NEWSLETTERNo. 45 December 2006

WHAT’S IN THISEDITION

3 WAY INTER-REGIONAL

JUNIOR WEEKEND OFEXCELLENCE

APA AGM REPORT

INTERNATIONAL NATURISTFEDERATION PAIRS 2006

Sporting history was made this weekend as forthe first time in its 25 year history theInternational Naturists Federation (INF)Pétanque competition was won by a BritishTeam. Guess who? We represented the UK inthe competition held at La Petite BrennaNaturists site in Central France over theweekend of 23rd and 24th September.64 teams from across Europe took part overtwo days. Teams from Norway, Switzerland,Belgium, Holland, France, Italy and Germanyattended. We have qualified for the event fivetimes before, and have come third twice - thebest ever British result.The trip down to the site was in blistering hot

weather but it seems that was the tail end of ahurricane that battered the UK while we wereaway was heading our way. The Saturdaystarted off OK with some sunshine and thepiste dried out quite quickly after a bit ofmorning dampness. We played a Germanteam in the first game of a barrage system andlost to 11. Our next game was against a Dutchside and we won to 4. The last game of thebarrage was against a French team whoweren’t a couple, which isn’t relevant exceptthat they had help from their partners duringthe game which took the form of arguing thescore at every end and standing on the piste toshow the line. Not deterred by these antics wewon to 2 or was that 3? After lunch the firstrounds of the main were held up due tothunder and lightning and heavy rain.Apparently the Dutch Federation do not playuntil 15 minutes have passed after the lastlightning strike, as it is not deemed safe tocontinue. As it turned out the weather helpedto turn the piste into a bit of a mud bath. Theunfortunate draw placed us against Gary andDiane whom we had beaten in the final of theBritish Naturists Pétanque final in May. Highlobs into the soggy piste seemed to work reallywell with the boule sometimes disappearinghalfway into the ground. We won this game to2 and after another two-hour delay due tomore lightning we played another Dutch team.Again the wet conditions suited the lob andwe won to 6.Our last game finished at 7.30pm just as the

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light was leaving and by the time we hadchanged etc. we arrived at the clubhouse justas they started serving the meal. Meaning thatwe had missed all of the evenings speeches,Oh dear!More heavy rain into the evening andovernight. Sunday morning saw us playanother French team. The lady was thepartner from our last barrage game and so wewere prepared to check the score every end.What we did not expect was the Frenchman toclaim the first end was only practice eventhough we had tossed, shaken hands, thrownthe jack, we walked it out, thrown the firstboule and then stood together as we always dowaiting for them to throw. He then threw aboule that was on but crap and promptly threwanother one. I picked it up and gave it backand the argument continued for the rest of thegame in French. We won to three havingmoved the jack to give them three on the endbefore last. They were upset enough withoutthe dreaded fanny.We won the semi-final 13-1 against a strongDutch side. As mentioned previously, in thepast competitions we failed twice at this point.This year we made no mistakes and nevergave an inch in what was a tight game eventhough the score did not reflect it.The final at these events is normally on a pistededicated to the event so it has plenty of roomfor the 150 or so spectators. They used an oldvolleyball pitch covered in light sand but deepin places. Before the final the rain eased andthe piste dried out. We were to play a Germanteam who had knocked us out the year beforein Belgium. We won the toss and started thegame poorly. My high lob did not work as Ithought it would and it caused me all sorts ofproblems with pointing. At eight nil downafter three ends we swapped and with Marionplaying brilliantly as a pointer, I shot asrequired. The switch worked with Marioncoming in on one end to hit a boule two inchesfrom the jack with her last boule to put us oneight. I shot for three on the next end and at11-8 to us I carreaued their last boule andsprung the jack over the string. I held up theone boule I had left only to see Marion do thesame.I have never experienced what happened next.As we shook the opposition’s hands andturned to kiss each other we were descendedon by the crowd who kissed us and shook ourhands. Marion got off far worse than I did as100 people mobbed her, being Europeans,each kissed her three times and shook herhand. It appears it was a crowd pleasing win

over the Germans.We would like to pass on our thanks to therest of the eleven team British squad, and toAlan and Val Samuel who came over fromtheir home in France, for all their support.Oh, and in case you are wondering about theinclement weather - we always play fullydressed, but on this occasion so was everybodyelse.

