Diggers and Boules
Dec
How a group of residents came together for the love of their sport
There’s a popular quote that says ‘If you can’t get a job done, do it yourself’.
For a group of residents in north Cardiff, that’s exactly what they did when they were faced with the prospect of living without a pétanque piste.
The Harlequins Pétanque Club was formed in December 2023 by a group of friends who shared a love of the well-known French game. Their aim was to play in a friendly and welcoming environment. But they had a problem – they had nowhere to play.
Phil Freegard, Chairperson of the Harlequins Pétanque Club told Living Magazines:
“Pétanque, or boules as it’s more commonly known, is one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK. It’s always been a hugely popular game in France but it’s gaining a very large following here too.
“It’s a simple game that brings communities together and our aim was to introduce the sport to the north Cardiff area. But we were faced with having a club that had nowhere to play.
“The pistes (as the playing surfaces are known) that were located at the Harlequins Rugby Club had fallen into disrepair and had lay dormant since COVID. They were in an unplayable state so before we could even play a ball, they needed to be cleared, repaired, and resurfaced. This would be a big task. With no funds to pay for anyone outside to do the job, we had to look to ourselves.”
The first season was approaching so the club took the bold decision to renovate the pistes themselves.
“We knew it was going to be a big ask of our members but we also knew that we had no choice. If we wanted to play in our first season, we had to do the work ourselves.
“Having such a large job ahead of us, we got ourselves organised. Our members came to us and offered their services and their free time to get the piste into shape. On selected days, members of the club would ‘don’ their work clothes and assemble at the piste, bringing with them their rakes, spades, wheelbarrows, and other equipment.”
Work began on 12th December 2023.
“Everyone ‘mucked in’ doing what they could, using whatever skills they possessed in this common endeavour – digging, weeding, stone removal, driving a hired excavator, painting the wooden surrounds, putting down a concrete base and even building the Shed. All of this was fuelled by copious amounts of tea, coffee, cakes, and biscuits.”
Under Phil’s guidance, the ground was prepared for the delivery of 28 tons of gravel. This would be the new playing surface but the project was not without its challenges:
“There were curses and moans, and plenty of aching muscles,” says the club’s secretary, John Tyrrell, “but the task was completed in a remarkably short period of time. From commencement of work, the initial ‘chuck in’ (the first game) took place within a week!”
And the players weren’t finished there:
“Additional works in setting up the facilities to begin playing were also rapidly completed. A new club shed was built to store our playing equipment and provide refreshment facilities for players,” says John.
All of this hard work meant that members of the club were able to spend the summer months of 2024 playing their beloved game.
“The appeal of boules itself is that it is a very straightforward game. Opposing players seek to have as many of their own boules, as opposed to their opponents, closest to the ‘jack’ at the end of each play. But there is also a social and community element to the game. It’s why the game is becoming so popular both here in north Cardiff and across the country.”
Since the founding of the Harlequins Pétanque Club, it has continued to make rapid progress.
Membership to the Welsh Pétanque Association (WPA) was made and accepted at the beginning of 2024. This enabled those members who wished to develop their playing skills and pit themselves against other local pétanque clubs, the opportunity to do so. In the spring, the club entered three teams into the WPA National League on a competitive basis, playing against some of the best players in the country.
“We have certainly put the Harlequins on the map with some fine results achieved, with some of our players qualifying to represent Wales against the Home nations,” says John. “Of course, competitive play is not for everyone; many of our club members simply like to play boules with their new friends in a comfortable, relaxed environment.
“During the summer of 2024, the club was also delighted to be selected to host both the WPA National Mixed Singles and Mixed Doubles Competitions; plans to work closely with the WPA that would enable the club to stage further competitions and establish it in the wider world of pétanque are also progressing.
“Any club is only as strong as its membership,” says John. “The Harlequins are very keen to recruit new players to its club. Previous experience of playing is not required; it’s a very easy game to pick up and the playing rules are relatively straightforward. Age is not a restriction either. We have players of all ages including some in their eighties. An additional bonus is that little is required in the way of equipment – you just need a set of boules. We are able to help newcomers with the opportunity to play with different sets before making a decision about buying. Compared to other sports such as golf and bowling, this is a very affordable pastime!”
The club is still open to new members.
“Come along and have a go,” says John. “There are no obligations and we look forward to meeting you.”
John Tyrrell – Secretary harlequinspc@welshpetanque.org.uk
Tel: 07950 020463 (Phil Freegard – Chair)
Facebook – Cardiff Harlequins Pétanque Club – Cwins Caerdydd
