I have just had a look at the World Transplant Games website, and see that Mike received a Bronze in his Petanque Category in the Singles, and Steve and Mike were 5th in the petanque category Doubles (Gold the Thais, Silver the South Africans and Bronze the Spanish and Germans). The Thais took most of the golds in petanque. Well, well done to all, and I hope you had a lovely time.
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What with one thing and another, things have got a bit out of hand, so there's some catching up to do. After Pam's birthday bash we played on Easter Monday – a Melee with an Easter bonnet competition with tea and cakes provided by the members. The best Easter bonnet was worn by Wendy Harris (she had sewn some bunny ears on her cap and a pompom for her tail). Then in June we played our first dotty trophy match – the singles, which was won by JJ. In July we held our open day, celebrating the 5th anniversary of our boulodrome. 52 people played and 5 helped prepare the barbecue for lunch. Wendy, Val, Moiya & Sally made food, Pat helped prepare the tables, Gerry did the barbecue. Special thanks to Val who pulled everything together! We had a delicious lunch. Everyone received a badge commemorating our anniversary and we had a very successful day in lovely sunshine. The winners were: 1st Julie (PW) - 6 wins + 47 she won the dotty cup trophy . 2nd Richard D (PW) – 6 wins + 32 3rd Mark D (PW) – 6 wins + 17 4th Louise (PW) - 5 wins + 45 5th Margie (PW) - 5 wins + 43 6th Frankie (Winnersh) 5 wins + 42 7th Anne Sims (Winnersh) – 5 wins + 19 8th Mal (Winnersh) 5 wins + 16 Then in July we played the final game of the MCB Electrics Sunday League Challenge and had a lovely buffet lunch prepared by Helen and Alex. After lunch Mark presented the cups, and the Red Kites came first having won 7 of the 8 games, followed very closely by Arborfield. In August and we played the Select Pairs. A very closely contested match played by Steve G & Louise against the KKs (Knacked Kidneys Mike Marshall & John Parsons). JP has only been playing for about 7 months, so a lovely win for him. The doubles match was played on the last Wednesday of July – The semi finals had Chris S & Sarah playing against Wendy & Peter S. I very exciting game, with Chris and Sarah beating Wendy and Peter with the last boule! Debbie and Paul Hammond (who have been playing for about 10 months had made it to the finals, but it was decided to play that match on Sunday 17th August because by now it was dark and late (10.15) and most people had left . So Paul & Debbie and Chris & Sarah played the final on a lovely sunny Sunday morning. Chris & Sarah won. Now we have the triples, Over 70s and Memorial Trophy to play for and that will conclude our competitions for the year. Play will continue as usual, ready for our annual club lunch on 25th November, play on Boxing Day and New years Day and it all begins again! On the Regional side: Congratulations to three of our Red Kites (Wendy H, Mike M and John P) who won the Regional Triples on the 23rd June, beating Paul and Dean Webb and Bob Boothman on the way as well as players of the like of Eric Hanlon, Alun Jones, Amrit Seetana and Snowy (peter Miles). Commiserations to the other three from the Red Kites – Moiya, Thérèse and Gerry who only won one game – their first, strangely against the eventual winners who won every subsequent game. Moiya and the Lewises went on to lose every subsequent game! Such is life. Dear Therese, Loren and Gerry, I have kept this a secret from you all, until now, hoping it would come as a nice surprise if you won! I tried to get the recognition for your fantastic efforts in building such a great club that has provided so many benefits for so many people. I submitted the entry on 31st January. I rang the Town Hall yesterday and was told that the award went to Wallingford Volunteers, no doubt a worthy winner. However, although winning would have been great, not winning does not diminish your achievements and the appreciation of all members of these achievements. The brief: High Steward of Wallingford's Community Award – Call for nominations The High Steward of Wallingford, Ken Lester, is delighted to announce the launch of this new award to recognise the outstanding contribution made by an individual or an organisation in establishing, maintaining and promoting the highest standards of community service in Wallingford. The individual or organisation must able to demonstrate that they have made an outstanding contribution which benefits residents and the community of Wallingford. They needn't themselves live or be based in Wallingford, but the benefit from their work should be shown for a sustained period in the town. Nominations should describe how the nominee has addressed values such as (but not exclusively), helping the disadvantaged, promoting inclusivity and participation in community life, and supporting Wallingford as a town which encourages vibrant community activities. Nominations should, as far as possible be from a member of the public independent of the person/organisation being nominated, but where this is not practicable, the person making the nomination must make clear the relationship to the nominee. Self-nomination is not allowed. A nomination statement should be no longer than 500 words and may contain referees. Where referees are included it is the responsibility of the person making the nomination to ensure that permission has been obtained from the referees for them to be contacted by the High Steward. My submission: I would like to nominate Petanque Wallingford for the High Steward of Wallingford’s Community Award. Started in 2012 on a space in the car park at the Wallingford Sports Park, Petanque Wallingford is now a thriving progressive club, that boasts one of the best Petanque terrains in the country. In