Petanque Club of Westchester

Mayflower Tournament at Bryant Park

2009-05-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

It turned out to be a beautiful day for Petanque. We arrived early and got some good practice games in. Philippe, Jean Luc, Art, Jim and Judy won many of their early matches. Barbara came along to support the team, and graciously took these photos (after lunch - we were so engrossed we forgot about taking pictures prior!!)

This was a carousel doubles format and each player was randomly matched with another, changing partners each match. We played 2 matches, then broke for lunch. The final match decided who would be in the round of 16 and progress toward the finals.

We were close but, alas, did not make the final cut. Here are some photos from the afternoon....

Here's Philippe in action.

Here's Art in his bike shorts - it got very warm as the day progressed...

Judy and Gilbert couldn't win against the young lady to their right - she was a great shooter and got into the next round.

Here's Jean Luc in action...

And Jim with Thierry....

It was lots of fun...can't wait til the next tournament!

Sundays in the Park

2008-09-25T21:04:00.001-07:00

Sundays in the Park with PCW is catching on....We've seen many new faces during the past few weeks. Francoise, if you'd be so kind as to post your pictures! Games start at 1PM.

If you want to join the picnic before-hand, please be sure to bring some food to share.

LBNY Singles Tournament

2008-08-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

Jean Luc Portal, and Philippe & Judy Rayer took part in the Singles tournament on Sunday, August 24th at Bryant Park. Philippe went 3 rounds in the Consolante tournament beating John & Frank, losing to Hugh in the semi-finals. Bravo Philippe. Judy and Jean Luc had a nice day with some challenging matches, and we all made some new acquaintences. As always, Ernesto was very helpful when answering our questions.

We spoke with many members who are interested in coming up to Croton Point Park to play on weekends, so we are looking at meeting at 1PM on either Saturdays or Sundays instead of the weeknights in the fall, as the light will be fading earlier and earlier. We will post the date and time on the banner once we have come to a decision. We hope to see many of you in Croton!

Here are a few pictures from the tournament:
Sunday in the park with LBNY

Philippe with his first match.

Judy with Tristam from Brooklyn Boule.

Jean Luc with his match.

Philippe again....

Jean Luc.....

Philippe and Ti, from Pelham - the winner of the Singles tournament

Philippe with Hugh, who lost in the finals of the Consolante Round

the cheering section deep in concentration!

Jon Rayer getting some practice in afterward,,,

More photos from bastille day

2008-07-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

At least, we all had the same shirt !

You better measure .. you never know ..

Still discussing the matter ...

does not look promising... these guys are really good

Thanks Francoise for posting these photos...

Bastille Day July 13 th .

2008-07-17T20:40:00.001-07:00

Some photos of the Bastille Day Tournament in
Brooklyn.... thanks Bernard!

Philippe, Paul and Jean Luc played our friends from LBNY, and although we lost
it was still a good match.

Bernard, Eduardo and Jim - ready to battle!

A fabulous time had by all!

If anyone has more photos please pass them along!

Article in Journal News Sunday July 13

2008-07-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

We were featured in an article in the Journal News today. I have attached it in our links.

Today we had 2 teams compete in the Bastille Day Bar Tabac Tournament in Brooklyn. Although neither teams made it past the first round of 3 games, it was a glorious day. Pictures to follow.

Satellite LBNY club

2008-06-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

We have decided to join forces with La Boule New Yorkaise as the Westchester satellite club. This way we will have proper insurance in the park, and have full entrance for all tournaments schedule by LBNY, as opposed to just the "open" tournaments. We hope to be hosting a tournament in Croton Point Park some time this summer or fall. Please come join us on Mondays and Fridays from 6-8 PM to play a game or two. It's always cool under the trees - but be sure to bring bug spray!

New Home!

2008-04-15T09:25:00.001-07:00

Hello Tout le Monde! We are working on upgrading our turf, and have found a new home in Croton Point Park. We don't have all the details yet, but as soon as we do we will pass them along.

