Blogiversary of the Ham and Egger Files

Today marks thirteen years since the Ham and Egger Files began.

Thirteen years ago today I began blogging - where has the time gone!

People often ask me how a blog that is mostly about minigolf has the name the 'Ham and Egger Files'? The answer is that it didn't initially start out life as a minigolf blog.

On the 21st December 2006 I published my first post about how I planned to participate in as many obscure and minority sports as I could and see what would happen with the limited sporting ability I have!

The term 'ham and egger' has connotations ranging from that of 'ordinary person' to that of 'loser'. The origin of the term comes from prize fighters whose modest skills wouldn’t let them win large purses. Therefore, the fighter or their manager - who received a percentage of purses won - were never able to afford to eat better than ham and eggs.

Since that first post I have gone on to publish more than 3,500 posts! Admittedly most of them have been about minigolf.

At our 900th minigolf course - the North Bay Crazy Golf course in Scarborough

Our interest in minigolf and what would soon become our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour had actually begun on the 30th September 2006, but I didn't publish a post about the sport until the 29th January 2007 when I announced that I had joined the British Minigolf Association - a tournament circuit I made my actual debut on in Southend-on-Sea on the 28th April 2007.

Since my first year of blogging Emily and I have now visited 940 miniature golf courses, played in hundreds of tournaments and competed in lots of different sports and games. I've won quite a few titles along the way too, not too bad for a Ham n' Egger.

Back in 2006 we were still playing dodgeball and we ran leagues into 2007. I've dipped (dodged and dived) back into the sport intermittently over the years and just recently have got back into playing the ultimate underdog sport.

Dodgeballing at the Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club

A massive thank you goes out to everyone who has ever read one of my posts, commented, shared, or guest blogged on the site, it's very much appreciated.

Emily and I are always happy to hear about new minigolf courses, new sports and games, new places to visit and interesting things to write about. Please do get in touch if you have any ideas or suggestions for future blog posts.

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Darts at The Players' Entrance in Stockport

Playing darts at The Players' Entrance indoor sports park in Stockport.

Darts at The Player's Entrance in Stockport

Earlier today I called in to The Players' Entrance in Stockport's Merseyway shopping centre as the venue was hosting a special darts event.

Stockport darts superstar Nathan 'The Asp' Aspinall is competing in the PDC World Championships this month and the event saw the launch of a new partnership with the Stockport Disability Darts League and a link up with The Players' Entrance and Stockport schools.

The Stockport Disability Darts League set-up at The Players' Entrance

Nathan Aspinall is ranked number 12 in the world and is the 2019 UK Open champion, the 2019 US Darts Masters champion and was a semi-finalist in the 2019 PDC World Championships.

It was brilliant to meet Nathan and I had the chance to play against him in two games on one of the electronic soft-tip dartboards.

Nathan 'The Asp' Aspinall and me after our two games of darts. Guess who won?

The Playerss Entrance now has a disability darts area with dartboards and oche set-up so that players of any ability can compete against each other. The backing board has two dartboards - one for standing players and one for those seated - that can be quickly flipped after each player's throw.

I'm a big fan of both playing and watching darts. It's an inclusive game and can be picked up and played easily.

Visit The Players' Entrance website for more info, opening times and prices for the sports and games on offer.

Check out Stockport Disability Darts League for more information.

Visit Nathan 'The Asp' Aspinall's official Facebook Page too.

Out to Play exhibition at the Manor House Museum in Kettering

A visit to the Out to Play exhibition at the Manor House Museum in Kettering.

While in Kettering last week we called in to the Manor House Museum in the town centre as we'd spotted a poster for the Out to Play exhibition there.

We're big fans of museums, sports and games and it's always interesting to see different displays and exhibitions.

Kettering is home to the famous Wicksteed Park and the exhibition included a number of items from the amusement park.

It was nice to spot something minigolf related on display.

There were a lot of postcards used in the exhibition.

A nice old postcard of Wicksteed Park

Visit the Manor House Museum website for more information.

Our main reason for being in Kettering was to play the indoor Adventure Golf course at the New York Thunderbowl, our 900th course visit in the British Isles.

There is a Crazy Golf course and a Putting Green at Wicksteed Park and it's on our to visit list when the weather is nicer.

British Speedgolf and the 2019 Pairs Championship

Finding out more about British Speedgolf and the 2019 Pairs Championship.

