Petanque suggestion

Here is the next suggestion from our Suggestion Box. Make sure you keep those suggestions rolling in. You can read or add comments to this suggestion by simply clicking on "Comments" at the bottom of this post. Enjoy.

Suggestion: "I think that at the nationals, trophys should be given to the top mixed (mens & womens) team and the top female team as women are at a disadvantage compared to men where it is becoming increasingly clear that to do well at the top level you need to be a male to do well at the Nats. Given that it costs 3-4 hundred notes for the weekend, women are increasingly just making up the no's and they need to be recognised somehow." No name.

Please note that the style of writing by some authors of suggestions or comments may not always be to your liking. I urge you to look beyond this and find the essence of what is being said. As a general guide for writing suggestions you will find you have more impact if you write in a style that is non-confrontational, and you sign off with your name. As the editor of this Blog I will not take on a dictatorial stance and ban or sanitise content.

Cheers, Tom.

It's all in your head

Recently people have been asking me: “How is it possible your shooting success rate is now almost 100%. Not only that, you always carreau”.

The answer is “Subliminal Training”. Don't go out in the cold and rain for your training sessions, stay warm and in front of your computer screen. By watching this animation for only 5 minutes per day, you will reach 100% in no time. Remember, 5 minutes of subliminal training equals 756 hours of work on the piste (this figure varies from person to person and is an average). For best results I recommend you throw your arms up into the air and say-out loud “CARREAU” in unison with the animation. Make sure you tell members of your household or workplace that you are training – you do not want any misunderstandings. Have fun and remember, it’s all in your head.

PS. Some people have reported accelerated results by saying the word “CARREAU” with a French accent.

New calendar

I have put up a new calendar (see CALENDAR link - top right).
When you go to the calendar you should click on the "month" button to see a whole month at a time - third icon from left (see screenshot). All events within the main calendar are clickable.

At the bottom of each month is a summary with the right-hand column clickable (see second screenshot).

The "print friendly" page is also handy. Plus the fact that useful information can be given about tournaments. Try out our own Midwinter Doubles or the Trans Tasman, either in the main calendar or in "This Month's Events" at the bottom of the page. Starting with May, each month will have a "Petanque joke of the month". Who knows, they may even be funny. Hope you like it.

They are the Champions

Here are the club Champions for 2005.
Club Singles: Joan Miller. (6/2/05)
Club Doubles: Lorraine Gibbons & Jeanne Zee. (16/4/05)
Club Triples: Janet King & Helene and Doug Hay. (17/4/05)

National Singles

The National Singles are to be held at Bay View on 3/4 September. Start planning your weekend in Art Deco City.

NZ team Trans Tasman Challenge

To be held in Sydney 14th-15th May 2005:

Gordon Dykes (Windy Hills) has withdrawn from the NZ team. He has been replaced by Steve Thwaites (Christchurch).

Ian Baker (Auckland)
Sharon Cannon (Hawkes Bay)
Tony Chin (Wellington)
Steve Thwaites (Christchurch)
Anita Fletcher (Auckland)
Christian Fouquet (Auckland)
David Lippard (Auckland)
Claire Matthews (Auckland)
Chris Priestley (Auckland)
Michael Rocks (Wellington)
Bethne Rouse (Hawkes Bay)
Dirk Winnie (Wellington)

Reserves:
Margret Fleck (Wellington)
Laurel Priestley (Auckland)
Ken Stentiford (Hamilton)

Selected but not available:

Allan Fletcher (Auckland)
Richard Swaney (Auckland)

The team manager is Trevor Nielson of Rotorua.

Petanque NZ congratulates all these players on their selection, and wishes them all the best as they endeavour to bring the Trophy back to this side of the Tasman.

Messages of support can be emailed to secretary@petanquenz.com and will be forwarded to the team.

Barbara Whittington - Secretary Petanque NZ

2005: Peugeot National Triples

Pétanque Wellington - News: "The Herne Bay triple of Ian Baker, Christian Fouquet, and Richard Swaney secured their first National Triples title by beating their fellow clubmates Allan Fletcher, David Lippard, and Chris Priestley 13-12 in a tense final match."

Click on link above for full results.

Cockle Bay Petanque Club

Diverse membership makes Cockle Bay Petanque Club tick: Nice little story on fast loading page.

Hawkes Bay Autumn Triples

Petanque New Zealand: Regional Tournaments: "Hawkes Bay Autumn Triples entry form"

March Newsletter

Greetings everyone. My apologies for the delay between newsletters. I usually try to get a new issue out at the beginning of each month but I have struggled to find the time to sit down and write. Easter Monday is a good day to do it so here I am.
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NEW MEMBERS:

It is with great pleasure that I welcome a number of new members to the club.
Welcome to Doug and Helene Hay who reside in Palmerston North. As there is no club there now, Doug and Helene have been playing in Khandallah as they visit family members there. They have decided to join our esteemed club and we are very pleased that they have done so. Most of you will remember, Doug winning the grand prize at our Christmas Party.

