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French Boules Tournament - 30 August 2008
There was a good turnout for our French Boules Tournament yesterday and everyone seemed to have a great time. It really is a most sociable game and was enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. The following pictures taken during the event hopefully show how much fun everyone had and there are more to view on the Marple Website Virtual Tour.
Anybody wishing to give the game a try can borrow a set of boules from Bob Wilson, the Community Parks Officer who is usually in the park during normal hours. You will need to pay a £10 deposit, which is fully refundable providing that the set is returned to Bob complete and intact. Alternatively, you can buy an extremely good value set from ALDI in Romiley for only £5 while their stocks last.
Gladys Romm Interview on Pure Radio - 29 August 2008
An interview was broadcast on Pure Radio 107.8FM this morning with Gladys Romm (whose original idea it was to add a French Boules Court in Memorial Park) about the Fun Boules Tournament in the park tomorrow. The interview will be broadcast again this afternoon at 4.30pm but if you miss it, or can't wait, Pete Liggins at Pure has kindly given us a copy that you can listen to on-line using Window Media Player any time you choose. Just click the link below:
Listen to the Gladys Romm Interview on Pure Radio 107.8FM
Thanks Pete and thanks Glad - we look forward to the fun starting at 1pm tomorrow in the Park.
Update 21 July 2008
The court is now complete and hopefully the grass will grow back quickly. Has anyone played a game of boules on it yet? The Friends of the Park are planning a tournament during their task day at the end of August. For anyone who wants to play, here are the rules:
BRIEF RULES OF PETANQUE or BOULES
1. Size of teams, number of boules
You can play the game with two teams of one, two or three players on each side. With teams of one or two, each player has 3 boules; with teams of 3, each has 2 boules.
2. Size of boules and cochonnet
Boules should have a diameter between 7 and 8 cm; ideally made of steel and weighing between 650g and 800g. They should be marked so each player can tell which boules belong to them. The cochonnet should be made of wood, about 3 cm in diameter.
3. Choosing the throwing place
Toss a coin to choose which team plays first. Any player in this team chooses where to draw a circle on the ground in which every player will stand to throw their boules. The circle should be about 0.5m in diameter and at least 1m from any obstacle (wall, tree, edge of playing area, etc).
4. Throwing the cochonnet
He/she then throws the "cochonnet" between 4m and 8m, or 6 to 10 paces from the circle in any direction. It also must not be closer than 1m from any obstacle.
5. The first boule
Any player from the first team then throws the first boule, trying to get it as close as possible to the "cochonnet". Both feet must stay together on the ground and within the circle while throwing and until the boule has landed.
6. The other team
A player from the other team then steps into the circle and tries to place a boule closer to the cochonnet than their opponent, or to knock the opponent’s boule away.
You must throw within 1 minute of your turn starting. The boule nearest to the cochonnet is said to be “holding the point”.
7. Who plays when
The players in the team that is not “holding” continue throwing until they place a boule closest to the cochonnet, and so on. Players on the same team do not have to take alternate throws, but player must always play their own boules.
8. When one team has no more boules
When a team has no more boules to be played, the players of the other team throw theirs and try to place them as close as possible to the cochonnet.
9. Counting the points
When both teams have no more boules, you stop and count up the points. The winning team scores one point for each boule nearer the cochonnet than the opponents closest. Only one team can score points in each round.
10. Starting the next round
A player from the team that has won throws the cochonnet from a new circle drawn round the cochonnet’s last position. The winners are the first team to reach 13 points (or whatever total you decide).
Sunday 20 July 2008
Update 13 July 2008
Off to a flying start with the construction of the Boules Court underway already. Work started on Thursday last week and at the rate they're going it'll soon be finished. The contractor is Lane's Landscapes.
 Saturday 12 July 2008 |
 Saturday 12 July 2008 |
 Thursday 10 July 2008 |
 Thursday 10 July 2008 |
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A French Boules Court for Memorial Park
At last year's Food Festival the Friends of Marple Memorial Park were approached by a lady called Gladys Romm, a regular user of the Senior Citizens’ Hall, who explained that her husband Leonard had wished for a French Boules Court in the park after enjoying playing in France on holiday. Sadly Leonard passed away before realising this ambition. Gladys was delighted when we responded enthusiastically to her suggestion and while the ‘Friends’ began raising funds she managed to collect over 270 signatures on a petition to show just how popular this new addition in the park would be within the local community. Pétanque is a form of Boules invented in 1907 by a Frenchman named Jules Lenoir, when rheumatism prevented him from running before he threw the ball. For that reason it is a gentle sport suitable for people of all ages and conditions, and in France it's also big part of community social life. With the Senior Citizens Hall so near to the park we felt that introducing a Boules Court would encourage them to walk, exercise and socialise in the open air more frequently. With the court being in an freely accessible public space, it would also be available to many other local groups to use. The Friend of the Park raised over half the money needed to pay for the court with tombolas at local events, like the Food Festival, Carnival and Locks Festival, and with a special showing of the Railway Children film at Marple’s Regent Cinema. We expected to have to raise the rest of the money in a similar way too but thanks to the level of community support Gladys managed to show with her petition we realised that the project could be an ideal candidate for an O2 ‘It’s Your Community’ Award. Thankfully, ‘It’s Your Community’ thought the whole thing was a great idea too! We're really pleased to have won this award as we think a Boules Court will be a fantastic addition to our park. We're also delighted that we’re going to be able to make Glad’s wish come true as she worked so hard to show that it is something the community really wants. Although the Friends have now raised enough funds for the court to be constructed we would also like to be able to install some benches around it so that players can enjoy their games of Pétanque even more, and spectators can watch in comfort. We are therefore talking to other local community groups in the hope that they will be able to help us to find the funds for this. We would also like to talk to anyone who may wish to pay for one of the benches to be sited near to the court in memory of a lost loved one. If you are interested in this please ring Mark on 0161 427 4955. |
The Friends of the Park are delighted to announce that they have been awarded an O2 ‘It’s Your Community’ Award of £1,000 towards the cost of constructing a French Boules Court in Marple Memorial Park.
This award means that we have now raised enough money for work on this
great new feature in the park to get underway...
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Each month up to 60 projects throughout the UK receive up to £1000 of It’s Your Community’ funding from O2. Awards must be for the benefit of the community or to build community spirit. For more information about the hundreds of projects that have already received an award and how to apply for one, visit www.itsyourcommunity.co.uk |
