Report from the 2012 International Rock Paper Scissors Championships

Our “Wildcard” team from San Marino finish 4th!

On Thursday 9th August Emily and I headed to the Knight’s Templar Pub on Chancery Lane in London as it was the host venue for the 2012 International Rock Paper Scissors Championships organised by the team at Wacky Nation!

We’ve competed in the 2010 and 2011 UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships and the event is always a great sporting and drinking occasion.

With over 150 athletes in 16 teams representing a range of countries including Lapland, Austria, Japan and Great Britain, Emily and I teamed-up with fellow ‘wildcards’ Dave and Sophie Barry from the USA. As we couldn’t play as a combined "UK-USA" team we decided to represent San Marino!



The team from San Marino!



The Wacky Nation Rock Paper Scissors Championships attract a great deal of media attention and BBC 2’s James May and his Man Lab team had enlisted the help of 2011 UK RPS Champion Max Deeley. For some reason their team also included football hardman Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock!

Prior to the start of the competition I challenged ‘Razor’ to a friendly RPS contested to warm-up. Needless to say I won the one-throw shootout! It was an ill-tempered clash with plenty of foul language, gamesmanship and it almost resulted in a knock-out punch!

Richard Gottfried faces Neil 'Razor' Ruddock in an International Rock Paper Scissors 'friendly' match!

Neil 'Razor' Ruddock wasn't too pleased in losing to me in a Rock Paper Scissors match!

With the main event drawing ever closer the teams were divided into two pools and commenced with a series of Round Robin matches. Our team of Sammarinese players were in a division that also consisted of Lapland A, Austria, Japan, South Sudan and Somalia. Having had a few practice games within our team in order to get our throws right (throwing on two, not three pumps) we set out on our road to the knockout rounds.

Richard Gottfried (left) and a South Sudanese athlete both throw 'Rock'

Matches were played in a ‘first to four points’ format with each player in the team taking it in turns to win a point by competing in a ‘best of three’ Rock Paper Scissors game. Our team managed to rack up win loss record of won four, lost one to have one-foot in the finals. However before any teams could advance from our pool a play-off was required as Austria and Lapland A had also finished with four wins and one loss!

A play-off was required and thankfully our team were able to win both of our matches to advance alongside Lapland A, with the Austrians unfortunately sent home.

Reaching the semi-finals of the International Rock Paper Scissors Championships was the furthest stage of an RPS contest I’ve ever reached having been knocked out in the preliminaries in 2010 and 2011. Dave and Sophie’s play was very impressive and were on fire in their tournament debuts. Emily has reached the higher levels of competition and so had some experience to bring to the team.

The first semi-final saw San Marino take on the Vatican City team in a ‘first to six points’ match. Unfortunately we lost and were therefore unable to go for gold and would have a chance for the bronze in the repechage. Lapland A picked up a victory over Great Britain to reach the final and the veteran team, also known as The Richard Richard Danes Appreciation Society, would face the Vatican City.

Dave Barry (left) faces one of the Vatican City competitors

Before the final the bronze medal play-off was played between San Marino and Great Britain. The opening stages of the match echoed the famous fast goal by footballer Davide Gualtieri of San Marino against England in 1993. Much like that match the scoreline was one-sided and the result meant San Marino didn’t win.

The final match saw Lapland’s ‘A’ team take on the might of the Vatican City’s finest. This contest was played to seven points and with a huge and rowdy crowd watching on it was the Laplanders who won the contest, the gold medals, the huge trophy and the coveted title of International Rock Paper Scissors Champions!

Our team mate Dave Barry wrote about his experience in international sporting competition in his column for The Miami Herald! It’s a great report and do check it out at "Dave Barry: Representing a country is great feeling."

The 2012 UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships will be taking place at the Crosse Keys Pub in London on Saturday 13th October. For more information please visit Wacky Nation.

Links:

- Wacky Nation

- The Miami Herald - "Dave Barry: Representing a country is great feeling."

- 2012 UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships

Related Blog Posts:

- Report from the Sportingbet UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships 2011

- UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships 2010 - Report, Photos and Videos from the Event!

- All Rock Paper Scissors Blog Posts

Minigolf Report - The Brewmaster’s Open Mini Golf Tournament at the Camden Town Brewery

10th August 2012

Press Information

For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report from The Brewmaster’s Open in Camden

On Saturday 4th August Minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried were joined by fellow Lutonian Simon Hall in competing in The Brewmaster’s Open Minigolf Competition at the Camden Town Brewery in London.

