World Championships 2000 -
Portugal
The results at
the World Champs in Portugal
this year were our best ever,
ending up 25th equal from the 42
competing teams and 9th equal in
the ‘Coupe des Nations’ out of
26 teams (16 teams were left in
the World Champs).
After 36 hours of
travelling we finally made our
way at 1.00am to a hotel called
‘The Dublin’ in Lisbon. My
single room was so small that
there was no room for the
suitcase and I had to work hard
to get through the door of the
bathroom for a well deserved
shower.
The next morning
we got a cab to the airport for
the last leg Lisbon - Faro and
to our amazement the teams from
Belgium
and Madagascar were on the same
plane. From that moment on we
forgot the fatigue of the trip
and began to enjoy the
atmosphere and friendships of
the World Champs.
When we landed in
Faro a charming young lady
called Anna took charge of all
of us and directed us to a
waiting bus which delivered the
teams to their respective
hotels.
Our hotel,
Paradiso Atlantica, was right on
the beautiful beach in Sao Bras
de Alportel and after freshening
up we had to choose between a
swim in the sea, in the pool or
play petanque across the road
with the Swedish team.
Despite the 30
degree heat we chose to play
petanque, getting used to the
conditions. The teams from
Morocco, Canada, Germany, Sweden
and Australia were all in the
same hotel with us and after 1
week we soon got to know
everyone.
The next day we
went to the stadium to do all
the paper work to enter our team
- Seti, Andrew, Leilani with
myself as reserve, getting our
badges and meal tickets for the
next four days. As we arrived we
were greeted by 2 supporters
from New Zealand, Phil Doyle and
Peter Dennett both from
Wellington who made a lot of
noise during the whole
tournament and were very good
supporters waving the NZ flag on
all available occasions.
After the
paperwork was done we had a
practise game outside the
stadium, and were then told we
would be playing the elimination
rounds on this terrain with only
the top 16 teams playing inside.
It was a great disappointment
and we wished then we had chosen
a white uniform instead of black
which in the hot sun was
unbearable. I asked if this fact
was mentioned in the
correspondence I had received
and they said - yes, but to this
day I can find nothing.
On Wednesday
evening we attended the draw
with NZ drawing Japan, Ireland
and Mauritania in the first
pool. We were excited because
the draw was favourable and gave
us a good chance to qualify in
the top 32 for the 1st time.
Playing Mauritania the next
afternoon however, we realised
it would not be that easy and
despite some great pointing from
Leilani and good shooting from
Andrew and Seti the team from
this small African country were
no walkover and ended up winning
13 - 10 after a good battle.
In the other game
Ireland beat Japan and that
meant we had to beat Japan to
have a chance to qualify, which
we did with a score of 13 - 9.
Although they pointed really
well they were lacking shooting
skills. After that we went to
watch the game Mauritania v
Ireland hoping Mauritania would
win so we would play Ireland to
qualify. To our astonishment
Ireland beat them convincingly
and that meant we had to play
Mauritania again under lights to
qualify.
Unfortunately
they were furious to have lost
to Ireland and played very well
against us to win 13 - 5 which
meant we had to come back early
the next day to go through the
same process again with a new
draw.
7.30am and the
draw put us in a pool with
France and Czech Republic (only
3 teams) with France gaining an
automatic win because they had
the bye. It was simple, we had
to beat the Czech Republic.
Leilani unfortunately had to
pull out of the tournament at
this stage because of heat
stroke and I took over her role.
Things did not go
as planned and we lost 13 - 8 to
the Czech Republic shattering
the team. At that point we
thought we were out but then
realised if France beat the
Czech Republic, we would have to
play them again and while they
were beaten 13 - 0 in the hot
sun, we had time to relax in the
shade.
When it came time
to play them, we were ready and
gave them a good hiding – 13 -
2, putting us through to the
last 32. This was the first time
New Zealand had reached this
level and we had a little
celebration (with lemonade and
coke) and we waited patiently
for another favourable draw for
the rest of the competition.
