Waterford group plans to petition local authority for game facility

A County Waterford based community sports group plans to submit a petition to the local authority to highlight what they feel is the need to develop a Petanque course in the Tramore.

The Tramore Petanque group have already garnered a number of signatures and they also plan to meet with elected representatives including Councillor Lola O'Sullivan, to discuss their plan to develop their group and to highlight the need to have a course in Tramore.

One of the founder members of the group, Angela Alekseeva, told Waterford News & Star that despite the interest in the sport there is no proper place for people to play.

"We are trying to get this built as there is no proper place to play for us in Tramore," said Angela, who alongside her husband, Ararat Hovsepyan, is a keen promoter and participant of the game.

Angela said the group is expanding all the time but not having a dedicated course to play is proving a bit restrictive.

"The group got so big, we can't even fit them where we play at the minute," she said.

She also highlighted the fact that Waterford and Dunmore East have their own Petanque pistes and she and the group members in Tramore are hoping that their town will also have its own dedicated area.

Pétanque, while not so well-known here, is a popular game across the continent. The origins of the modern game can be traced back to southern France, in 1907. 

It's a game that's derived from the ancient game of boules or bacci, which was played in Mediterranean countries for centuries.

The name itself comes from 'la petanca' in the Occitan language and is a derivative of an expression, 'pés tancats', which translated, means feet together.

Boules and pétanque are actually two different names for the same game and metal balls that are used in the sport are also called boules. They are loosely similar to the balls used in road bowling in rural parts of Ireland, however, they are larger in size.

While many people refer to the sport as 'boules' the game is usually referred to as pétanque.

The sport is actually known internationally and in America it's often referred to as 'French bocce'.

The overall area where the game is played is usually called a 'terrain', however, within that the actual designated playing area is called a piste and it's roughly four metres wide and 15 metres long.

An interesting aspect to the sport is that one of the faults that a participant can commit is to take more than one minute to play a boule or throw the jack, which can result in them receiving a yellow card.

Commenting on the game and its rise in popularity locally, Angela said it's ideal for anyone interested in getting involved in a new hobby or trying something different to what they are used to.

"It's suitable for all ages and is great fun to play," she said.

The all-encompassing nature of the game is also reflected in the age profile of those who take part in the games in Tramore because it attracts people of all ages.

At the moment the group meets to play games on the gravel stair beside the Majestic Hotel car park and Angela emphasised that everyone is welcome to go along and see what it's all about and no experience is necessary.

The group usually meets at 11am on Saturday mornings but there are regular updates about playing times and days on the Tramore Petanque Group social media page on Facebook.

Angela and those involved in the Tramore group are also enthusiastic about supporting the other groups around County Waterford and they recently visited a similar group in Clashmore for the official opening of their new court.

That was a very successful event and Angela and her colleagues from Tramore were delighted to be able to share in the event.