MPC Open Triples Entries

MPC Members

The following teams from MPC have entered the club’s Open Triples on Sunday 22 September. We have a total of 15 entries and 1 more entry would be great to avoid byes and to make the afternoon knockout as 2 groups of 8 which makes for a great competition.

If you haven’t entered please consider getting a team together and entering – first come first served. If we get more than 16 entries there will be a waiting list and the entries will only be allowed if we get to 20.

Whether or not you are playing, we would still appreciate any raffle prizes you can donate.

It’s Petanque, Jim ……………..

…………… but NOT as we know it!!

Last Thursday, a small group from the Club were invited by, Tomas Martin who works for Disability Sport Wales as Boccia Coordinator, to a Welsh Paralympic Performance Session for Boccia – a game very similar to petanque in many ways but with some notable differences, amongst them:

  • the jack is as big as the boccia balls
  • the balls are like mini stuffed footballs that range from squidgy to very hard and each player can have a selection of balls of differing hardness – unlike petanque where, in a set, each boule is identical
  • the players sit in a line alternating each team so that each player from a team has a different view of the game which often determines who plays the next ball
  • players who are unable to throw a ball use a ramp similar to the one we used to roll pennies down at the funfair – but much larger. (these players are known as “rampers”). Normally “rampers” would not play against “throwers”
  • the winner is determined after a fixed number of ends not by reaching a certain score
  • as in petanque there is a plethora of minor rules which were explained to us but would take too long to repeat here

The evening started with introductions and a chat about boccia. Tomas, who has competed for Wales in various international events, is the grandson of our own club member, Tony Martin who took most of the photos in this article.

Then it was down to the Sports Hall where we split up into 2 teams to play a couple of sessions each against the “throwers” and the “rampers”. By the end we were beginning to get the hang of it, getting balls relatively near to the jack and even shooting.

 

            Tomas Martin with the Monkstone Team

I am not sure if anyone knew the final result but it didn’t matter – everyone had a great time and an evening to remember and Inclusivity in Sport was the winner!

A big thank-you from Monkstone Petanque Club to Tomas and all the other players and volunteers who made the evening such a success and good luck to Wales Paralympic Boccia team in the future.

WNSCb
DSC_1665
DSC_1666
DSC_1667
DSC_1668
DSC_1669
DSC_1670
DSC_1671
DSC_1672
DSC_1673
DSC_1675a
DSC_1676a
DSC_1677
DSC_1678
DSC_1679
DSC_1680
DSC_1681
DSC_1682
DSC_1684
DSC_1685
DSC_1686
DSC_1687a
DSC_1688a
DSC_1692
DSC_1691
DSC_1693
DSC_1694
DSC_1695
DSC_1696a
DSC_1697
DSC_1698
DSC_1699
DSC_1700
DSC_1701
DSC_1704
DSC_1705a
DSC_1706
DSC_1707
DSC_1708
DSC_1709
DSC_1710
DSC_1711
DSC_1712
DSC_1713
DSC_1714
DSC_1715
DSC_1716
DSC_1717
DSC_1718
IMG-20250515-WA0001a
previous arrow
next arrow

 

Lynda Hodges RIP

18 Club members were at Thornhill Crematorium today to pay their respects and say a final farewell to club member, Lynda Hodges, who died last month at the age of 84. Lynda, who had not been seen around the club very much over the last 2 years and not at all over the last year, due to ill health, was a very popular member of the club and a talented player.

She will be remembered by those who knew her for her friendly disposition, her “belly” laugh and, not least for the excellent homemade savouries and cakes that she would turn up at the club with almost every week to complement our morning coffee.

RIP Lynda

 

Easter Egg Melee

The annual Easter Egg Melee took place on Easter Sunday under warm and sunny blue skies. 30 members turned out to contest the the 3 round melee.

The idea behind a melee is to level the playing field, giving the less experienced an equal chance of victory. After 3 hours of competitive but friendly play this was shown to have worked as the winners were announced as Roger Green (1st), Francis Ryan (2nd) and Ann Marie Sheridan (3rd).  Both Francis and Ann Marie are relatively new players who finished above many far more experienced players.

Congratulations to Roger Green on his well deserved win.

THE FULL RESULTS

April 2025 Club 100 Draw

The April draw was made today, 18 April 2025 at the Club. The lucky winners were:

1 Rob Harris £103.50
2 Geoffrey Keast £34.50
3 Keith Nott £17.25

The 100 Club currently has a total of 69 members, making the monthly prize pot £155.25. In addition there is a bonus draw in December for a prize of £175+ (depending on the number of members). If you are not a member please consider joining.  The more people that join the bigger the prizes and the more improvements we can make to YOUR Club.

Congratulations to the winners but don’t forget:

YOU HAVE TO BE IN IT TO WIN IT

Contact Bernard on treasurer [at] monkstonepetanque [dot] org [dot] uk  or speak to him at the Club if you would like to join or for more details.