spent in a hotel in the village of Hanmer, near Llangollen, by several Section members. This is a very nice part of the country with a comfortable hotel which provided good food and a friendly game of pétanque.

As the social side developed, 1998 saw the first barn dance held by the Section, the first tentative steps of a camping/caravanning weekend in Sussex by a small expeditionary force, and also occasional visits for a dinner and dance at the Metropolitan Police club at West Wickham.

At about the same time the first Safari Dinner was held. This can be regarded as a combined confused walking, eating and drinking event around the village of Hartley. It has proved very popular, and has been repeated several times over the years.

There is almost always a Section summer ball, which has varied, for example, from dinner and bingo in the WI hall, or dinner and pétanque in the garage of a very nice house in Hartley, or a western style bar-b-queue in the grounds of another very nice house in Hartley. At one recent summer ball all participants were asked to attend dressed “in what they were wearing when the ship went down”.

Long may the Section members take the trouble to organise social events, for they are almost always a great success.

To keep informed of the social events, keep a regular eye on the notice board.

THE EVER CHANGING PISTES

The corner of the Club’s grounds where the pistes are located used to be a relatively unused area of

the grounds. The groundsman’s shed and the cricket nets were the only attractions.

The original piste area was approximately 18 metres x 10 metres, squeezed in between the car park fence and the cricket nets, with a rough bank separating the piste from the car park fence.

During our first two years, the BPA ran a grant scheme to assist pétanque clubs and as a result of successful applications Hartley received two grants of £100 and £120, which were passed on to the Hartley Country Club ( HCC) board to be set against the costs of the original piste.

The original piste and the surrounding area have been gradually changed and improved over the years by the efforts of members of the Section.

During the first year four floodlights were erected and the piste edges fitted with permanent edging boards.

The following years saw the re-location of the cricket nets which, in turn, allowed the main piste to be enlarged to its present size of 20 metres x 12 metres. With this enlargement a further two floodlights were added and steps cut into the bank along the car park side. The area local to the groundsman’s shed was laid for pétanque play and durable power cables re-laid to the floodlights.

In 1998 a shed was purchased by the Section and erected for storage of pétanque equipment, including sets of portable floodlights that had been donated.

1999 saw the removal and relocation of the children’s play area, which was followed by the acquisition of a second hand mobile “office” for use during pétanque competitions.

Up until 2005 the Section was one of the very few pétanque clubs that had two types of piste surface, a fast compact surface, and a second “loose gravel” surface. Members’ opinions were divided as to the quality of the playing surface of the main floodlit pistes. Some held the opinion that the surface was too compacted but also contained some rogue “hard bits” that at times made playing almost a lottery. The other opinion was that the surface was the true pétanque surface similar to the typical French piste. Whatever the opinion there was no doubt that as time went by a drainage problem developed as the surface was becoming slowly impermeable to rainwater.

As a consequence in October 2005 it was decided to remove the top surface of the main piste and replace it with a dressing of 3mm granite chippings. The surface weathered well and provided a suitably challenging surface. However by 2009 problems were again being experienced with rainwater collection. The top surface was again removed and replaced with a slightly coarser dressing of 6 mm Granite chippings, which is gradually weathering in.

Whatever the opinions, we as a Section can take pride in having produced and maintained a very good pétanque facility at Hartley which has been created by the efforts of the Section members.

FRIENDLY MATCHES

In the early days of the Section, friendly matches were played on a fairly regular basis against other pétanque clubs, particularly the “Battle of Britain” and “Seal”. At that time, the “Seal” pétanque club was one of the largest clubs in the UK. Seal were helpful and encouraging to Hartley in the early days, and the friendly matches were played with the winning side receiving the “Stan Griffiths” trophy (Stan was a member of both Seal Pétanque Club and HCC).

Friendly matches are either arranged between clubs which can involve all of the Section members who wish to play, or team friendly matches organised between one of the Section league teams and another club league team.

In recent years interest in friendly matches has waned.

The decline in the number of friendly matches is most probably because Section members already find

that they play enough petanque, i.e. in club sessions, league matches, and in Sunday competitions.

There is no doubt that friendly matches were beneficial to the early Section members because it enabled them to play semi-competitive matches against other clubs to gain experience prior to playing in league matches. It therefore follows that friendly matches could be beneficial to new Section members who have little or no experience of playing against other clubs.