We want to thank Jonathan Pratt of Peter Pratt's Inn for graciously hosting our club last season...without you, Jon, we never would have come this far!

Although our season has not started yet, the La Boule New Yorkais club's has. They are having a tournament this weekend at Bryant Park to start off their season. Check out their website under our Favorite Links.

Looking forward to seeing you all this spring!

9/29-30 - LBNY New York Open in Bryant Park

2007-09-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

What a glorious weekend to play petanque in NYC! Bryant Park was the perfect setting for the 2-day tournament. Again, we have to hand it to Ernesto Santos, president of the La Boule New Yorkaise, for organizing yet another spectacular event!

We entered 5 teams - lots of yellow polo's in the crowd:

Jean Luc Portal & John Luke Portal
Bernard Brezzo & Jim Barr
Judy Rayer & Joella Cannon
Philippe Rayer & Paul Borrel
Monica & Eduardo Lucotti

There were teams from California, Maine, Massachusetts, Illinois as well as NY... all honing their petanque skills by using focus, careful aim, and precise striking. We were up to the challenge, and played our hearts out.

Kudos to the winners...we'll be back!!

Thanks for the pictures everyone - send us more and we will post them!

Salut!

petanque on the beach

2007-09-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

While at Ogunquit Beach Maine, the Rayer's were able to hone their petanque skills amongst the groups of bocce players on the beach. No surprise, there were many French Canadian families vacationing who played with plastic boules as well.

Does anyone else have any Petanque vacation pictures they'd like to post? Please let us know....

Future Tournament News!

2007-08-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

On Sept 29 & 30th, La Boule New Yorkaise is holding their New York Open at Bryant Park. This is Select Doubles, meaning teams of 2 players. Entry fee to be determined. We had a great time at the last open tournament with 4 teams - please consider joining us - the more the merrier!

Here is the link to register:
http://www.labouleny.com/pdfs/2007-newyorkopen-registration.pdf

I will add it to our favorite links on the left side of the page underneath the videos.

Membership drive - change of plan for snacks and refreshments

2007-07-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

We're looking for more petanque players....please send your friends the link to our blogspot. We are also thinking of expanding to Sunday at 6PM in addition to Tuesday eves at 6:30 as a few members have requested to play more than once a week. There are a few parks that would suit our needs, but we want to know if there is any interest.

Also, Jonathan Pratt has decided to let us use his grill so we can cook our own picnic dinners. So be sure to bring your hot dogs, steaks, ribs or what have you, and be sure to bring your beverage of choice - we'll have a large cooler with ice!

Bastille Day July 15th continued....

2007-07-19T19:29:00.001-07:00

July 15th - Bastille Day Tournament LBNY

2007-07-19T19:24:00.001-07:00

Hot fun in the summertime! A Ricard to start, interviews with the press and lots of Petanque! We entered 2 team of 3 and passed to the 4th round!

July 3rd/ July 4th

2007-07-04T10:15:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July! We were hoping to see some of our friends from La Boule NewYorkaise, however one of their members who was going to come suffered a minor injury from a bicycle accident and was not able to make it. We wish you a speedy recovery!

Jean Luc Portal and Art Jay were mentioned and quoted in the Journal News Sports section on the front page - "Lawn Sports a tradition on the Fourth". Our club is mentioned by name this time! I have added the link to "our favorite links" here on the blogspot. Check it out!

In celebration of the 4th there seemed to be more drinking and eating than playing...but we will get back on track next week!

Salut les amis!

June 24th - continued....

2007-06-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

Monica sent over some more pictures from Bryant Park....Thank you!

Madagascar Open Tournament 6/24/07 - Bryant Park

2007-06-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

A beautiful day, perfect weather, superb company! The Madagascar Open at Bryant Park was a fantastic opportunity to meet other petanquers from all over...the US, Canada, & yes, Madagascar...We entered with 4 teams: Jean Luc & Philippe, Bobo & Clement, Bernard & Jonathan, and Eduardo & Monica. After 3 games Jean Luc & Philippe, Bernard & Jonathan moved into the round of 16. Not bad considering many at the tournament play everyday! Bobo, Clement, Eduardo & Monica all put in tremendous efforts and made some great shots - they played against some really tough opponents.

