Category: Aix-en-Provence

Club Tour

by Lesley Hall

The Club’s annual tour to our twin city of Aix-en-Provence saw 11 members fly via Marseille to spend a long weekend in and around the city.  We received a warm welcome from our old friends from the village clubs of Saint Cannat and Puyricard, where we participated in challenging melées alongside our hosts.  Puyricard’s terrain in particular has its own challenges, as they prefer to play on their car park with its rough ground and ‘racines’ or tree roots to their smooth official pistes. Saturday afternoon was spent with new friends at the village of Couteron, just north of Aix, taking part in their regular melée.  We were delighted to be given a bottle of local wine for each participant, presented in a formal ceremony which the French are so fond of.  Our new committee Chair, Diana, was in splendid form thanking our hosts in her best French, which they obviously appreciated.

She presented them with a new Twinning badge, a tasteful little Union Jack and Tricolor together.

Aix-en_Provence 2013. We have just received the finalised dates for the City of Baths Petanque clubs trip to Aix-en-Provence. Situated in the South of France, Aix-en-Provence is about 30 miles north of Marseilles.  Planned for the last week of May, we will be playing in the afternoons and evenings. The actual tournaments will be held from the 27th-31st May at a number of different villages around Aix-en-Provence. The club has visited and played against these villages in the past. This year we will be visiting Les Milles, Puyricard, Eguilles, Saint Cannat and Cabries. Dinner will also be provided by 3 of the 5 clubs.

The tournments will be arranged over 5 days. The challenge will be drawn as a melee. Each day players will register individually and a draw made to form mixed teams. At the end of the week the best player from each city will be presented with a cup. A final knock out tournament for the twinning cup  will be played between the teams from each participating city.

The Local Twinning Association in Aix-en-Provence are hoping that other towns twinned directly with Aix-en-Provence will also participate. So far Germany have confirmed, Denmark are a possibility and they are still waiting to hear from others.

It is proposed that we will leave the UK on 26th returning on or after the 1st June. It will also be possible to join for part of the tour. Mornings will be sightseeing or free

The tour is open to all City of Bath Petanque club and associate members.

We need to know who would be interested as soon as possible in order to book flights as we may be able to get group rate. The same applies for accommodation.

Please contact me on my email address if you would be interested in attending lesley@bathboules.co.uk

Club Chair Lesley Hall and Secretary Diana Lockwood flew the flag for Bath in Aix for 5 days at the beginning of the month. Taking part in the Aix Twinning Christmas market for the first time, Lesley had selected 4 different blends of loose leaf tea from Bath firm Gillards, and a range of goods with a Bath and British theme, all of which sold well. The  Mayor and Mayoress of Bath were also there helping to serve tea in between official engagements. Diana was there with jewellery that she designs and makes.  She found her earrings were particularly popular with French and Italians.  Lesley and Diana were kept so busy that they did not have time for a single game of boules, although they did meet up with some of the boulistes who came over to Bath in the summer.  They are already planning to go to Aix again next year

. Next time they’ll take more Earl Grey, more earrings, and allow more time for boules!

Title: Visit of guests from Aix-en-Provence
Location: Bath
Description: On Friday we welcome our first ever petanquers from Aix-en- Provence who will be staying over the weekend. The have been entered into the Veuve Cliquot Bath Boules Tournament for Saturday.
It would be great if anyone around town on Saturday can drop into Queen Square and say hello and cheer the team on, I’m hoping to have a small table and chairs to use as a base.
Otherwise, Saturday evening, Sunday lunch and Sunday evening are good opportunities to join the group and help to make the visitors feel welcome.

Look forward to seeing you around during the weekend. Do let me know if I’ve forgotten anything!
Lesley

Start Date: 2012-22-2012
End Date: 2012-25-2012

City of Bath Petanque Club made a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the sport last week when they paid their annual visit to Aix-en-Provence.

Members took on their counterparts at the Boulomaine Club in the French town of La Ciotat, famous as the birthplace of cinema and the place where the first game of petanque was played in 1906.

It was part of a busy week for the Queens Square-based club, who also caught up with old friends in Bath’s twin town of Aix-en-Provence and also played against the Cercle Club at Tholonet.

The tour was City of Bath’s second venture abroad this year, having also visited Holland during Easter to establish a playing relationship with their counterparts in Alkmaar.

Club captain Chris Garratt said:

While we hope that our newly-established relationship with the petanque clubs in Alkmaar will develop into a thriving one in the future, there is nothing like the challenge of meeting the French at their own game on their home territory.

In recent times, we have learned a few hard lessons from our adventures to Provence. However, it’s been great how they have been so pleased to see us having a serious go at their sport. They have been so very encouraging and this has enabled our own standard of play to progress significantly – the City of Bath Club is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with.

The club would like to thank its local sponsors, including John Moore Sports, The Raven and Bath Aqua Glass.

The fourth trip to Aix – Le Petanque Ensemble – took place in early June. We visited three local clubs and played against AAGP the the foot of Mount Sainte Victoire made famous by Cezanne. For photos of these days please see the gallery below.

Day with AAGP

A beautiful day.A series of games in the car park, followed by a feast of a picnic in amongst the shaded trees.A gentle walk up around Mount Sainte Victoire, taking in the lovely scenery, giant ants, reservoir and with storm clouds threatening a hasty walk back down – until they drifted away.We stopped off on the way to have a look at the marble (bottom right).A winding drive through Cezanne country on the way back to Aix.