PHOTO - STEVE THOMPSON

After a hectic drive through France onMonday, we joined the rest of our BritishSugar club team to play in and win theNewmarket and District League cup for thesecond year runningPhil and Marion - Pen-Y-Coed Pétanque

LEICESTERSHIRE v NORFOLKThe coach trip to Thurmaston, just outsidethe Leicester ring road, was quiteuneventful until we were a few hundredyards away from our destination - then wetook a turn in the opposite direction! Aftermaking enquiries we made our way backon course and arrived a few minutesbefore starting time. It was a good job Ihad arranged to bring our departure timefrom Sainburys at Costessey forward.However, all was well and Mick Sadlersoon sorted out the team and things gotunderway. The terrain was quite sizeablebut I was not over-impressed with itscondition or the fact that it had noboundary string or scoreboards. We areinclined to make more of an effort at ourend but slip-ups weren’t all with the hometeam. When our players asked for theirteam shirts, these had been left on thecoach which had by then taken a smallparty of our ladies into Leicester to have alook around the shops.The first round set the pattern for thematch with Norfolk winning two games toLeicestershire’s six. Thus at lunch time thescore was 18-6 against us. The pub

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restaurant was packed solid but some ofus managed to get a very good carverymeal which helped to keep out some ofthe cold. After lunch play carried on inmuch the same way and the final scorewas Leicestershire 35, Norfolk 13.Top Norfolk triple, awarded a bottle ofwine each by the organisers, were DavidPalmer, Simon Rump and TonyD’Esposito with 3 wins and plus 1 pointsdifference. Anita and Shaun Goodson withMarcus Smith had 3 wins -5; ColinDebbage, Derek Glanville and BruceWrench 2 wins -12; Peter and BerniceWalker with Ted Hamlin 1 -26; ColinGoodson, Jose Garrido and Mick Sadler 1-29; Jean and Neil Driver with Peter Astle1 -31; Bob and Lynne Urquhart with PaulCritten 1 -33; Mick and Janet Wicks withHedley Watts 1 -35Norman Guest - NCPA Chairman

THE PISTE.MAINTENANCE AND

REPAIRThe Winter months in the UK are not the bestfor playing pétanque. Frozen pitches anddriving rain make even the hardened playersretreat to the TV. There are three intrepidindoor venues around the country that areholding competitions in the warm and dry.They are to be supported and encouraged.Whittlesey holds a full winter schedule. ThePlough and Chequers have created an indoorenclosure that may not be heated but keeps therain off. Not all the pistes available are undercover so still go prepared for the worst. Finallythe Detling show ground event in Kent proveda great success earlier this year and inFebruary 2007 the event is taking place again.All this activity is pushing pétanque forwardand giving teams a realistic chance to build onthe performance of the summer and work onshots inn comfort during the frozen months.The indoor venues are still few and farbetween so most of us will have to sufferplaying in the cold or not playing at all. Thereis, however an activity that will keep you fitand warm in the winter. No, not that! Pistemaintenance. The beauty of the sport is theplaying area needs little or no preparation toplay the game. Well, that is what we arealways told, however piste’s can be ruinedover the winter months if ignored. The mainareas of work are;