As a fan of fun and interesting sports and games it's always nice to see variations of more traditional pursuits.

In miniature golf the World Minigolf Sport Federation is introducing a more fast-paced version of the game at an international tournament to be held as part of the CSIT World Sports Games in Spain. This is a big change to the more standard, slower-paced, long-form version of the game.

In the world of regular (or BIG) golf the game is being tweaked too with the sport Speedgolf uniting two of the largest athletic communities in the world, Golf and Running.

Last years British Speedgolf Pairs Champions George Boxall and Tom Roberts

Registration is now open for the British Speedgolf Pairs Championship. The event is being held at Sweetwoods Park Golf Club in Edenbridge, Kent on Saturday 8th June 2019.

Check out the British Speedgolf website for more details of the calendar of events and how you can get involved in events as a player, official or volunteer.

The 2018 British Speedgolf Pairs Champions Tom Roberts and George Boxall

While our main passion is miniature golf, we do enjoy a game of Pitch & Putt and Par-3 Golf and can definitely see the advantages of playing speedgolf, both from a pacing and a fitness point of view.

Speedgolf is a faster, more athletic version of golf. You can find out the Rules of the game and an FAQ on the British Speedgolf website.

Making the game even more accessible, Speedgolf Pairs adds a social dimension to the sport and with the foursome format, team work is essential. An early tournament start will see Speedgolf Pairs complete 18 holes in time for brunch! Pairs may be single gender or mixed and entries are expected to represent a broad range of golf and running abilities.

Pam Painter Co-Founder of British Speedgolf says “Speedgolf Pairs adds a thrilling social dynamic to the sport. Whilst it is more physically demanding than the traditional golf game, providing a good work out, it is also a lot of fun.”

Speedgolf also appeals to people who love playing golf but can’t find the time to play with work and family commitments – and who enjoy running and having fun. With this faster format players can complete a full 18 holes in under an hour by jogging between shots. The challenge is balancing pace with the ability to quickly and accurately play shots to get the lowest score possible.

In October 2018 a global consensus amongst leaders in public health, public policy and sport backed golf in the race to tackle physical inactivity and the prevention of a range of non-communicable diseases. British Speedgolf is thrilled to be making their contribution by presenting a golf format that adds a fitness element to golf.  Another important Health dimension will see the Melanoma Fund Charity at the British Speedgolf Pairs championship offering melanoma mole checks for players and visitors and providing sunscreen.

Paula Edwards, Marketing Manager of Sweetwoods Park added "Sweetwoods Park Golf Club has been keen to support British Speedgolf and run social Speedgolf sessions every Wednesday. We are delighted to be hosting the Speedgolf National Pairs Championship at our stunning parkland course in an area of outstanding natural beauty and hope to see a great turnout."

Many players are finding that Speedgolf has enhanced their golf performance, mainly due to the fluidity of the sport which eliminates time consuming practice swings and other rituals, particularly those with a tendency to over think their game.

As in all forms and variations of golf, the proof is still in the putting

For more details about Speedgolf and how to register to compete at this year’s Championship events visit the British Speedgolf website. Registration is now open and with a limited field don’t delay securing your place.

Links:
- British Speedgolf
- British Speedgolf on YouTube
- Sweetwoods Park Golf Club

Minigolf to feature in the CSIT World Sports Games 2019

Speed minigolf to feature in the CSIT World Sports Games 2019 in Tortosa, Spain.

A new version of minigolf will feature in the CSIT World Sports Games 2019 in Tortosa, Spain this July.

The CSIT World Sports Games are organised by the International Workers & Amateurs in Sports Confederation, and are recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

The WMF International Minigolf Speed Championships 2019 will take place over three competition days, with medals awarded each day in six age categories in three different speed disciplines on a version of a miniaturegolf (eternit) course.

In action on an Eternit Miniature Golf course at the Nations Cup in Tampere, Finland

The event will be played with one official championship ball to keep the conditions equal for everybody. The draft course layout can be viewed on the WMF website. The 12 hole course has been developed with a miniaturegolf (eternit) style, but the lanes will be slightly smaller than normal to allow easier hole-in-ones reflective of the fast-paced nature of the event.

You can find out more about the WMF International Minigolf Speed Championships 2019 and the event format on the World Minigolf Sport Federation website.

The CSIT World Sports Games is an international event with thousands of participants that takes place every two years in a different city. It is based on the idea of the International Workers’ Olympiad of the 1920s/30s and celebrated in an environment of tolerance, respect and sustainability.

