KENT PETANQUE ASSOCIATION

ISSUE No.90 DECEMBER 2013

Page 1 KPA GAZETTE

The final KPA Management

meeting of the year was held at

Hartley Country club on

Thursday 5th December. A total

of fourteen members attend-

ed….those being,

Martin Eggleton, David Baxter,

Peter Abbitt, Mick Weston, Ray Keemer Richards, Corinne Cooter, Mark Cooter, Andy

Mills, Mike Cubitt, Joyce Nash, Mick Nash, Ken Buchan, Gordon Angell and Ron Yates.

A few notes taken….not minutes.

To investigate an additional member for the KPA Playing Committee, contacts to be made.

All efforts to be made to bring forward to an early part of the season for the 2014

series of Regional Qualifiers. Clarify the details and encourage the Duke of Welling to re-

peat their successful “Dads & Juniors” competition. All Clubs to be contacted to deter-

mine their individual Competition dates for 2014. 2014 Regional Qualifier series will be 5

competition dates at different venues yet to be decided. Intention to provide prizes at

KPA competitions in the form of cash assistance for travelling/accommodation at two Eu-

ropean competitions, the Dunkerquoise and the Zeist event.

The KPA Treasurer provided a budget account for year 2014, which proposes a budget

deficit of around £500 based upon expenditure for 2013, however there were a few ma-

jor expenses for 2013 that will not necessarily occur in 2014.

To proceed with the proposed Sports Psychology Introductory course with a budget of

£500, members to be contacted regarding attendance. There still remains confusion with

some Clubs as to the requirements of both Club and individual Licence registration with

the EPA/KPA. The KPA Membership Secretary will provide guidance to Club secretaries.

A long discussion took place relating to “coaching”. Following a recent meeting of the EPA

it would appear that the EPA offers no clear and definitive method of providing coaching,

in fact existing (out of date) coaching certificates are obviously no longer valid and will

not be renewed in their present form, and what they will be replaced with is unclear. This

indecision provides a difficult position for the KPA, where there are two current prelimi-

nary propositions from schools to provide an introduction and coaching for Petanque. Ad-

vised that any formal coaching of juniors, particularly at schools, requires regulated and

Nationally recognised authorisation. In the light of no coaching system being forthcoming

from the EPA, the KPA are to investigate setting up their own authorised coaching system

including all the required certification for coaching in schools.

NEXT MEETING of the KPA Management Committee 23rd January at STAR MEADOW

SPORTS CLUB….starts at 8pm….all KPA Registered members are welcome to attend.

A reminder for CLUB SECRETARIES to read the small print

at the bottom of the E.P.A. Club Registration Form, when re-

newing for year 2014. Apart from your Club details, and £35,

you are also required to forward a copy of your “CLUB CON-

STITUTION” with the duly completed Club Registration Form. The “Club

Registration Form” blank can be found on the E.P.A web-site...front home

page left hand column, click on “red” Membership”….then on this member-

ship page half way down click on “red” Club Registration Form”.

Your Club may or may not have a written Constitution…….worry not…..either

way the easiest course of action is to get a pro-forma Constitution from the

E.P.A. web-site and complete the few required details. To obtain the pro-

forma or “blank” “Constitution” ….from the E.P.A. home page, left hand column click on

“Information” in red…..up comes a blue list of documents and near the

bottom of this list click on “Sample Club Constitution”.

Bob’s yer uncle !

Have heard from a few knowledgeable petanque worthies that there is a

possibility of some financial assistance to petanque Clubs. Have had this

information verified on good authority from a “bloke-in-the-pub”, so it

must be true ! It would appear that Council Administration areas in Kent

have an appointed Councillor who has available a small fund of money spe-

cifically for assisting sports Clubs…...for the benefit of the Community. It

seems that two Clubs in Kent have already benefited from this scheme.

The E.P.A. has issued a COACHING DVD, sent

to all Club Secretaries…..your Club Secretary

will have one. This DVD is excellent ! Watch it.

This DVD was originated by BRIAN STOTE (ex-member of the EPA

Committee), and you should watch it. Visually very good, the narrative is

very good, and the explanation to the basics of Petanque is excellent. All

the information and coaching advice is applicable to whatever standards you try to play

at. O.K. some Petanque diva’s will say —-”this is too basic for me” - and they are probably

the same persons that will be arsing about at the end of the piste when you are about to

shoot, or will be taking Petanque sportsmanship to the extremes ! Well done Brian.

the brians behind

learning ,but he is not

Brian Stote !

