This weekend saw the Pétanque England Veterans Competitions hosted by Mansfield Pétanque Club.
Mansfield is a lovely venue with a number of very varied terrains, and we received a warm welcome from their members, who worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to ensure everything ran smoothly. There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the whole weekend.
Saturday – Mixed Doubles
Saturday saw 26 teams competing in the Mixed Doubles, including three pairs representing Rochdale Pétanque.
Ian & Christine made an excellent start, winning all three of their morning games and securing a place in the Gold Group.
Dave & Linda won two of their three games and, with the points accumulated, also qualified for the Gold Group.
Debbie & Darren also won two of their three games, placing them into the Silver Group.
Unfortunately, all three Rochdale teams were knocked out in the quarter-finals, but this was certainly no reflection on the way they played. Every player gave it their best and came up against some very high-calibre opposition.
Sunday – Veterans Triples
Sunday brought the Triples competition, with 13 teams entered and Rochdale fielding two teams of four:
Dave, Linda, Debbie & Darren
Francois, Joanne, Gary & Linda
Dave, Linda, Darren & Debbie got off to a flying start, winning their first game 13–3. They lost their next two games, although both featured some very close ends, and their points were enough to see them through to the quarter-finals, where they received a bye.
That took them into the semi-final, where they again came up against Stuart Brown, Jill Butt & Roy Clark. This time Stuart, Jill and Roy got their revenge for that 13–3 defeat earlier in the day and progressed to the final.
Francois, Joanne, Gary & Linda had a bye in their first round and then narrowly missed out on wins in their next two games.
They received a bye through the quarter-finals before producing a fantastic performance in their semi-final against Frank & Dawn Kupps, Colin Lane & Jenny Oxby to book themselves a place in the Silver Final.
Then it was time for the final!
The Rochdale team stepped up another gear and got off to a flying start, building an early five-point lead against Stuart Brown, Jill Butt & Roy Clark.
Their opponents fought back, but some excellent pointing from Linda and Gary, combined with brilliant shooting from Francois, kept Rochdale firmly in control.
And they did it!
FRANCOIS, JOANNE, GARY & LINDA – PÉTANQUE ENGLAND VETERANS SILVER WINNERS!
A huge well done to all of our Rochdale players who took part in this national competition. For many, this was their first experience – or one of very few experiences – of playing in a tournament at this level, and every one of you represented the club brilliantly.
And, of course, a massive congratulations to our Silver title winners! Everyone at Rochdale Pétanque is extremely proud of you.
The weekend was another reminder of just how unpredictable pétanque can be. Never underestimate how quickly things can change from one end to the next, or from one game to another.
A big thank you to the organisers, everyone at Mansfield Pétanque Club, and to our umpires Kevin and Martin, who certainly showed a few of us the error of our ways along the way! 😄
One Boule at a time – One end at a time – One game at a time
Click the links for more photos of the Doubles competition & the Triples Competition