the light of the current Government initiatives to change the future direction of healthcare in the country, clubs such as ours are already offering the benefits of mental and physical wellbeing to our members and visitors. (See a picture below of the piste in use!) Anyone and everyone is welcome to come along to one or all of the 5 weekly sessions where helpful coaching is often available or to join in the games. Members pay £60 per annum for unlimited access and visitors pay £2 per visit, however, under a proposed system of social/community prescribing a club like ours has a lot to offer. In addition to the regular sessions, the club has a busy programme of social and match-play activities. The club is active in the Thames Valley Petanque League, which provides many opportunities for inter-club and individual competition. There are also member competitions and melees (where members change partners for each game in friendly competition) often followed by a shared lunch in the Sports Park Pavillion. Our facilities are available to other local organisations, these have included local companies, Style Acre and the U3A. The combination of all these activities make the Petanque Wallingford club probably the most accessible and busiest club on the Wallingford Sports Park. Almost everyone who joins the club is a novice. The game has a low threshold of skill enabling players to gain significant enjoyment at an early stage of their development with no outlay on equipment as boules are always at hand. However, as with any sport those who wish to invest their time and energy can reach high levels of play – we have a dedicated member who having started playing only three years ago has now played for England! We also have the Petanque Captain of the World Transplant Games as a member. Our members range in age from 9 to 90 with the majority in the 50 to 75 age range, increasing the number of members in younger age brackets is an aim of the club. The friendly, welcoming ethos of the club has provided an important social support to many local people. The club would not exist today without the exhaustive efforts of the three founding members – Loren, Therese and Gerry. These three with the help of other members have transformed what was a car park piste into a magnificent 11 piste club on two separate surfaces complete with a superb shelter and floodlights for evening play. (See a picture of our shelter below). I wholeheartedly commend the club and its leading members for building and maintaining a wonderful facility available for the people of Wallingford and surrounding areas. The club is deserving of recognition for past achievements and a very bright future. Steve Gothard Petanque Wallingford Member Referee :- John Atkins, Chairman of The Wallingford Sports Trust Twenty eight of us gathered on Friday 5th April 2019 at the Boulodrome to have an individual melee and a surprise tea party to celebrate the 90th birthday of Pam – our oldest member. Twenty six played (Gerry and Therese organised) and the result was a win for ……. Pam! Hardly surprising when you consider that at one time she was a Berkshire County lawn bowls player. She won all three of her games with a points difference of +16. Chris Mcguire was second with three wins and a points difference of +14. Here is a photograph of those who turned up and Pam with her special cake. So, not only did Pam get a box of lovely chocolates, but she also got the first prize - a “Rebellion” cloth to keep her boules clean. Well done Pam, and thanks to everyone who made cakes for the tea party! What with one thing and another the site has not reflected our activities lately, so this is a catch up. We have been playing all 2019 so far. Lovely weather in February and FREEZING COLD recently! But nothing puts us off. We played our first club match - The First Presidents Trophy - and this was won by Val Smith (for the ladies) and Mark Dowman (for the Men). We have played two rounds to find the teams to qualify to go to Hayling Island for the Inter-Regional Matches in September 2019. The first round was played at the Boulodrome - and it was very cold! While the second round was played on the 31st March at Burnham - where it was marginally less cold. The Thames Valley have moved up to Division 1; teams 1 to 8 play in the Main competition, while teams 9 to 12 play in the 2nd Division of the Challenge. See the table below for the make up of final teams. Wallingford have two teams in the top positions (2 and 3) - Anon astonished themselves by finishing in 2nd place. They will meet the top players in the country and have 4 months to polish up their game... (Thank you JP for the pictures) TEAM NAME PLAYER 1, PLAYER 2, PLAYER 3, PLAYER 4 TV1 The Twiglets Phil Claydon, Carl Claydon, Paul Webb TV2 Anon Dave Chalkley, Chris Shaw, John Parsons, Gerry Lewis TV3 Pickled Eggs Mark Dowman, Chris Hurst, Dean Webb, TV4 Dirty Beaches Elaine Smith, Russell Ford, Rob Smith, Lesley Davis TV5 Marlow Magpies Eric Hanlon, Maureen Hanlon, Amrit Seetanna, TV6 The Villians Alun Jones, Richard Button, Ron Girdler, Bob Young TV7 The Commitments Mark Blackall, Andy King, Phil King, Gussy TV8 Fatty & The Boys Arran Togwell, Laura Winkworth, Sean Hawkins, TV9 Bozos Peter Miles, Alan Wickendon, Andy McCabe, TV10 Golden Girls Linda Thorpe, Helen Blackall, Jo Hawkins, Maxine Clark TV11 The Misfits Eileen Maguire, Steve Robbins, Ron Riddick, TV12 Les Rebelles Andrew Prince, William Walley, John Thomas, Ray Impey And a few pictures of us playing in the RTQS 1 at Wallingford and RTQS 2 at Burnham. The Club AGM was held on 19th November when the new President (Alec Hayton), Treasurer (Richard Doughty), Club Secretary (Val Smith) and Fixtures Secretary (Gerry Lewis) were elected. Moiya and Loren are still on the committee and Mark joins them. More committee members may be co-opted.