1. The Piste. Over the year and even more soin the autumn, leaves and grass fall and blowonto the piste. These can be irritating whenplaying but, if left on the piste over winter,will compost into the stones and gravel of thepiste. A small amount will help bind thesurface and give a nice playing surface. Toomuch will make your piste into a lawn. Theleaf compost will allow grass and weeds to geta foot hold in your terrain and make weedkilling the pitch a job every few months in thespring and summer. The displaced gravel atthe ends and side of the piste need to bescrapped back onto the piste and the wedge ofgravel at the piste edge pulled from the sides.At the moment this gravel is loose, but ifleaves are allowed to rot on this, it willsolidify this pile and make it more difficult tomove in the spring. The debate, did it die?will disappear if the edges of your piste arecleared of the ramp of gravel during thewinter. Leaves left piled in the corners of thepiste will also rot your wooden edging and anystrings you have marked out the piste’s with.Give the piste a good rake with a metalpronged leaf rake, a normal rake will causedamage to the piste by bringing out largestones. Remember this is maintenance notconstruction. Rake the piste in both directionsto try to remove the dips caused by playing thesame way all the time on stringed out terrains.Any excess of gravel can be taken off andpiled next to the terrain to be used at a laterdate. Leaves should be removed from the areato prevent them being blown back onto thepiste when you have gone home.2. Weeds. Normal play and picking the oddweed off the terrain in the summer shouldprevent growth as I do not recommend weedkiller as a piste treatment. All those playerswho lick their fingers when playing or eattheir lunch without washing their hands donot know you weed killed the piste two hoursbefore they got there. However, the wintermaybe the best time to do this but rememberto put up signs and make sure animals arekept off the area while the weed killer is stillwet. Read the instructions very carefully and ifyou are not sure, do not use it. If you are goingto apply a chemical to your playing area donot forget to do the wooden surround that canget very slimy when covered in moss andslime.3. An easy way to get rid of all those peskyleaves is to have a bonfire in the middle of the

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pitch. NO! This will leave a soot mark formonths if not years afterwards. Many nonplayers see a piste as a natural bonfire areaand ruin a piste for years with melted plastic,nails and all manner of metal objects andglass left on the piste.4. Whacking. Using an industrial vibratingwhacker in the autumn is not a wise ideaunless your piste is under two years old. Bywhacking the piste before the frosts you maybe causing drainage problems over the winter.The piste is best left through the frosts as it is,raked and clear of leaves. The spring is thebest time to whack on an established piste as itcrushes the weed growth and the frosts andrain have helped to settle the piste. Whackingshould only be used on a loose pitch to try andcreate a hard flatish surface and should onlybe done once or maybe twice a year.5. Edging and strings. These are as much apart of the piste as the playing surface andshould be maintained. We have mentionedtrying to kill moss and slime from woodedsurrounds and any rotting wood should bereplaced. More injuries happen slipping offthe surround during play that any otheraccident. Strings should be taken up if thepitch is not being used a lot in the winter. Thisallows those brave souls who wish to play inthe cold a chance to explore differentdirections on the piste and help reduce thewear marks caused by the same direction play.We hope this has been informative and a helpto persuade other club members to help in thewinter maintenance activities.Phil Boarder - Pen-Y-Coed Pétanque

3-WAY INTER-REGIONALCHALLENGE

2006The annual Inter-Regional ChallengeMatch between Anglia, Chiltern and EastMidlands at the Whittley IndoorBoulodrome traditionally closes theRegions playing season before the morehardy players dig out their thermals,gloves and hand-warmers for the winterleagues.The task this year looked as daunting asever with Chiltern having come second atBrean and their leading players winningthe Champion of Champions Double andTriples. Also East Midlands would be on ahigh having gained promotion back toDivision 1 at the first attempt followingtheir shock relegation in 2005.As always an early start was needed to

arrive in time for the 9.30amcommencement of play, thankfully theclocks go back on this weekend as werevert from British summer time to GMT.A quick check revealed everybody hadarrived safely and we were all in thecorrect team strip.Straight from the first round Chilterndominated the competition showing thatthey were intent on regaining the shieldfrom last years winners East Midlands.After our disastrous performance in 2005we played a lot better as a team withsome good wins showing fighting spiritand right up to the final round we were incontention for second place, Chilternromping away to win easily. However itwas not to be, as a poor last round withonly one win saw us third yet again. Ourtop triple on the day was Anglia 6 thejunior triple of Michael Neal, DanielShelving & James Urquhart with 2 wins -2pts, well done to them, lets hope thefuture will be brighter if they can keep itup.On the positive side we performed a lotbetter this year. The terrains at theBoulodrome are hard and very testing andI think it shows that we only have 1 teamin the Region who play the indoor GrandPrix season and ICQS. Also we neverseem to be able to field our strongest line-up for a variety of reasons unlike Chilternand East Midlands who are able to get alltheir top teams to play.

PHOTO PETER ASTLE

Thanks go to East Midlands who ran thecompetition very efficiently using their‘new technology’ and to the staff at theBoulodrome for the catering andhospitality.It is our turn to organise it next year andthe venue has already been provisionallybooked for the same weekend in 2007. Iam trying to get acopy of the EastMidlands programme so will be looking fora volunteer(s) to ‘man’ the laptop!