Page 2 KPA GAZETTE

Facts…….the KPA is, and has been

for several years in a very healthy

condition, regarding funds…...the Regional Triples Qualifier Series in Kent is

probably the most successful, well organised and best supported of all the

England Regions. However it costs a great deal of money to support the dozen

or so qualifiers who represent Kent at the National finals…..covering players costs for

team strip and financial assistance with accommodation. There is a proposal to improve

the team strip for year 2014. Most other Regions do not necessarily provide team strip

or provide assistance for accommodation. Part of the costs expended on the qualified

players are raised from entry fees from the five Qualifier rounds.

At the recent KPA Management Committee Meeting, the question was asked…”do we keep

the entry fees per Qualifier for 2014 at £8 per player as in year 2013” or do we “raise

the entry fees to say £10 per player” ?......or several alternative suggestions based upon

an entry fee “per team” or an entry fee “per player”.

A reminder that a “team” playing in the Qualifiers can be a Triples team of three or four

players…...in past recent years, the number of teams playing in each Qualifier has

varied between around 24 teams, to 32 teams.

What is your opinion ?.......let a member of the KPA Management Committee know !

So the boys have done it ! “Ingerland” will fly to RIO and take

part in the Football World Cup. And so they should.

However, and whatever we like to think…….”England being the home of football”….”the English football League is the Best in the world” and all the other football pats on the English backs

we bestow upon ourselves…….the place for real football is

BRAZIL !

And apart from a couple of venues that might prove to be a bit

sweaty, Brazil in July will be the ideal country for the World Cup. There will no doubt be

massive local enthusiasm…...not so sure there will be a massive pile of spare local cash to

buy a ticket though ! “Woy’s Boys” will do their best and might cause a few surprises. The

number of foreign players playing regularly in our League teams, no doubt, is detrimental

to the amount of quality English players that rise to the top and make themselves availa-

ble for selection to play for the England team. Other countries have a limit to the number

of foreign players that can play for the home teams…..can’t see why England can’t do the

same.

BRAZIL is football !

Spot the kids on the beach in Rio, practicing bending a ball around a sheet of hardboard

and into an imaginary goal. Watch a local top quality adult game of seven aside on a munici-

pal pitch, where the defenders have the same footballing skills as the “strikers”. Lay in

bed at night in your hotel and hear the refs whistle start a game at 3am, under flood-

lights, an important game being played in the “taxi” drivers League, an hour before the

start of the games for the “waiters” League. Good luck in Brazil to the boys from Blighty!

Page 3 KPA GAZETTE

French club La Ronde

Petanque from the town of Metz (N.E. France) retained their European

Club Champions title when the finals of the CEP’s (Confédération Eu-

ropéenne de Pétanque) EuroCup were held in The Netherlands over the

weekend of 30th November – 1st December.

The star-studded La Ronde squad included 5 ex World Champions –

Damien Hureau from the 2004 French World Championship team and the whole of the

Belgian World Championship team from 2000 – Jean-Francios Hemon, Michel Van Campen-

hout, Claudy Weibel and Andre Lozano. Several of the squad are also former French

National Champions, namely: Claudy Weibel and Stehane Le Bourgeois (French Triples

Champions 2012), Damien Hureau (French Doubles Champion 1998) and Jordane Sala

(French Minimes Champion 1995).

Their opponents in the finals were ASD Bocciofila Taggese (Italy), PSC Jarvenpaa

(Finaland), CdP Les Cailloux (Netherlands) and Coccinelle PC (Sweden). The format is the

same as the EPA’s EuroCup competition with each match consisting of 2 triples games fol-

lowed by three doubles games. La Ronde cruised through the ‘round robin’ group matches

beating each of their opponents by 5 games to nil.

The format then called for a final between the top two clubs so in a repeat of the 2012

final La Ronde Petanque again faced the Italian club ASD Bocciofila Taggese, which in-

cluded two former Junior World Champions Alessandro Basso and Diego Rizzi. Having won

both triples and the first doubles game the match ended with the score at 3-0 in favour

of La Ronde.Two Kent clubs, Hartley PC and Meadow PC, are still in contention to compete

in next year’s EuroCup tournament where they could take on the likes of La Ronde as they

are both through to the EPA Finals. These take place in March next year where Hartley

and Meadow will compete against two Heart of England clubs, Half Crown and Nomades,

to win the EnTwo Kent clubs, Hartley PC and Meadow PC, are still in contention to com-

pete in next year’s EuroCup tournament where they could take on the likes of La Ronde as

they are both through to the EPA Finals. These take place in March next year where

HARTLEY P.C. and MEADOW P.C. will compete against two Heart of England clubs,

Half Crown and Nomades, to win the English title.

