147th Post ..... All Geared Up

November 06, 2025

Upcoming in 2025

Singles Matchplay completion by Christmas.

Regular play most days as usual, weather permitting.

Saturday Competition until quarter end.

Yule Boules on a weekend day in December [Stand alone event] day/date TBD.

Christmas Lunch on Wed. Dec 3rd at 2pm in the Elphin. Book via the poll on the App.

Thursday Boules:

What a turnout today 06-11-25 on a beautiful morning. Eighteen playing in bright sunshine on an unseasonably warm day. New trialists arriving and prospective new members including a French lady!

Monday play:

Monday play continues with players using the non-competitive games to try out the skill of 'shooting' in particular. Since we were used to the 10 am start we've continued with the early start. In and around eighteen players most Monday mornings. With our numbers playing most mornings we are probably the most active club on the island.

Major Competition:

Our Major Competition has, as per AGM decision, moved to the chosen Saturday mornings. Thirty [30] players have signed up already. The new scoring system has taken time to bed in but seems good now. Ciarán is trying to align us and familiarize us with the scoring systems in IPA Competitions.

NB...The plan is to play another, agreed day of the week each quarter so that players who are unable to play on specific days will have an opportunity the alternative quarter.

Performance in all competitions will be tracked from 2026 onwards with a view to choosing teams to represent BBC in National IPA finals. Entry into qualifying competitions will still be open to members once they are IPA members, also.

Going forward we may create a minor, ongoing, annual competition as more members enjoy the competitive bite.

Singles Matchplay:

The Singles Competition after a short hiatus will be completed by Christmas.

BBC Club Kit:

The NEON and BLACK club gear has arrived. The Polo tops and Hoodies were available by the end of October after an extended lead-in period. The sizing event in the Community Centre was pivotal in allaying any doubts members might have had in relation to the original sizing chart. Ciarán, Chris and Tom eventually got the colors, sizes, logos, crests and monograms sorted with O'Neills and we were able to wear the new gear at the outing in Cavan.

Members now considering ordering will need to check sizes with a member of similar build and if there is a 'reasonable' number of requests then the club may considering ordering at intervals. Minimal orders will be expensive and the lead-in time will be 6 to 8 weeks, as previously....TBD at the AGM.

The 'Beanie', 'Baseball' or 'Bucket' style hats/caps which members have shown an interest in buying should be Neon/Lime and Black or a combination of each. Ideally ,there would be uniformity but the committee decided that since the polo tops and hoodie are crested they would not insist on 'crested, hats. Best if members waited until a decision at AGM regarding preferred options.

One member suggested that when representing the BBC that players would consider wearing Black Shorts / Pants etc. to complete the uniform look....TBD....

The Cavan Away Trip Saturday 1st Nov.:

Sixteen players travelled to Cavan Pétanque Club, Belturbet in four cars as the forecast was favorable. We wore our new club gear for the first official outing. The Cavan [Belfast, Sligo, Longford incl!!] contingent were impressed by our uniformity and visibility!

Billy Gleadell, as well as running the Doubles Tournament, took photographs on the day. Evanna Kavanagh also turned up and took and shared some photos.

We tried to create teams with a 'willing' Shooter and Pointer . The pairs stayed together for the day. We played two timed, 40min games before a lunch break and two more after the break.

During the break there was a brief but dramatic squall with wind and hail. Thankfully it blew over and play continued.

They had seven good pistes and one not so good! They had many visiting players in their ranks with a majority of males while the BBC team was the opposite. Overall they were a stronger outfit and deservedly won the Team Competition. Joan and Sean were our best team winning three of their four games. Billy organised first, second and third prizes for both teams. Eileen and Michael 2nd and Sharyon and John 3rd. for BBC.

Overall, it was a lovely outing in a friendly environment. Our thanks to the four drivers who brought our sixteen players. Generally we will try to use public transport to away events outside Dublin, if possible, as most have free travel.

Interestingly, the top three Cavan teams were men's doubles which was a little unfair to us but we gave a good account of ourselves.

Pétanque in France:

Every village in France has it's Pétanque area. Some are little graveled areas with trees in the terrain and some are on a grander scale as below with 80 pistes available with a clubhouse, bar, toilets and kitchen and some huge indoor facilities known as Boulodromes.

Under the auspices of the FFPJP [ Federation Francais de Pétanque et Jeu Provencal ] the chief organising body, not just for Pétanque but also tor the Jeu Provincal [Provencal Game] which is a version of the game played mainly in the south of France. [See Below]