Round 5 of the Interclub competition was held at Prospect in fine and mild conditions.

In the previous round we had seen something of a comeback by second-placed Club d’Adelaide, to keep them in contention, but this time around it was championship leader Eastern Suburbs who reasserted their dominance of this season’s competition.

It may be the case that no more than two teams from a club can score points towards the championship, but when you get five teams in the top nine, including first, second and fourth, it doesn’t leave a lot of points for everyone else. The cream of the crop on the day were the highly-credentialled trio of Raja Jamaleddine, Sukrit Vaswani (fresh from his win in the Australian Open) and Craig Stewart.Continue reading→

It was a case of ‘third time lucky’. After two cancellations due to extreme heat, the Gawler club finally got the chance to host what was supposed to be Round 3, but turned out to be Round 4. This time around, the concern was more about getting too wet rather than getting too hot, but our luck held. The forecast thunderstorms did not eventuate and the only substantial shower of rain was conveniently timed during the luncheon interval.

Unfortunately, the improvised timing of this event — on a long weekend, in a period when Adelaide is abuzz with other attractions — meant there was a smaller than usual field of teams competing. However, with the regular number of championship points still up for grabs, this provided more opportunities for those who did attend.

Visiting players were very impressed with the new structures that have gone up since we were last at Gawler. A large verandah and generous shelters between the playing areas now provide covered areas for al fresco dining and, when required, a handy refuge from the sun or the rain. These developments add further amenity to what was already a very pleasant and attractive venue.

On the pistes, it was Club d’Adelaide who dominated this round, with their three teams all finishing in the top five. In particular, going home with an IOU (oops) for a gold medal, was their experienced trio of Tony Stojsic, Louis Oltarczy and Jean-Paul Bouyer. Well done guys.Continue reading→

The history of League competition at Stirling is littered with tales of bitter cold and ‘fog so thick you couldn’t see the other end of the piste’, with a common perception that it always rains. Not so this year. After being greeted by a crisp morning chill (just to remind them where they were), the players soon warmed up in the summer sun en route to a very clement maximum of 24 degrees. Lovely.

Symbolic perhaps, but, more important than the weather, this day was particularly significant for the Adelaide Hills club and its relationship with the League. Last season we didn’t get to play there at all due to issues within the club. Then, when the club’s committee subsequently decided not to reaffiliate with the Federation, any members who wanted to participate in League events had no choice but to join another club, which meant there was no longer an AHP team in the interclub competition. It was a very sad state of affairs and there were fears that this loss to the petanque community might become permanent.

Fortunately, however, enough people cared enough to bring about a change in leadership and a subsequent change of direction. The emphasis is now on unity within and engagement without, just as it should be. This was most evident on the 26th, where it was clear that many enthusiastic members had gone to great lengths to ensure the occasion was a success. Their efforts were appreciated by all and everything ran smoothly throughout the day. Many visiting players commented how pleased they were to be back at this wonderful venue.Continue reading→

held at: Eastern Suburbs Pétanque Club       12 February, 2017

State Triples Champions:      Rada Pierre, Dominique Pierre & Tomas Heredia

Runners-Up:                            Lionel Chazal, Raja Jamaleddine & Nick Armstrong

Semi-Finalists:                        Alexi Alexi, George Lainas & Arwed Turon

Alain Rousse, Antonio Stojsic & Adrian Clements

Consolante Winners:             Sukrit Vaswani, Craig Stewart & Ray Drummond

Consolante Runner-Up:       Martin Verdonk, Richard Voskamp & Garry Karklins

Conviviale Winners:             Allan Sanderson, Brett Williams & Ray Beaumont

After two cancelled League days due to unfortunately-timed hot weather, we finally got lucky. The State Triples Championship was held in ideal conditions.

The day ran smoothly and it was little surprise that it came down to a final involving the form team of recent times, Rada & Dominique Pierre and Tomas Heredia on the one hand, versus the young guns and proven performers, Lionel Chazal, Raja Jamaleddine and Nick Armstrong on the other.

Ultimately, it was the former who took home the title, in a case of experience triumphing over youthful exuberance. Or perhaps the latter ‘spent too many petrol-tickets’ in a very tense semi-final, when they were forced to claw their way back from a 2-10 deficit against Alexi, Arwed and George, who appeared to be peaking at the right time. Or perhaps their unpopular choice of piste for the final backfired on them. Or perhaps you just can’t beat current form.

The historical significance of this result cannot be overstated…

Continue reading→

Those who ventured to Gawler for Round 5 were rewarded with some idyllic weather. On the pistes, the rewards also came for some but were a little elusive for others.

Just to recap, last season it was Allan Sanderson, Brett Williams and Mike Mulvihill, from Prospect, who were gunning for the ‘three-peat’ of consecutive gold medals. They got within a whisker of pulling it off but, in the third leg, they fell at the last hurdle and had to settle for silver.Continue reading→