KENT PETANQUE ASSOCIATION

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KENT PETANQUE ASSOCIATION ISSUE No.55 JANUARY 2011 Looks like the worst of the winter weather has gone, still cold and grey, and some of us can remember the sun shining some time before Christmas.

1 KENT PETANQUE ASSOCIATION ISSUE No.55 JANUARY 2011 Looks like the worst of the winter weather has gone, still cold and grey, and some of us can remember the sun shining some time before Christmas. A new year of petanque awaits as boules begin to warm up, but first A FEW BLIND DATES for your new diary. As previously, at this time of the year, the EPA and the KPA publish draft calendars for the coming year. Do not take them too seriously! Do not take copies, and do not arrange your personal diary, or your Club s activities around the dates published in the draft. Draft rhymes with daft, and may well describe the early issue and general circulation and publication. The initial draft is compiled by the E.P.A. with dates for National and International events, copies of this Draft should go to Regional Committees who then interpose dates for their Regional competitions, and ideally produce a final edition that contains dates for all seasons. This then becomes the final working calendar. Interpretation...the draft will contain dates called Regional Day, these are not preliminary dates for Regional Triples Qualifiers, they are dates reserved by the EPA for Regional competitions and events such as Regional Triples, Regional Doubles, Regional Triples Qualifiers, or Regional anything. As in previous years the KPA will have 4 or 5 Regional Triples Qualifiers, at dates ideally spread over the summer. These dates are yet to be decided. Also the final calendar will show dates for club open competitions that ideally will not clash with other events, but this cannot be guaranteed. So the answer is to wait until the final KPA calendar is published sometime in late February. The WHITE HOUSE PETANQUE CLUB Hilltop, Hunton, Maidstone Kent. Have just had a read of the clubs newsletter, edited by Peter Abbitt the club chairman. Gives a good picture of a thriving petanque club including a report of a social gathering just before Christmas with a fun game and Christmas dinner. The club has an active committee of eight members and an ever increasing membership. Peter Abbitt has been on the KPA Management Committee for the past couple of years, and the first ever KPA committee meeting was held at the Whitehouse pub on 20th January KPA GAZETTE Page 1

Terry was the embodiment of our club spirit and his enthusiasm for the fun side of the game and the enjoyment of the social aspect made him many friends in the teams we met in the league.

2 The Beauty of Bath P.C. are sad to announce the passing of long-time member and lifetime Club President Terry Bridger. Terry and his wife Julie began their petanque career at the Optimists in the early 1980's, but in 1986 joined the Bull, Newington, which became the Beauty of Bath in Terry was the embodiment of our club spirit and his enthusiasm for the fun side of the game and the enjoyment of the social aspect made him many friends in the teams we met in the league. Fading health meant that he played his last league game in the summer of 2010, though his encouragement continued. In the 20 years I played with him, summer and winter, I never encountered anybody who could play so badly or so well in the same game. When we won the tournament at Bracklesham in 2003, Terry was on song and could have triumphed single handed. Our sympathies are with Julie, as are our thanks for sharing him with us. Paul Bishenden, Club Captain.playing at the Beauty of Bath tonight...been here loads of time, still get lost.can hear Terry from the car park...nice to see the Beauty crowd again...very sociable...will be a good night. First game, first end...terry laughing says that he is going to play seriously tonight and he is the shooter...all five players have pointed with boule surrounding the cochenet...terry asks for quiet,and shoots.his boule bounces off a dog end,goes at a right angle and shoots out two boule, another right angle and dismisses another three boule and finally his boule comes to rest 2mm from the cochenet.lucky or what?...we all laugh, with loud grins...terry apologises...says he will try not to be so serious next time! Terry and his good time Petanque will be missed. KPA GAZETTE Page 2

BORSTAL SANDPIPERS P.C. are seeking new players for the 2011 Summer Season, they play at Borstal Cricket Club and would welcome new members of all standards, promising regular team games.

Outside Bristol Zoo there is a parking lot for 150 cars and 8 buses. For 25 years the parking fees were managed by a very pleasant attendant. The parking fees were 1.