After lunch we
learned we had drawn Senegal,
Morocco and guess who?
Mauritania again!
Our first game
was against Senegal and our game
plan was to play them at 10
metres because I was told they
were very good shooters.
However, they threw the
cochonnet out at 10 metres and
we were lucky to score 3 points
in one end - final score 13 - 3.
Mauritania on the
other hand beat Morocco and had
to play Senegal for the first
place in the last 16 and we had
to play Morocco to qualify. As
it turned out Morocco, despite a
bad start (we scored 2 points)
finished strong with a 13 - 2
win.
After that we
only had the ‘Coupe des Nations’
to look forward to the next day.
Senegal and Morocco ended up
qualifying in the last 16 and
Mauritania joined us in the next
tournament.
The next morning
at
7.30am draw for the ‘Coupe des
Nations’: we had unbelievable
luck again with Mauritania and
Japan in our pool of 3 but we
were lucky to have the bye
(automatic win) and only had to
play the winner of the 2 teams.
Of course Mauritania
won and if we could beat them we
would qualify in the last 16!
Instead we got fannied by an
extremely ‘in form’ team and our
last hope was to beat Japan
which we did 13 - 7 and more
celebrations.
After lunch we
learned we had to play England
to qualify in the last 8.
Despite our best efforts and a
very close game we had to
concede the game at 13 - 10, a
very close finish which could
have gone either way. After the
game the British team, who told
us they were surprised by our
high level of play congratulated
us. If it had not been for their
shooter who got 90% of his
shots, who knows how far we
could have gone had we played
inside the stadium.
Now all that was
left for us was the pleasure of
watching the top teams fighting
it out and what a spectacle it
was! In the end Belgium are the
World Champions after losing 3
times in the final in the past 3
years. They deserved to win
after not losing one game
throughout the whole tournament.
Tunisia, World
Champions in 1997 put up a good
fight but lost 15 - 7 for second
place. France who did not play
to their usual high standard and
scraped through the tournament
to finish 3rd beating a very
good Italian team who ended up
4th.
In the ‘Coupe des
Nations’
Mauritius
Island was 1st,
Thailand 2nd, Portugal 3rd and
to the pleasure and surprise of
the crowd USA 4th. Good on them!
Saturday night we
had the prize giving at the
Valmourel Casino with a nice
dinner and Brazilian dance show.
This was followed by a brilliant
haka lead by Andrew which had
the whole room erupting in
applause and high fives all the
way back to our table!
The next morning
was a bit sad as we had to say
goodbye to all our new friends
and at Lisbon Airport I had to
say goodbye to Seti, Andrew and
Leilani as they were heading for
New Zealand. I went on to Paris
to see my family and practice
before the Oceanias in Tahiti 2
weeks later.
It was a trip and
an experience I’ll never forget.
I would like to take this
opportunity to thank all the
petanque players who have helped
to make the trip possible and
hope one day they too will be
able to attend a World
Championship as either a player
or supporter. Ask Phil or Peter
if they had a good time in
Portugal!
Christian Fouquet
2000 World Petanque
Championships: Team Report
Oceania 2000 - Tahiti
Tahiti - what a
place to arrive in! After a 30
hour flight from
Paris I arrived at
5.15am and the
first thing I heard was the
sound of the guitars and
ukuleles. A charming young lady
placed flowers around my neck as
part of the welcoming ritual.
After going
through customs the president of
Tahiti Petanque and his
colleagues welcomed me and also
warned me they were waiting for
the teams from New Caledonia and
Vanuatu. They were due to arrive
at 10.00am and so we headed for
the bar and in no time a dozen
Hinano (local beer) were
delivered to our table (it is
only 7.00am). Despite my weak
protest that I would prefer a
black coffee to keep me awake,
they assured me that beer was
better for me!