Article by MARK COOTER of the Meadow P.C.

An interesting article and debate

on the “facebook” page regarding

medical certification to play Petanque in France. Confirmed by franco-

files and Blighty domiciled “ex-froggies”…..to play a sport in France

(any sport) at even lowly levels, individual players are required to ob-

tain a medical certificate from their doctor upon which a licence to

play is authorised. Presumably this certificate relates to “physical” fit-

ness and does not necessarily include “mental” fitness...but does include

the physical attribution to take a pee against a tree at a minimum of

5 metres from the sport playing area….the tree is not obligatory.

There are two “facebook” pages ...that might be of interest, you can read without contri-

bution, they are…….. “English Petanque Association” and “English Petanque”

Page 4 KPA GAZETTE

Headline news from August 1943 when Polish fighter Squadron 306

flew into Gravesend airfield for their latest posting. Current day

Riverview Park Estate is built over the original Gravesend air-

field…..coincidently not too far from the site of “hair Boris’s” proposed

new London airport.

Gravesend airport was in existence from 1932 until 1956 and in the

early years was operated by “Gravesend Aviation Ltd” and in the years

1933 to 1936 was the home of “Percival Aircraft” building racing air-

craft including the “Mew Gull”. During 1936 the company “ Essex Aero”

moved to the site preparing racing planes including de Haviland DH88

Comets and Alex Henshaw’s plane “Percival Mew Gull” that set the rec-

ord for a flight to South Africa. Before WW2… Gravesend was a di-

versionary airport when Croydon was “fogged-in” and airlines the likes

of Imperial Airways, Sabena and KLM took advantage of this facility.

The RAF moved to the Gravesend airport in 1937 and was fully requi-

sitioned in 1939 when it became a “sector” airfield for Biggin Hill as one of the airfields

of Group 11. The first squadron to occupy the site was Fighter Squadron 32 arriving

January 1940 with Hawker Hurricane

fighter planes. Many different squad-

rons were stationed at Gravesend

throughout WW2 including 66Squad-

ron during the Battle of Britain in

1940, and 71 Squadron who took part

in the Dieppe raid in 1942. Gravesend

was the first RAF airfield to operate

the American Mustang 111 fighters

by 65 Squadron in 1943.

Accommodation for the RAF person-

nel stationed at Gravesend was spilt between Cobham Hall for the officers and pilots, and

the “Laughing Waters” restaurant for the ground crews. The site air defence was provid-

ed by the army and the airfield was attacked a few times and on 2nd September 1940 two

soldiers were killed when a pair of bombs were dropped. During their time at Gravesend,

the Polish Squadron 306 was commanded by Kpt. Pil. WLODZIMIERZ KARWOWSKI and

at the time were flying Submarine Spitfires MK-VB planes.

Today you will find a plaque in the Thong Lane Cascades Leisure Centre with a list of the

names of fifteen pilots killed in action whilst stationed at Gravesend Airport.

And why did we end up with Riverview Park housing estate ? Instead of a thriving air-

port ?..........reportedly and arguably….. After the war the then Gravesend Municipal Council gave planning permission to Essex Aero to take

over the airport, but with severe (and unworkable) conditions. The main conditions were that the RAF

extensions must be ripped up, thereby reducing the airport size by 40%; that the two runway lengths cut

back to just 3000 ft; and finally, provisions that a school and associated housing should be built on parts

of the airfield. Under those circumstances, Essex Aero did not continue with their scheme.

(thanks to Wikipedia)

Page 5 KPA GAZETTE

Forty Hartley players turned out for the Club’s Annual Xmas

Singles Competition on Sunday 8th December,

organised by JOYCE and MICK NASH. Coffee and mince pies

followed by lunch in the bar and the HCC Club Xmas draw.

The players played five games, and the Club Singles winner

this year was Barbara Potter. Meanwhile

JACK MILNER was on hand on Sunday

24th November to take these pictures

at the WHITEHOUSE P.C. where 23

members took part

wearing their Xmas hats in their Xmas

Singles competition won by

Alan Edmonds. After the competition,

hot drinks and mince pies, the players

adjourned to the warmth of the pub to

enjoy a feast laid on by Landlady JAN.

Page 6 KPA GAZETTE

Stories abound regarding the sorry and sad de-

mise of “ La BOULE INTEGRALE “ the French

manufacturer of quality boule. Stories that

Integrale have...closed ….shut up shop…..and are

no more are heard across La Manche.