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Finally the Boulodrome has introduced astrict no smoking policy this year and eventhe hardened smokers agreed what animprovement this had made to theatmosphere and how much more pleasantit was to play in there.Peter Astle - Playing Officer

ANGLIA PÉTANQUEASSOCIATION ANNUAL

GENERAL MEETINGThe third AGM of the Anglia PétanqueAssociation took place at the Bob CarterCentre on Monday 30th October. Only SIXmembers attended and five of those wereOfficers or management committeemembers with just one ordinary member!While this could be taken as a vote ofconfidence in the way the Association isbeing run it could also mean total apathyon the part of our members. Whicheverway you look at it, it is still verydisappointing that our membership couldnot be bothered to turn up and at leastgive their support. We are all volunteersthat give our time freely to the running theAssociation for your benefit. I am sure thatif we did nothing then you would be thefirst to moan.The Officers were all re-elected and theRegional Umpire and Coach wereappointed. The appointment of theManagement Committee will take place atthe next committee meeting. So far wehave only 2 clubs confirmed withmembers prepared to serve.A full copy of the minutes is available onour website.Robin McRitchie,Association Secretary.

UMPIRES COURSESTo coincide with international changes tothe rules, a series of two-day umpirecourses will be run by the EnglishPétanque Association. Members that areinterested in becoming umpires, andumpires who require refresher courses(particularly considering the new rules)should contact the Anglia RegionalUmpire, Norman Guest, without delay sothat we can bid for courses within ourRegion.Proposed dates for courses are:December 9th/10th ; January 13th/14th;

February 10th/11th; March 13th/14th. Thesecourses are open to EPA members whohave been members for at least twoyears, and to umpires who have held theirgrade for at least two years and wish toupgrade or just refresh. If we have enoughcandidates we hope to have a course at ahome venue. Otherwise we might have tocombine with an adjacent region.If interested please ring 01603-419897 orwrite to Norman Guest, 26 Sun Lane,Norwich. NR3 3NFNorman Guest, Regional Umpire.

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONSTo start this report, I’d firstly like topublicly state that its my opinion that theEPA do not remove this competition fromthe playing calendar. I believe its anhonour to effectively be invited to takepart by being either the winner or runners-up of the Regions Doubles. This is thefourth time I have officially qualified butonly the third time I’ve managed to takepart in it.Anyway, with family in tow, we set off onthe Friday morning amidst flood warningsaround the Portsmouth area due to heavyrain and unusually high tides. However wearrived at the Ferry Terminal way beforeour scheduled time and was able to get onan earlier ferry. In the meantime myplaying partner Bill Eve was experiencingthe same but sailing from Southamptonrather than Portsmouth so unfortunatelyno rendevous on board ship to quell mynervousness over my seasickness (yes Iget queasy even going to the Isle ofWight!!)Having settled into our luxury 5 starmobile home at Shanklin, Friday cameand went and before I knew it, it was upbright and early to travel down to Ventnorfor the days competition.The venue had spectacular scenery, withcliffs on three sides forming a naturalamphitheatre with both rugby and footballpitches in front of the clubhouse with thepétanque terrain to the side of it. Theclubhouse was separated from the road bya line of poplar trees and then on the otherside of the road was the continuation ofthe sharp drop down to the EnglishChannel. Parking however was easy atfirst due to us pétanquers being the firstthere but during the day it became

