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Hardy Petanquers

Sundowners v Stars on 45 June 2022

Final Teams

presentation-2022-23

How Les Francais do it

Christmas Melee 2023 Banner

ABOUT US

Marches Pétanque League was founded in 1992. It has thrived and expanded and now has over twenty teams playing from fourteen venues across the Marches.

Matches are played, in the summer, on Wednesday evenings and through the winter on Sundays. Club competitions are held through the summer too.

MARCHES PETANQUE LEAGUE, HEREFORD

OVER 20 TEAMS

FROM 14 VENUES

MARCHES PETANQUE LEAGUE

100+

MEMBERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE

SUMMER LEAGUE

APR – AUG

KNOCK OUT CUP

4 ROUNDS DURING MARCH

BEELINE

CUP & PLATE

SEPT – OCT

WINTER LEAGUE

OCT – JAN

more info

EMAIL

enquiries@herefordpetanque.co.uk

CALL

Secretary 01873 860277

FIND US

The Seven Stars Inn
Clehonger
Hereford
HR2 9SL

Summer League Fixtures and Minutes of March Committee Meeting 26th March, also final positions of the Winter League, click HERE

Archive 2024

Archive 2023

WINTER LEAGUE

Due to injuries, Stable Door have reluctantly pulled out of the winter league. They are replaced in the league by another Bye (ByeBye). As they have not played any matches to date, this will not affect the table.

CHRISTMAS MELEE

The Christmas Melee will take place on Sunday 17th December 2023 at Seven Stars, Clehonger. There is a £2 entry fee and all monies will go back in prizes. Registration is at 10:30 am for an 11.00 am start. There will be a Grand Raffle in aid of Hereford PC. Christmas jumpers (and other silly seasonal wear) are not compulsory, but strongly encouraged. Let us hope the weather will be better than last year (see the photo on the website banner!) Games will be doubles or triples depending on the numbers of entries, and players for each team will be drawn at random. We would love to see you there, it's a lot of fun. All are welcome.

MARCHES LEAGUE AGM

This years AGM was held at The New Strand, Eardisley at 7.30pm on 24th October. The Marches Secretary, Chairman and Treasurer stepped down at this meeting. Douglas Like, Jens Bryan and Andrew Roberts were unanimously elected to these posts. The posts of Public Relations Officer and Vice-Chair Playing remain vacant.

The Minutes for the AGM can be downloaded and printed from HERE

MARCHES LEAGUE COMMITTEE MEETING

The Committee Meeting was held after the AGM with the new Executive presiding. The minutes are available here. Following the Committee Meeting there was the presentation of Trophies for the Marches competitions. These were presented by Molly Greatorex who is leaving the area after many years of association with the Marches League.

Updated Petanque England Official Rules in PDF format can be found within the HOME tab, within the GENERAL DOCUMENTS section.

WINTER LEAGUE

There are 9 entries for the Winter League plus 1 BYE. The first game will be on 26th November, and the season will finish on 7th April 2024. Each team will play every other team only once, either home or away. (Its unfortunate that our system for generating fixtures assumes both home and away matches, so the fixture list shows a second half of the season. The fixtures from 8th April 2024 onwards are to be ignored and the league will be finished after the games on 7th April. Sorry about that). A clear Fixture List can be downloaded and printed from here

BEELINE

The Beeline finals have been played. The Main final between Four Must Get Beers (aka Brecon) and Strand and Deliver was played on the alternative piste at The New Strand, Eardsley. The outcome was a win for Strand and Deliver. The Plate final between Stars on 45 and WHPC1 was played at The Nag's Head, Peterchurch. This resulted in a win for Stars on 45. Well done to the winners, and thank you to all who took part in the competition.

Also, back in March, we discussed the possibility of holding a Summer League Knockout Cup if there was sufficient interest. This would take the same format as Summer League and be made up of existing teams with dates by which games should be played, rather than being fixed to Wednesday evenings. So far, there have been 3 or maybe 4 teams entered. More on this later.

IMPORTANT - CHANGE OF LOCATION

League 2 players please note that Stable Door are now playing out of the New Inn, Staunton on Wye

MARCHES CUP

The second round of the Marches Cup, the Pairs and Pointing competition was be held at 7 Stars, Clehonger on June 11th, 9.30am.

The Main competition was won by Gareth Smart and Tony Griffiths and the runners up were Rob and Will Connell.
The Plate was won by Melanie and Ian Williams and the runners up were Michael Hewitt and Stella Acton.
The Shooting was won by Ian Clark and the runner up was Ian Williams.
In terms of Marches Cup points, the placing were as follows:

Pairs
1st Gareth Smart and Tony Griffiths
2nd Rob and Will Connell
3rd Ian Clark and Ken Davis
4th Barbara Clarke and Kiara de Burgo
5th Melanie and Ian Williams
6th Michael Hewitt and Stella Acton
7th Jaymie Geldert and Susie (sorry, no surname)
8th Helen and Adrian Reeve

Pointing
1st Ian Clark
2nd Ian Williams
3rd Will Connell
4th Jaymie Geldert
5th =Melanie Williams
           Rob Connell
           Kiara de Burgo
           Susie
9th =Gareth Smart
           Michael Hewitt
           Barbara Clarke
12th =Ken Davis
           Stella Acton
           Tony Griffiths

The final of the Winter League took place at The Bells, Almeley, between Strand and Deliver and Stars on 45, at 12 noon on 2nd April. The result was a victory for Stars on 45, with the score being 4 - 2 in their favour, points 59 to 49

The semi-finals of the Winter League have been played. Stars on 45 were victorious against the Sundowners, scoring 5 - 1 (72 points to 40 points). In the other match, Strand and Deliver triumphed over Seven Stars, the score being 4-2 (64 - 52)

The venue for the Final will be The Bells at Almeley (TBC).

