Pétanque is an outdoor sport that falls into the category of boules sports, along with raffa, bocce, boule lyonnaise, lawn bowls and crown green bowling. All these sports share something in common, in that players or teams play their boules/balls towards a target ball.

In Pétanque the objective is to score points by having boules closer to the target than your opponent after all boules have been thrown. This is achieved by projecting boules closer to the target, called a cochon net, or by hitting the opponents' boules away from the target, while standing inside a circle with both feet on the ground.

The game is normally played on hard dirt or gravel. It can be played in public areas in parks, or in dedicated facilities called boulodromes. On a rather wet Thursday afternoon last September, newsletter editor Ian Robinson caught up with members of the u3a Petanque group in the White Horse Car Park. Convenor Chris Murden commented that because of the heavy rain, at their normal start time, members had unfortunately” had to take shelter in the White Horse pub.

The group meets in the pub car park on the 1st Thursday 2:00 pm and the 3rd Friday 10:30 am. of the month. If you are interested in joining the group contact Chris Murden, by email, rudd_u3a@yahoo to arrange a visit to a 1 hour "taster session", with the option of a longer game if wanted.