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Petanque is as much loved in Languedoc as Rugby and there are a total of 15,000 registered players in the L’Herault region alone. The game however is worldwide and the most experienced players complete at the World Championship in Grenoble every year. Teams from all over Europe and 56 countries including Thailand, Australia, Canada, Mauritius, Martinque, to name but a few compete in this prestigious competition.
 To compete in the larger Petanque competitions in Languedoc and France it is necessarily to join a Petanque club and obtain a license for a nominal fee of 20 euros, like other sports in France you need to visit your doctor to confirm that you are fit to play, if you have seen the number of elderly players with walking aids, this indicates that this is not a problem. This license is not normally required for the fete games that you may see advertised in the villages.
We were introduced to petanque, sometimes called “boules”, in Kent and went on to represent Great Britain in a number of tournaments in Europe. The love of the game and of Languedoc and France has meant that we have continued to hone our skills against the competitive French and it is always fun to watch their faces as they realise that not only can we play but also can beat them at their own sport. The newly built boulodrome Pierre De Coubertin in Beziers, Languedoc near the Stade President will enable players to continue to play and compete in the sport thought out the year.
We will be visiting Blanes on the Costa Brava in April to play in a large competition where there will be a total of 64 triples teams and 32 ladies doubles competing for the cash prizes of 17,270 euros. This is without the entourage of family and friends that will be staying with the competitors in the same hotel. Imagine the atmosphere, the French certainly know how to enjoy themselves and the entertainment in the evening is almost as good as the petanque in the day. The competition runs over 3 days and the early start of 9am really separates the men/ladies from the boys/girls.
If you find yourself bored in April its worth the short drive to pick up your duty free and get a glimpse of the petanquers in action.
This year we hope to provide coaching to novice petanque players in Languedoc, so contact us on our email address and we can keep you updated as to where and when this will happen.
In the meantime get out those boules out and practise on your gravel drive or any old piece of ground. For more information about petanque in Languedoc look at www.petanque.org website, you will find all the information that you require about the sport.
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