One of the main aims of CSIT is the idea of Sport for All and the organising of Games for amateurs & workers, competitive & non-competitive, for young & old, men & women from all over the world.

The CSIT World Sports Games 2019 will feature 19 CSIT Championships including events in Athletics, Football, Judo, Tennis, Table-Tennis, Para-Sport, Petanque, Wrestling and more.

In addition to these events there will be 15 CSIT Partner Championships including Cheerleading, Powerlifting, American Football, the intriguing Fireball(!) and more.

As well as Minigolf the CSIT World Sports Games will also feature Pitch & Putt and Golf tournaments.

The CSIT and the WMF are both members of GAISF, the Global Association of International Sports Federations.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation is the umbrella organisation of 63 Minigolf sports associations worldwide with continental associations in Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. There are more than 38,000 competitive minigolf players registered with the WMF via the 63 member nations, with 900-plus clubs between them. Over 1,000 courses are approved for official competitions and over 1,500 minigolf tournaments are held each year.

Emily and I have competed in a number of international WMF events, including the Nations Cup in Finland and Sweden and the World Adventure Golf Masters in England.

Emily holds the British women's record score on the miniaturegolf (eternit) format of the game after scoring a round of 24 (-12) on an 18-hole course at the 2011 WMF Nations Cup in Sweden.

Emily playing hole 1 on her way to a British women's record round on the Eternit format of the sport at the WMF Nations Cup 2011 in Stockholm, Sweden

We were both in the sport's international rankings from 2008 to 2016 following our debut for the Great Britain team at the 2008 Nations Cup championships in Tampere, Finland.

Links:
- CSIT World Sports Games 2019
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- International Workers & Amateurs in Sports Confederation
- Global Association of International Sports Federations

Related blog posts:
- WMF
- Spain
- Eternit
- World Minigolf Sport Federation

Blogiversary of the Ham and Egger Files

Today marks twelve years since the Ham and Egger Files began.

Twelve years ago today I began blogging - time has certainly flown by!

I've loved blogging for the last decade and a bit. Writing about the interesting places and weird and wonderful things we've done has been marvellous

I'm often asked how a blog that is mostly about minigolf has the name the 'Ham and Egger Files'? Well, it didn't initially start out life as a minigolf blog.

Back on the 21st December 2006 I published my first post about how I planned to participate in as many obscure and minority sports as I could and see what would happen with the limited sporting ability I have!

The term 'ham and egger' has connotations ranging from that of 'ordinary person' to that of 'loser'. The origin of the term comes from prize fighters whose modest skills wouldn’t let them win large purses. Therefore, the fighter or their manager - who received a percentage of purses won - were never able to afford to eat better than ham and eggs.

Since that first post I have gone on to publish 2,933 posts! Most of them have been about minigolf.

Our interest in minigolf and what would soon become our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour had actually begun on the 30th September 2006, but I didn't publish a post about the sport until the 29th January 2007 when I announced that I had joined the British Minigolf Association - a competition circuit I made my actual debut on in Southend-on-Sea on the 28th April 2007.

Since my first year of blogging Emily and I have now visited 859 miniature golf courses, played in hundreds of tournaments and competed in lots of different sports and games. I've won quite a few titles along the way too, not too bad for a Ham n' Egger.

This year I won the Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open - a title I'd wanted to win for years

A BIG thank you goes out to everyone who has ever read one of my posts, commented, shared, or guest blogged on the site, it's very much appreciated.

Emily and I are happy to hear about new minigolf courses, new sports and games, new places to visit and interesting things to write about. Get in touch if you have any ideas or suggestions for future posts.

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Blogiversary of the Ham and Egger Files

Today marks eleven years since the Ham and Egger Files began.

Playing hole 5 of the 11-hole Crazy Golf course at York Golf Range in Towthorpe near Strensall earlier this year. The course was #764 on our travels

I'm often asked how a blog that is (predominantly) about minigolf has the name the Ham and Egger Files? Well, it didn't initially start out life as a minigolf blog.

Back on the 21st December 2006 I published my first post about how I planned to participate in as many obscure and minority sports as I could and see what would happen with the modicum of sporting ability I have!

The term 'ham and egger' has connotations ranging from that of 'ordinary person' to that of 'loser'. The origin of the term stems from prize fighters whose modest skills wouldn’t let them win large purses. Therefore, the fighter or their manager (who received a percentage of purses won) were never able to afford to eat better than ham and eggs.