THE RULES OF PÉTANQUE

The official rules of the game of pétanque are maintained by the Federation Internationale de Pétanque et Jeu Provencale (F.I.P.J.P) and have been adopted by the English Pétanque Federation (EPA) which is now the governing body for pétanque in England.

Hartley Pétanque Section plays pétanque in accordance with the international rules and also in accordance with any local rules of the Kent Pétanque League for Kent League matches.

The ideal size for a pétanque piste (as used for international matches) is 3 metres wide x 14 metres long. Most clubs, including Hartley, do not have pistes of this recommended size but use mainly a shorter length. A rule as applied in EPA competitions is that the jack should be placed at least one metre from the piste edges. For Hartley pistes and for most other club pistes, a local rule applies where the jack should be placed at not less than one metre from the end edge, and not less than 300mm from either side edge.

If you are in any doubt, establish what, if any, local rules apply prior to the start of a league or other competitive match.

SUNDAY COMPETITIONS

Throughout the year there are regular pétanque competitions on Sundays, either doubles or triples. The venues for these competitions vary, but they are generally held on pistes of clubs that are registered with the EPA. Over the years Section members have played in Sunday competitions in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

The Kent Sunday competitions are arranged at the beginning of the year. The Kent clubs get together for a meeting to establish which clubs wish to hold competitions and arrange suitable dates so that there is normally only one Sunday competition in Kent for any given Sunday of the year. Hartley normally holds one or two of these open competitions during the year.

The competitions will generally start at around 10 am and finish any time from 3 pm to 7 pm. The competitions will result in winners receiving a trophy or cash or a prize such as wine, and all competitions will generally include a “plate” competition alongside the “main” competition, so catering for all abilities.

Most competitions are local in the sense that they will not require players to be EPA registered, however players will be obliged to use calibrated boules, not leisure boules.

Cost of entry into the Sunday competitions is generally around £5-£7.50 per person.

By far the biggest of these Sunday competitions used to be held at Braintree, which was one of the very few indoor competitions. This was a triples competition with around 200 players taking part. Several teams from Hartley used to attend. However, the last Braintree event was held in 2004 and it is understood that it is not likely to be held again, for economic reasons. In 2006 a new indoor competition was held for the first time at Detling, an event open to all comers but organised by members of the Kent Pétanque Association. This well-run competition was a complete success and it was held again in 2007 and 2008.

Over recent years several Hartley players have done reasonably well in Sunday competitions. Most of the Section members are selective as to which competitions they will enter, depending upon the

locations, the number of pistes, playing surface and other facilities available. It is purely a matter of choice.

For details of Sunday competitions look out for details on the notice board. Teams will not generally be organised by the committee, by and large it is up to you to organise your own triples or doubles team if you choose to enter a competition.

THE MANAGEMENT

The success of the Pétanque Section is entirely due to the time and effort spent by the Section membership over the years, be it labouring on the piste, arranging friendly matches, organising Section competitions, or organising social functions.

The Section is managed by a committee who, in turn, organise sub-committees that organise specific activities. The sub-committee system has been in existence since about 1997 and has proved efficient and successful. It also means that for any given year there may be as many as twenty Section members actively involved in running the Section. All of this delegation works well and is successful due to the positive response and interest shown by the Section membership.

To date there have been 133 Committee posts filled over the years 1993 to 2010 by a total of 28 different club members.

The Section Committee meets every month and the minutes of the meetings are posted on the notice board for the information of all Section members.

Section members should contact the Section Secretary regarding any matters that they wish to be discussed at any Committee meeting. It is acknowledged that some changes or improvements to the running of the Section have been the result of individual Section members putting forward suggestions (or complaints) to the Committee,

THE ENGLISH PÉTANQUE ASSOCIATION and INDIVIDUAL INSURANCE.

The Section registers as a Pétanque Club with the EPA annually. Although registration is not compulsory for Section members, it is required for individual members wishing to play in EPA organised competitions, or to play in the Kent Pétanque Summer League. By and large the Pétanque Section is made up of members who have played or have been involved in other sports, and therefore the notion to belong to, and support the National/Local organisation of the particular sport is almost second nature. This probably accounts for the large proportion of the Section members who annually register for EPA membership. Each year it is likely that around 95 per cent of the membership will register with the EPA.