The 'Pro' and 'Semi-Pro' Minigolfers at the entrance to The Brewmaster’s Open Mini Golf course. from l-r 'Squire' Richard Gottfried, Christopher 'Beya' Gottfried, Alan 'Stormin' Norman (seated on barrell), Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried, Seth 'Clockwork Orange' Thomas, Simon 'Practice' Hall

The Brewmaster’s Open tournament was played on an UrbanCrazy Miniature Golf course that had been built inside the Camden Town Brewery. Players had to putt around Beer Keg obstacles placed over the 5-hole layout.

Over 200 players competed during the event, with the best score of the day being a round of 8(-2) by London’s Alan Norman to take the first prize of “A lot of Camden Town Brewery’s Beer!” Richard Gottfried finished in tied second place with London’s Seth Thomas after both players had scored a round of 9(-1).



Richard Gottfried lines-up a Putt on hole 1 at The Brewmaster's Open - he would 'Ace' the hole in each round



As well as the overall leaderboard competition six British Minigolf Association (BMGA) Tour Pro players competed in a three-round contest. Alan Norman stormed to victory with a total of 28(-2), with Seth Thomas runner-up with 30(par). Richard Gottfried took third place with a total of 31(+1) following rounds of 10, 9 and 12.



The top-3 'Pro' players at The Brewmaster's Open - from l-r 'Squire' Richard Gottfried (3rd), Alan 'Stormin' Norman (1st), Seth 'Clockwork Orange' Thomas (2nd)

Richard Gottfried said “The Brewmaster’s Open was one of the strangest Minigolf events I’ve played in. The course was really nice to play and the hospitality of the organisers at the Camden Town Brewery was top notch. My third round was a bit shaky which put paid to my chances of winning, but I had a great time at the competition.”

The 'Pro' & 'Semi-Pro' Minigolfers during a rest break at the Camden Town Brewery Brewmaster's Open tournament

Simon Hall was making his Minigolf competition debut and finished in tied third place on the overall leaderboard with his best round of 10(par). In the ‘Pro’ contest he was tied for fifth with Emily Gottfried. Southsea’s Christopher Gottfried was fourth with a score of 35(+5).



Christopher Gottfried plays hole 5 at The Brewmaster’s Open



Simon Hall said “What a crazy introduction to a Minigolf competition! Who knew you could organise a Minigolf Competition in a Brewery.”

Ends

Links:

- Camden Town Brewery
- Camden Town Brewery - Photos of The Brewmaster's Open on Facebook

- This weekend at the Brewery!

- The Brewmaster's Open

Related Blog Posts:

- Mini Golf at the Camden Town Brewery in London

- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in Pub Beer Gardens

- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in and around London

- Pub Games

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Mini Golf at the Camden Town Brewery in London

Playing the 302nd course on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Mini Golf in a Brewery!

On Saturday 4th August 2012 we headed along to the Camden Town Brewery in London as we'd been told about a Minigolf competition taking place there!

My Minigolf rival and sometimes team mate Kevin Moseley had tweeted me to let me know about the event and so we made sure to add the date to the diary. We've played a few Crazy Golf courses in pub beer gardens on our travels, but never heard of a Miniature Golf course being set-up in a brewery!

A lot of beer kegs and the tee-off area of hole 1 at Camden Town Brewery's Mini Golf course

From 12pm to 8pm on the 4th August the team at the Camden Town Brewery were running "The Brewmaster's Open" Mini Golf competition on a five-hole Minigolf course supplied by UrbanCrazy.

A view of the 'Brewmaster's' ingenious Minigolf course layout

The unique venue and course layout was a real attraction and the price of a round of Minigolf also including a pint at the end. "Lots of free beer" was the prize on offer to the winner at the end of the day, with a free case of beer to any player managing a perfect round of five holes-in-one!

Southsea's Number One Minigolfer Christopher Gottfried is impressed with the Mini Golf course

Our group of six arrived at 2pm to find the course record had been set at 10. As well as competing in the overall Brewmaster's Open we had decided to play a three-round 'Pro / Semi-Pro' event amongst our group to make a day of it. The Camden Town Brewery had a great atmosphere, with a busy bar, plenty of seating inside & out, and the Olympics on a big screen TV. It was a nice setting for a few hours of Minigolfing and Drinking.

