The Game of Petanque Suddenly Becomes Cool
Petanque is a French game very similar to lawn bowls played in the UK. It is a game that is played by throwing metal balls at a smaller marker ball. The objective of the game is to get your teams’ balls closest to the marker ball and push your opponents’ balls out of the way while standing absolutely still.
The team at the end of the game with the most balls closest to the marker ball win the game. Petanque is a very simple game and has been very popular in France over the years and is now slowly becoming popular all over the world and a younger generation is picking up the game as well.
The game of petanque is said to have started in France in either 1907 or 1910, no one is really sure. It was invented by a man named Jules le Noir in a small town called La Ciotat. It was instantly popular among the older generation of the time because the name of the game petanque is derived from the French word for keeping ones feet firmly placed on the floor.
Soon after the game was invented and started to gain in popularity, another Frenchman named Ernest Pitiot decided to set up the first tournament to cater to the growing demand, (Petanque.org, 2010). The game became popular because of its simplicity and the fact that it is accessible to all ages of men, women and even children. With no physical strength needed except in picking up and throwing the metal balls, the game was played by almost everyone.
The rules of the game are very simple; two teams of three players compete against each other. Each player on the team has a specific job to do. The pointer is a skilled player whose job it is to place the ball as close to the small marker ball as possible.
The shooter is the second player on the team and this player’s job is to knock the opponents balls out of the way and place their own ball as close to the marker ball as possible. One of the greatest shots in the game is called a carreau or the perfect shot; this shot is when a shooter is able to knock an opponent’s ball out of the way and place their own ball exactly where the previous ball was.
The third player on the team is the captain or milieu who is an all rounder and can perform both the pointer and shooter’s jobs, (Masters Games, 1999). Even though it is a simple game it has developed into a great format with specialised jobs for each player on a team.
The game of petanque has slowly spread all over the world with it now being found in the UK, America and all over Europe. The game’s simplicity and the fact that no special equipment or surface is required have led to its popularity. The game can basically be played on any surface and sometimes players choose interesting surfaces that make the game more interesting like the park or driveways.
Even though no special courts are required, French players can be seen playing the game on street corners outside cafes, (Petanque America, 2009). Even though the game used to be played mostly by older people and retired folk, it has over the years started to become quite popular among the younger generation as well.
The world of high fashion is a large factor in making the game of petanque cool among the younger generation. Fashion labels such as Lagerfeld, Chanel and Louis Vuitton are selling specially designed petanque sets for as high as £1500, (Jon Henley, 2010).
This will soon enough start a trend of petanque because whatever the high fashion brands deem to be in vogue is soon picked up by the rest of the world and becomes mainstream. We will soon see petanque being played at parties and tournaments dedicated to the game all over and we might even see a televised tournament soon enough.
From humble beginnings to becoming spread all over the world, petanque is more than just a game. It is a great insight into French culture and also a very interesting and enjoyable game to play for all. Its simplicity and fun nature will see the game becoming much more popular as time goes by and will probably become the next big pub game to hit Europe in the coming years.
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