The Summer League 2023 has had 16 entries, which will be split into 2 leagues of 8 teams. No Byes!!! We have a couple of new teams, Wilton Bridge from Ross on Wye, and a team from the new West Hereford Petanque Club at Credenhill. (WHPC to save typing this in each time). There have been a few changes of venue, with Bellringers playing from WHPC, Portway from the New Strand and Stable Door settling in (hopefully) to The Bridge at Michaelchurch Escley

Fixtures for the Summer season are up and running on the website

The fee remains at £25 per team for the season and can be paid by bank transfer (very modern!) to Marches Pétanque Club, sort code 53-50-41, account number 55210139. If you wish to pay in another way, please get in touch and we will see what can be done. All entry fees MUST be paid by 15th March or the team will not be able to play in the summer.

There will be a Committee Meeting to discuss arrangements for the Summer League and competitions at the New Strand, Eardisley on Tuesday 21st March at 7:30pm, to which all are warmly welcome.

I look forward to seeing you there or on the piste.

Sharp eyed website users may have noticed some changes to the website. These are ongoing but the information is accessed in the same way as before. We hope you will find the website experience more interesting. We are looking for photos from the Marches players to include in the frontpage slide show. If you have any to share, please send to Adrian Reeve by email, at the address on the score sheets

Photos from AGM can be found by clicking the link HERE or by going to GENERAL DOCUMENTS within the HOME tab

Minutes for both of these meetings can be seen by clicking on the HOME tab and then on GENERAL DOCUMENTS, or by clicking on the purple text following. The AGM for the Marches Petanque League was held on 18th October (7.30 at the Seven Stars, Clehonger) followed by the Committee meeting.

The 2022 Christmas Melee last Sunday (18th December) was a great success. Although the weather deterred some players from entering, 11 petanquers, including representatives from Stafford, Whitnash and Wilton clubs, braved the cold, the rain and the wind to play 4 rounds of doubles and triples. A selection of Christmas outfits completed the fun! The raffle raised a tidy sum for the Marches funds, and the entry fee was distributes to the First Place, Second Place and to the Best Christmas Outfit. The winners, in joint First place, with 49 points out of a total of 52, were Trevor Allen and Adrian Reeve. The Best Christmas Outfit prize was awarded to Sue and Clive from Stafford.

The Committee wishes all the Marches players and their families a Merry Christmas, and look forward to the restarting of the Winter League in early January.

Archive 2022

There is some confusion regarding the Marches rule regarding the valid positioning of the coche at the start of each end. Please read the following extract from the minutes of the Committee meeting held on 29th March 2022:

"The new rules require a little clarity. When strings are live, the jack is valid if thrown/placed right up to the side strings. However, when strings are dead, as in Marches rules, the jack should be thrown/placed 50cm from side strings. The new rule that the thrown/placed jack should be 50cm from back does apply to Marches."

The Winter League suffered a few cancellations last weekend for various reasons. Only one game went ahead, with Stars on 45 winning a close contest against Stranded Cruisers 4-2 in very seasonal conditions. See new start up picture!!

Christmas Melee - Reminder of times - 10.45 for an 11.00 start, Sunday 18th December

Please come along to our Annual Christmas Melee on Sunday 18th December at the Seven Stars, Clehonger. Fancy dress is optional but strongly encouraged - dig out your Christmas jumpers and silly hats...

Entry is £4 per person, and will all be returned in prizes - not necessarily only for pétanque winners!There will be a rather splendid raffle, the funds from which will go to Hereford PC. Registration by 10:45, play from 11 prompt, although the pub will not be fully staffed until noon. Toilets will be open though. Please spread the word among your friends/teams/clubs; a good turnout makes for a really fun day!

For those of you who are not familiar with this format, our melee involves several rounds of pétanque, played with different partners, with games won and points difference totals contributing to each individual's overall score. You get to play with players different to usual, both very experienced and complete novices. It's a really fun way to learn more about the game - especially tactics. We play in pairs or triples, depending on numbers present on the day, and you should not play with the same players again once you have played with them in one round.

Looking forward to seeing you on 18th December.

PLEASE NOTE!

The home location for Stable Door in League 2 of the Winter Leagues has been changed to The Red Lion at Madley

The fixtures for the Winter League are now finalized. 10 teams have entered and have been divided at random into 2 leagues, each including Byes, to make 2 matches and 1 bye each fortnight starting on the 30th October. The leagues will finish on 19th March 2023, and then the top team in each league will play the second placed team in the other league, on 26th March 2023, and the winners off these playoffs matches will play a final on 2nd April. The losers of the playoffs may also play on that date to determine third place. The playoffs and finals to be played on neutral pistes. All fixtures and score sheet can be found on the Winter League tab on the website.

The Finals of the knockout competition were played on 21st September. Strand and Deliver overcame Stars on 45 at the Nags Head, Peterchurch, while the Bellringers beat Stranded Cruisers at the Yew Tree, Preston on Wye. Both results 4-2

A reminded that entries for the Winter League are to be in by 30th September. Suggestions for discussion at the AGM to be in to Marches Secretary by 14th October, with AGM on 18th October, 7.30 pm at the Seven Stars, Clehonger

The Second Round of the SLKO was played on the 14th September, the results are as follows:

The Cup
Putin has Small Boules 2(43) (65)4 Stars on 45
The Strand 4(70) (56)2 Brecon

The Plate

The Bellringers 4(59) (48)2 Sundowners

Stranded Cruisers 5(73) (46) Yew Must Be Joking

The finals of both the Cup and the Plate are to be played on the 21st September at neutral pistes.