The group of Crazy Golfing 'Pro' Players. From l-r Richard Gottfried, Christopher Gottfried, Alan Norman (seated on keg), Emily Gottfried, Seth Thomas, Simon Hall

Our group split into three groups of two for the first two-rounds, with the final round to be played in reverse leaderboard order in two groups of three players.



I play hole 5 at The Brewmaster's Open Minigolf Tournament

Having scored an 8(-2) in round one Alan 'Stormin' Norman set the new course record and had gained a two-shot lead over me and three-shots over Seth 'Clockwork Orange' Thomas. He followed up the 8 with a 9(-1) to retain his lead heading into round three.

I celebrate yet another hole-in-one on hole 1 at The Brewmaster's Open

Following a 'refreshment break' in the bar of the brewery we headed back onto the course to complete the 'Pro' contest and also see if Alan was still at the top of the leaderboard in the overall day-long contest. Indeed he was.

The 'Pro' & 'Semi-Pro' Minigolfers take a 'refreshment break' at the Camden Town Brewery during The Brewmaster's Open tournament

The final round saw Alan score an 11(+1) to take the victory in our contest, I scored a disappointing 12(+2) and slipped to third place, with Seth Thomas shooting a 10(par) to move up one place to second.

Alan 'Stormin' Norman plays hole 2

My brother Christopher finished in fourth place, scoring rounds of 13, 11 and 11 for a total of 35(+5) and showing the experience he gained in the one and only BMGA Tour event he ever played in - the 2008 Brighton Open.

Christopher Gottfried playing hole 5 at The Brewmaster's Open

Emily and Simon 'Practice' Hall tied for fifth place with a score of 36(+6). Simon, playing in his first tournament, did manage a best round of 10(par) to earn a place on the Brewmaster's Open Leaderboard in tied third place!

The Brewmaster's Open course and competition had one of the best scorecards produced for it - a Beermat advertising the event along with a scorecard on the reverse! A really great piece of Miniature Golf ephemera.

Some pints and a beermat advertising The Brewmaster's Open

After the final round we headed back to the bar for some celebratory drinks and food. As we were leaving we had to grab a final look at the leaderboard and saw that Alan had been joined at the top of the leaderboard with another player who had scored an 8! Over 200 people played the course during the day and luckily for Alan no-one managed to better the 8 during the day, so he became the Champion of the first-ever Brewmaster's Open!

I was happy with my best round of 9 to tie for the runner-up spot along with Seth Thomas and a few other players.

Seth 'Clockwork Orange' Thomas plays hole 3 while Luton's third best Minigolfer Simon 'Practice' Hall looks on

The Camden Town Brewery is well worth a visit and you can find it located under the railway arches of Kentish Town West Overground Station.

Links:

- Camden Town Brewery

- Camden Town Brewery - Photos of The Brewmaster's Open on Facebook

Related Minigolf and Beer Blog Posts:

- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in Pub Beer Gardens

- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in and around London

- A New Minigolf Beer - The '19th Hole' from Uncle Stuart's Brewery at Wroxham Barns, Norfolk

- Pub Games

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Ephemera

A Gottfried vs. Gottfried Crazy Golf Match on Selfridges' Roof in London

A Crazy Golf battle between two of the Gottfried brothers on the roof of Selfridges London.

After watching the Archery at the London 2012 Olympic Games my brother Christopher and I headed to the 9-hole Bompas & Parr Crazy Golf course that is on the rooftop of Selfridges Department Store during the summer 'Big British Bang' event at the store.

We've had quite a few Crazy Golf matches against each other over the years and Christopher was with us when we played the course that would become the first on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

With the course filled with London-landmarks sculpted in cake form the layout was quite different to any other Miniature Golf course Christopher had played before, but the natural sportsman in him meant he took the lead on the second hole (Big Ben Rebound)!

Christopher plays his second shot on hole 2 - it looks more like Piccadilly Circus than Westminster with all the 'traffic'!

The very difficult third hole was the bane of many a player at the course on our visit, as indeed it has been in the tournaments I've played there since the course opened. We scored a 4 and a 6.

The pair of us had a great time in a very close match-up that lacked holes-in-one, with neither of us getting an Ace until the 9th hole!

Richard Gottfried playing the 5th hole of the Bompas & Parr Crazy Golf

In the end, and with a feeling of relief, I picked up the win 22 to 26 to (just about) claim the bragging rights.

