News Archive

CORNWALL SINGLES

The 2009 Cornwall Singles competition was held at the Star Inn, St Day, on Sunday 24 May and was won by Steven Boyne. Originally from Scotland, Steven played regularly in Kernow Pétanque events while living in Truro before moving to Devon last year. He lost only one game during the day's play.

Runner-up after a closely fought final was Simon Penna of Falmouth, a member of the Treleigh Arms Pétanque Society (TAPS) in Redruth. Third place was taken by Graeme Kirkham of Tregony Pétanque Club and the fourth semi-finalist was Hugh Appleton, also from TAPS.

Winner of the plate competition was Peter Lynas, of Trengilly Wartha Pétanque Club.

Steven Boyne (left) receives the Cornwall Singles trophy from Robert Herrick, Kernow Pétanque Playing Officer.

For photographs of the runners-up and plate winner see the Gallery.

Good start to the 2009 season.

Great weather and a good turnout of teams helped to get the new season off to a flying start at the long-established Kernow Pétanque Easter Egg Shoot on Sunday 19 April, held at the Star Inn, St Day.

The event was an open competition for triples and in addition to local players from mid Cornwall there were visiting teams from Ottery St Mary in Devon and one from the club recently established at the Rising Sun, Altarnun, in east Cornwall.

Overall winners were (Are you looking for) Trois Boules (see photograph): Graeme Kirkham, Susan Williamson and Paul Rundle, all of Tregony Sports Club Pétanque Club. Runners-up were the Rams: Wendy Booker and Peter Gliddon of Carharrack and Martin Dyke of St Austell. Both teams won all their games in the competition rounds, with Trois Boules taking the final by 13 points to 10.

Next event

The Kernow Pétanque summer league begins on 3 May at the Star Inn, St Day. This will be a competition for triples. Entry details and further information from Robert Herrick (01566 772709).

CORNWALL CLUB NEWS

The 2009 season gets off to a good start with two new clubs joining the region. The Rising Sun, near Altarnun in east Cornwall, is a new club at a very pleasant country pub. There are already a number of members and they are intending to have a terrain constructed very soon. Information from Robert Herrick: 01566 772709

The Treleigh Arms Petanque Society (TAPS) has re-formed and club nights / practice sessions take place every Tuesday (weather permitting), from 6pm. There are lights on the two pistes. Information from Simon Penna: 07884 308507.

Tregony Pétanque Club meets at Tregony Sports and Social Club every Wednesday night (from 22 April), starting at 6.00 pm. The Sports Club is in Back Lane, Tregony, near the church. Contact: Graeme Kirkham on 01872 530393.

There are Friday evening sessions at the Star Inn, Vogue, near St Day. Lights are being installed on some of the pistes there. Information from Wendy Booker on 01209 820192.

Information on the Trengilly Wartha Pétanque Club, near Constantine, from Pete Lynas: 01326 340313.

 

WINNERS!

Winners of the Kernow Pétanque winter doubles league were Paul Lancaster of Roche and Simon Penna of Falmouth, both of the Treleigh Arms Pétanque Society (TAPS), Redruth. Runners-up were Wendy Booker and PeterGliddon of Carharrack. The winners were presented with a distinctive Skinners Brewery trophy.
The final round of the competition took place on Sunday 29 March at the Star Inn, St Day, with 10 teams involved. At the end of the final it emerged that Paul and Simon had not lost a single game during the entire league! Paul is a former GB international player but Simon has been playing competitively for less than two years.

Note: The Kernow Pétanque summer triples league will begin on 3 May; information from Robert Herrick (01566 772709).

COMBINED CORNWALL-DEVON SQUAD AT THE INTER-REGIONAL COMPETITION

A combined Cornwall-Devon squad competed in the English Petanque Association Inter-Regional Championships at Brean Sands, Somerset, over the wet and windy weekend of 6-7 September.

There were high hopes that the cream of the south west's boule players could together make a mark in the competition but in the event these were not fulfilled - despite some hard-fought games the Devon-Kernow Combined squad eventually took last place in Division 2 at the event.