SUMMER LEAGUE KNOCK OUT SECOND ROUND DRAW

The draw for the Second Round of the SLKO was done during the Singles and Shooting competition at the Seven Stars, Clehonger last Sunday (11th Sept)

The Cup draw (home team first)
Putin has Small Boules v Stars on 45
The Strand v Brecon

The Plate draw

The Bellringers v Sundowners

Stranded Cruisers v Yew Must Be Joking

These matches to be played on Wednesday 14th September starting at 7.30pm except 7.00 at The Bell, Tillington

SINGLES AND SHOOTING COMPETITION

After a foggy start, the Singles got underway in glorious sunshine, after a minute's silence to mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth. 16 players took part, of which 6 were non-Marches players, and took the form of four groups of four playing each other. At the end of the groups stage, 2 highest players from each group went into the Cup knock out, while the remainder went into the Plate. The Cup was won by Trevor Allen in a close final against Ian Williams. Michael Hewitt and Jeff Rand were the losing semifinalists. In the Plate, a very hard fought match between Adrian Reeve and Phil Price saw Phil come through to win 13-12. The losing semifinalists in the Plate were Eric Acton and Barbera Clarke. The final Marches Cup score sheet can be found in the General Documents Section of the Home Tab.

SUMMER LEAGUE KNOCK OUT FIRST ROUND

At Brecon, with surprisingly pleasant weather but a very soggy piste, Brecon beat current summer league champions Stranded Cruisers 4-2 (points 63-46). A close fought match saw Stars on 45 prevail away to the Sundowners with a 3-3 draw but a points difference of just 4 (points 62-66). Putins Boules had a convincing win at home against the Bell ringers, finishing 5-1 (points 71-50). The Yewbees came up against the might of the Strand, but put up a good defence, losing 1-5 but with a respectable points difference of 46-65.

A draw will take place at the 7 Stars on Sunday at the Singles and Shooting competition, to decide the next round matches.

The Singles and Shooting competition starts at 10am on Sunday, with registration from 9.30. All are welcome (it's an open competition) and it is a good way for those players who don't often play singles to see what it is like. The weather forecast is not too bad, but best bring raincoats!!!

SUMMER LEAGUE FINALE

The Summer League finished in style on Wednesday night, at least for the top division. Going into the final round, there were 3 teams (The Strand, Stranded Cruisers and Brecon) vying for the top slot, each on 25 match points, Any of them could end the night victorious. Sadly Brecon were unable to overcome the Stars on 45 and came away with a draw. By coincidence, the Strand and Stranded Cruisers were both playing at Eardsley - Strand needed to match at least what The Cruisers achieved as they were 2 ahead on games difference. Nail biting stuff! It came down to the Cruisers last singles game, Trevor Allen against Steve Bradley, at 12 all it could go either way but Trevor edged it on the final end, and the Strand needed to win both singles to take the trophy. A fine display by Richard Nicholas from Portway A to take his game meant Strand and Cruisers both finished on 28 match points, and both had a games difference of 18, but the Cruisers topped the league with a higher points difference. Has it ever been closer!

And well done to Putin has Small Boules who topped Division 2 with an impressive 34 points

A reminder that on 11th September there are the Singles and shooting competitions at the 7 Stars, starting with registration at 9.30 am. This year these competitions are open to anyone, not just Marches players. The Summer League Knockout Cup matches start on the 7th September, the first round matches are listed below. Good luck all!

Home Team. Vs. Away Team

Brecon. Stranded Cruisers

Putin has small boules. Bellringers

Yew Must be Joking. Strand and Deliver

Sundowners. Stars on 45

BEELINE REPORT

Under perfect weather conditions, the 2022 Beeline competition took place a the the 7 Stars on Bank Holiday Monday. Despite a disappointing entry of only 5 teams, the day was enjoyed by all participants. The final result was a win by the Stars on 45 team comprising Mel and Ian Williams, Trevor Allen and Roy Wilkes. Well done!

MARCHES PETANQUE MEETING ON 9th AUGUST AT THE STRAND, EARDSLEY

The Meeting Agenda was to approve the previous meeting minutes and to do the draw for the Summer League Knock Out (SLKO) competition, and to put forward the proposal for the Beeline competition.

The previous Minutes were approved

The draw took place for the 8 teams entered for the SLKO last night and is as follows...

Home Team. Vs. Away Team

Brecon. Stranded Cruisers

Putin has small boules. Bellringers

Yew Must be Joking. Strand and Deliver

Sundowners. Stars on 45

Just for clarity, the first round will be played on Wednesday 7th September with winners going into semi-final of the Cup and losers into the semi-final of the Plate on Wednesday 14th September. The winners of each will go into the Finals on Wednesday 21st September on neutral pistes.

Please use Summer League scoresheets and get your results in to Adrian very promptly!

THE BEELINE

This year, the Beeline competition will be held on August Bank Holiday Monday 29th as a one day competition at the Seven Stars, Clehonger . We are hoping for eight teams to enter, to enable a knockout cup and plate competition. It will be teams of (minimum) 4 and the same format as usual with one notable exception. The infamous four ball frenzy will not be used, instead, points difference and, if necessary, a single end of play will be used to determine winners.