Christopher Gottfried playing the 9th hole of the Bompas & Parr Crazy Golf

The course is in place until September and if you haven't given it a play yet you really should. The roof at Selfridges was one of the first sites in the UK to be home to a Minigolf course and back in the 1930's players flocked there to Putt above Oxford Street!

Links:

- Selfridges

- Bompas & Parr

- Selfridges Big British Bang

Related Blog Posts:

- A Gottfried vs. Gottfried Crazy Golf Match in Abingdon-on-Thames

- Minigolf Report - Crazy Golf Pro Championship at Selfridges London

- Minigolf Report – Richard Gottfried wins the Crazy Golf with Bompas & Parr Championship June Playoff

- Playing Minigolf on the Selfridges Rooftop Crazy Golf course!

- Selfridges to get a Crazy Golf course and Tea Room on Rooftop Garden

- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in and around London

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Great Gluten Free Food News - Leon makes their Baked Fries Coeliac-friendly!

While in London today I was feeling peckish so had a look in Leon's Carnaby Street Restaurant to see what was new. I was incredibly pleased to see that the Baked Fries are now Gluten Free!!!

The menu has a BIG Star next to the Baked Fries that says "Now GF" - a very pleasing sight indeed :-)

I had to get some - they would be the first Lattice-type 'fancy' fries I've had in about five years!!!

Leon's Baked Fries are now Gluten Free! They're very tasty too.

It may seem like such a small thing, but for someone who has Coeliac Disease to be able to eat like someone with a 'normal' diet is such a great thing.

I also enjoyed a very tasty Persian Chicken & Avocado Superfood Salad and a Raspberry Lemonade.

If you're a Coeliac I highly recommend you visit a Leon Restaurant. Great food, great service, great value.

Thank you Leon!

PS - Dear Leon, If you'd like to open a restaurant in Luton, Bedfordshire I'd be very very happy!

Links:
- Leon Restaurants
- Coeliac UK

British Minigolf Association Rankings Updates - July 2012

The latest British Minigolf Association Rankings Lists have been updated following the Tournaments at the Oswestry Games and the BMGA British Matchplay Championships.

In the BMGA Official Strokeplay Rankings for 2012 I have moved up one place and am now ranked 12th of 87 players. Emily is now in 40th spot.

In the BMGA Season Only Rankings for 2012 I have moved up to a new career high of 5th place of 54 players. Emily is 34th.

Neither of us played in the recent BMGA British Matchplay Championships. I am now ranked in 16th place of 58 players, while Emily is in 39th position.

For more information on the British Minigolf Association please visit the BMGA website.

The next leg of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour has begun...

...with Minigolf course number 301 played at the Oswestry Games!

The 501st Minigolf course visited, and 301st played, on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the cunning 9-hole Putterfingers layout that was set-up at the Oswestry Games Closing Day by the members of the British Minigolf Association on Sunday 15th July.

The 9-hole Putterfingers layout at the Oswestry Games Fun Day

Playing the course in the BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship

Playing hole 2 on the Putterfingers course

I also picked up my first BMGA Tour victory in a while on the course in the afternoon's BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship.

Here's to the next 499 course visits to bring us up to 1,000! Hopefully a few more of them will be open on our visit...

Links:
- Putterfingers
- Oswestry Games

Related Blog Posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- A Minigolf Visit to Wonderland in Telford!
- Minigolf Report - Gottfrieds win at the Oswestry Games in Shropshire

“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”?

It’s not just winning that counts, it’s as much about taking part!

If you’re regular reader of this blog, follow me on Twitter, or know me out there in the real world, you’ll know that I’m very competitive. No matter what the sport, game or activity!

All this week Adidas have been running a daily #takethestage competition on their Twitter page to win tickets to the Opening Ceremony at the London 2012 Olympic Games! Each day a tweet has been posted and an advert has been in the Sun newspaper asking people to put on their official Team GB sweatbands, strike a different sporting pose and send the photo to the @adidasUK twitter account with the hashtag #takethestage.

In my endeavours to win I’ve been a Weightlifter, Boxer, Javelin Thrower and Cyclist. However I didn’t win. Congratulations to the other competitors though. I’m looking forward to watching the Opening Ceremony on the box tonight and seeing the parade of athletes as they make their way into the stadium.

It’s been a brilliant online marketing campaign and great fun in trying (in my case in vain) to find a winning sporting pose. Take a look at my efforts below and see what you think...