There were some successes, however. The Cornwall triple playing at no 1 won 8 of their 12 games over the two days' play, despite being up against some of the best teams in the country. Congratulations to Mike Hill, Paul Lancaster and Simon Penna. Cornwall's team 3 - David Lynas, Ruth Nicholls and Mark Nicholls - won 5 of their 12 games.

The best results of the weekend came in rounds 4 and 5 on Saturday, in each of which Cornwall-Devon won 6 of the 9 games played, first against Great Western and the the Sussex region.

The two other Cornwall teams were Wendy Booker, Martin Dyke, Tim Dyke and Peter Gliddon (Team 5 - 3 wins from 12) and Graeme Kirkham, Paul Rundle and Susan Williamson (Team 7 - 4 wins from 12).

A big thankyou to the four young Isle of Wight players who formed the junior triple for the Cornwall-Devon squad and won 4 of their games.

EVENING SESSIONS IN ST DAY AND TREGONY
Regular introductory and coaching sessions will be held through the summer in St Day and Tregony. New players are very welcome to come and try the game - boules are available to borrow - and existing players can take the opportunity to hone their skills.

The sessions are at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day, on Tuesday nights, organised by the Star Inn Pétanque Club and at Tregony Sports Club, Back Lane (near the church), Tregony, on Wednesdays, arranged by members of Tregony Sports Club Pétanque Club. Both sessions begin at 6.30 and will take place each week, weather permitting.

 

Richard Smith memorial event

With the aid of the best weather of the summer so far, Kernow Pétanque held a successful doubles competition on Sunday 27 July in memory of past Cornwall region president, Richard Smith. Richard was president of the region in the 1990s and died last November after a brave fight against Motor Neurone Disease.

Eleven teams competed in the event, including three visiting players from Leicester. The match took place at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day.

Mike Hill and Simon Penna, both of Falmouth, won all their games in the five competition rounds; Graeme Kirkham and Susan Williamson from Tregony won four games but were well ahead of other teams on points difference. In the final Mike and Simon took an early lead, going to 6-1 before Graeme and Susan came back to win the game 13-6.

Funds raised during the event are being donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

 

Cornwall Singles competition

After a very wet day's play - by the end of the final most of the piste was under water - the new Cornwall Singles champion is Paul Rundle of Tregony. Runner-up was Lena Daddow of Carharrack.

Mike Hill, Kernow Pétanque playing officer and regional umpire, presents the Cornwall Singles shield to winner Paul Rundle of Tregony, with (right) runner-up Lena Daddow of Carharrack.

 

Pétanque in Penzance

Kernow Pétanque made its annual visit to Penzance on 29 June for Quay Fair Day, part of the town's well-known Golowan Festival.

There was a good turnout of local players from west Cornwall (although fewer from elsewhere in the region) and with music on the streets and in the nearby marquee, good weather, a pub and a beer tent within a few yards and all the fun of the fair right next door, it was a lively and friendly event.

The presence of pétanque was well promoted on the festival PA and a number of people who had previously played on the beach came to give it a try : a few were rather startled when they discovered that shooting someone else's boule was permitted!

The pistes were unprepared surfaces in St Anthony's Gardens, just behind the Promenade; they were played 'as found' and varied from deepish gravel to solid tarmac, making a good challenge in reading the piste.

Please note: if anyone is interested in establishing regular pétanque sessions in west Cornwall, please get in touch through this website

Cornwall Open Doubles competition

The Cornwall Open Doubles was held at the Star, Vogue, St Day, on Sunday 25 May 2008. Winners were Peter and Karen Lynas, of Port Navas. They were the first winners to receive Kernow Pétanque's new 'beer pump handle' trophy for the competition, donated by Skinner's Brewery of Truro.

Runners-up were Simon Penna and Chris 'Tom' Tomlinson.

The next Cornwall events will be an informal competition at the Golowan Festival, Penzance, on 29 June, the Cornwall Singles on 6 July and an event in memory of past Cornwall region president Richard Smith on 27 July. These last two events will be held at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day.