However, we need your entries please - it will only work if people are going to play! You do not have to stick to your usual summer league teams; feel free to mix and match. Entries to Ian Williams by 12 noon on Monday 22nd August please on ianwilliams347@btinternet.com and there is no entry fee, so definitely a bargain!

Further details of how the day is to be structured will be given on the day, with registration by 9:30 ready for a 10am start.

Also, an early plug for the Singles and Shooting Competitions on Sunday 11th September, again registering by 9:30.

AOB

A query was raised about the procedure to follow when a team (home or away) fields fewer than 6 players on match day. The way this has been done previously will still apply according to the Incomplete Teams Matrix. A copy of this can be found in the Documents sub-section of the Summer League section.
Melanie and Ian Williams gave notice that they would be standing down from their positions on the Marches Committee after next year at the latest, and would welcome applications from Marches members to take on their responsibilities.

Minutes of Committee Meeting held at Seven Stars, Clehonger on 29^th March 2022 at 7:30pm can be downloaded or printed by going to the HOME tab, clicking on GENERAL DOCUMENTS then clicking on MPL-Comm-290320223942

Updated Petanque England Official Rules in PDF format can be found within the HOME tab, within the GENERAL DOCUMENTS section.

Doubles and Pointing

Last Sunday (26th June) saw the Doubles and Pointing at the Seven Stars, Clehonger. The weather behaved itself and the 22 players had a good time. The League stage was won by Mel and Ian Williams, who went on to win the Knockout stage, with Ian Clark and Ken Davis beaten finalists. Pointing was won by Ian Clark with a magnificent score of 7, with Trevor Allen and Ian Williams joint second place with 4 each. Our new Open format means we had a number of new faces to join regular participants. The raffle was won by Ken Davis and Helen Reeve (lovely cake Mel!). The current score sheet for the Marches Cup after 2 rounds is up on the Website and can be found under the HOME tab and clicking on General Documents

The second half of the Summer league has already started. Many thanks to all the teams for getting the score sheets in so quickly, which allows the results to go up in good time.

SUMMER LEAGUE FIXTURES

The fixtures for the Summer League can be found by clicking on the Summer League tab and choosing either League 1 or League 2, then clicking on Fixtures. The chart of fixtures can be printed by clicking on the printer icon at the top right of the chart. First game 20th April! A reminder that home games at the Bell at Tillington will start at 7.00pm (see Minutes below).

For the printable score-sheet, go to the Summer League tab and chose Documents

The Summer competitions dates are also fixed (again, see Minutes below), and the dates are:

24^th April - Triples and Coche Throwing
26^th June - Pairs and Pointing
11^th September - Singles and Shooting

Date for Beeline – Monday 29^th August

Updated Petanque England Official Rules in PDF format can be found within the HOME tab, within the GENERAL DOCUMENTS section.

Triples and Coche Throwing - Report

Glorious weather on Sunday 24th April saw eight teams gathering on the piste at the Seven Stars for the Marches Open Triples and Coche throwing competitions.

The two leagues in the morning highlighted Brecon PC as the strongest team with three wins and plus 23 points. However, they were knocked out in the semi- final by Ian W, Trevor and Melanie. Steve, Carol and Pete played Brecon for third place and Brecon were back to their winning ways!

The final was a tense affair. With the scores at eight apiece, Trevor ‘Deadeye’ shot to leave five boules on the jack for victory. Michael, Roy and Blair could do nothing about it, despite Blair’s frankly remarkable pointing and Trevor, Melanie and Ian were victorious.

The Coche throwing also took place on Sunday. Andy Wright opened the scoring with an astounding 44 points. Michael scored 23 points for second place and Ian W 19 for third. Andy’s score was much the highest ever recorded for this event. It was a long day, but the fabulous weather and great company made it all worth it.

Please remember to put Sunday 26th June in your diaries for the Marches Open Pairs and Pointing competitions.

COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES

The Marches Petanque

Chair Secretary

Ian Williams Melanie Williams

Gwylordyfain Gwylordyfain

Craswall Craswall

Hereford Hereford

HR2 0PP HR2 0PP

Minutes of Committee Meeting held at Seven Stars, Clehonger on 29^th March 2022 at 7:30pm (the Minutes can be downloaded or printed by going to the HOME tab, clicking on GENERAL DOCUMENTS then clicking on the yellow folder icon)

Present: Stella Acton; Tracy Adams; Steve Bradley; Jens Bryan; Barbara Clarke; Michael Hewitt; Martin Hudson; Phil Lear; Adrian Reeve; Helen Reeve; Ian Williams; Melanie Williams; Andy Wright

Apologies: Alan and Barbara Turner; Rob Thomas; Roy Wilkes; Eric Acton; Roger Marshall; Matty Taylor

Minutes of last meeting were agreed as a correct record.

There were no matters arising.

The Chair reported that the Winter League had been a success and was congratulated by members for a smooth-running season – helped by fortnightly fixtures which gives time to catch up on games if necessary.

Other Officers had nothing to report.

Summer League had 16 entries thus far, with closing date the following day. Teams lost to the league are Seven Stars, Portway Goldz, Mortimers Cross, Barristers and Tram Tracks. Possible new teams are Oak at Gladestry and Wilton Bridge. Martin and Phil (WB) explained they have no lighting which might make evening play tricky. They were advised that builders’ lights on stands are available for modest sums and will investigate further. At present, it looks as though there will be 8 teams in each division with positions decreed by standings at the end of 2019 season. The season is due to start on 20^th April. It will be tricky to arrange because there are limited pistes and several venues with multiple teams.