We also have a group of people from the Takahe Probus Club who have been using the piste on a Thursday morning and they have decided to join. We hope that they will join us in some of our social activities and melee’s.
Welcome to Doug Leigh, Heather Presow, Joan Allen, Jenny Fuller, Marian Nelson, Roma Brice, Norma Wilton, Bernie and Ruth Ryan.
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CLUB CAPTAIN’S HOME PHONE

Effectively immediately, please use my mobile if wanting to contact me.
We will soon be removing our landline and will only be accessible by mobile. My number is 027 270 5666. You can always ring me during the day at work on 3770139 or text my mobile and I will call you back.. I know everyone will ask why, so the answer is – Rochelle, Tim and I all have mobiles and we do not see the point in paying for another phone that we rarely use. It also eliminates all the calls you don’t want!!
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CLUB DOUBLES AND TRIPLES CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Notices are on the board at the club for entries to the above tournaments.

The doubles will be held on Saturday the 16th of April and the Triples on Sunday the 17th of April.
Names must be up no later than Friday 15 April.

Start times will depend on the number of entries but it will be in the morning.
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AGM AND PRIZEGIVING:

A pot luck dinner, the AGM and prize giving will be held after the club triples champs on Sunday the 17th of April.
Depending on the numbers playing we may start the tournament a little later in the morning so we can go straight into the evenings activities. Please all remember to bring a plate.

If you are not playing in the triples we would encourage you to come along in the evening, It will be a chance to meet new members, raise any club issues at the AGM and celebrate with the winners of this years champs. There will also be a presentation to the most improved player.

In the past we have also had an award for the club member who has contributed the most to the club throughout the year. The committee has decided to do away with this award. It was felt that it is unfair to single one person out and we also felt that as it had been presented by Gary Craig who is no longer a member of the club, it did not have as much significance any more.
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THINKING OF YOU:

Most of you will know that Tina collapsed at the club a couple of weeks ago and has been in hospital. She is home now and I am sure that she would love to hear from any of you. We hope it won’t be too long until you are back on the piste Tina. You gave us all a fright when it happened but luckily you were surrounded by friends who called the ambulance and got you off to safety.

Also one of our new members, Bernie Ryan has recently returned from Australia. A Christmas holiday with family turned into a nightmare when he was rushed to hospital on Boxing Day and diagnosed with a brain tumor. I saw Bernie on Thursday and he is looking great. I hear you are back on the piste too Bernie – Welcome Home!!
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WELLINGTON TRIPLES:

We had four teams entered into the Wellington Triples that were held last weekend at Park Avenue. Overall we had a very successful tournament. Tom, Roger and Barbara Nicholls (Barbara is from Park Avenue and played in place of Tina) and Graeme B, Ralph and Doug were the only two teams from our club who qualified for the championship round on the second day. Tom, Roger and Barbara played excellent petanque and came 3rd equal which is a great result considering they hadn’t played together before. Graeme B, Ralph and Doug had a mixed morning but went on to win the plate against a team that had already beaten them twice during the weekend. Helene was playing with a couple from Windy Hills and they got into the final of the bowl, so we had all points covered.

The same teams are playing in the national champs this weekend at Park Avenue and we wish them lots of luck.
Graeme B & Ralph were part of the team that won the plate at last years triples.
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INTERCLUB:

There are only two more rounds of Interclub left and they are both in April.
On Saturday the 9th of April we play at home against Khandallah and on Saturday the 23rd of April we play away to Park Avenue.
Both games will be tough so we need good strong teams. Please let me know your availability as soon as possible.
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HOROWHENUA MELEE:

The Horowhenua club are holding an open melee on Sunday the 10th of April in Levin. This is to celebrate the opening of 12 of their planned 30 piste. Entry fee is $5.00. Five games of doubles with a new partner each time. Bring your lunch. A bar will be available. Graeme B is going so lets see if we can get a few more. Entry forms are on the notice board at the club.
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FRENCH FAIR – TAUHERENIKAU

The French fair is on again this year and will be held at the racecourse next weekend 2 and 3 April. We have been asked to man the piste and show people how to play. I have asked for volunteers and thanks to Tony, Myrna, John, Sheila and Elsie who have offered time but I need a couple more for Saturday.
If you area available and want a fun day out please let me know.
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UPDATED MEMBERSHIP LIST

An updated membership list is attached.
Please check that all your details are correct and let know of any amendments. If you are on email and I don’t have your email address, please let me know it.