 

FIRST EVENT OF 2008
The first competition of 2008 was the traditional Easter-egg shoot, held at the Star Inn, St Day on Sunday 30 March. Overall winners were Simon Penna of Falmouth and Paul Lancaster of Roche, who beat runners-up Steven Boyne and Caroline Hattam, both of Truro, in a close-fought final.

The event was sponsored by Skinners Brewery, who generously provided prizes in addition to the usual Easter eggs.

The next Kernow Pétanque event will be the Cornwall Triples, to be held at the Star on 20 April.

At last: 2007 Cornwall league winners!

After a long delay, the 2007 Cornwall pétanque league finals were eventually played on Sunday 9 March 2008 at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day. The winners were the Angel-Headed Hipsters, made up of Gordon Couch (Gorran Haven), Anthony Frost (Rosemergy, Morvah) and Jock Turnham (Truro).

Runners-up were the Rams: Wendy Booker (Carharrack), Martin Dyke (St Austell) and Peter Gliddon (Carharrack).

The final was held back from the end of the 2007 season by the unavoidable commitments of the two highest ranking teams. In the event it was a closely-fought match: each team won one of the triples games and the final result turned on the singles, with the Hipsters taking two for an overall 3-2 win.



Winners and runners-up in the Kernow Pétanque 2007 League Competition. Left to right: Angel-Headed Hipsters (Gordon Couch, Anthony Frost, Jock Turnham); the Rams (Wendy Booker, Peter Gliddon, Martin Dyke).

Kernow Pétanque AGM

The Association's Annual General Meeting was held on Sunday 24 February 2008 in the Tap Room at Skinner's Brewery, Truro.

Kernow Pétanque president Graeme Kirkham reviewed the past year, with highlights including a much-improved performance by Cornwall's squad in the national inter-regional competition in September and the number of new players who joined during 2007.

The Association also held a very successful weekend of events in June 2007 to mark World Pétanque Day and the centenary of the beginnings of the game. A winter league has also been run for the first time in a number of years, and the ground has been prepared for a successful 'twinning' arrangement with a pétanque club in Morlaix, Brittany.

On the down side, Cornwall is still very short of players in the junior age groups and more needs to be done to attract new players across the board.

Some changes were made to the Association's Officers: Susan Williamson will take over from Ruth Nicholls as Membership Secretary - warm thanks were sent to Ruth for her past contribution in this post - and Karen Lynas will aid Ruth in the Treasurer's role. Paul Lancaster, formerly of Thames Valley, becomes a coach to the region. The president thanked Regional Umpire and Playing Officer Mike Hill for all the work he had put into organising events and the league through the year.

The next AGM will take place on 16 November 2008.

Richard Smith, former president of the Cornwall region of the British Petanque Association, died on 24 November 2007 aged 62. Richard was president of the region during the 1990s and formerly lived at Point, Devoran. He and his wife Lynn played for Cornwall at inter-regional competitions until a few years ago, continuing even after moving to Cumbria. The obituary notice below appeared in the West Briton newspaper. Kernow Pétanque has made a donation to the Motor Neurone Disease Association in Richard's memory.


SMITH

Richard

Aged 62 years, of Oxenfell, Coniston, formerly of Penpol Hill, Point, Devoran. Passed peacefully away at home on November 24th 2007, after a very brave fight against Motor Neurone Disease. Dearly beloved husband of Lynn, and son of the late John and Olga Smith. Brother-in-law to Carole and Alan, Uncle of Jeanette, Sarah and Nicola. Great Uncle of Sophia, Carolynn, Shannon and Kayleigh. Funeral arrangements are being made by T Edmunsen Ltd, 3 Oak Street, Windermere LA23 1BH Tel: 01539 443427. Family flowers only please, but if desired, donations in Richard’s memory would be gratefully received for the Motor Neurone Disease Association c/o the funeral director or Lynn.

A tribute to Richard is currently on the English Petanque Association website: http://www.englishpetanque.org.uk/news.html

KERNOW PETANQUE FINAL 2007 EVENT

The final event of the Kernow Pétanque 2007 season was the Reg Daddow Memorial competition for doubles or triples, held on Sunday 4 November at the Star Inn, St Day. Winners were Graeme Kirkham and Susan Williamson of Tregony, with Brian and Yvette Reeman as runners up.

