In April of this year the City of Bath Petanque Club recently went Dutch when they visited the twin city of Alkmaar, in the Netherlands to challenge the local teams. Eight intrepid travellers met up at the Hotel Stad en Land on Friday night allowing themselves plenty of time to discover the nightlife on offer.
On Saturday we were invited to the Sportlaan Club where we joined our hosts for a challenge match won by Bath by 13 games to 12.
On Sunday we were invited to the Celeritas Pétanque Club where we were kindly treated to lunch before heading into our second tournament of the weekend. Unfortunately this time we finished second in a competition of 32 teams.The trip provided plenty of inspiration as Celeteris has a large indoor boulodrome attached to their bar, something the Bath club would like to replicate.
The four-day visit also included trips to the old town, museums, the tulip fields of Keukenhof and a working windmill.
Members of the Alkmaar club have invited to Bath on a return visit and the clubs hope this will be the start of a long and happy relationship.