A recurring question is “What do we get from the EPA ?”

The fact is, the EPA is a democratic organisation, and the EPA is what the registered members want it to be, the annual subscriptions are what the members want them to be, and you get what you want from the EPA. The Kent Region is the region with by far the most registered EPA members.

The EPA is part of the international organisation for petanque, and individual members that register with the EPA are permitted to enter competitions in other countries.

The Kent Pétanque Association ( KPA) administers the sport in Kent and its elected management committee hold regular monthly meetings. The HCC Pétanque Section is usually represented at these meetings by one or two members of the Section Committee. The KPA Committee devote a great deal of time for the benefit of pétanque in this county.

Colin Senneck, John Bradley, Linda Bradley and Ron Yates have spent some time on the South East Region Committee, which was the forerunner of the KPA. Currently Ron Yates is the KPA Treasurer. Mick Nash has also been a member of the KPA management committee

Part of the cost of individual EPA registration goes towards insurance. This insurance provides each individual with civil liability cover. It essentially protects the individual from having to use their own money to pay out costs and damages if they are found to be legally liable to do so for negligence for any reason in connection with pétanque, subject to policy exclusions. The cover includes social events directly related to pétanque and the amount of indemnity for any one occurrence is £10 million.

KIT AND EQUIPMENT

Clothing

Clothing with the Section motif is available. A list appears on the notice board at regular intervals for Section members to place orders for clothing, and when the length of the list reaches an amount that justifies a bulk order the clothing is purchased. This is normally the responsibility of one of the Section Committee members. As if by magic, you will receive your ordered garments around 2/3 weeks after the list is taken down. The total order is purchased using Section funds, which are replenished when individual members pay for their order. Clothing available includes showerproof jackets, sweat shirts, tee shirts, hats, jogging bottoms, polo shirts etc., all in a wide range and variety of colours. Colours of clothing are to individual choice, however the Section does have a “standard” colour when playing in County and National competitions. This is a light blue polo shirt with a navy blue sweat shirt, both featuring the Section motif. Most regard the clothing as good value for money, and over the last ten years several thousands of pounds in total have been spent by Section members on clothing.

Boules and other equipment

A set of three calibrated registered boules is required for match play. The boules are calibrated in diameter and weight and registered with a reference number. The average sports shops do not stock calibrated boules, they will probably stock “leisure” boules which are not calibrated or registered. Equally do not expect to go into a sports shop in France and find a wide range of boules available. A set of three calibrated boules start at around £40 for a set of three.

The Boule suppliers used by most of the Section are “PEN-Y-COED”.

Boules can be obtained from this supplier by mail order. They provide a complete range of boules and pétanque equipment and a very reliable mail order service.

Contact Pen-Y-Coed

Up Street, Bardwell, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP31 1AA

Tel : 01359 250829

Contact the Section secretary for the catalogue.

Alternatively suppliers with a range of stock regularly attend the major competitions during the year.

Section members between them have a wide range of boules in both diameter and weight. This represents a useful readily available stock to try out different sizes and weights prior to purchasing your own boules.

International Registered boule sizes are.......

diameter = 70.5mm min to 80mm max (normal standard available is 72mm to 76mm)

weight = 650 to 800 gram (normal standard available is 680 to 710 gram)

THE FRENCH CONNECTION

In the spring of 1996 around thirty Hartley players joined forces with the Ramsgate club and travelled to Dunkirk to play the local club. The event was organised by the Ramsgate club, and the Hartley players travelled to make up the numbers, and to gain experience of playing the French at their own game.

Again in the spring of 1997 there was another trip to Dunkirk with around thirty Hartley players combining with the Ramsgate club.

A few Hartley players have also spent time, and played with the locals in the attractive Mediterranean village of Collioure in Southern France, the home town of Jean-Louis Guiot.