Beeline Competition – This has been poorly supported in recent years and the Executive suggested a change to the organisation. Instead of playing into September and October, when the evenings turn cold, the idea to play as a one-day event was mooted. This was discussed and with no dissenters, it was agreed to try this for one year and see how it went.

Date for Beeline – Monday 29^th August

Summer League Knockout Cup – this competition was originally brought in to fill spare weeks when playing in three divisions. It will be put forward as an end-of-season extra for this year and see how it goes. Entries will be sought before the July meeting when more concrete arrangements can be made.

Marches Competitions – these have been held as Closed events in the past, open only to Marches players. It was suggested that perhaps we could encourage more players if they were to become Open events. It was pointed out that numbers have been in decline over the last ten years or more. Should competitions become open, only Marches players would be eligible for Marches Cup points, meaning the Cup would effectively remain a closed competition. Following discussion, it was agreed to trial Open competitions.

Dates of competitions were determined as follows:

24^th April Triples and Coche Throwing

26^th June Pairs and Pointing

11^th September Singles and Shooting

Any Other Business:

The new rules require a little clarity. When strings are live, the jack is valid if thrown/placed right up to the side strings. However, when strings are dead, as in Marches rules, the jack should be thrown/placed 50cm from side strings. The new rule that the thrown/placed jack should be 50cm from back does apply to Marches.

Stella explained that the Bell now closes at 10pm on Wednesdays. She asked that their home matches begin at 7pm in order that they are completed a little earlier. This was agreed as an exception, given the circumstances around the pub closing time. In exceptional circumstances, it was agreed that, if opposition players were unable to all arrive by 7pm, the order of play could be changed to begin with doubles or even singles. This will be reviewed in July at the next Committee meeting.

Finally, it was noted that there is a small number of players without a team this year. Should any team be short of players, please contact the Secretary, Melanie, who will put them in touch.

The meeting closed at 20:33

COMMITTEE MEETING

29th March 2022 - remember it is the Committee Meeting tonight at Clehonger Seven Stars at 7.30pm. The Agenda is below:

Agenda

Apologies for absence
Any items to be discussed in AOB (relating to playing/rules)
Minutes of last meeting
Matters Arising from minutes
Chairman’s Address and Officer Updates
Summer League – entries to date; likely arrangements
Beeline Competition Day
Marches Competitions – Open or Closed; dates
AOB

SUMMER LEAGUE

A reminder that entries for the Summer League close tomorrow, 30th March, so that dates and fixtures can be arranged. I will need your team name and the venue from which you intend to play. If you did not enter for 2020 season, you will need to pay the entry fee of £25 too. Previous entry monies are, as previously agreed, carried forward to this year. We are looking to begin the season on Wednesday 20th April. Fixtures will be published after the closing date for entries.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

The winter league restarts on 9th January - happy bouling everyone!

The Christmas Melee was held at the Seven Stars, Clehonger on Sunday 19th December. 19 players came along despite the foggy and cold weather. A great time was had by all and the Christmas Fancy Dress was much admired, although Santa being given a piggy-back by an Elf was a little disturbing! The competition was won by Steve deBurgo with Adrian Reeve second and Trevor Allen third. The entry fee and the raffle raised £160, and £80 will be donated the the Midland Air Ambulance, which was the charity of choice of the late Andy Preece. A memorial bench for Andy was unveiled on the day with an appropriate inscription on a plaque. A photo of the plaque and a photo of the melee players is on the Gallery.

WINTER LEAGUE 2021

The Winter League is in full swing, the fixture list and league table can be printed from the Winter League Tab on this website. Matches are now finished for Xmas, the rest will restart in the New Year. The matches start at 12.00 noon. A score sheet for the matches can be down loaded for printing from the Winter League/Documents Tab on the website.

Archive 2021

WINTER LEAGUE 2021

AGM

The minutes of the AGM and the succeeding Committee meeting are available to view and print in the SUMMER LEAGUE > Documents section.

Presentation of Trophies took place at the AGM. The winners in each category were:

Singles - winner Ian Clark; runner up Daniel de Burgo
Pairs - winners Bill Wood and Roy Wilkes, runners up Ken Davis and Ian Clark
Triples - winners Ian Williams, Bill Wood and Rob Connell, runners up Melanie Williams, Alistair Rabbage and Trevor Allen
Pointing- Ian Williams
Shooting - Ian Williams
Coche throwing - Bill Wood
COVID Cup - New Nags
Marches Cup - Ian Williams

Photos taken at the presentation can be viewed in the Gallery

WINTER LEAGUE 2021

The Winter League starts on 31st October. There have been 9 teams entered, there will be one league, the fixture list can be printed from the Winter League Tab on this website. The matches will start at 12.00 noon. A score sheet for the matches can be down loaded for printing from the Winter League/Documents Tab on the website

Updated Petanque England Official Rules in PDF format can be found within the DOCUMENTS section.

As promised, to explore the rules and regulations see this link.

Melanie

Link:Petanque England Covid Rules 2020

The Summer League Grand Final took place at the New Strand on Wednesday 22nd September, with New Nags emerging as the victors. The score at the end of an interesting final was New Nags 4 (62) and Brecon 2 (50)

Please also note that the Marches AGM will take place on Wednesday 13th October 2021 at Seven Stars, Clehonger, beginning at 7.30 pm and will be followed by presentation of awards and trophies. Please let me have - by email if possible - any motion for discussion. I will aim to circulate an agenda during the preceding week, so all motions to me by 6th October please. There will be an election of officers for the coming year. If you are interested in standing for any position, please let me know in advance of the meeting. Please pass on this message to other players in your teams as I do not have an email address for everyone.