24th November was the annual club lunch – play first then food. Ten people who said they were coming failed to show up, but 35 members and some of their partners had a find time. The Annual Melee Shield was awarded to Richard Doughty and 1st Place in the morning's play went to Julie, 2nd Place to Julian and 3rd place to Jane M. Thank you to all those who helped set the tables, get ready and prepare the repast. And so, play continues, with Winter Pairs played on Sunday 2nd December - Moiya and Sarah are second so far in their league. The next meeting of the Winter Pairs will be in January 2019, but we hope to play on Boxing day before then! August: Mark Dowman and three Burnham players were number one of the eight teams representing England in the Home Nations competition (England, Scotland, Wales and Jersey) held in Jersey this year. And what a fabulous set up they have there. Two PW people went to Jersey to support them – England won, just! October and November were really busy so there is a lot of catching up to do. In October the start of the Winter Pairs was cancelled due to a real cats and dogs day, so the missed matches will be played as a 'double header' at the December meeting. We had a birthday play day for JJ's 80th – some play first followed by prize giving – JJ had given me £80 for prizes so I had a lovely time spending it. We had 11 prizes in all including two for the youngest players – who were both 9 at the time, and one for the oldest player who is 87 and we had nibbles, made by members, in the clubhouse. Early November saw us play the Euro Cup for Clubs against Hereford 1 which we won 4:1, now we must meet Hereford 2 in early December for the next round. On the 17th November some of us went to the Thames Valley Presentation Dinner in Maidenhead when the awards to winners of the various competitions held throughout the year were presented. Mark Dowman and Chris Hurst won the lion's share for Petanque Wallingford, although the Red Kites were very happy to receive the Runners Up medals for the Sunday Leagues. Below is a list of those awards won by PW: Mark and Chris H - 1st in TV Winter Pairs, Mark, Dave, Chris H, Chris S - 3rd in TV Regional Qualifiers for Hayling Island Red Kites - Runners up in TV Weekend League Mark, Dave, Chris S - 1st in TV Regional Triples Mark, Dave - 3rd in TV Regional Pairs Mark - 1st in TV Shooting Mark - 1st in TV Singles Ava, Mark - plate winners in TV mixed pairs Sarah & Chris S – plate runners up in TV mixed pairs. Friday 21st September - and 20 people turned out to play for the Over 70s Pairs Trophy - the edge of a hurricane was passing over the terrain so it was incredibly windy - nearly blew some of us over! However, we managed three games, and the sun shon. The winners were Val Smith and Eileen Macland. rAnd Wednesday 26th September, by contrast, warm and calm! We played for the Memorial Trophy, remembering those who are no longer with us.. We played a 3 game 'individual melee' - 24 members including the two minors Ava and Josie. The (pairs) games were keenly fought and Dave Smith won: (3 games + 26), and 2nd and 3rd places were taken by Pam Frewin (3 games +23) and Chris Hurst (3 games +14) respectively. Friday the 14th to Sunday 16th was the 2018 Inter Regional Championships at Hayling Island. It's the biggest event in the Petanque England calendar where approx 900 licensed players, from all the regions in the UK take part. Each region can enter a maximum of 12 qualifying teams. Petanque Wallingford put a team of three forward, Chris Hurst, Dave Chalkley and Mark Dowman, who qualified 3rd in the Thames Valley Region qualifiers over the summer, getting to play the TV No.3 spot in the Inter Regional Championships. The team was originally a team of four but Chris Shaw had to drop out last minute. The conditions at Hayling were perfect; sunshine and a light breeze. Mark Dowman kicked off the weekend with a fine performance in Friday's shooting competition but losing out on a top spot place. "It's a lonely place up there" Mark says. But that's the burden he had to carry having won the Thames Valley shooting competition over the summer and having to represent the Thames Valley against all the other regions' No.1 shooters. Well done Mark! The Championship kicked off in earnest early Saturday morning and the fine weather continued throughout the whole weekend, which really brought the best out of the teams. The competition consisted of everyone playing 7 matches on Saturday and 5 matches on Sunday against their regional peers. Thames Valley played brilliantly, coming second place in their division, Division two, only 2 games away from Sussex who got the top spot. Thames Valley teams were awarded silver medals and both teams earned a promotion to Division 1 next year. This means if Petanque Wallingford put a qualifying team forward in 2019, we'll be playing against the big boys, like London, Chiltern and Kent. It'll be tough next year, but Thames Valley are getting a deserved reputation for being the region to watch out for in 2019. Chris, Dave and Mark flew the flag for Petanque Wallingford and came 2nd out of the twelve teams who represented the Thames Valley, winning 9 out of their 12 games. Talk about Petanque heaven, what a great weekend. Well done lads! |
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