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pandemonium as the Ventnor rugby teamhad an important cup match and also thefootball team had an important leaguematch and vehicles ended up beingparked on the approach road making thelocal road very narrow and extremely busyall day.However, back to the competition and 15teams arrived out of the 30 or so whowould have been eligible to compete in itand we were drawn into 2 leagues, one ofeight and one of seven. As luck (or lack ofit) would have it we were drawn againstChiltern 1 in the first match (who went onto be the winners on the day) and wentdown to 6 although we played better thanthe score suggests on what was a ‘marbleplayers treat’ of a pitch with the naturalslope making it possible to drop the bouleabout a metre from the circle and it couldeasily roll up to 12 metres if you caught abad line. Anyway better luck next match orso we thought.My old friend Nick Goodheart fromLondon and his partner were our nextopponents and we were 1 up after the firstend. That’s about all we can say because3 more ends and we were 13-1 losers. Notthe sort of start we would have hoped forbut surely things couldn’t get anyworse…could they?Random draws throw up either good orbad draws and we got Isle of Wight 1 inround 3. (We were now playing one of theeventual semi-finalist teams on theirhome piste!!). Another disappointingdefeat and we knew it was all over bar thefinal game.Our last match was against South East 1(I think you mean Kent as South Eastdisappeared in the devolution changes -Ed.) and this time things clicked but onlyjust with us hanging on for a 13-10 victoryto at least make sure it wasn’t a completedisaster. This put us to 6th in our sectionand therefore presumably 12th overall tomy calculations.When it was time to leave, both the rugbyand football was still going on so it was amilitary manoeuvre to organise people tomove cars so us departing could get outof the car park but we managed it. Bill andYvonne made their own way home onSunday I believe whilst my entouragereturned home Monday.I was glad we attended and that the EPAdidn’t cancel it at the last minute oranything like that but at the same timethings didn’t run particularly smoothly onthe day with everyone waiting around for

teams who said they were coming butdidn’t turn up, me asking what piste wewere on for the next match and being toldthat I couldn’t be told that information andthen having our opponents moan at usthat they had been waiting at thedesignated piste for 30 minutes as theyknew which one to report to, and finallythe old chestnut……….no adherence orenforcement to the rules that we all had tobe in matching Regional strip as onceagain players were in jeans, completelydifferent colour bottoms, etc. etc. etc. withmentions of it falling on deaf earsprobably because it was the ’elite’ playerswho were the major rule breakers.Having said all that me and Bill will bethere in Chiltern next year for the 2007event as being the runners-up from thisyears Anglia Doubles.Simon Fletcher.

NORFOLK COUNTY PÉTANQUEASSOCIATION AGM

At the 28th AGM of the Norfolk CountyPétanque Association, held at the Bob CarterCentre, the Secretary of the Darby RosettesNorfolk League reported that there had beenmany frustrating delays in the playing ofmatches this year due to some teamscancelling fixtures time and again, and inmost cases not informing him. It was agreedthat the County Committee would look totightening up the rules before next season and,if considered necessary, call a special generalmeeting to deal with the problems. TheLeague Secretary thanked Peter Astle forinstalling a website which was an asset tobetter communication.A proposition that the County Team beselected by a sub-committee of five chaired bythe County Team Manager was discussed atlength and defeated. (what a pity-after the lastcounty match a change could surely havebeen tried - Ed) The Treasurer reported abalance of £1,681.47 and recommended noincrease in membership fees. This was agreed,and league fees would be decided later. TheSecretary had received a letter from EastAnglian Accident Repair Centre terminatingtheir sponsorship of the Norfolk Knockoutseries. A replacement sponsor is required intime for next season.County Officers elected were: Chairman - LenEllis. Secretary - Norman Guest. Treasurer -Irene Andrews. League Secretary - MickSadler. The next meeting of the CountyCommittee will be held at the Bob Carter

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Centre on Monday January 15th at 8.00pm. Allclubs are urged to send a representative asthere will be very important matters to discussconcerning the membership.Norman Guest, County Secretary.

FIVE NATIONSINTERNATIONAL GERMANY

2007The 5 way International for 2007, as mostof you will know is to be held inHeidelberg, Germany. The event will beheld on Saturday 16th June, this later thannormal, the date has been moved tocoincide with events in Heidelberg.I will shortly be sending out letters ofinterest to all previous players, pleasenote there will be a response deadline tothis letter and it is important that you replyearly. Those that do not reply on time maymiss out and other players interested willbe invited to join in, as we now have anextensive waiting list.I have asked around many previousplayers asking their opinions on travelarrangements, so far the generalconsensus being to travel as a team bycoach and making a long weekend of thetournament. If we were to fly as a teamthen it would be down to us to makealternative travel arrangements inGermany, the actual location of the hotelto playing venue will not be known untilthe new year and may cause problems.Travelling with our own transport will giveus an advantage and the chance to take insome sights during the journey, all costwill be kept to a minimum.In 2006 the Boulaere team were thevictors but that was only with theassistance of volunteers from our ownteam, hopefully with the existing team thatwe had on paper in 2006 we can reap thebenefits of victory next year.Looking forward to hearing from you allsoon.Ken Harris.