Then one day, after 25 continuous years of never missing a day off work, the attendant did not show up for work, so the Zoo management called the City Council and asked them to send another parking

3 BORSTAL SANDPIPERS P.C. are seeking new players for the 2011 Summer Season, they play at Borstal Cricket Club and would welcome new members of all standards, promising regular team games. If you are interested please contact IAN USMAR at From the LONDON TMES ( so it is said) sent in by a Gazette reader.the story is apparently true!...and goes like this. Outside Bristol Zoo there is a parking lot for 150 cars and 8 buses. For 25 years the parking fees were managed by a very pleasant attendant. The parking fees were 1.40 for cars and around 7 for buses. Then one day, after 25 continuous years of never missing a day off work, the attendant did not show up for work, so the Zoo management called the City Council and asked them to send another parking attendant. The Council did some research and replied that the parking lot was the responsibility of the zoo. In return the zoo replied that the car park attendant was not on the zoo payroll therefore they must assume that he was on the Council payroll. The Council then replied that the car park attendant had never been on the council payroll. Meanwhile.sitting in his villa somewhere in the sun is a man who apparently installed a ticket machine in the zoo car park, and had appeared on time every day for 25 years to collect and pocket the car parking fees, estimated to be about 560 per day, or over 5 million pounds for the 25 year period. Roy Pemberton has got through the winter OK, scoffed the traditional Christmas teri-oggie and drained the last of the scrumpy to report the following from Cornwall... A new video just posted on You Tube features more than 25 Cornwall petanque players in action during league games and regional competitions. Made by Tregony based BEN WILLIAMS, the video highlights the excitement, drama, skill and fun which petanque offers, as well as celebrating the increasing popularity of the sport in Cornwall. With the running title Raging Bulls 2, the six minute production also aims to give new players a taste of various aspects of play and some of the tactics involved. Most of the video was filmed at the Star Inn, Vogue, St.Day, with additional footage at Tregony Sports Club. Take a look.. No secret but January is a difficult month for petanque news, so with thanks to Jim Carr, Roy Pemberton Paul Bishenden, and Peter Abbitt for bits and pieces and a little imagination and downright lies from the editorial staff, you have... for what it s worth.. the January Gazette. KPA GAZETTE Page 3

4 50 years ago, a view across the old A2 from Meadow Sports Club Petanque pistes. The CENTRAL HOTEL GILLINGHAM...no longer there. In recent years, Star Meadow Sports and Social Club Gillingham, has become the home of two Petanque Clubs, STAR MEADOW P.C and MEADOW P.C.. Meadow P.C. moved up the road from the Plough & Chequers and Star Meadow P.C. moved across the road from the Lloyds Club. A successful move for both Clubs, including improvements made to the playing area, and including hosting a few open competitions. Fifty years ago this area was the centre of the universe..for the fun seekers and hedonists from South London on their way to Margate and Ramsgate. The half-way stopping point at the CENTRAL HOTEL GILLINGHAM, for works outings and neighbourhood excursions to the coast, at a time when not all could afford a two weeks holiday, and most did not own a car. The Central Hotel was a landmark of happiness in Gillingham. AND WHENCE THEY CAME.. The stretch of London, local to the Thames from Deptford down to Dartford was occupied by numerous large factories from the turn of the century up to the period of the 70 s. There was minimum un-employment with plentiful jobs and opportunities, the depression of the 30 s passed by without major problems. During the war period, most of these factories were involved in war work and the employee s jobs were classed as reserved occupation for both men and some women, manufacturing armaments. Just a few names of factories.stones, Molins. Harveys, AEI, Woolwich Arsenal, Associated Motorcycles, Callenders Cables, Fraser and Chalmers, Vickers Armstrongs, J&E Hall, and these were only a few of the big factories and at sometime Vickers at Crayford KPA GAZETTE Page 4

employed over 10.000 people, and the early housing in Crayford was built to house them.

Full employment without loads-of-money. THE WORKS OUTING. did not include employees of the whole factory, but workers from individual workshops within the factories.