Finally the other
teams arrived and after a long
greeting we all travelled
together to the hotel in Papeete.
Following a long shower and a
change of clothes I got back in
the bus and headed for the
terrain to play in a friendly
triples tournament which was due
to start at 2.00pm. When I
arrived part of the NZ team were
already there practising while
the rest of the team were
relaxing in Club Med, Moorea.
I played in the
triples with Charles Peni and
Ian Baker and despite our best
efforts we did not win a game,
which was a warning of things to
come in the Oceanias. Aussie
Samuels and Imelda Mailei played
in the women’s tournament. One
of our ardent supporters, Terry
Lambert was asked to play with 2
young Tahitians and ended up in
the final 16. Let me tell you he
was very happy!
The next few days
were used for sightseeing and
practice and enjoying the
hospitality of the Tahitian
people. Everyday we were looked
after and invited to parties in
their homes and believe me we
were all very impressed and
humbled by the way they treated
us.
On Tuesday
morning the rest of the NZ team
arrived, comprising of Pam
Jenkins, Denise Bavidge, Geoff
Greer, Alan Fletcher, Dirk
Winnie and 2 supporters Gary and
Karen from Bay View club in
Napier. Tuesday afternoon the
presentation of the teams in
uniform was held followed by
speeches from local dignitaries.
Wednesday 8.00am:
the NZ team was complete in
their white uniform and ready
for action in the Singles
Tournament. Some of us had a
fairly lucky draw and played
against Australia and Vanuatu,
the unlucky ones had to play 2
Tahitians and a New Caledonian
which made it just that much
more difficult to get through to
the quarter finals.
Those who made it
through, in the men’s section
were:
Charles Peni and
myself, however we got
‘hammered’ in the quarters by 2
Tahitian champions, Noel and
Stephane who have both won the
NZ Open in the past.
In the women’s:
Denise from Napier qualified for
the quarters and went on to
finish in 3rd place after
loosing 13 - 12 in the semis.
Thanks to Denise who won a
bronze medal, New Zealand ended
third overall and brought back a
cup from an overseas tournament
- first but not last!
Thursday morning
8.00am: ready as ever for the
Doubles Tournament. Not very
good results overall except for
Aussie and Imelda who qualified
for the quarters but lost
against the New Caledonian team
who went onto win the final.
Friday morning
8am: the Triples and last chance
for our teams to win another
medal. Unfortunately none of us
qualified despite some very good
games and a few wins against
Australia and Vanuatu but not
enough to qualify. Bad luck!
After the final
of the Triples the prize giving
began and Denise was the first
player called to receive a cup
for the ‘Fair Play Award’. Well
deserved. She was then called up
again and this time it was for
3rd place in the Women’s
Singles. The rest of the team
and supporters were all so proud
of her for achieving this
result.
In the end Tahiti
got 9 medals, New Caledonia 2
medals and New Zealand 1 medal
while Vanuatu and Australia
received none.
We stayed on
afterwards for a meal prepared
by Imelda’s family and played a
few friendlies until late and
then headed back to the hotel
for a team celebration in Ian
and Terry’s room. What an
experience it has been for all
of us, not only the petanque but
the welcome and the friends we
will never forget. When Tahiti
and New Caledonia come to New
Zealand in January, I hope they
will feel the same way and we
will work hard towards that
goal.
Each night of our
departures from Tahiti Airport a
delegation of players stayed
with us until the plane was due
to leave and as we crossed to
customs they each put a collar
of shells around our neck with
the traditional kiss and said “a
bientot en NZ”
Christian Fouquet
Peugeot National Singles - 2000
Players will
remember this event as being the
one God smiled upon. The weather
was simply magnificent. 51
players assembled at the Kapiti
club in the early morning sun -
the beginning of two days of
intensive play to find the New
Zealand’s top Singles player.