Other competition winners during 2007 were:

Beginning of season event (doubles) Maggie Johns and Paul Lancaster

Golowan Festival competition Anthony Frost, Luke Frost and Gordon Couch

President's Event (doubles) Paul Rundle and Graham Hodge

Cornwall Triples David Lynas, Karen Lynas, Ruth Nicholls

Cornwall Doubles Graeme Kirkham and Susan Williamson

Cornwall Singles Ruth Nicholls

Cornwall Shooting Paul Johns

The Cornwall league competition for 2007 remains to be decided between the Angel-Headed Hipsters and the Rams. A new winter league competition begins on 18 November.

Other highlights of the year included celebrating petanque's centenary in June 2007 with a 'petanque on the piazza' event in Truro and a closely-fought match against Devon - Cornwall eventually lost by just one game. This year also saw Cornwall's best performance for many years in the national inter-regional pétanque competition held at Brean Sands, Somerset, in September. A number of new and experienced players joined the region during the year, promising even better results in 2008.

Cornwall Singles Championship

NEW CORNWALL SINGLES CHAMPION

Brother played sister in the final of the Cornwall 2007 Singles Championships, played at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day, on Sunday 14 October.

After five qualifying games, Ruth Nicholls of Port Navas faced her brother, David Lynas, in the decider and won the singles title for the first time. Runner-up David, who lives and works in Plymouth, was last year's champion and has won the competition in several previous years.

Narrowly in third place, and just out of the final on points difference, was Graham Hodges of St Day.

The Cornwall Shooting Championship was also held during the day and was won by former Kernow Pétanque president Paul Johns, of St Day. In second place was Tim Dyke of St Austell.

Note: The next Kernow Pétanque event will be the Reg Daddow memorial competition for doubles and triples, to be played at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day, on 4 November.

Meet at 10.45 for 11.00 start (please note the earlier than usual start time). Entry £10 per team - prizes to winner and runner-up. Part of the proceeds of this event will go to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Kernow Pétanque will be running a winter league this year, beginning on Sunday 18 November. If you would like to take part please contact Mike Hill (01326 319492) or Graeme Kirkham (01872 530393).

 

Cornwall Doubles Championship

Winners of the 2007 Cornwall Doubles competition are Susan Williamson and Graeme Kirkham of Tregony. They beat Gordon Couch of Gorran Haven (right) and Mike Hill, Falmouth (second right) by 13-3 in the final.

Sixteen doubles competed in the event, which was held at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day, on Sunday 30 September. Competitors came from as far as Somerset, Plymouth and Launceston, and there were several entries from regular Cornwall U3A pétanque players.

Both teams in the finals won all five of their previous games. Pairs with four wins were Dave Lynas (Plymouth) and Ruth Nicholls (Port Navas), Simon Penna (Falmouth) and Hugh Appleton (West Bagborough, Somerset), Lena and Macca Daddow (Carharrack), and Robert and Kate Herrick (Launceston).


Note: The Cornwall Singles Championship will take place on Sunday 14 October at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day.

Meet at 10.45 for 11.00 start (please note the earlier than usual start time). Entry £3 per player - prizes to winner and runner-up.

For more information, contact Mike Hill (01326 319492) or Graeme Kirkham (01872 530393)

 

STOP PRESS: Cornish triumph at Brean Sands

For the first time in at least ten years the Kernow Pétanque squad did not come last in the English Pétanque Association inter-regional competition, held this year at Brean Sands, Somerset, over the weekend of 8-9 September.

Cornwall ended with 41 wins from 108 games played, putting them in seventh place and beating the new Sussex region, with 37 wins, into the last place in Division Two. Top region in the division was Isle of Wight, with 74 wins.

The top-scoring Cornish triple was Karen Lynas, Ruth Nicholls and Dave Lynas, playing at no 3, who won nine of their 12 games over the weekend [they also won the Cornish Triples championship the previous weekend - see below]. Second highest were Kernow 6, made up of Graeme Kirkham, Susan Williamson and Ben Williamson, who won seven games.