NORFOLK COUNTYPRESENTATION EVENING

The Bob Carter Centre was filled tocapacity for the Norfolk County PétanqueAssociation annual presentation eveningon November 25th. The buffet was fit for aqueen, the music was supplied by the

Mustard City Disco and there were raffleprizes galore.Presentations were made by the newCounty Chairman, Len Ellis and LeagueSecretary Mick Sadler, assisted bySecretary Norman Guest. Awards went toGeorge Manchett, best male player in2006; Janet Taylor, best female player;James Urquhart, best under 18s player;Daniel Shevlin and James Shreeve, jointbest male juniors; Delphean Brown, bestfemale junior; James Urquhart, best malecadet; Lauren Ross, best female cadet;Glen Meredith, best male minor; JessicaShoesmith, best female minor.Trophies and medals were awarded toNorfolk League Division 1 Champions -Freethorpe Ferrets; runners-up WanderersHawks; Division 2 winners - SprowstonSwallows; runners-up Yarmouth Bloaters;Division 3 winners - Wanderers Wildcats;runners-up - Wheel of Fortune; KnockoutShield winners - Freethorpe Ferrets;runners-up - Norwich Blue, Knockout Platewinners - Wanderers Dolphins; runners-up- Le Garnier.Further awards went to the mostsuccessful player in Division 1 - JackieWest; Division 2 - Neil Driver; Division 3 -Ray Beales. Also to County PairsChampions - George Manchett and RonStone and County Junior Pairs Champions- Curtis Money and Fleur Guilmain-Beales.After County Treasurer, Irene Andrews,and her team had efficiently processedthe raffle, it was everybody on the dancefloor for the rest of the evening. Thanks toall concerned.Norman Guest, NCPA Secretary.

JUNIOR WEEKENDOF

EXCELLENCEThe English Pétanque Association’sJunior Weekend of Excellence was held atthe Whittlesey Indoor Bowls and PetanqueCentre during the weekend of 18th-19th

November 2006, just a day after thevenue had received a £50,000 lotterygrant to improve facilities.In total twenty-seven young peopleincluding thirteen Juniors, eleven Cadetsand just three Minors from six Englishregions, Wales and Scotland attended.The coaching team was led by National

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Coach David Lavelle assisted by sixGrade 2 coaches and three Grade 3coaches seeking to gain valuableexperience in an attempt to improve theirqualifications.Following first day introductions the earlymorning session comprised of team playduring which each of the six groups wereasked to demonstrate their pointing andshooting skills in front of the camera.Mid day group practices followed pointingand shooting demonstrations by EnglandInternational Simon Bird, with a buffetlunch available between the sessions.The video made during the morningfeaturing all participants was then viewedand discussed.A shooting competition and inter groupmatches to put learned skills intocompetitive play completed the first day’saction, before all present were rewardedwith a well earned evening meal.After a night’s sleep at chosen locationsall returned for breakfast and thenecessary warm up to flex the muscles.Day 2 focused on a variety of skills beforeand after another buffet lunch. Theseincluded spin, tactics, attitude, bodylanguage and team work. In addition avariety of skills competitions and quick firegames were introduced in an attempt toenthuse the young people present.They also had the opportunity to view amore recent video highlighting how muchthey had improved during the weekend.

Lauren Ross receiving coaching from Simon Bird

Before leaving all participants wereawarded with Certificates in appreciationof their efforts by National President MikePegg.Unbeknown to them the young people hadbeen graded on their initial ability levelsand an award was to be made to theindividual making most improvement fromthat mark.Our representatives Lauren Ross aged 13and James Urquhart aged 12 were on theshortllist of six for this award and the JuneLombard Cup was duly awarded to Lauren

Ross by Mike Pegg for progress madeduring the weekend.

Lauren receiving the June Lombard Cup fromMike Pegg.