My second ever blog post was also on the 21st December and about the fine sport of Finger Jousting.

This post is the 2,750th!

Last year I celebrated my blogiversary by playing the Lost Valley Adventure Golf course at Amazonia in Bolton. The course was #720

Our interest in minigolf and what would become our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour had actually begun on the 30th September 2006, but I didn't publish a post about the sport until the 29th January 2007 when I announced my joining of the British Minigolf Association - a competition circuit I made my actual debut on in Southend-on-Sea on the 28th April.

Emily putting at the 11-hole Pirate-themed Adventure Golf course at the Funland Themepark in 2008. The course was the 69th played on our tour. The blog post about our visit doesn't include a single photo of me, that's a rarity!

Since my first year of blogging Emily and I have visited nearly 800 miniature golf courses, played in hundreds of tournaments and competed in lots of different sports and games. I've won quite a few titles along the way too, not too bad for a Ham n' Egger.

This year I won The Butler Cup Holiday on the Buses Crazy Golf tournament in Prestatyn, one of two tournaments I won in Wales

Thank you to everyone who has ever read a post, commented, shared, or guest blogged on the site, it's very much appreciated.

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

DartsCrazy - the new game from UrbanCrazy

UrbanCrazy's new DartsCrazy game will be free to play at Regents Place in London next Friday, 8th September between 11am and 3pm.

Check out the video below to see the DartsCrazy board / course in action.



Check out the DartsCrazy website for more info on the game.

As well as minigolf / crazy golf / adventure golf the team at UrbanCrazy have also created PongCrazy - table tennis mixed with Crazy Golf style hazards and obstacles!

Links:
- UrbanCrazy
- DartsCrazy
- PongCrazy

Foot Bowl at MFA Bowl in Leeds

While in Leeds we had a couple of games of tenpin bowling at the MFA Bowl below the Merrion Centre. While there we spotted a new game - Foot Bowl.

Foot Bowl (or Footbowl) at MFA Bowl in Leeds

The MFA Bowl in Leeds is home to the only Foot Bowl alley/pitch.

We didn't have time for a game, but we did see a few people giving it a go.

It's interesting to see how many variations of sports and games are being created at the moment, with the likes of Footgolf, Rugby Golf and Football Pool either growing in popularity or being tested. All good stuff to get people more active and having fun.

The Social Fun and Games Club at Roof East

Birdies Crazy Golf to be a part of the Social Fun and Games Club in London.

This summer the Social Fun and Games Club is launching on a rooftop in East London. From Thursday 4th of May you can visit Roof East in Stratford to have a game of minigolf on the Birdies Crazy Golf course.

Loopy for Crazy Golf

The Social Fun and Games Club looks brilliant fun. In addition to playing rooftop Crazy Golf you can also have a game of bowls or play baseball. if sport isn't your thing then you can relax at the Rooftop Film Club or have a dance and skate at Rooftop Rollers - the first rooftop roller disco in London. There will also be cocktails and street food available.

Birdies Crazy Golf was the 672nd course visited on our tour

We played Birdies Crazy Golf back in 2015! How time flies.



Visit the Social Fun and Games Club and Roof East websites for more information, opening times and prices.

Check out this list of Crazy Golf courses in London to see where you can get your fix of the game in the capital.

Links:
- Social Fun and Games Club website
- Roof East website

Related blog posts:
- Details of Crazy Golf, Minigolf and Adventure Golf courses in London
- Rooftop Minigolf Courses in London
- Playing Mini Golf in London at Birdies Crazy Golf Club
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Videos:
- Minigolf at Birdies Crazy Golf Club in Waterloo, London (1 of 2)
- Minigolf at Birdies Crazy Golf Club in Waterloo, London (2 of 2)

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Post-Apocalyptic Minigolf at Somerset House

Play a Post-Apocalyptic Minigolf course at the Now Play This festival in London.

My mate and minigolf rival Gareth Holmes spotted a piece in Time Out about the Now Play This event taking place at Somerset House in London from the 7th to the 9th April. The festival of experimental games design will feature a post-apocalyptic minigolf course!

The Now Play This miniature golf course has been created by Gary Campbell and Jeannine Inglis Hall and is called 'Anthropo-Scenic Golf'. It will be available to play on Saturday 8th April.