Several of the Section members who played in France during that period found the experience rewarding in both standard of play and in the hospitality, friendship and generosity of their French hosts. As a consequence a Section French Sub-Committee was formed, which comprised Alan Teale, Les Pearson, Diane Bryant, John Fowers and subsequently Mags Yates and Gill Pearson, with an objective to develop a relationship with a French pétanque club. This sub-committee worked hard and was successful in initiating contact with the French town of Cauchy a la Tour (nearest main city is Béthune) located in northern France. The Sub-Committee travelled to Cauchy as an expeditionary force in the spring of 1997 to investigate if the town and facilities would be suitable for a twinning arrangement. They were entertained by the Mayor who provided a guided tour of the town and the pétanque facilities, which resulted in around 50 Section members travelling to Cauchy for our first match on 25th October 1997. A formal meal and drinks were provided by our hosts in the village hall, followed by very formal welcoming speeches from the mayor and the local pétanque club committee, and an exchange of mementos. This was followed by a very gallant response by Hartley.

The return to Hartley by the Cauchy club was in July of the following year. This was a day of non stop rain, however a successful day. From this beginning we have continued the arrangement of playing the Cauchy club each year, on a home and away basis.

Cauchy is a club with a large membership, most are very good players, and the juniors are some of the best junior players in Northern France. The Cauchy club has very good facilities with a large open area for outdoor matches, and a very good indoor facility with a small bar in the clubhouse. Hartley win a few individual matches against Cauchy, but there is a definite difference in standard of play and ability between Hartley and Cauchy. In recent years Cauchy have introduced more wives and girlfriends of their players to play against Hartley, these are individuals who do not usually play regularly and the consequence is that the results of matches between the two clubs is getting closer.

1998 saw the first arrangement of combining with Seal to play a visiting team from Ghent. Several Section members combined with Seal for a meal on the Saturday and a match against the Ghent club on the Sunday. The twinning with Ghent is by the Seal club and Hartley have only been invited to join if Seal have spare places available.

EPA ORGANISED COMPETITIONS

The EPA organise national championships for singles, doubles, mixed doubles, triples, over 50s doubles, ladies triples, junior doubles and junior triples. The singles, doubles and mixed doubles competitions are usually held over the late May Bank Holiday weekend at a selected venue somewhere in England. The 2001-2005 championships were held in Devon, the 2006-2008 championships at Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk and the 2009 championships on the Isle of Wight. A number of Hartley players have competed at these championships as part of a short holiday break.

In 2007 the top eight teams finishing in the EPA triples championship qualified to represent England in the annual England v Scotland v Wales “Home Nations” match. A Hartley team comprising Colin Senneck together with Colin and Irene Gibbs finished fourth in the EPA triples competition and went on to represent England in the Home Nations match. In 2008, the qualification criteria were changed. The EPA triples championship consisted of a number of rounds of competition at different venues around the country to determine the final eight teams, which then competed against each other in an eliminator. The winners were then invited to represent England at the forthcoming 2008 World Championships. A separate qualifying competition was held to decide the top eight teams to represent England in the Home Nations championship.

Some of the Hartley ladies have fared reasonably well in the ladies triples competitions in the past, and on a couple of occasions have managed to reach the last eight and play in the final eliminator. In 2008 Diane Bryant, Irene Gibbs, Joyce Nash and Mags Yates finished third in the competition. The winners of the competition receive an invitation to represent England at the Ladies World Championships.

A further competition administered by the EPA is the National Club competition. This event is open to teams from all over England. The competition involves a series of rounds being played on various Sundays during the year. The winning team are invited to play against the top club teams from other European nations. Teams from Hartley have entered this competition in the past, and were runners-up in Division 2 when the event was played on a league basis in 2004, and reached the last eight in 2007/8.

The details of the EPA organised competitions will be found on their website. Alternatively check the Section notice board for details.

ROUGH GUIDE TO THE MONEY

The Section funds are collected from two sources, the membership subscriptions and “other money”.

The Section subscriptions have always been kept low. In fact, the annual subscription has remained at £2 per player since the Section was formed. The “other money” appears throughout the year from a range of sources, for example raffles, Section competition entry fees, Section functions etc. The Section funds are always healthy, but never overflowing. The intent of the Section is never to amass funds just for the sake of it. This policy has been successful because monies contributed by the Section members for a given year are generally spent within that year for the benefit of the Section members as a whole.

The provision of Section competition trophies and engraving is a large annual expense, but there is always some money in the funds for piste improvements and for hosting the Cauchy visit every second year.

