On June 25th, the Sonoma’s Valley of the Moon Pétanque Club hosted the FPUSA inter-regional Men’s & Women’s Triples.
I missed the morning games but showed up in time to witness and memorialize the finals.
The weather, which had been unbearably hot the previous week, cooled down significantly and while it became somewhat hot in the afternoon, it remained comfortable.
Surprisingly the attendance was rather moderate, (10 teams on the men’s side and 3 teams on the women’s side) maybe due to the Sears Point race, but the field was nevertheless packed with very good players.
Outstanding among them, the Awesome Threesome, the formidable troika of Peter Mathis, Wolfie Kurz and Mickey Coughlin, all certified shooters and pointers.
To win a game, you need at least a good pointer, a good shooter and a good “middle”. This “dream team” had it all and ultimately proved that versatility is key to victory.
Also outstanding, the Fresno formations whose names unfortunately escape me.
The men’s finals opposing Peter Mathis, Wolfie Kurz and Mickey Coughlin against Christophe Sarafian, Bee Moua and Silent Mike ended up by a 13/5 victory for the Awesome Threesome.
Surprisingly, Peter Mathis played as pointer and did an outstanding job doing so. He steadily put all his shots within a foot of the cochonnet and contributed immensely to the team’s victory.
Wolfie Kurz was the main shooter and also did an excellent job. I estimate his batting average to be between 85% and 90%.
On the opposite team, Christophe, Bee and Silent Mike also played extremely well but were eventually defeated I believe, by Peter Mathis consistent impressive pointing.
The Men’s finals took place on probably the most difficult spot of the field. Every pointing shot was demanding due to the pebbly nature of the terrain.
I believe that the Awesome Threesome benefitted from the familiarity of the terrain, but would have won anyway on any other venue.
Final results:
Concours
1st place: Peter Mathis, Wolfie Kurz and Mickey Coughlin $60.00 each
2nd place: Christophe Sarafian, Bee Moua and Silent Mike $45.00 each
Consolante:
1st place: Patrick Vaslet, Jacques Mathieu, Cody $30.00 each
2nd place: David Katz, Adair Hastings, Cliff Knuckles? $20.00 each
Alain
To look at pictures of this event, click on the “My Photos” link located on the right side of this page. For best viewing, go Full Screen.