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CHAMPION OF CHAMPION’S

Each year WPA hold a tournament for all the club champs to compete for the title Champion of Champions.
This year we had no entry in the singles.
Graeme M and Barb competed in the doubles and missed out winning on a count back. Barb, Joan and Claire competed in the triples and had a thrilling win. At one stage they were 10/0 down in a game and decided to relax and enjoy what was left of the game and they went on and won it.
A very impressive trophy will be on display at the club for the next 12 months.
Congratulations to all of you.
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That’s about all now. I look forward to seeing you all on the 15th and 16, if not on the piste then at the dinner.

Graeme B
Club Captain

Stones!

Ian Baker (Auckland) has kindly emailed me this photo he took of the terrain the New Zealand representatives in Vietnam played on. Next time you are tempted to remove that little stone that is just a bit bigger than the rest on our nicely manicured terrain - think of this shot!!! Thanks Ian.

Petanque man Peter Ball

Hawkes Bay Today: "Telling locals about Napier's Art Deco history is the trickiest part of being a volunteer guide, says second-time Onekawa Petanque man Peter Ball."

WBS Triples results

Congratulations to:


Trophy:

1. Dirk Winnie, Brian Smith, Michael Rocks


2. Bethne Rouse, Oskar de Jong, Nikki Winnie

Plate:

1. Danila Carducci, Elizabeth Rocks, Roy Zeier


2. Helene & Doug Hay, Peter van Heusden

Bowl:

1. Kelly & Elva Simonsen, Ernie Knox


2. Tony Mudgway, Glen Selbie, Brian Futcher
   

Results Inter-club Round 6

Horowhenua 0, Khandallah 31 (0-6 singles, 0-3 doubles, 0-2 triples)
Kapiti 18, Hataitai 13 (5-1 singles, 1-2 doubles, 1-1 triples)
Masterton 17, Silverstream 14 (2-4 singles, 1-3 doubles, 2-0 triples)
Otaki 17, Park Avenue 14 (2-4 singles, 1-3 doubles, 2-0 triples)
Upper Hutt bye."

If you like to see how well Masterton has done, click here to download a PDF document (PDF 40KB / one page).

There is a link to an Inter-club Progressive Results Table under "Petanque Links".

February Newsletter

It has been a sad week for the club with the loss of our beloved Phil. She had been a great Petanque friend to us all. She loved her association with the club and appreciated getting the newsletters in the latter months. A minute’s silence was held at the club singles and a candle was kept lit throughout the day in her memory.
Thanks to all of you who attended a Phil’s funeral. A great turnout.
God bless you Phil, we will miss you.

As Alison so aptly put it, imagine Phil, Heather, Ron and Daphne all up there together on the celestial piste. Imagine the size of the swear box!!! (For those of you who did not know Daphne, she was a 'formidable” member of the Hataitai Club. Heather, most of you will remember and Ron, is Joan’s Husband, a real character and talented player )

It is also with sadness that I report the recent death of Frances Wilson from the Otaki Club. Frances was instrumental in getting the Otaki Club established and was a very competitive player. Frances had been ill for only a short while.
Our sympathies have been sent to the Otaki Club.
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JANUARY MELEE:

Because of the heat, it was decided to hold the melee later in the day so we started at 5.00pm. We had 17 turn up and played three games. Winners were Graeme B/Tony/Kelvin and second were Roger/Tina and John.
We will look at doing something similar next time if the heat continues
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CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES:

This was held on Sunday the 6th of February.14 entries were received.
We had two pools of 7 with the top two from each pool going through to the playoffs.
Qualifiers in Pool 1 were Tom and Lorraine and in Pool two, Joan and Ralph.
Joan was the top qualifier with 5 wins. A great effort.
The final was held between Lorraine and Joan with Joan winning 13/11. Tom and Ralph played off for third with Tom winning 13/12. Incidentally, Tom qualified with 4 wins + 10. Roger and Elsie both finished on 4 wins +10. If Roger had one more point, he would have qualified as he had beaten both Tom and Elsie.
Congratulations to all the finalists and a special well done to Joan who played the final with a very sore back. We saw a display of faultless pointing from her.
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OCEANIA:

What a fantastic effort from the New Zealand team. More medals than the 10 previous years combined. This is great exposure for the sport and hopefully will have an ongoing effect with new members popping up. A very special congratulations to Barbara who won a silver medal in the triples along with Margaret from Hataitai and Fiona from Hawkes Bay.
Well done Barb, we are all very proud of you
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WBS:

Only two weeks to our major summer tournament. If you are thinking of putting a team in, you will need to be quick. We have a limit of 24 teams and already have 20 registrations.
If you are not playing and are available for some volunteer work, please let me know. There won’t be a lot to do but if I had a pool of names, it will make life easier for us all.
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WPA WOMEN’S SINGLES

The 2005 WPA women’s singles will be held at Park Ave on Sunday the 6th of March. Entry forms will be on the notice board.