Back in 2012 our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour took us to East London where we played at the Golf Apocalypse. That was indeed a crazy game of minigolf.

Playing the 'Golf Apocalypse' Mini Golf course at London's Pleasure Gardens, near Pontoon Dock

Now Play This coincides with the city-wide games initiative, the London Games Festival. Check out the Now Play This, London Games Festival and Somerset House websites for more information.

If you're visiting the event you may want to check out some of the other miniature golf courses in London while you're in the city.

Ten years of The Ham & Egger Files

Today marks the tenth anniversary of The Ham & Egger Files blog.

On the 21st December 2006 I wrote the first post introducing the blog and outlining my participation in many obscure and minority sports with the aim of having as much fun as possible with the modicum of sporting ability I have! The second post was about Finger Jousting.

I've had a lot of FUN blogging over the last ten years

Since then the 2,381 posts I've written have received 1.1 million page views from people in 110 countries.

Our travels have taken Emily and I to twelve countries, 500+ places in the UK, 220+ seasides and 719 miniature golf courses.

While many of my blog posts have been about Crazy Golf and Minigolf, I've also blogged about Coeliac Disease and living on a lifelong gluten free diet, travel, social history and a lot of other sports and games.

Related blog posts:
- My most viewed blog post - Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in and around London
- Sports and Games played

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

The volleyball net in Felixstowe

I've been visiting the seaside town of Felixstowe in Suffolk for many many years now and not once have I seen anyone using the volleyball net on the bit of grass on Sea Road.

And yet, there it hangs, year after year, peak season, out of season, come rain or shine. It's always just there.

The Felixstowe volleyball net

End of the Petanque season in Stockport. Or is it...

Playing Pétanque at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport.

Today's session of Pétanque in the Park with the Woodstock Pétanque Club was scheduled to be the last of the season. But with the nice weather and good turnout of players the club are looking at rolling on into the winter months, weather permitting.

Lovely weather and excellent company. What sport is all about

In today's session I walked away with a 100% win record. Albeit having only played one match as I was otherwise engaged prior to the normal 1pm start time.

My bright new coche. With my shinyish newish boules

The format of play at the Woodstock Pétanque Club is great fun. It's easy to get involved and pick up the sport and well worth a go if you've never played before.

In our game - the last of three in the afternoon - I was drawn in a triples team with Jackie and Barbara to take on the pair of Paul and Andrew. In this type of situation each of the players in the team of three use two boules each, while the duo get to use three boules each.

What a match-up the blind drew created

With some very close ends played and some fine shooting and pointing from all the players we emerged as winners with a 13-8 scoreline.

The Woodstock Pétanque Club meets-up on the second and fourth Sunday of each month. New players are very welcome. It costs just £10 for the annual membership, with a £1 fee per week when you play - with prizes up for grabs for results over the three games played. The 'normal' season runs from March to October. Check out the Woodstock Pétanque Club's website for more details.

Related blog posts:
- Pétanque
- Petanque
- Boules
- Petanque in Stockport

Links:
- Woodstock Pétanque Club on Twitter
- Woodstock Pétanque Club on Facebook
- Woodstock Pétanque Club website
- English Pétanque Association
- Geologic

Blogging for eight years today

As of today I've been blogging for eight years!

Richard Gottfried, veteran blogger

I've written 1,931 blog posts.

The blog has received almost 700,000 page views.

With readers from over 100 countries.

In that time Emily and I have travelled to 193 seasides.

We've played more than 30 different sports and games.

And visited 588 minigolf, crazy golf, putting and adventure golf courses.

Plus, I've found, tried and reviewed lots of gluten free food & drink.

Thank you all for reading, liking, commenting, tweeting, RT'ing, sharing and +1'ing :-)

Related blog posts:
- My first blog post "The Ham & Egger Files – An Introduction"
- My most viewed blog post "Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in and around London"
- Behold...

“Is Mini Golf a Sport or Not?"

What do you think?

Like me, are you firmly in the belief that Minigolf is a real sport?

Or, do you think that it's 'just a game'?

Well, Jack FM Radio's World of Sport show asked the question “Is Mini Golf a Sport or Not?” on their show this morning. You can listing to the raging minigolf debate on the 'Sport or Not' section of the Jack FM website.

If you're on Facebook you can cast your vote as to whether you think Minigolf is a sport or not on the Jack FM Facebook page.