SUMMER LEAGUE 2021

The Summer League, albeit in shortened form, was enjoyed by all the teams and ended with Stars on 45 leading the East group with The Nag's Head second, and for the West group, Strand and Deliver came top followed by Brecon. The 2021 Champion will be decided by semifinals featuring the first of each group playing the second in the other.

The semi- finals of the summer season 2021 resulted in two draws and some very tight fought games. The victors of Brecon vs Stars on 45 were Brecon on points and New Nags vs Strand and Deliver was decided by a four person play off as the points were also equal. New Nags were victorious and so the final will be between New Nags and Brecon at the Strand on Wednesday 22nd September.

Please feel free to go along and watch - it promises to be an exciting evening.

The Summer League is back!

This summer, there have been 12 teams entered, and because the season is short, the teams have been divided geographically, into East and West divisions, with no regard to the final placings in 2019. The league starts on June 16th, and fixtures, tables and result are displayed on the website within the heading 2021 Season Matches.

COVID rules applicable to the match dates will apply. Current rules until further notice are listed below

Printable Scoresheet in PDF format can be found within the DOCUMENTS section under the 2021 SEASONS MATCHES tab

Remember the competition dates,

Sunday 27th June Triples and Coche Throwing

Sunday 8th August Pairs and Pointing

Sunday 15th August Singles and Shooting

D ear All,

Excitingly, I finally have clear plans to report. Thanks to those who have replied to previous emails, we are confident of having sufficient teams to run a summer season, albeit in a somewhat reduced format. Some of our pubs are not reopening until a little later in the year, and we are, of course, depending on restrictions lifting, so we will not be starting until 16th June. This will be a shorter season than usual, a one off competition in its own right, and will have no bearing on league positions for 2022. Neither will there be entry fees, which will again be held over to next year. Whilst games will be scheduled for Wednesday evenings, as usual, we recognise time might be tight and ask that early rearrangement of matches be organised to allow for holidays and the like. The usual summer league format will be used, with a minimum of six players per team and application of the matrix if fewer players turn up.

Team Captains and Club Contacts will be hearing more from me regarding entries in early May, giving us all time to monitor COVID progress.

However, we will be holding a melee at Seven Stars, Clehonger, on Saturday 29th May, as a pre-season opener. Entry will be £3 with all monies paid out in prizes on the day. Numbers will be restricted to 30 players, so please let me know your interest ASAP in order that I may keep an up to date list of participants.

Finally, for now, we have dates for Marches competitions for you to note in your diaries.

Sunday 27th June Triples and Coche Throwing

Sunday 18th July Pairs and Pointing

Sunday 8th August Singles and Shooting

Kind regards

Melanie

Boris’ announcement of a slow lifting of lockdown restrictions would seem to indicate that pétanque may be able to resume fairly soon. Thoughts, therefore, turn to Summer League...

I can confirm that petanque is grassroots outdoor sport and Petanque England have issued return to play guidelines - please see link below this email. I should stress that ONLY petanque organised via a PE registered club is classed as outdoor sport within the government's guidelines, which is why Hereford will need to do the administrative duties for this season. The Marches Summer League will be administered under the auspices of Hereford Petanque Club (as was our much-truncated Winter League) in order to satisfy all the necessary criteria which will require a venue risk assessment; I can provide a template for those clubs whose venue does not already have one.

In order to be able to make plans, we need to know teams’ intentions as well as pub landlords’ willingness to host us again and from what date.

Please could you, as Team Captains and Club Contacts, let me know ASAP:

a) if your team will be entering the Marches Summer League and have a venue arranged

And

b) if your publican would be willing/able to host pétanque from 12th April when outdoor service may resume

c) if your publican would prefer to host pétanque from 17th May when pubs should be able to resume indoor service.

Clearly, dates are hypothetical at this stage and will depend on national criteria being met, but it is nice to be thinking positively about the future again!

Archive 2020

WINTER LEAGUE

Please note this message from Mel regarding the current lockdown situation

Dear Team Captains and Players,

Clearly, with the new lockdown, pétanque will not now be able to go ahead on 8th and 22nd November, as pubs will be closed and gatherings, even outside, forbidden. At present, fixtures for 8th December could still go ahead, but we will have to see what happens regarding the end of lockdown and what new or further delights may yet lay in store for us all.

Stay safe.

Melanie

HEREFORD PC WINTER LEAGUE

The winter leagueis run under the auspices of the Hereford Petanque Club. Originally 5 teams entered, but unfortunately Stable Door have had to withdraw. The Winter League now restarts on starts on 25th October with 4 teams entered. The fixture list is on the Winter League pages.

Team Captains please ensure that Risk Assessments are up to date for their venues, and the advice in the Marches Secretary's email is adhered to. A copy is given below.

"In order to be Covid compliant, we need the Marches Winter League to be administered under the auspices of Hereford Petanque Club as a Petanque England affiliated club, otherwise we are restricted to the rule of 6. Therefore, the league will be known as Hereford PC Winter League, purely to ensure we are meeting legal requirements. I will change heading on scoresheet and send out on a separate email shortly, together with a scoring question for you.

