held at:   Prospect    30 June, 2019

From one extreme to the other… This season’s State Triples Championship was postponed in February due to extreme heat. Second time around it was nearly a washout. Fortunately, the torrential downpour that fell on Saturday made way for a fine day on Sunday. It was a bit chilly and the pistes were still damp, but at least they weren’t flooded and it wasn’t raining.

The atmosphere at this competition was a little different to previous years. This was not just because of the very pleasing record turnout of twenty teams. It was also because many of the players (about half of them) were participating in the event for their first time. However, the standard of competition has remained high in this renaissance period for South Australian pétanque.

Many of the newer teams gave a very good account of themselves, making up about half of the teams that progressed beyond the preliminaries and claiming some big scalps along the way. On the other hand, those who missed the cut included a few of the more seasoned teams who initially might have been seen as some of the strongest contenders for the title.

In the end, though, it was experience that won out. In fact, the grand finalists may have felt a sense of deja vu, as five of the six players involved had also played in the final of the 2017/18 championship. On one side were the formidable defending champions, Selina Dally, Craig Stewart and Alexi Alexi, from the Eastern Suburbs club. Their opponents once again were an Adelaide Hills combo, comprising Brian Tuckfield & Anthony Pietsch, out for revenge, teamed up this time with Ralph Foster.

A very experienced player, Ralph has had an extended hiatus from competitive pétanque but was recently persuaded to return to the fold and thus reconstitute a team that has had some success in the past. It may have been some time between drinks, but the combination of Foster, Tuckfield & Pietsch already had a  State Triples title to their name. Interestingly, their victory in 2009/10 came after having been runners-up the year before.

This year’s final was hotly contested and the quality of the game did not disappoint the small crowd of spectators who stayed to watch — not as much shooting as we sometimes see, but plenty of the more subtle arts of the game were on display. It started as an arm wrestle until, at 6-7 down, the ESP team made their move and forged ahead. They had their chances and, at 12-7, some may have thought the whole thing was done and dusted. However, little did they know that the Hills team were working to a cunning plan. In a masterful execution of the old ‘lull them into a false sense of security then jump them at the end’ strategy, timed to perfection, the latter prevailed to take out the honours.

On a historical note, Ralph, Brian & Anthony become the first trio to win two State Triples Championships in SA. A number of  players have won multiple titles (including Alexi and Craig), but it has always been as part of different combinations.Continue reading→

The final round of the 2018/19 season was held in less than ideal conditions, with more extensive periods of rain than had been forecast, accompanied by a cold wind. Nevertheless, it was not enough to deter another excellent turnout of 22 teams, at a time when quite a few of the regulars were away.

The story this season has been one of total domination by a single club, the likes of which we have never seen before. Eastern Suburbs already had an unassailable lead, but the prospect of a dead rubber made no difference. Nor did it seem to matter that several of their key players were absent for Round 6, including their entire gold-medal-winning team from Round 5. This time around it was Selina Dally, Craig Stewart & Maurice Belz taking out the day’s honours, with Anna O’Connor, Tim Whelan and Wendy Bensen claiming silver.

All sorts of records have been broken by ESP this year. Perhaps the most remarkable is their final tally of exactly 300 championship points, which neatly equates to an average of 50 points per round. The only way for a club to get 50 points or more in one round is to have the winning team and another team finishing second or third. To do it once is quite an achievement. To maintain it over the entire season is simply staggering. Furthermore, it wasn’t achieved on the back of just one or two outstanding individuals. Sixteen ESP squad members featured in medal-winning positions during the season, with ten players taking home at least one gold. Congratulations to all.Continue reading→

held at:   Club de Pétanque d’Adelaide    5 May, 2019
A near-record turnout of players for this year’s SA Singles Championships were rewarded with some fine and very pleasant autumn weather, a great atmosphere and some excellent competition.
The Open attracted a strong field of 24 entrants and the evenness of the competition was reflected in the results. Across the preliminary rounds, all but four players chalked up at least two wins out of their five games while only three individuals won more than three. Nevertheless, two remained undefeated and, to prove that it was more than just ‘luck of the draw’, these two remained that way throughout the knockout rounds and into the Final.
On one side was local hero Raja Jamaleddine, gunning for his third title in this event. His opponent was Maurice Belz. These two men both have experience representing their country at the international level — but not for the same country. This was Maurice’s first appearance in a SAPL championship since relocating here from NZ last year and he showed why he has already had such a large impact on the local pétanque scene.
The Final was a worthy contest and a demonstration of pétanque played at the very highest level by two elite players. Raja made the early running, establishing a small lead but not able to break away. The competition was fierce and every ball had the potential to turn things around. Eventually, Maurice made his move at just the right time and clinched the title with a 13-10 victory. Bravo Maurice.

Maurice Belz State Singles Champion 2019

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There were no worries about the hot weather policy this time, as the weather for Round 5 was unseasonably cool for March. A few spots of light rain punctuated the morning session but the sun came out later, making for a very pleasant afternoon.

The competition was once again dominated by Eastern Suburbs, as has been the trend all season. In fact, this was the fourth time in five rounds that the club has scored more than fifty championship points and it has now amassed an awesome total and secured the title with one round yet to play.

On this occasion it was Nick Armstrong, Alexi Alexi & Arwed Turon taking out the day’s honours – the third gold medal for Alexi and Arwed this season. In second place were Deb Rodda, Selina Dally & Wendy Bensen, while Anna O’Connor, Marcus Marndaz & Ray Drummond  finished third to complete the ESP trifecta. Surprisingly perhaps, in light of their strong record, this is the first time Eastern Suburbs have ever taken all the medals in a clean sweep.

The very successful teams from ESP

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