I happened to socialize in the East Bay last Saturday where the temperature soared well above 100 degrees. Anticipating similar weather next day in San Rafael, I dreaded the idea of playing pétanque mixed triples in such conditions. But lo and behold, the climate turned out to be almost perfect although a little chilly in the morning. Later on a slight breeze kept things cool and it was a pleasure to meet and play with friends from all over the Bay Area.
The contestants for the July 9th mixed triples meet were as follows:
- Mark Shirkey/ Sandra Shirkey/Evan Falcone
- Henry Wessel/Calvert Barron/Marc Di Maio
- François Moser/Alain Efron/Claudie Chourré
- Liza Moran/Jacques Rattaire/Bernard Rattaire
- Marc Davantes/Lori Davantes/Mike?
- Charlie Davantes/Brigitte Davantes/Noel Marcovecchio
- David Lindsay/Doug Coleville/Julie?
- J-C Bunand/J-M Poulnot/Mireille Di Maio
- Teri Sirico/David Katz/Jim Donahue
- Peter Mathis/Holly Sammons/Hans Kurz
Early that day, coffee and various pastries were offered to the participants.
As usual, 3 timed games were played in the morning to determine who would compete in the Concours and who would play in the Consolante. My partners (François Moser & Claudie Chourré) and I were very unlucky (or more likely played poorly) and were swiftly expedited to the Consolante division. Ultimately six teams qualified for the Concours and four teams for the Consolante.
In the afternoon elimination games took place and a trend developed. The Sonoma team (Peter Mathis/Holly Sammons/Hans Kurz) and one the San Rafael team (Henry Wessel/Calvert Barron/Marc Di Maio) clawed their way to the top and appeared ready to face each other in the finals.
One of the cardinal rules of pétanque by the way, is to never upset or argue with your teammates during a game. If one player fails to deliver, it is better to keep quiet and not further perturb that person. Failing to do so can lead to violent outbursts and that’s what unfortunately happened Sunday during a game.
Understandably, everybody wants to win, but invariably it always the coolest team that will prevail. It would be wise to always remember that “a closed mouth gathers no foot.”
My mixed triples team and I had the pleasure to play against the Rattaire brothers (true gentlemen who don’t quibble about a point) and utterly charming Liza Moran and even though they beat us, I would never hesitate to play with these delightful people again.
In the Concours finals, Peter Mathis/Holly Sammons/Hans Kurz predictably faced Henry Wessel/Calvert Barron/Marc Di Maio. It was an uneven game mostly because the LPM team failed to emerge from a deep slump. Their pointing was erratic and the shooting uneven.
As usual, Holly Sammons’ steady pointing was a big factor in the Sonoma’s team victory. Peter did not fail to amaze us with one of his stunning signature shot, and ably assisted by Hans Kurz, they dominated the game. They won the match by a final score of 13/5.
Former club president Louis Toulon offered the club a bottle of Pastis that was shared by everybody at the end of the tournament. Un grand merci Louis. Thank you as usual to Liv Kraft and Christine Cragg who organized the tournament and kept scores.
Concours
1st place: Peter Mathis/Holly Sammons/Hans Kurz
2nd place: Henry Wessel/Calvert Barron/Marc Di Maio
3rd place: David Lindsay/Doug Coleville/Julie?
Consolante
1st place: David Lindsay/Doug Coleville/Julie?
2nd place: Francois Moser/Alain Efron/Claudie Chourré
And that’s the way I saw it.
Alain
To look at photos of this event, click on the “My Photos” link located on the right side of this page. For best viewing, go Full Screen.