Because of the small number of regular players in Cornwall the squad included one team of players 'borrowed' from the Chiltern region: a big thank you to Neville, Gary, Jo and Sheila. The Cornwall junior triple consisted of two young Southern Counties players, Matt and Calum, and Jesse from Wales. The three played magnificently and came third in the Division Two junior competition.

Graeme Kirkham, President of Kernow Pétanque, said: 'For a region as small as ours, with fewer than 30 regular players, this is a great result. Everyone can feel proud of what we achieved. We now need to build our numbers, bring on new players and get ready to do even better next year.'

The full Cornwall squad was:

1 Jock Turnham, Roger Boyle and Robert Herrick
2 Paul Johns, Maggie Johns, Simon Penna, Hugh Appleton
3 Karen Lynas, Ruth Nicholls, Dave Lynas
4 Neville Hicks, Gary Gould, Jo Gallimore, Sheila Roden [Chilterns]
5 Pete Lynas, Paul Rundle, Graham Hodge
6 Graeme Kirkham, Susan Williamson, Ben Williamson
7 Mark Nicholls, Trystan Mann, Tim Dyke
8 Lena Daddow, Kevin Daddow, Gage Daddow
Juniors: Matt, Calum, Jesse

Photos in the Gallery

[Full results available soon.]

Cornwall Doubles Championships

Cornish triples Champions - Karen Lynas, Ruth Nicholls and Dave Lynas received the trophy from Kernow Pétanque president Graeme Kirkham at the end of the competition on Sunday 2 September.

Presidents Event

Graham Hodges and Paul Rundle, winners of the Kernow Pétanque President's event, a doubles competition, held on Sunday 19 August.

Devon v Cornwall 2007

Devon narrowly managed to beat Cornwall in the annual competition at the Pig on the Hill near Bideford. The final result being 12 games to 13 - Pictures in the photo gallery.

This is the closest result in competitions between the two regions that anyone can remember: in the past Devon have often won by a large margin. On this occasion it was 12 wins each until the very last game, which went to 13-11.

The upturn in Cornwall's fortunes can be seen in the detailed results table: despite losing narrowly, Kernow had a positive balance of + 27 in points for and against and many of the games we lost went to 13-11 or 13-12. [link to results table]

Thanks to John Thatcher of Devon for organising and umpiring the event - we're looking forward to a re-match in Cornwall next year.
The Cornwall squad were:

• Kernow 1: Mike Hill, Kate Hill, Brian Reeman
• Kernow 2: Graeme Kirkham, Susan Williamson, Paul Rundle, Pat Hine
• Kernow 3: Paul Johns, Maggie Johns, Simon Rundle, Hugh Appleton
• Kernow 4: Peter Lynas, Ruth Nicholls, Mark Nicholls
• Kernow 5: Dave Lynas, Paul Lancaster, Robert Herrick

PENZANCE PETANQUE EVENT FOR GOLOWAN FESTIVAL

Despite lashing rain and floods everywhere else in the UK, Penzance was bathed in sunshine on Sunday 24 June for the annual Quay Fair event at the end of the Golowan Festival.

Continuing the tradition established over the past couple of years, Kernow Pétanque players turned out for an open competition for doubles and triples held in St Anthony's Gardens, conveniently close to the Yacht Inn, on the Promenade near the harbour.

Overall winners on the very variable open terrain - thin gravel over tarmac to deep gravel - were Anthony Frost, Luke Frost and Gordon Couch. Second were Mike Hill and Pete Lynas, with Karen and Ruth Lynas taking third place.

Forthcoming Kernow Pétanque events include a match against Devon on 22 July. For details of other events (weather permitting!), keep an eye on this website. Pictures of the event can be found in the photos section

CORNWALL CELEBRATES PETANQUE CENTENARY

Kernow Petanque Association marked World Pétanque Day and the centenary of the creation of the game with a weekend of special events.

On Saturday 2 June members laid out a temporary piste on Lemon Quay in Truro and played demonstration games from 10.00 until 16.00. Numerous members of the public came and watched, asked questions, took leaflets and 'had a go'. A number of regular players from the Carrick University of the Third Age (U3A) pétanque group also came and took part.