Many thanks to Ernesto Santos and his club for putting on a wonderful tournament in a magical setting, and for extending their warm welcome and generous hospitality !

The PCW made its presence known in Bryant Park today, and although we didn't fare as well as we would have liked, we appreciated the talented players who were present

...and Jim, the folks at LBNY are happy to hear that you're playing in Westchester. They send their regards!!

June 19th

2007-06-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

We had 3 teams that showed up at our change of venue....the petanque was top quality, however; the ground was flat and easy to play on...We signed 3 new members to our club!

Next week, back to Peter Pratt's Inn...

June12th

2007-06-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

We were very lucky - at 6:30 the rain stopped and the sky cleared. Thanks to all who were determined to play even with the "iffy" weather! It turned out to be a great evening to play!

Jon advised there is a private party at Peter Pratt's next Tuesday, so we cannot meet. If anyone can think of an alternate venue please let us know about it!

We hope to see you at the tournament in Manhattan at Bryant Park on June 24th! Plan to arrive before 9:30 to sign up - this is a doubles tournament so you will be teams of 2. $10.00 per person. Log onto www.labouleny.com for more information.

June 5th

2007-06-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful evening for our club. French friends and relatives visiting in Westchester...we had a total of 10 teams!

May 29th

2007-06-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a beautiful summer-like evening with many new faces! Seven teams of 3 people per team - not bad! Jules Zidi, Bob Lichtenstein and Jean Luc Portal took first place.

FYI on June 24th at 10 AM La Boule NewYorkaise is hosting an open tournament at Bryant Park. This would be a wonderful opportunity to see how those in the competitive arena play. It will give our new members some tournament experience before the big tournament at Bar/Tabac in Brooklyn on July 15th. Who has enough "boules" to go? Please let us know!

Also, our club has been featured in the Westchester section of the The New York Times on Sunday, June 3rd.

We hope to see you June 5th

Salut les amis!!

May 22nd

2007-05-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

We had a few new members join our club this week! Word of our club is spreading....

Due to the recent storm and power outages Jonathan Pratt grilled good old American hot dogs, and served salads. We will resume our normal sandwich selections next week. Starting May 29th we will be awarding prizes for the evening's winning team.

We hope to see you next time...bring a friend or two! The weather is getting warmer - just perfect for petanque!

Important: please check the blogspot in the blue title description for next scheduled date of play and for cancellations due to weather.

May 8th: The Real Kick-off!

2007-05-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

We kicked off our first season with a spectacular turnout. We had 8 teams of 3 players, plus a few friends who came as spectators. Some participants were seasoned petanquers while others were entirely new to the game, but all were determined to have a great time. The Petanque Club of Westchester, with the help of Ricard, awarded prizes for the first, second and third place winners.

We are hoping to see the Petanque Club of Westchester featured in the Westchester section of the New York Times within the next few weeks.

We would like to thank Blandine Legall of Southern Wines and Spirits and Pernod Ricard USA for their participation in sampling Ricard - the drink of petanquers around the world.

We also would like to thank Jonathan Pratt for giving us access to the restaurant property - quite a challenging petanque alley!! - and for providing delicious sandwiches.

Most of all, we would like to thank all the participants who made the evening so enjoyable. We look forward to seeing you all again May 15th.

NB: As a reminder, annual membership fees ($10 per adult, $5 per child) will be collected at the second participation in club activities within one calendar year.

May 1st - First Day of Play

2007-05-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Our first evening was cold & rainy, but we enjoyed a good hour of petanque. Looking forward to May 8th - a warm evening - the way it should be!

Weekly game at Peter Pratt's Inn (updated flyer)

2007-02-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

The founding mothers and fathers

2007-01-27T08:56:00.000-08:00

Here are photos of the first meeting ..