A story of closure of another manufacturing as-

set accepted too readily by us Brits, in fact al-

most encouraged…..but for a French manufactur-

er to close…...a rare case indeed.

If you own a set of unused, mint condition

Integrale bronze boule…. hang onto them….they

could be worth a few quid on a future Antiques

Road Show. Reading the sparsely recorded histo-

ry of boule manufacture it would appear that In-

tegrale were the first manufacturer to make

“metal” boule around 1920 taking over from the

inferior and laboriously manufacture of solid

wooden boule followed by “boule cloutee”, wooden

boule covered with metal nails.

Early home of Integrale—a converted coach

house in Lyon—

The originators were Paul Courtier along with his fiend and co-worker Vincent Mille who

came up with the idea of making boule from metal. So in 1920 in their workshop in Lyon

they started experimenting with different types of metals, and metal alloys to establish

the optimum material for producing boule. They began with a rust resistant alloy of alu-

minium and bronze. They found aluminium bronze alloys to be too soft, and too fragile.

After two years of development they eventually succeeded with an bronze type alloy

comprising, copper, aluminium and other metals, the exact details and compositions a

trade secret to this present day.

From an engineering point of interest there were many production problems to overcome

in the early days of manufacture of “metal” boule. A solid “cast” metal boule was not an

option…….a “cast” hollow sphere, difficult….a welding procedure for joining two halve

spheres that would withstand continuous impact shock was required…..machinery for ac-

curately “turning” or “grinding” the finished boule needed to be designed…….all to be

overcome, gradually these problems were solved enabling the rapid production of accu-

rate, identical sets of boule at a cost that was not too prohibitive.

La Boule Integrale was formed and filed their first patents for metal boule in their Lyon

factory in 1923. At the convention in January 1925, the Union Nationale des Federations

de Boule ratified that the Boule Integrale was acceptable for all official competitions.

The first competitor to Integrale was “JB Boule” named after the company founder Jean

Blanc and manufactured their first steel boule in 1927 at their works in Sain-Bonnet le

Chateau, not far from Andrezieux in the middle of France on the D498 road., where now

stands a Boule/Petanque museum run by Obut.

Integrale and Paul Courtiieu continued with their “bronze” boule up until his death in 1972

when his son Etienne Bertholt took over running the business, and it remained a family

business until 1981 when it was sold to Florence et Peillon. continued

Page 7 KPA GAZETTE

Towards the end of 1981 the company began to struggle and most of the turnover was

from the production of “bocce balls”. The Integrale bronze boule “AS de Carreau (Ace of

Diamonds) or AC have always been known for their high quality of craftsmanship, but

were always expensive.

The recent history of the Integrale company starts to become vague, and could possibly

be as follows……

In 2003 Integrale was taken over by an unknown group of investors, and in early 2007 the

company was put into receivership, and in 2011 the company assets were liquidated at a

public auction. Two brothers brought the Integrale brand name and stock and the compa-

ny was up and running again, however in September 2013 Integrale announced that they

had stopped producing petanque boules.

However……..is it possible that Integrale will start manufacturing again ?

KEVIN & RICHARD

SPILLET RITA & JOHN

COOMBER

Sunday 15th

December—grey—

wet and windy…….but

a good last open com-

petition of the year.

Photos by Jack

Milner

Page 8 KPA GAZETTE

RON FREEAR and BRIDGET SNOW

Hartley Country Club P.C.

DOUGIE DICK of SHEPHERD NEAME

and CORINNE COOTER Meadow P.C.

DOUGIE DICK of SHEPHERD NEAME and

DEAN ASHBY and JACK BLOWS the Railway P.C.

MARK DENNIS and MICK WESTON

Lordswood P.C.

TRACEY TURNER and RICH SPILLET of

Meadow P.C. with DOUGIE DICK DOUGIE DICK and RICHARD KING

Bat & Ball P.C.