5 employed over people, and the early housing in Crayford was built to house them. So this South London area, not forgetting the Chatham Dockyards, had a long history of almost full employment together with numerous training and career opportunities for youngsters. Full employment without loads-of-money. THE WORKS OUTING. did not include employees of the whole factory, but workers from individual workshops within the factories. The factories operated a segregated work force, the Staff who were normally monthly paid, had sick pay, and a pension of sorts, generally known as office workers, and worked a couple of hours less per week than the workshop workers. The workers in the workshops were paid by the hour, had no sick pay and no pension rights and ate in a canteen separate from the Staff...but went on works outings. Works Outings...taken very seriously, meticulous planning down to the last bottle of brown ale and pickled egg. One of the more forceful and pushy members of the shop would be the organiser, along with three or four trusty mates whose main job was to manhandle the crates of booze and food into the chara. The organiser would normally take a weekly collection throughout the year, to cover the cost of chara, food and booze. The organiser would also be a regular in one of the local pubs from where the food and booze was supplied. The whole affair was reasonably inexpensive and the organiser of the day would always come good with all the money collected, unlike the organiser of the Christmas Club who collected money for Christmas and who seemed regularly to get mugged in a dark alley, a week or two before Christmas. A typical Works-Outing. Today s definition of Binge drinking is a bit tame compared with a good beano on the worksouting of years gone by. Today s Binge drinking suggests a limited period of drinking during the evening through into the night. The Works-Outing on the other A chara from MARGO S of Bexleyheath and other depots around South London.. Slow, reliable and extremely cheap. A chara of desire from TIMPSONS of Crayford and other depots around South London Fast, very reliable, very comfortable and extremely expensive hand was a long, early day, all day and late night non-stop jolly good drink. At the start of the Works-Outing day... the organiser and his mates would meet at their local pub and partake in an unlawful early morning brown and mild, offered by the landlord as a perk for starting and finishing the day at his particular pub. The small party would all be dressed in their best (only) suit (normally navy blue) and their hair kept in place with Brylcream after a bath the night before, if they needed it or not. For drink, the chara would be loaded with bottles of Brown Ale, light Ale, and sometimes a small barrel of mild, and maybe a few bottles of Guinness or stout for the drinking gourmets. For food, proper man s food..trays of cheese and onion rolls, pickled onions and pickled KPA GAZETTE Page 5

An aerial view of the CENTRAL GILLINGHAM - the old A2 is at the bottom of the picture,. eggs, a toxic chemistry in the stomach when agitated by the movement of the chara.

with a lingering perfume of cutting fluid engrained in their hands of toil. There was an unwritten code of conduct universal to these outings.

6 An aerial view of the CENTRAL GILLINGHAM - the old A2 is at the bottom of the picture,. eggs, a toxic chemistry in the stomach when agitated by the movement of the chara. The chara loaded with sustenance for the day would then head the half a mile to the factory gate to pick up the rest of the men (no women), all very smart in their ties, navy blue suits but still with a lingering perfume of cutting fluid engrained in their hands of toil. There was an unwritten code of conduct universal to these outings...absolute minimal swearing, and certainly no effin & blindin in front of women, but farting was OK..and smoking was more or less compulsory. So the chara all loaded, with one of the front wheels marked with numbers for the sweepstake, so that when the chara stopped at its destination, the number on the wheel nearest to the ground, gave the lucky owner of the number all the sweepstake kitty. The chara driver, somehow always seemed to win this innocent gamble. We need to stop, for a drink, a roll and a pee, somewhere before Strood, before we get into the traffic jam. For a period of years in July and August there was a regular traffic jam and crawl through the Medway Towns from the top of Strood Hill almost to Key Street in Sittingbourne, never fully stopped but hardly ever moving. KPA GAZETTE Page 6

7 This lay-by will do..get the booze from the rear of the chara, couple of beers, a roll and pickled onion, after which all stand in line at the side of the road hidden by the coach for an in line formation pee. No need to hang about outside the chara to have a fag.hop aboard and enjoy the fag inside the luxury of the chara.which, by now, looks and smells like a cross between a pub and a kipper cabin. On the way again to join the queue at the top of Strood Hill, slowly down into Rochester over the Medway bridge, spy a couple of Sea Planes moored in the river, crawl up Star Hill and to the oasis that is the Central Gillingham. A car park attendant...of sorts...guides the chara into a parking place, making sure that the front wheel with the sweepstake markings revolves until D for driver is nearest to the ground.. lucky driver.and one by one out of the chara to join the hundreds of other charabanc outings.almost smell the sea from here over the intoxicating perfume of peaches, stale beer and cigarette smoke..lovely. Time for a few pints to sustain the non-stop journey from Gillingham to Margate. Notice that some of the charas are ladies only outings, and some of the charas have an on board accordion player. Gawd those Kentish peaches smell lovely..some silly sod buys a small bunch of flowers to take home for the old lady.and a treat of luxury for later. a Lyons Individual Fruit Pie for the price of six-pence..apple and blackberry..no custard though! On the road again, the A2 slow road through Rainham to Sittingbourne and onto the Thanet Way were the pace quickens only to here voices from the rear of the coach demanding a quick stop for another pee. Have heard tell that the Thanet Way is almost straight to allow for charas to park at the road side with ease, to allow the occupants to alight for an in line pee field side of the coach. Better have a quick beer while we are stopped, any pickle eggs left. On the way again with instructions to the driver that he had better get to Margate before the pubs shut...or there will be trouble! Get to Margate and the chara gets parked at the back of Dreamland...bugger me the front wheel stops on D for driver again. Straight to the nearest pub only half an hour of drinking time left.time for 3 or 4 pints. Very tiring.lunch time rock & chips then a kip on the beach. There was some sort of spoil-sport municipal rule that forced charas and their slightly drunk passengers to return to their coaches and leave the delights of Margate at 6pm in good time before the pubs opened for the evening. So still half asleep, leave the beach..make a slow walk through Dreamland towards the coach looking not so smart in the dark blue suit, by now covered in a few stains.maybe KPA GAZETTE Page 7