From a coaches perspective I have toadmit that I thoroughly enjoyed theweekend and despite varying levels ofability was pleasantly surprised byimprovements made by all in attendance.If you need an illustration of confidencelook no further than Morgan Critchleyaged 10 from West Midlands. Havingtaken part in shooting exercises at six,eight and ten metres, he asked to try attwelve metres and duly hit the targetboule.The moral of this is that if you think youcan do something you probably will and ifyou don’t think you can you probablywon’t.Finally congratulations to Lauren on heraward and thanks to David Lavelle for allhis pre-planning and hard work to ensurtethe weekend was a success.Bob Urquhart, Regional Coach.

A Parents View of the Weekend..Lauren felt very nervous initially as herpartner Delphean was sadly unable toattend with her. When she arrived atWhittles (to the smell of bacon rolls)everybody was very friendly andwelcoming. The coaches all workedtirelessly with all the children in smallgroups and games to improve their skillsand strategies. This has been a wonderfulopportunity for Lauren. She has learnt agreat deal from the weekend that she willbe able to improve on over the comingmonths. In fact both Stuart and I alsolearnt a lot and are keen to put it all intopracticeThank you for this opportunity for Lauren.Tracy and Stuart RossNorwich Pétanque Club.

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Photo. Tracey Ross. Lauren with her cup

ANGLIA PLAYING CALENDAR2007

Our Playing Officer, Peter Astle has nowpublished the dates for next yearscompetitions. As for the Regional TeamQualifiers, he will be contacting clubsdirect either by letter or e.mail. Thevenues for the competitions have notbeen decided upon as yet.

1st Team Qualifier Sunday 15th April2nd Team Qualifier Sunday 6th May

Anglia Junior Pairs Sunday 20th MayAnglia ‘Gin Trap’Charity Pairs Sunday 10th JuneAnglia Singles &Five Nations InternationalHeidelberg, Germany Saturday 16th JuneShooting Championship Sunday 15th JulyAnglia PairsChampionship Sunday 29th JulyAnglia TriplesChampionship Sunday 12th Aug.3 Way Inter-Regional Sunday 28th Oct.

The Inter-Regional Championships atBrean Sands will be held on the weekendof 8th/9th September.

ASSOCIATION HANDBOOKADVERTISING RATES 2007

The advertising rates for the RegionalHandbook were held at the same rate forthe last three years. With increases inpostal costs and the cost of producing thehandbook the rates for this coming yearwill increase.Half Page Advert £10.00Full Page £20.00Back Cover £24.00It is also proposed to sell advertising onour website by sponsoring a page. YourAdvert. Will appear on the page with a linkto your own website. For furtherinformation regarding website advertising

please contact either the AssociationSecretary or our Webmaster Peter Astle.For Handbook Adverts. Contact theAssociation Secretary.Robin McRitchie, AssociationSecretary

XMAS CRACKERThe last competition of 2006 in the Angliaarea, Norwich PC’s ‘Christmas CrackerMelée Pairs’ takes place at the Cottage,Thorpe St. Andrew, Norwich on Sunday31st December, commencing at 9.30amand finishing before lunch. Enter singlyand be drawn with a partner for each offour timed rounds. Final placings arebased on the largest points differencecarried forward by a player.The entry fee is just £1 plus a smallwrapped gift to go in the lucky dip bag. Allentry money will be paid out to the top andsecond placed players, and everybodyconcerned will go home with a presentfrom the luck dip. Loads of fun and a bagof extra Christmas presents. If you requirea lunch at the Cottage, please book atable in advance on 01603-433444Merry Christmas.Norman Guest Norwich PC Secretary.

JUST FOR FUNTHE RESULT

The winner was Kenny Harris with “Waittill you see were they’ve put the plug”. Hewins a bottle of wine.There is a new Caption Competition onthe website so have a go.

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EDITORS NOTEThe views expressed in On the Piste arethose of the contributors and editor and donot necessarily reflect the views of theAnglia Pétanque Association.

A Happy Christmas andProsperous New Year

from all on theExecutive & Management

Committee of theAnglia Pétanque Association

EDITORROBIN McRITCHIE

15, PEDDARS WAY SOUTH, RINGSTEADHUNSTANTON, NORFOLK PE36 5LF

TEL/FAX: 01485-525324E.MAIL: robin.mcritchie@tiscali.co.uk

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