The extra work involved in ensuring covid compliance is that each team must have a risk assessment. I am attaching a copy of one based on something Bill drew up - it will need adjusting to fit your pub name, but MUST be a live document that is adhered to during matches. Ideally, they should be completed and returned to me before Saturday please and also printed out to be shared with opposition on the day of each match. I know it seems petty, but it is really important that we are seen to be compliant, especially if someone were to become infected and Test and Trace were to become involved. None of us wants to be slapped with a fine!

I look forward to receiving your adjusted forms asap and sorry to be a nuisance! If you have questions about the risk assessment itself, Bill is well up to speed and I would suggest you contact him with any queries."

MARCHES COMPETITIONS AWARDS 2020

In the absence of a Presentation of Awards ceremony this year, special mention should go to winners of the various trophies.

Winter League, back in the days before lockdown, was won by team WWWW.

Summer League, renamed the Covid Cup, was also won by WWWW.

Singles was won by Bill Wood.

Pairs won by Roy Wilkes and Bill Wood (runners up were the other two team members of WWWW)

Triples won by Ian and Melanie Williams, Roy Wilkes and Bill Wood.

Shooting was won by Mark Jones.

Pointing was won by Bill Wood.

Coche throwing was won by Stella Acton.

Marches Cup went to Bill Wood.

Particular kudos to Bill Wood for a phenomenal performance throughout the year. He won all bar two of the eight competitions and very nearly made a clean sweep of it. Massive congratulations to him and to everyone who competed for making every competition such fun to take part in.

For the final table for the 2020 Marches Competitions, click the link below

Marches Competitions 2020 Table

ANDY PREECE

Andy’s funeral will take place on Tuesday 3rd November at 15:45 at Hereford Crematorium. Covid restrictions mean numbers are strictly limited but Liz and the family would encourage you to line the road to the Crematorium to see Andrew make his final journey. Please wear red/white to mark Andy’s lifelong love of Manchester United.

Family flowers only but donations can be made via box in Seven Stars from 6pm - when pub is open to all, under Covid restrictions - to be shared between Macmillan and St Michael’s Hospice.

Team Captains and Club Contacts, please circulate to your team members.

Kind regards.

Melanie

ANDY PREECE

Sadly, Andy has died this morning (19th October). Andy has been unwell for some time, he passed away a short while ago, peacefully at home. Liz is comforted by her family at this time. Andy has long been a friend to both the Marches and to Heart of England Petanque Clubs, keeping the terrains at the Seven Stars in superb condition and proving an often formidable opponent on the piste. He will be sadly missed.

Details of funeral arrangements will be posted when they are available

HEREFORD PC WINTER LEAGUE

Team Captains please ensure that Risk Assessments are up to date for their venues, and the advice in the Marches Secretary's email is adhered to. A copy is given below.

PAIRS AND POINTING

The usual fair Clehonger weather welcomed an excellent turnout for the final closed competitions. Roy and Bill scrapped into the last 8 and soon found themselves 9-0 down to Ben and Pauline - number 1 from the morning - but the 'ww's dug in to win to 11. Meanwhile Trevor and Alistair beat team-mates Adrian and Helen and Ian and Melanie defeated Ian and Ken. Mike and Rob beat locals Andy and Colin, but then lost the closest - and possibly longest, semi-finals to Ian and Mel.

Trevor and Alistair beat Bill and Roy in the morning, but it was reversed in the semi-final, meaning the pairs final was contested by all four of the www.w's, with Roy and Bill prevailing following a fight-back from Ian and Mel. Eric and Stella enjoyed a fun-packed game against Steve and Blair to take the Plate.

Helen and Stella led the pointing with 5 until the second half - after the pairs final, when Mel, Mike and Rob equalled them. However, Bill capped a rather good day with a highly respectable 8 out of 15 to win the pointing.

Marches Competitions 2020 Table

SUMMER LEAGUE (Covid Cup)

4 teams entered for the Covid Cup, this years abridged Summer League. The last games have been played, and the WWW.Ws emerged victorious.For results and league table go to the Summer League pages

Link:Petanque England Covid Rules

SINGLES AND SHOOTING

The Marches Petanque got underway last weekend with the Singles and Shooting. A full house of 16 entrants - there are now only 8 lanes on the re-strung Clehonger terrain - had a gloriously sunny day and equally good matches. Following the mornings knock-out, Roy Wilkes and Andy Wright were 1 and 2, but both lost to Trevor Allen and Steve DeBurgo in the first rounds of the afternoon. Mark Jones beat Mike Baker for a place against Steve in the semi-final and Bill Wood - finally - beat Ian Williams before coming out tops against Trevor in a slightly epic semi-final. Mark started the final well, but Bill maintained his pointing and shooting to win the singles title.

Ian Clark didn't have the most favourable of morning draws, but made the most of the Plate by beating Colin in the final.

Mark again had to settle for 2nd spot in the shooting with a creditable 20, but was just pipped by Trevor on 23. Bill and Colin George shared 3rd place.

Thanks to the Clehonger team who have re-strung the terrain and all concerned for following the requirements. Things, at least in petanque, are a little bit like normal. Don't forget the triples on 23rd August - a maximum of ten triples, so get your entries to Mel in early.

SINGLES AND SHOOTING

This competition will take place for the pre-entered players on 9th August at the Seven Stars, Clehonger, please arrive by 9.30 am for a 9.45am start. Petanque England Covid Rules will apply.