A significant proportion of each membership subscription is not retained by the Pétanque Section but is passed on to others. For example for this year a total of around £1000 will be collected from Section members to be passed on to the EPA (for registration fees), also a further total of around £1700 will be collected direct by HCC as “sports section levies” from Section members as part of their HCC membership.

COACHING AND THE STYLE OF PLAY

The Section has a number of members who hold the Grade 3 certificate for coaching pétanque, namely Alan Rush, Colin Gibbs, Jim Carr, Irene Gibbs, and Gordon Angell.

With so many members in the Section it follows that there are lots of styles of play that are adopted.

Pointing styles vary. Some players stand, some half bend and some squat, a personal choice but there is a convincing argument for standing for a long jack, particularly for the rougher beachy pistes. Our pistes are firm and fast which should encourage pointing with a great deal of back spin. However, some members achieve a degree of success by “rolling” the ball from the hand over almost the length of the piste. Whatever the style of pointing, the important part, i.e. the part that will dictate the direction of the boule is the local area of the piste where the boule lands. Observe the better pointers, particularly some visiting players, who will inspect the piste surface local to where they intend “landing” prior to throwing their boule. When playing a game it pays to watch the first point, particularly watch the route the boule takes to establish if there is a bias on the piste.

For shooting there is only one correct style and that is “boule to boule”. The thrown boule will not touch the piste between leaving the hand to hitting the target boule. There are some members of the Section who use the “boule to boule” technique. However there also several Section members who obtain a degree of success by shooting hard along the surface of the piste. This is possible on our piste or on other flat fast pistes.

CONCENTRATION

And a manner of behaviour of the good pétanque player.

Pétanque requires individual concentration, and also collective team concentration. Any action that destroys the concentration can be regarded as bad sportsmanship by the opposition and, at the same time, will also have an adverse effect on your own team.

Leave the piste when it is the opposition’s turn to play. Likewise take charge of the piste when it is your turn to throw a boule.

Discuss tactics with your team. Talk with your team prior to throwing a boule. Do not shout instructions at your team member when in the playing circle.

Try to stand at the side of the piste when a player is about to shoot, and certainly do not move around or cause a distraction in the direct line in front of the shooter.

If you concentrate on the game and watch all the boules played, you will have no need to enter into discussions as to the ownership of the boule lying around the jack at the completion of an end.

If you feel the need to challenge your opposition regarding an infringement of the pétanque rules, do make sure first that you are one hundred percent sure of the rules yourself.

SUMMER LEAGUE

This is regarded by most of the Section as the main competitive pétanque of the summer season. The Kent Pétanque League is successful and well managed thanks to the efforts of the League Organisers. In the past Colin Senneck and John Bradley of Hartley have managed the Kent Pétanque League. The current League Organiser is Mick Nash of Hartley.

The number of Divisions in the League vary between seven and eight depending on the number of teams entered for the season, and there are normally ten teams in each Division. In the period that Hartley have been playing in the League there have been several changes in teams both in and out of the League.

The venues of most other pétanque clubs are in the grounds of pubs. The pistes vary greatly from club to club. This all means that the League season is an interesting competitive experience.

Hartley first entered the Kent Pétanque League in 1993, with one team that played in the seventh (lowest) division of the league.

Over the years the number of Hartley teams which have entered the league has grown, and the Section has achieved a reasonable degree of success. Hartley teams have won league titles on five occasions, and been runners-up on eleven occasions. Between 1993 and 1998 the Hartley Falcons team managed to achieve promotion each year from division seven of the league right up to division one, where they have stayed ever since. They have also on one occasion been runners-up in the knockout cup competition which is associated with this league.

This year (2010) the Section has entered seven teams in the league, the teams playing in divisions 1, (2 teams) 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

League matches are played on Wednesday evenings, either at home or away. The home team provides food after the matches for both teams.

For the Summer League, players are selected strictly on ability. That is to say, players who are considered by the selection committee to possess the best ability in the club will be placed into the first team until all of the places in this team are filled, then into the second team, etc.

WINTER LEAGUE

Within two years of the formation of the Section, there was a demand from members for more year round pétanque. To meet this requirement, some enthusiastic members suggested that the Section should enter a winter league.

Organised winter pétanque leagues have been played in the South East for many years.

The Section’s first venture into a winter league was in the winter of 1995/96 with two Hartley teams entering the Seal Winter League. Most of the Section members at that time played in either of the two teams.

