Let's play PETANQUE

25°17'12N 51°31'60E   T. 35°- 40 °C

Invented in France, Pétanque ( from provencal "ped tanco", foot stuck in the ground) is a game similar to bocce, but the balls need not be rolled on the ground. The object is to throw boules (metal balls about the size of baseballs) to land as close as possible to a cochonnet or jack (wooden ball about the size of a golf ball). It's a simple but fun game, offering the opportunity for development of a high level of skill.
I don't know how but in Milan the game is widely spreaded among architects and engineers who get together and challenge each other in the parks of the city during lunch break..
Some of them, brought their personal play set here at the NDIA site and that's how it all began....
And now, it's pétanque fever!!

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Things You'll Need:

• 2 or 3 boules for each player
• Jack
• Suitable playing area

my brand new personal boules

How To Play Petanque

1. Lay out a playing field if desired. This typically is an area about 4 by 15 meters, with a regulation minimum of 3 by 12 meters.
2. Select two teams of one, two or three players each. Each player receives three boules to play with unless there are teams of three, in which case each normally receives two boules.
3. Decide which team plays first. Flipping a coin is the customary method.
4. A player from the starting team draws a circle having a diameter up to about 50 cm. The player then stands inside this circle and throws the jack such that it lands no more than 10 meters from the starting point, and has at least 1 meter clearance from any obstacle.
5. A player from this team then stands inside the circle and throws a boule, trying to get it as close to the jack as possible.
6. A player from the opposing team now stands in the circle and tries to get a boule closer to the jack than the first player.
7. The team of the player who got a boule closer to the jack is now considered to have taken the lead for this point. Remaining members of this team throw their boules in turn.
8. Once the first team has completed its throws, the other team throws its boules in turn.
9. When all boules have been thrown, the score is tallied for that "end" (round). The player having the closest boule to the jack earns 1 point. An additional point is awarded to each player on the same team having a boule closer to the jack than the closest boule from the opposing team. Thus, a team could score as many as 3 points on each end.
10. To start the next end, a player from the team that won the previous end draws a new circle, using the previous position of the jack as the center, and throws the jack again. Play proceeds as before.
11. The winning team is the first to score 13 points.

Enjoy it!!!!

NDIA play field

Whatever open-hearth.