Sportingwales 8

TAKING BOULES
BY THE HORNS
Neil Dobbins admits that “Up at the Monkstone Inn when a few years back, but we did not Neil Dobbins then has the
he first became attracted my dad was playing I was one get much response from that. European championships in Nice,
to the game of boules as of those annoying kids chucking the home of Petanque. All of the
an annoying eight year the boule around and getting on “We have a youth development expenses for these trips will have
old, now he is the best everyone`s nerves”, admitted ofﬁ cer going around a few schools to come out of his own pocket.
player in Wales. Dobbins (pictured below). to try and generate a bit of
interest at the younger age. We “I have had to book three days
Nine years later he started playing The game which has been played have a junior squad off to Tunisia off work out of my own holidays”
for Great Britain and a further in Wales for about a quarter of in the next few months, the ﬁ rst he said. “It will cost about £350.
nine years on from that he has a century is based around the time we have sent a junior Welsh You have to be very committed. I
taken part in nine European Cardiff and East Wales areas team away.” cannot have a normal holiday. “
Championships and two World with a few clubs further West
Championships. towards Port Talbot and one in For the un-initiated of us, The ladies Welsh team are off to a
Brecon. There are leagues and technically the game is called tournament in Thailand where the
It is only two years ago that competition is friendly but keen. Petanque - boules are the metal game is apparently an obsession
Welsh boules, led by Dobbins, balls you throw. amongst the local monks.
became strong enough to “It has been slowly taking off,”
compete on its own rather than as conﬁ rmed Dobbins. “We had a Welsh players used to join up with The ladies, two from the
part of the English team. fairly big competition in Llandudno England to play the game at the Wheatsheaf at Llanhennock
top level. Two years ago Wales near Caerleon and one from
broke away. Brecon, plan to hold various fund
raising activities to pay for their
“We split up to try and generate expenses.
a bit more sponsorship and
awareness in Wales and hopefully Petanque does not appear on the
playing under the Welsh umbrella radar of the big companies. Mind
we can kick on and get the game you advertising around the piste,
established as a Commonwealth as the playing area is called, would
Games sport,” he said. hardly generate a vast amount of
business. Not many people come
“I cannot see why not. If France to watch the matches.
had got the Olympics instead of
London who knows what might “I have played in front of two
have been. thousand people at the World
championships and it was on
“As a squad we do not have the SKY”, said Dobbins. “About a
depth of the English but a Welsh hundred might come to the Home
team can compete and beat the Nations but for league games
best English team as we have people might come to the pub and
proved over the years” look and say ‘ooh what`s that? Oh,
I`ve seen that on holiday in France
It will be a busy few months for or Spain.”
the British Gas worker from
Cardiff. The Monkstone Inn Dobbins and the rest of the
team have qualiﬁ ed as the best Welsh squad are looking forward
team in Wales for the European to the Home Nations being held
club championships in the Czech this year in Swansea in another
Republic. attempt to spread the game a
little further aﬁ eld.
sportingwales
issue8twothousand&nine
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