INTERCLUB:

Our next interclub challenge is against Silverstream on Saturday the 19th of February in Masterton. Team selection will be done on Thursday. At present I have 4 names and need 6. If you are interested in playing please let me know prior to Thursday.
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CHAMPION OF CHAMPION’S

Each year a tournament is held amongst all the clubs local championship winners.
This year the dates are.
C of C Singles – Sun 20 February
C of C Doubles - Sat 05 March
C of C triples – Sun 13 March

If you are our CURRENT champions and would like to play in these tournaments, please contact me and I will get an entry form for you.
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UP COMING OUT OF TOWN TOURNAMENTS:

Anzac Doubles – 5/6 March -Rotorua-
WPA triples – 19/20 March – Park Ave
PNZ triples – 2/3 April – Park Ave
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HAWKES BAY SUMMER DOUBLES

Four teams travelled to Napier last weekend to compete in the annual summer tournament a Bay View.
Joan and Claire played with distinction getting in to the final 8 and they were the only ones who beat the eventual winners. Sharon Cannon and Bethne Rouse, all weekend. Well done!.
Ralph and Graeme B, Graeme M and Barb and John and Sheila all had a lovely weekend!!

Also in this years tournament were a couple of junior entries. One team of two young boys and one team of a young girl and her mother. Junior rules applied which meant that when playing them, you had to play between 5 and 8 metres. They played with small boule about the size of a snooker ball and the weight of a ping pong ball!!.
There was some dissent about the rules. On numerous occasions the cochonnet was moved beyond the 8 metre mark and the kids had no trouble whatsoever playing the longer lengths. In fact the mother/daughter team got into the final of the bowl. It was felt by some that it was an open tournament so normal rules apply. It may sound petty but it was quite hard to adjust to 5 metres and when you are fighting to qualify, it can be quite an important factor.

It was a great tournament and the hospitality there is always good. Norm, the car park attendant particularly endeared himself to everyone.

Cheers for now, Graeme B, Club Captain.

Hawkes Bay Doubles

Results:
Trophy:
First place: Sharon Cannon / Bethne Rouse.
Runner up: Geoff Greer / Denise Bavidge.
Third equal: Dean / Susan Norman, Colin Johnston / Julie Edge.

Plate:
First place: Dirk / Nikki Winnie
Runner up: Roy Zeier / Oskar de Jong
Third equal: Erni Chu / Danila Caducci, and Murray Porter / Ron Sandilands

Bowl:
First place: Marie Fenton / Fiona Browne
Runner up: Joanne / Michelle Porter
Third equal: Graeme Morris / Barbara Johnston, and Jan McHardy / Pat Scholes

Bowl Consolation:
First place: Robert Wilson / Mary Hamilton
Runner up: Pam Fuller / Ian Hay
Third equal: Ted Creagh / Bill Billings, and Pam Fuller / Ian Hay

Kiwis topple Oceania superpowers!

Rotorua Daily Post: "Petanque New Zealand enjoyed their greatest moment in their 11-year existence when they won the Oceania Tournament for the first time last night in Rotorua."
Click on the link above to read more.

Overall: New Zealand (5 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze) 1st; Tahiti (3 Gold) 2nd; New Caledonia (2 Gold) 3rd; Australia (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze) 4th; Wallis and Futuna Island (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze) 5th.

Silver for Barbara!

The New Zealand Triples team of Barbara Johnston, Margaret Fleck and Fiona Browne gave us a fantastic SILVER on the last day of the Oceania Tournament in Rotorua.

A Triples GOLD was won for New Zealand by the team of Christian Fouquet, Niau Ruta and Georgio Vakauta.

MPC Singles results

1st) Joan
2nd) Lorraine
3rd) Tom
4th) Ralph

More good news!

Niau Ruta got GOLD in the Pointing.
Chris Priestly got BRONZE in the Pointing.
Anita Fletcher got GOLD in the Pointing.

I am just adding this now at around 20:45. Graeme Morris told me over the phone that the New Zealand national anthem has sounded four times today!! The day was finished with a 15/14 win in the doubles, over New Caledonia. Giving the NZ team (Niau Ruta and Georgio Vakauta) GOLD.

New Zealand is now placed 1st overall!!

Gold and Bronze!

Just received great news from Graeme Morris.
GOLD for Sharon Cannon and BRONZE for Bethne Rouse in the shooting event!!!