8 time for one ride on the big dipper, or the coconut-shy, try to win the old lady a present. Get to the coach a couple of minutes before take off..the back door open for a beer or two for the road, and if you are lucky a stale cheese and onion roll. This is the delicate time in the arrangements when the organiser starts to give the driver one pound notes at regular 5 minute intervals so that he will remain to wait for the stragglers, or for those lost in an alcoholic haze trying to get on the wrong chara. So.by 15 or twenty minutes after the legal leaving time the coach departs for home, and almost by magic the chara is full of all the correct passengers, but the organiser is several quid short from the drink kitty for the final stop, and correspondingly the driver is a few quid the richer. On the way home.a half hearted attempt at a sing song on the chara..with a quick stop at a pub at the London end of the Thanet Way for the essentials. Final remaining miles on the chara..the day s enjoyment beginning to tell.bit of a headache coming on and the stomachs feeling a bit queezy.most be something I ate.try to get some shuteye.if only they would stop that bloody singing. Final stop at the local home pub.. driver wins the wheel sweep again.ever so lucky!...the pub landlord has laid on extra bar staff and oiled the till draw runners expecting to make a bit of a killing with the takings...bar maid wearing a new blouse that was part of a small bundle that fell of a lorry.on sale cheap in the foundry a couple of weeks ago.and look who s just come in, short arse Ernie s wife with the same blouse.. man sits at the piano with a sad chalk white face expectant of requests, and he don t do rock & roll.....and he ain t no Winifred Atwell.the travellers definitely the worse for wear but with sun tanned faces and sand in their turn-ups..a couple of pints should put me right.. a good beano, a day to remember. Have got the works outing to Southend Lights to look forward to at the end of September let Binge Drinking be invented! A few historical stories.that may be true. During the war there was a search light station located at the end of Darland Avenue on the high ground of Darland Hill, up the road from the Star Meadow Sports Club, an area which is now the largest open Nature Reserve in the Medway. The searchlight crew were probably employed to trace night flights of bombing raids on Chatham dock yards and the searchlight hopefully enabled the artillery to see the incoming enemy. There were a few stray attacks on the searchlight emplacement including one night when a stick of enemy bombs were dropped from Darland Hill with one bomb landing in the car park of the Central Hotel, causing minimal damage other than a bomb crater in the car park that was filled with rubble and was visible for several years after..upon which many a works outing chara would park. At one time, probably in the early 70 s the CENTRAL was owned by a certain Charlie Fox, and his wife Mary, Charlie was an ex Gillingham F.C. player, and the Central was managed by another couple, Bill and Joan. The CENTRAL ended its days as a night club come disco. Also on the other side of the old A2, not far from the site of the Central,opposite the Star Meadow Sports and Social Club stands a monument to Gillingham s famous son.william ADAMS, known proudly as the first white Japanese Samurai.anther story! KPA GAZETTE Page 8