The number one
ranked player Niau Ruta from
Auckland was unable to compete
due to a hand injury, leaving
Georgio Vakauta the leading
contender for the title. The
current champion
Dirk Winnie was in
Tahiti with the
rest of the team representing
New Zealand at the Oceania
Tournament.
Play was divided
into 8 pools, some with 7
players and some 6. The first
day was, as always a mixed bag,
some players exceeding
expectations and some wishing
they’d stayed in bed. Players,
not used to the main trunk line
were a taken aback by the earth
shattering noise and close
proximity of 5000 tons of
speeding goods train!
The second day -
the day of reckoning - half the
pool players in the next 2
rounds were eliminated to the
Plate. The highlight of this
day, apart from the petanque,
was the appearance of a steam
locomotive caught on camera by a
few spectators who heard it
coming.
“This petanque is
a funny game” - heard that
before? Three of the top 8 seeds
buckled under the pressure and
were eliminated in the last pool
round.
Credit must go
not only to the Wellington
Petanque Association but also to
the Kapiti Club who staged a
magnificent event. Kapiti
provided a steady supply of well
presented food for the hungry
masses. Recording of the results
was expertly handled by Chris
Precey, adding to a flawless
event.
The well laid out
and generous terrain challenged
all players - the various pistes
were quite different - taxing
the top players repertoire of
shots. The abundance of
umbrellas and gazebos gave the
event a colourful atmosphere
with ample space provided for
spectators. The sponsors -
Peugeot - provided a vehicle and
banner for display that drew a
lot of attention.
The unveiling of
the new NZPA banner crowned the
centre of the terrain, ensuring
everyone knew the significance
of the event being staged.
The culmination
of the weekend was the
presentation dinner on the
Sunday night. Held at the local
bowling clubrooms, the
enthusiastic chef and his staff
provided a wonderful buffet. In
the absence of Christian - in
Tahiti - Graeme Morris was
‘Master of Ceremonies.’ Georgio
dedicated the win to his wife,
Ruby who was not able to travel
to the event due to ill health.
On behalf of the
out of town players Paul
O’Connor thanked the Kapiti Club
for their obvious hard work and
noted a new standard had been
set for National Championships.
2000 Peugeot National Championships Results
Peugeot National Doubles 2000 -
Christchurch
The beautiful
setting of
Hagley
Park was for the second time the
delightful backdrop for a NZ
National Tournament, this time
the Doubles 25 - 26 November.
Christchurch Petanque Club, the
largest club in NZ, introduced
the 22 North Island teams to the
meaning of Southern hospitality.
For many of the
remaining 28 teams from the
South Island, it was the first
chance to taste a national
competition.
Dunedin
was well presented, along with
teams from Timaru, Marlborough
Boys, Nelson, along with the
host club Christchurch.
The new NZPA
score log system was in place,
each team wrote their scores on
separate cards before the
official scorer entered this
info onto the displayed score
sheet. Many struggled with
remembering names, which part of
the tournament it was; trophy,
plate, bowl or saucer; the game
number not to mention the score
and signature. But the system
works, the scoring ran without a
hitch.
The Saturday
rounds created an unusual
phenomena for those teams
attempting to come to grips with
the pistes and the initial damp
conditions. An ever increasing
band of seeded teams swapped
“we’ve been fannied” tales of
woe in a huddled bunch, much to
the quiet delight of several
victorious SI teams.
Several NZ
champions were amongst this
group, including Dirk Winnie and
Brian Smith, whom collected
their fanny award in the more
critical second round which saw
them plate bound.
The upstairs club
room was the venue for the
Saturday night dinner. Great
food, company and views from the
balcony. The ‘out of towners’
highly impressed with the host
clubs organisational prowess.
By Sunday, the
pistes now thoroughly dried out,
all players revelled in the
sunny, cool conditions. After
the final round, 4 teams from
Auckland, and one each from
Rotorua, Napier, Wellington &
Christchurch - remained.