There are 16 entries for this competition. The entries have been drawn into 4 groups, and in the first round each group will play a league. The top 2 in each group will be seeded to go forward into the second round knockout, followed by the semifinal and the final. The bottom 2 in each group will go forward into the plate knockouts.

The Groups are:

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4

1. Colin George 5. Bill Wood 9. Joe Oakley 13. Stella Acton

2. Eric Acton 6. Mike Baker 10. Roy Wilkes 14. Andy Preece

3. Andy Wright 7. Adrian Reeve 11. Steve de Burgo 15. Mark Jones

4. Trevor Allen 8. Ian Clark 12. Melanie Williams 16. Ian Williams

Tables will be sorted by Games Won, then by Points Difference, in case of a tie, the head to head scores will be used.

During the matches, the shooting competition will be held. Good Luck to all!

COVID 19 UPDATE

The Executive are considering plans to restart some format of games, dependant on Government Guidelines. Watch this space. During this non-playing period, work has commenced on a second piste at The Strand in Eardisley, to accommodate two teams from the now shut Tram. Check this out [HERE]

COVID 19 (CORONAVIRUS) PRECAUTIONS

Sadly, the Executive Committee have had to make the decision to delay the start of this year’s Summer League. Pétanque England have suspended all Pétanque and government advice is to avoid social situations. Therefore, the meeting set for 24th March will also be postponed.

The fixture list will be published at some stage, depending on the likelihood of current restrictions being lifted over the summer. There is flexibility in the programme, with the potential to drop fixtures such as Summer League Knockout Cup and Beeline Competition if we have a shortened season. There are only 17 entries to the league this year, so there will be only two divisions. The proposal is that Division 1 has 9 teams and Division 2 has 8. This gives both divisions a fuller fixture list and equal opportunities to play Pétanque.

Details will be kept as up to date as possible on the website - please check it regularly and do not be afraid to use the feedback form to make comments on content, layout and design. It is still a work in progress! Www.herefordpetanque.co.uk if you haven’t already saved it to your favourites!
The Committee Meeting scheduled for 24th March may also be postponed or held ‘virtually’. The Summer League may also be postponed but we will need to monitor the situation before coming to a definite decision.

MARCHES PETANQUE - AGM

The Marches Petanque AGM (arranged for 24th March at The Seven Stars, Clehonger), has been postponed. The Minutes from the previous meeting in October will be up for approval and a copy of the Draft Minutes from that meeting are here AGM 16102019 MPL . Also here is a copy of the Minutes of the Committee Meeting held prior to the AGM MPL Comm 16102019 and a copy of the Trophy winners for the 2019 season Marches Trophy holders 2019

SUMMER LEAGUE
Team Captains, it's time to get the entries in for the Summer League. Entries to be in by 6th March to Jens, along with the £25 entry fee. An entry form in PDF format is here. Summer League 2020 entry

REMINDER
Start time for the Marches Winter League is now 12 noon for all matches.
Results for Winter League should go to ianwilliams347@btinternet.com

BRIAN BAUGH
Brian's Funeral Service took place at Hereford Crematorium on Friday, January 24th and a large number of people came to say goodbye to him. The Marches League was well represented.

BRIAN BAUGH
Funeral Service will take place at Hereford Crematorium on Friday, January 24th 2020 at 11.15 am. Family flowers only, donations if desired to Charles Renton Unit, Hereford Hospital

BRIAN BAUGH
We note with sadness the death of Brian Baugh, who passed away at Worcester Hospital on 23rd December after a heart attack. Brian had been a long time petanque player in the Marches League playing for the Stranded Cruisers (and all it’s previous incarnations) for many years as well as taking part in the local competitions. Funeral details will be posted when available. Brian, we will miss you.

Archive 2019

EURO CUP PLATE

Hereford II reach third round of Euro Cup Plate and play Northey Arms, from Bath.

SUNDAY 15th DECEMBER

15th December is the now traditional Marches Christmas Melee at the Seven Stars, Clehonger.
As has become usual, there will be prizes for best Christmas themed dress, a great raffle, super prizes for the competition, lots of festive fun and some Pétanque too.
Registration by 9:30 for a 10am start of play.
Please spread the word, bring your friends and let’s start Christmas in style.

REMINDER

Start time is now 12 noon for all Winter league matches.

Results for Winter League should go to ianwilliams347@btinternet.com

WINTER LEAGUE UPDATE

Following the AGM on Wednesday, the proposal to start Winter League games at 12 noon was approved. Therefore, ALL Winter League matches will start at noon (unless you arrange differently amongst yourselves).

The matter of postponed matches during the Winter League was also discussed at the AGM. It was agreed that postponed matches during the Winter season must be played within four weeks of the original fixture and, in all cases, by the last match of the season.

WINTER LEAGUE FIXTURES

The fixture list is now available.

Go to the winter league sub menu's or click [Fixture List]

BEELINE RESULTS

Congratulations to Team Williams for winning the Beeline Trophy and to Sunrise for winning the plate competition.

PETANQUE ENGLAND CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS

A well done to Ian Williams and Bill Wood, who, having qualified for the PE CoC over 50's Doubles, narrowly lost in the final on Sunday at Branleys, Lincoln. Having won all three morning games and getting in the main, they beat London Region in the quarters followed by Chiltern champions in the semi - in battering rain - before losing 13-11 in a rain soaked final.

THIS NEW WEBSITE : REGISTRATION

We are developing this new website and would appreciate any constructive feedback. The objective is to show general information without needing to register or login to the site, as time goes on we will add a registration form that will allow members to access more detailed and personal information (GDPR).

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