Page 9 KPA GAZETTE

Another ‘Happening’ at Mill Rythe

Following the Sept 2013 Inter Regional Championships

Once the hundreds of ‘petanquers’ had departed Mill Rythe on Mon 16th September Mo & I moved in! Having spent the weekend nearby at the Sinah Warren Hotel & coming in each day to support the Kent teams & meet our friends from around the country –to take as many photographs as possible. We joined the several hundred aged Ex Royal Navy matelots (all being “War Veterans” including myself), & the Ladies. The majority being members of the “Algerines Association”, a Class of Fleet Minesweepers of the 1943 to 1962 period; where in peacetime the few remaining ships were carrying out Fishery Protection Duties - mainly in Icelandic Waters. This was the occasion of the “Annual Algerines Re-Union”, a week long event at Mill Rythe to meet old friends & make new ones, children & teenagers excluded. The activities undertaken are far too many to be detailed here, but included those of an indoor & outdoor sporting and recreational flavour (also the dreaded ‘bingo’ after dinner). The shows put on by the new Entertainment Team were very good indeed, in fact the best we’d seen since the first week long re-union 20 years ago. The main point of this treatise being to highlight the ‘petanque’ activity. We most certainly enjoyed the new petanque terrain (being the second year of use by the EPA). It was most certainly wonderful experience to have a 32 piste terrain available for our use alone, which occurred daily – moving around frequently trying out each piste to discover how difficult or easy they were. As Mo & I did not undertake any ‘petanque introduction and tuition’ this year, the Mill Rythe Sport Staff had to undertake this daily on the small concrete base area near the Bowling Green – that a long past M/Rythe Management had made for me years ago. We were able to play properly ourselves for a change (as outlined above) & able for the first time, to take part in the daily competitions and take oldie ‘bus pass’ rides (with friends from Watford) to Portsmouth & else where. Noting, My Watford friend & I won the “Paintball Rifle Shooting Competition” between us, I won the normal “Rifle Shooting Competition” & the “Axe Throwing Competition” (like the “Vikings” film of years ago) too!! Lost the Darts event Finally it was good to see the maim asphalt car park back to its normal use!! Jack Milner 17 December 2013

Page 10 KPA GAZETTE

Latest thinking…….and guesses….and assumptions…….suggest that

the investigation into the working of Petanque brains may start as

early as February 2014 with as many as 150 petanque players and

their craniums being invited to the first phase.

The proposed Sports Psychology initiative by

David Baxter is moving along at a pace…..

keep a clear head over the Christmas period !

MAUREEN MILNER & FRIENDS from WATFORD

DOUGIE DICK with the players from the BAT & BALL P.C. Gravesend

DOUGIE DICK and BARBARA MIDDLETON

of Tovil P.C.

GILL PEARSON and BRIDGET SNOW

of Hartley Country Club P.C.

DOUGIE DICK and RICHARD SPILLET

of Meadow P.C.

A MERRY

CHRISTMAS

TO ALL OUR

LEADERS

Page 11 KPA GAZETTE

The gigantic display of hampers on display…..to be won by the contestants of the Meadow.

PC. Xmas Doubles on 15th December. 42 teams played on this grey day Sunday, some had

travelled long distances to take part including a group from the Sussex coast, no doubt

encouraged by Kevin and Tracey. Lots of faces not regularly seen at Kent open competi-

tions. The competition was organised by MARK COOTER who managed to successfully fit

42 teams onto 18 pistes without too much “hanging-around”. Richard Spillet organised the

sale of raffle tickets from the comfort of an armchair in the administration office, a

good raffle with a large selection of quality prizes, with the main prize of the Christmas

hamper going to Richard King. The food available in the Club house gets better and better

and the service is able to cope efficiently with a variety of hot meals at the lunch time

break. After Leagues in the morning, the afternoon was arranged into three separate

knockout competitions , Main, Plate and Consolage. Although the day started grey and

overcast, the forecast rain held off until mid-afternoon. All players managed to play in at

least 4 games. A good atmosphere last open Kent competition of 2013.

Page 12 KPA GAZETTE

Page 13 KPA GAZETTE

For the discerning reader of the Gazette…..it is obvious that some of

the articles in this issue have no connection whatsoever with

Petanque ! Which is an indication that we are now approaching the sea-

son of little or no Petanque news. In an attempt to publish the

Gazette monthly, your views, comments and articles for inclusion in

the months of December, January and February would be greatly ap-

preciated. Club news, player news or straightforward obtuse and irreverent articles will

be very welcome.

Traditional window cleaning—

Residential—Small Commercial

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customers in New Barn, Hartley,

Meopham, Istead Rise….

Phone NEIL on 07557 447342

MARK COOTER—JACK MILNER

For providing information for

this issue of the Gazette

Page 14

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The KENT PETANQUE GAZETTE is edited by RON YATES.

Any item of news for inclusion in future editions should be sent to e-mail

ronyates6@btinternet.com The views expressed in the KENT PETANQUE GAZETTE are those of the

editor and contributors only, and do not necessarily reflect the views of

the KENT PETANQUE ASSOCIATON or the

ENGLISH PETANQUE ASSOCIATION

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