| All about pétanque
Pétanque is pronounced - "PEYTONK". It is also commonly known as boules (pronounced "BOOL").
The first rules for a game similar to our beloved pétanque were written down in Scotland in 1849, where it was called "Bowls". In 1894 the French laid out rules for what was called "Boule Lyonnaise".
Since Boule Lyonnaise involved some acrobatics - you had to step out of a drawn circle as far as possible with one foot - a physically disabled man named Jules LeNoir in a Southern French Town called La Ciotat laid out the rules for Pétanque in 1910.
The main difference between this new game and Boule Lyonnaise was that your feet had to be close together. Joined feet in French is "pieds tanqués", hence the name "Pétanque".
Pétanque is bowling game with rules similar to lawn bowls. The game is played on sand or gravel using steel balls (boules) which are tough, durable and easy to carry. It is a very casual and relaxed game ideally suited to the Australian climate. Playing requirements are minimal.
Who can play? Anyone can play pétanque, it's for men and woman of all ages.
Where can you play? Anywhere you find a small piece of flat sand or gravel, eg. carparks, bush tracks, paths, beach, lawn or grassed areas...
How many people in a game? Any number between two or six. The maximum number of balls used in a game is 12.
When can you play? Anytime. Holidays, lunch breaks, picnics, barbeques. Pétanque is a year round sport.
See Rules of the game. |