Links:

- World of Sport on Jack FM

- World of Sport's 'Sport or Not'

- BMGA News Article - Minigolf Debate on Jack FM Radio “Is Mini Golf a Sport or Not”?

The World Alternative Games in Llanwrtyd Wells

I recently found out about The World Alternative Games 2012 that are taking place in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales from the 17th of August and the 2nd of September. It sounds brilliant.

The multi-sport event features a number of weird and wacky, bizarre, odd and obscure, fringe sports - some of which I have participated in over the years!

Looking at the website there will be a total of 49 events during the fortnight, including an opening & closing ceremony.

As an avid fan of alternative sports and games I've heard of a fair few of them, but others, like Underwater Rugby, The Mad Shopper and Welsh Crempog Race are new to me!

Some of the sports/championships on offer include the World Bathtubbing Championships, Gravy Wrestling, the International Under Water Hockey Championships, Conkers, Barrel Rolling and a Ditch Race! Of those sports I've heard of there will be events in Worm Charming, Rock Paper Scissors, Pea Shooting and Pooh Sticks.

The World Alternative Games is planned to become a bi-annual event, so if you can't make 2012, there's always 2014. Fingers crossed that Crazy Golf, Thumb Wrestling and Finger Jousting make the schedule in two years time...

Link:

- The World Alternative Games - Brochure

Related Blog Posts:

- Rock Paper Scissors

- Worm Charming

- Behold...

Playing Pétanque in the Luton Community Games

An introduction to the sport of Pétanque at the Luton Community Games at Luton Regional Sports Centre.

As part of the Luton 4 Life Community Games weekend Emily and I headed to Luton Regional Sports Centre in Stopsley to take part in the Pétanque sessions. 

Richard throwing a boule in a game of Pétanque at Luton Regional Sports Centre

We were welcomed by a chap called Alan from the Chiltern Region of the English Pétanque Association; his Polo shirt also denoted that he was the 'Team Manager'. After being introduced to some different sizes and weights of boules we got straight to having a few practice throws and were given an introduction to the rules of the game.

Emily playing Pétanque in the Luton Community Games

We’ve both previously played Boules, but never received instruction in the game so it was nice to be given the ‘pro’ rules and told about the different game formats and how to score properly by the experts.

Richard throwing a boule in a game of Pétanque

We then paired up with a club member, with Emily and Alan taking on me and a fellow called Ian. With each player given three boules and the aim to reach 13 points to win, we began playing up and down the terrain/piste (the pitch) and each time a team scored points the playing area changed. This was because the cosh (or jack) was thrown into place between 6-10 metres from the last position of it. Therefore one of the tactics is to work out where the ‘break’ on the terrain is and how much pace and/or spin is required for each shot – no two games will be played on the exact same playing surface or area! In our first game Emily and Ian picked up the win 13-9.

The Result of Game 1 of the Pétanque in the Luton Community Games

Emily sat out the next game as Ian and I once again teamed-up, this time facing Alan and a chap called Kier (I think). This match was shorter and after scoring a four Alan’s team had a good lead. After our lack of scoring since the middle of the previous match we managed to win back the throw of the cosh and score a few points, but unfortunately Ian and I continued our 100% losing streak with a 13-4 loss.

The Result of Game 2 of the Pétanque in the Luton Community Games

A great fun way to spend a late morning and early afternoon in Luton. We were told that there are 28 clubs in the Chiltern Region. There are also some novice competitions played during the season and the club also has teams in a couple of leagues, with some players also in the England and Great Britain teams. The team have club nights on Friday’s at Luton Regional Sports Centre and will be moving to the new Inspire sports centre in Luton when their current season on the existing terrain finishes.

"Spot the Boule" contest - click here for a hi-res image - and scroll down for the 'answer'

Pétanque is a great fun sport that is easy to pick up and play, but like so many sports and games, difficult to master. The team running the Luton Community Games Pétanque sessions were nice and friendly and I could have easily spent the entire day playing the game. I’d definitely play again and hopefully next time I'll pick up a win!

Links:

- English Pétanque Association

o Information about the sport of Pétanque

o The Official Rules of the Game of Pétanque

- Chiltern Region Pétanque

- Active Luton

- Community Games
- London Luton Airport - event sponsor

Related Blog Posts:

- Boules Invitational Tournament at The Mumbles

"Spot the Boule" - it was on me 'ead!?

Emily captured the boule mid-flight and in perfect line with my bonce!