There was also some media interest, with an interview on Pirate FM, mentions on Radio Cornwall and a photographer from the West Briton.

Grateful thanks are due to Truro City Council and their staff for help in staging the event. Also to T H Douce of Chacewater, who very kindly supplied the surfacing for the temporary piste.

On Sunday 3 June there was an informal event at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day, to give newcomers an opportunity to meet regular players and take part in a series of games in different formats. A melée proved a good way of mixing the participants.

Dull and drizzly weather kept overall numbers down but it was still a worthwhile and fun event, to be repeated in better weather!

The next Kernow Pétanque event will be the open competition for doubles or triples at the Golowan Festival, Penzance, on Sunday 24 June. It will take place on the terrace in St Anthony's Gardens, Penzance (in front of the Yacht Inn, on the Promenade near the harbour). Meet at 10.45 for 11.00 start.

See more photographs of the centenary weekend on our Gallery pages.

Celebrating 100 years of petanque

Saturday 2 June is World Pétanque Day, marking the centenary of the creation of the game at the small coastal town of La Ciotat, near Marseilles in southern France.

Kernow Pétanque Association is highlighting the occasion with a weekend of activities. On Saturday there will be a 'Pétanque on the Piazza' event on Lemon Quay, Truro, with two pétanque pistes laid out and games taking place all day. Anyone interested in trying the game is welcome to come along, as are current or past players who would like to take part. Information will also be available on places to play pétanque in Cornwall and on the game's simple rules and the equipment needed.

On Sunday 3 June there will be a pétanque celebration event at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day, with games, competitions and other activities all day. Beginners will have an opportunity to play as a 'pair' with an experienced player and pick up hints on playing technique. Players with some experience of the game will be able to pit their skills against others in a variety of combinations. The event begins at 11 am.

HIGH-SCORING START TO 2007 CORNWALL PETANQUE LEAGUE

More than 30 keen boules players took part in the first round of the 2007 Cornwall petanque league, held at the Star Inn, St Day, on Sunday 6 May.Two teams ended the day with perfect 5-0 scores over their opponents: Wishful Thinking, of Porth Navas, near Constantine, and the Angel Headed Hipsters, with members from Gorran Haven and west Penwith.
Other teams came from Tregony Sports Club and the Treleigh Arms, Redruth, as well as from Falmouth, the St Day area and St Austell.
'This is petanque's centenary year, said Kernow Petanque Association president Graeme Kirkham. 'The game has become very popular in the UK in recent years and it's great to see so many people taking part in the Cornwall league.'
The Association will be holding a '100 years of petanque' celebration weekend next month, with a special event on Lemon Quay, Truro, on Saturday 2 June and an open boules competiton at the Star Inn, St Day on Sunday 3 June.

First Event Of The Year

Kernow Pétanque's first event of the 2007 season - an open competition for doubles or triples - took place at the Star Inn, Vogue, St Day, on Sunday 15 April. Despite foggy and cool conditions there was a strong turnout of more than 20 players.

Winners were Maggie Johns of St Day and a new player in Cornwall, Paul Lancaster. Despite strong competition they won all five of their games and were named as champions of the traditional 'Easter Egg Shoot'. Second place was taken by Peter Gliddon of St Day and Martin Dyke of St Austell, who won four out of five games, narrowly beating Karen Lynas and Ruth Nicholls of Port Navas on points difference.

AGM

Kernow Pétanque Association AGM was held at Tregony Sports Club on Sunday 11 March. The officers in post during 2006 were re-elected and are now joined by Mike Hill as Playing Officer.

Mojacar Trip

Several Tregony players had a reunion in Mojacar, Spain, over the weekend immediately before Easter. Graeme Kirkham, Susan Williamson and Ben Williamson flew south to meet Ray and Pat Hine and Kevin and Brenda Platt, who have all spent the winter in the sun. The weekend included games against locally resident French players who, among other slight novelties, normally play with the cochonnet at up to 11m rather than the 10m usual under EPA rules. Comment from the shooters: 'That's a long way . . . '! - Photos on the Photos page!