How to win a petanque game on a deep piste?

How to win a petanque game on a deep piste?

Many pistes constructed in the UK have a major flaw. They are too deep. We are trying to replicate a fine dusty village square deep in the south of France and end up building a gravel quarry best used for filming a new series of Doctor Who. The problem most constructions have is working out how much topping you need for a piste and the worry that the surface will be too thin and fast. Just to interrupt here, a ton of gravel is approx 1m x 1m x 1m. To work out how many tons you need divided the 1m by the thickness required. I.E. One ton spread over 4 square metres will be 25cm deep. One ton over 39 square metres will be 25mm thick. These are approximates.

The construction of the piste involves various layers compacted down to a hard flat surface. This compacting can take years to get a good quality piste. If in the first weeks after construction the topping is too thin the larger base rocks and hard-core will come up to the surface as boule land on them. The solution is to place a thicker top level topping to assist in the settling process. This topping should be raked off once the piste has settled or raked off before the piste has a wacker plate over it. The topping can be stored at the side of the piste if required to fill in any holes that may appear due to settling.

But this tip is not about the piste construction, it is how to play on these deep pitches we have all found on our travels. During a trip to Spain in Nov. 2005 I was pleased to see a tactic I had used for the last three or four years being used against me. I was pleased the tactic had the sign of approval from the Spanish although disturbed to the standard they played the shot. To describe a deep piste it is best explained as a piste where the jack could easily be buried with a hole you could make in the surface with your finger. Pop the jack in and then brush over the surface to make it flat. If the jack has gone from view you are playing on a deep piste. If you can do this with a boule it is probably best to wear safety harness attached to a nearby tree in case you lose a member of your team in the depths.

Shooting on this type of pitch can be almost impossible. Even a direct hit on the target boule may not dislodge the boule from the gravel. This would only be an option if the jack is hidden behind the target boule. Hitting the boule may spring the jack out into the open giving your pointer chance to drop their boule near the jack. Tactics on a deep piste must reflect the playing surface. If the opposition have placed a boule two inches from the jack, normal tactics would send the shooter to the circle. However, on a deep piste it may be easier to point and two inches may be a mile away in actual terms. In this situation if the jack can be seen, try a point between the boule and the jack. The deep gravel that could be your enemy when shooting can be used to your advantage as a boule dropped into the deep piste will probably stop dead on landing. The stones it dislodges could and possibly will move the jack. If you aim between the boule and jack the odds are the jack, if it does move, will move away from their boule and you will be on. If the jack does not move and your boule sticks where it lands then you will be on. No big ends will be scored playing this tactic however that is generally the case on a deep pitch.

There are dangers to this tactic and three factors must be considered when playing your last boule if the opposition have two or more boule left.

1. Your last boule could spring the jack if it is played too bravely into the head giving the opposition chance to score two or more.

2. Your last boule could bury the jack causing a dead end giving the opposition the boule in hand rule scoring a big end without even playing their last few boule.

3. Something to dwell on here. Your first point could be better off behind the jack rather than in front as the chances of a jack movement on a deep pitch is very high. This may not always be the case but a " catcher point" could come in handy later in the end.

If none of this tip has been in anyway helpful or you have not understood or seen a deep pitch. be grateful, be very very grateful.