9 Held at the WHITEHOUSE PUB home of the Whitehouse Petanque Club, Thursday 20th January A meeting postponed from before Christmas. Varied topics, reported here as general information notes for the KPA membership. After many years of trying, the KPA are more than likely to have a representative in the shape of Richard King ( of the George P.C.) attending a weekend umpires course, good luck to Richard in passing whatever he needs to pass, the KPA and members will be very pleased to have a qualified umpire. The EPA have requested recommendations from the KPA, regarding suitable venues in Kent for holding National EPA sponsored competitions. The KPA advised that assuming agreement of mutual benefit the following Kent clubs may be open to offers Lordswood PC. Meadow P.C. Tovil P.C. Hartley P.C. The George P.C. Club secretaries are to inform Andy Mills of any competition dates for inclusion into the KPA calendar before 11th February. The KPA Playing Sub-Committee are to convene a meeting in the near future and propose dates for competitions to the main committee for ratification. General agreement that the KPA should offer cash prizes at some KPA competitions to help cover costs for Kent team/s to travel to France for the Dunkerquoise competition and to travel to Holland for the Zeist Open competition. The Dunkerquoise will be held on 6th and 7th of August, and the Zeist Open will be held on 3rd July ( which is noted as clashing with a EPA nominated Regional Day). The Playing Committee is to have an input into which competitions and how qualification for the cash prizes shall be awarded. Agreed that there will be 5 KPA Regional Triples Competitions in year 2011, taking the best results of 4 from the 5. Dates to be arranged. The Playing Committee is to put forward a proposed date for the Kent Classic. Membership paperwork and licences for year 2011 are not yet available, and are expected to be so towards the end of February. Not yet confirmed if photographs will be required for licences as some members suggest. The EPA National Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles Championships will again be held at Sandown and Shanklin Rugby Club, weekend of 28/30th May. Suggested that apart from the obvious travel inconveniences, this has proved to be a successful venue and event. A great deal of time was spent discussing the visit of KPA teams to Nord Maritime at Dunkerque in year This year is the 10th anniversary of the twinning and the French are planning a big day, and the committee is determined to make this year a success. In the past the KPA has not given sufficient thought to details of the trip to France.leaving time, cost and early notification.resulting in a struggle to get teams to respond. Investigations are to be made early to discover the travel costs, including using the Channel Tunnel to minimise travel time, and also with the possibility of a small subsidy from the funds to keep the cost to a minimum. Further attempts will be made in 2011 to try to attract youngsters to play petanque and to resurrect the KPA Junior Academy. KPA GAZETTE Page 9

EMBROIDERY DEPOT are able to supply and machine embroider a wide range of polo shirts, T shirts, sweatshirts, rugby shirts, fleeces, jackets, caps, bags,

ALAN CREGEEN proprietor. EMBROIDERY DEPOT 28 ELVINGTON ROAD DOVER KENT CT15 4EQ Tel. 01304 830809 or 07702106581 www.embroiderydepot.co.

uk HOLIDAY VILLA AVAILABLE In the village of Diano San Pietro - fully furnished 2 bedroom villa is approx 2 miles from the Mediterranean beaches of DIANO

01634 312675 See also Gazette Issue 50 for full report KENT & SUSSEX WINDOW CLEANING AND GUTTERING CLEANING COMMERCIAL & DOMESTIC RELIABLE & FRIENDLY SERVICE

line brochure. Boule accessories trophies bags and clothing. www.pycpetanque.co.uk Tel.

10 EMBROIDERY DEPOT are able to supply and machine embroider a wide range of polo shirts, T shirts, sweatshirts, rugby shirts, fleeces, jackets, caps, bags, towels, flags and other garments, sew-on or iron-on badges. EMBROIDERY DEPOT can offer up to 15% price reduction for PETANQUE CLUB orders. ALAN CREGEEN proprietor. EMBROIDERY DEPOT 28 ELVINGTON ROAD DOVER KENT CT15 4EQ Tel or sales@embroiderydepot.co.uk HOLIDAY VILLA AVAILABLE In the village of Diano San Pietro - fully furnished 2 bedroom villa is approx 2 miles from the Mediterranean beaches of DIANO MARINA nearest airport is Genoa for full details contact JOHN SUGUATO Tel See also Gazette Issue 50 for full report KENT & SUSSEX WINDOW CLEANING AND GUTTERING CLEANING COMMERCIAL & DOMESTIC RELIABLE & FRIENDLY SERVICE PROVIDED COMPETITIVE PRICES GIVEN FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR QUOTES PLEASE CONTACT or All you need for petanque supplies from the on line brochure. Boule accessories trophies bags and clothing. Tel Shop and Sales Office at Pen-y-Coed Petanque Up Street Bradwell Bury St. Edmonds Suffolk IP31 1AA The KENT PETANQUE GAZETTE is edited by RON YATES. Any item of news for inclusion in future editions should be sent to ronyates6@btinternet.com The views expressed in the KENT PETANQUE GAZETTE are those of the editor and contributors only, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the KENT PETANQUE ASSOCIATON or the ENGLISH PETANQUE ASSOCIATION E & OE KPA GAZETTE Page 10

KENT PETANQUE ASSOCIATION

KENT PETANQUE ASSOCIATION ISSUE No.66 DECEMBER 2011 Held at Tovil Workingman s Club. Attending were.martin Eggleton, David Baxter, Mick Weston, Eric Hatfield, Peter Abbitt, Richard King, Corinne Cooter,