Winter league play is less serious than summer league play. Captains of each of the teams entered in the winter league are either volunteers or are gently pressed into service, and the composition of the teams is decided using the “playground” method, each captain selecting a club member for their team in turn. This method of team selection results in a much more varied mix of individual abilities in each team than in the summer league. The match play is certainly still competitive but it is also friendly. For new members, there is no better way to experience pétanque match play.

For many years the Section entered the Maidstone and District Winter Pétanque League. However, by the end of the 2006/7 season the KPA decided to organise an alternative winter league, and Hartley have entered four teams in this league since the start of the 2007/08 season.

SECTION COMPETITIONS

For the less adventurous there is no need to travel to other clubs to play in league matches and no need to travel to a Sunday competition. Stay at home and play in the numerous Section competitions. The list of Section competitions has grown through the years. The number of trophies purchased and the amount of engraving now represent a major expenditure prior to the Section annual dinner in November.

This is all to the good as far as most of the Section are concerned. It is good to have an ever increasing varied set of competitions. It is also good to see that the trophies are numerous and have at some time been received by a large number of members.

The competitions are normally run by a sub-committee, which at times are firm in their control to ensure that all of the competitions reach a satisfactory conclusion. This sub-committee collect an entry fee for each competition. This is normally £3 per event, which goes some way to pay for the trophies.

As yet there are, quite rightly, few rules imposed on Section members when playing in the competitions. However it is up to individuals to ensure that their intentions and plans are in accordance with the competition requirements prior to entering. For example, the summer singles and doubles competitions are planned for finishing with a final match on or around the triples finals day in September. It is important for members to think whether they are planning for a long holiday in the middle of the summer and whether they will allow sufficient time to play preliminary rounds of the competitions.

The Section competitions are successful since most members take part. All members should assist the sub-committee in providing for the smooth running of events.

The full list of Section Summer and Winter Competitions is as follows:

(1) Singles Cup Competition

(2) Singles Plate Competition

(3) Doubles Cup Competition

(4) Doubles Plate Competition

(5) Triples Competition

A Men's and Ladies' Shooting Competition may also be held.

All competitions are normally based on one game first to 13 points.

Doubles and triples teams are all selected out of the hat, and the doubles teams in the winter are mixed teams of one man and one lady, numbers permitting. All competitions are played on a knock-out system, with preliminary rounds playable in a specified time period.

There may also be other competitions organised by the sub-committee through the year, for example New Years Day, Four Boules, Timed Competitions etc.

Some years ago John Friend started a ladder/box table for the Section. This has proved to be successful with about a third of the Section membership regularly competing.

The ladder/box system involves each member playing three “four boules” matches per month in a “box” of four players. The “box” winner at the end of each month is promoted to the next highest level and the player in fourth place in each box is demoted to the next lowest level. Over time this can produce a fairly good measure of the spread of individual ability throughout the Section amongst the players that participate.

THE ANNUAL DINNER

The Annual Dinner, held at the Club in November, provides an opportunity for all members to reflect upon the year’s past activities in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere, with good food and a drink or two. The social sub-committee can be relied upon to organise a successful evening, and the aim is always to change the format every year or two to keep the event fresh. Sometimes members may offer a table speech, or recite a poem or short story. Sometimes a few genteel games are played, the hat game being a particular favourite, possibly because of the number of rules involved (i.e. none). Self-entertainment has been a feature of a number of past dinners, but nevertheless over the years a number of well known acts have graced the HCC Pétanque Annual Dinner, including the Village People, the Roly-Polys, Roy Orbison, the Blues Brothers, Wilson, Keppel and Betty, Cannon and Ball, Riverdance, and Terry Scott and his “bruvver”. Sometimes there may also be an impromptu playlet written by our resident Shakespeare, Mr. Ron Yates. On particular occasions we have also been addressed by a local vicar and more recently a bishop, although an ugly rumour has been circulating that the latter has subsequently been defrocked. On one notable occasion we were even entertained by a talking chicken!!

The Annual Dinner is also the occasion when the Section trophies are presented to the skilled and/or lucky winners of the pétanque Section. If you have not been skilled or lucky enough to win a competition during the year, there is a still a chance to pick up a raffle prize during the evening!!