Striking a Weightlifting Pose - a quite Herculean feat to lift "1 Ton"

My favourite of the week - a bit of face punching for the Boxing Pose. I actually missed the deadline with this photo as well! What a Ham & Egger.

Full recovered from my pugilism I attempt to 'clean up' in the competition with a spot of Mop Javelin throwing

In what appears to be a race between a man in a 'Yellow Jersey', me and an Alsation I appear to have finished second while riding a 'bike' in Luton town centre for my Cycling Pose!

Many thanks to my long suffering wife, opponent, coach and photographer Emily for snapping away at my efforts.

I’ll be proudly wearing my Team GB sweatbands and enjoying watching the Olympic athletes in action as they take part on the biggest stage of them all. I'll be cheering them all whether they win, or just take part!

Links:

- Adidas UK

- Adidas UK Twitter

Twitter Links:
- 23rd July 2012 - Weightlifting Pose
- 23rd July 2012 - Boxing Pose
- 23rd July 2012 - Javelin Pose
- 23rd July 2012 - Cycling Pose
- #takethestage 

Playing Golf in the Luton Community Games

Playing in our first Par-3/Pitch & Putt competition as part of the Luton Community Games weekend at Stockwood Park.

Following our introduction to the sport of Pétanque on the first day of the Luton 4 Life Community Games, Emily and I headed to Stockwood Park's BIG Mini Golf course for a Par-3/Pitch & Putt Golf tournament!

Upon registration at the gazebo next to the first tee we had to declare our Golf skill level for a handicap rating (beginner, intermediate, or advanced).

Emily was classified as a beginner as she doesn't play Pitch & Putt that often and were given handicaps of '12'. I said I would be an intermediate player as I'd never played a full-round of Golf, but do play a lot of Mini & Crazy Golf - after this raised a laugh from one of the chaps doing the registrations (quite cheeky of him, Grrr) I was given a handicap of '7'.

We then had a quick chat with Graham from Team Beds & Luton, the tournament organiser, grabbed our Putters & Pitching Wedges, had a very quick warm-up and set off for the first tee.

Emily Gottfried setting up a tee-shot under the flight path of London Luton Airport

It was great that the lovely summer weather decided to restart on the morning of the competition and there was some very nice sunshine and heat for our 9.30am tee-off time.

Emily Gottfried playing out of an old bunker, next to an old bunker at Stockwood Park

We had a very pleasant round on the very well maintained course. Thanks must go to the group playing ahead of us on hole 7 who warned us of the extra hazard that had been left in the cup of hole 2 by an overnight 'visitor' to the course!

There were some cracking recovery shots played during our round and some very nice putting too. The Greens on the Stockwood Park Par-3 course are brilliant. The course as a whole is very well maintained, and while there are some quite deep areas of rough that can be troublesome to play out of, when you are on the green it is an absolute pleasure to play.

Richard Gottfried playing hole 8 in the Luton Community Games Golf Competition at Stockwood Park Golf course

At the end of the round we signed our scorecard, posed for some photos and had another chat with Graham who gave us some further information about the new Get Back Into sports activities that are coming up soon - Golf is one of them and you get more info on the Get Back Into website. It was through Get Back Into that I got back into playing Dodgeball!

The results of the event came through via email following the event as there were tournament rounds being played from 8.30am until midday. After playing Golf we went for a wander to the Athletics Centre to see the other Luton 4 Life Community Games activities.

The overall winner in the 27 player competition was Shane Timoney with a round of 30 for a Net score of 18! The joint runners-up were James Brennan and Michael Scanlon who both scored a Net 21(-6).

I finished in a tie for 12th place and Emily in 23rd.

The competition was a nice way to spend a few hours and  I'd definitely play in some more Pitch & Putt/Par-3 competitions at the course in the future. The Stockwood Park Mini/Par-3 Golf course is well worth a play if you're in the area. There is a good Driving Range facility at the club too, along with a bar and if you're so inclined a full 18-hole BIG Golf course.

Many thanks to Graham at Team Beds & Luton for organising the competition.

Links:

- Team Beds & Luton
- Active Luton
- Stockwood Park Golf Centre

- Community Games
- London Luton Airport - event sponsor

Related Blog Posts:

- Playing Pétanque in the Luton Community Games

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Played #30 Luton (Stockwood Park) - Mini Golf/Pitch & Putt
- Dodgeball - then and now

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!