Results: Georgio
Vakuata & Charles Peni beat
Christian Fouquet & Niau Ruta,
with local heroes Steve Thwaites
and Neil Satherley beating Chris
Priesley and Jorg Shulze for
third. Delighted winners of the
plate were Warren McConnell and
Mark Choveaux from Dunedin,
Brian & Dirk runners up.
The Whanua Trophy
was split three ways, between
the Neilson, Greer/Bavidge &
Dykes family teams, all defeated
at the same time in first round
of the top eight elimination.
Neil Dykes
2000 Peugeot National Championships Results
New Zealand Petanque Association
News
Requirements for
players entering NZPA
Competitions
Due to a few
problems that have arisen with
the last couple of tournaments,
the NZPA Committee would like to
bring the following to the
attention of all intending
entrants in NZPA tournaments:
-
Late entries
will not be accepted. The
draw for tournaments is
preset and done in advance.
Once the draw has been made,
it requires a lot of time
and effort to change. Last
minute additions can be
unfair to both seeded and
unseeded players.
-
Confirmation
of entry is sent to all
entrants, along with the
receipt for entry fee. If
you have not received such
confirmation, your entry has
not been received, and you
will not be allowed to play
in the tournament. It is
your responsibility to
contact the NZPA if you are
uncertain whether your entry
has been received.
-
Late
withdrawals for good cause,
such as illness, will of
course be accommodated, but
we would prefer to keep such
disruptions to a minimum. If
you do have to withdraw,
please ensure that you let
the tournament organisers or
NZPA Secretary know; contact
phone numbers will be
provided for this purpose.
-
Otherwise,
entrants are required to
participate in the entire
tournament, ie you cannot
leave partway through
without good cause. This is
unfair to both organisers
and other players.
-
Entry forms:
entries will be accepted
only on the official entry
form. This is to ensure that
organisers have entrants’
correct details and monies.
The form is sent out with
the magazine well in advance
of the events, and is also
downloadable from the NZPA
website.
No more licences
The Conmiittee
has decided that as from the
beginning of the next financial
year, that is 1st
January 2001, licences and
renewal stickers will no longer
be issued to NZPA members.
Overseas,
licences are apparently used to
check on the financial status of
participants at the start of a
tournament. They are also
sometimes required to be handed
in at tournaments, so that if
the players transgress in some
way, the licence can be withheld
and the player concerned is
unable to enter tournaments
until it is reinstated to them.
The licences
actually serve no useful purpose
in New Zealand. Financial
viability can be, and is,
checked from the membership
database prior to acceptance of
a player’s tournament entry.
The database can
also be used to record
cancellations or suspensions of
membership or playing rights if
these occur for disciplinary
reasons (though hopefully we
will never have to do this)!
Receipts will of
course still be sent for
membership fees, and licences
will be issued to members of
overseas representative teams.
Other NZPA members who may
require a licence to participate
in overseas events will be able
to apply to the Secretary for
one.
NZPA Tournaments
2002
Decisions on
venues for 2002 tournaments will
be made early in the New Year.
Any Club or organisation wishing
to hold one of the National
Championships in 2002 (Triples
at Easter, Singles/Doubles at
Labour Weekend), and who has not
yet indicated this to the NZPA,
should contact the Secretary for
an application package.
Membership
Renewal
We have received
some queries as to why we ask
for members’ date of birth and
nationality on our membership
forms. We assure you that we’re
not being ‘ageist’ or xenophobic
in any way!
The answers are:
-
The Hillary
Commission is a major source
of funding for us, and youth
participation in sport is a
primary focus for them. In
our funding application we
are required to indicate how
many junior players we have.
Having date of birth in the
database means it is very
easy for us to pull out this
information.
-
The NZPA
requires that players
selected for overseas
representative teams are New
Zealanders or permanent New
Zealand residents. The
nationality question enables
us to see whether we need to
check on this.
Barbara
Whittington - Secretary |
