OAKHURST—Have you ever heard of the game of Pétanque? It’s a simple ball game that came into existence in France, taking its current form in 1907 in La Ciotat, France. The name means, roughly, “quiet feet.” People of all ages play, and it requires relatively little in the way of equipment or a playing field.
The Oakhurst Petanque Club wants YOU!
An article from the Sierra Star cites the formation of the original Oakhurst Petanque Club (OPC) on June 4, 1999, at a backyard picnic held by Jan and Kathleen Claire. At the “French-Day-in-the-Country” themed event, the Claires introduced attendees to the game. From that picnic the Oakhurst Pétanque Club (OTC) was born. At one time the Oakhurst club boasted as many as 73 members. The current roster stands at 15, with ages ranging from early thirties to late eighties. In its history the Oakhurst Pétanque Club (OPC) has had members ranging from six years old to 96.
The pétanque field at Fresno Flats in its early days.
The club has been in existence since its formation. It has weathered some traumatic times when storms damaged the original playing field and made it unusable. They’ve since moved locations and now meet weekly at 10 am on Saturdays at Fresno Flats Historic Village and Park. Stop by and see what it’s all about. They’d love to recruit more players—of any age.
OPC has even produced champion pétanque players, per the OPC Facebook page. John and Tish Harris who won gold (among other medals) in the national mixed doubles held in Fresno in October, 2023.
Equipment Needed
As for equipment, to start with pétanque play requires an investment of around $60.00, three boules each for two players. These are “party” boules rather than “tournament-rated.” Obtaining tournament-rated boules requires an investment of about $120 for a set of three.
Other Pétanque Clubs
Many pétanque clubs exist up and down the California coast from Sonoma to San Diego. There’s also one out in Palm Desert. In a broader sense pétanque and pétanque players exist all over the world. A team from New Zealand has visited the Oakhurst Club. The Oakhurst club is a member of Federation Pétanque USA (FPUSA). The FPUSA site lists a number of clubs in the Northern California region.
Nature of the Game
John and Tish Harris, champion pétanque players from Oakhurst Pétanque Club
Pétanque (sometimes called Boules) is a target sport, where participants throw metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet or jack while standing inside a circle with both feet on the ground. The playing field is usually hard dirt or gravel. It can be played in public areas in parks or in dedicated facilities called boulodromes. Reference: https://www.petanqueaustralia.org.au/about
In pétanque the objective is to score points by having boules closer to the target than the opponent after all boules have been thrown. This is achieved by throwing or rolling boules closer to the small target ball, officially called a jack (French: cochonnet), 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 and best played on hard dirt or gravel. It can be played in public areas in parks or in dedicated facilities called boulodromes. (Wikipedia)
There is a wealth of information online, including the Wikipedia article cited above. Better yet, stop by on a Saturday morning to observe and ask questions.
Contact for Information
Ron Lotton serves as the president of Oakhurst Pétanque Club. Contact Ron at (559)676-1855 or via email. They also have a Facebook page.
Photos courtesy of Oakhurst Pétanque Club from their Facebook page.
