Still going round in Petanque Circles

Still going round in Petanque Circles

Now we know there are rules dictating all this and the circle should not be within 2 metres of another circle and 1 metre of an obstacle. The string marking out the pistes is not an obstacle. The circle should be marked in case it gets kicked or moved as players step out of it. As the following states.

Art 6

In all cases the circles must be marked before the jack is thrown.

The spacing is covered by,

The circle must be drawn (or placed) more than one metre from any obstacle and at least two metres from another throwing circle in use. 

The placing is covered by,

At the following end the jack is thrown from a circle drawn or placed around the point where it finished at the previous end, except in the following cases:

 - The circle would be less than 1 metre from an obstacle.

 - The throwing of the jack could not be made to all regulation distances.

 In the first case the player draws or places the circle at the regulation distance from the obstacle.

 In the second case, the player may step back, in line with the previous end's play, without exceeding the maximum distance authorised for the throwing of the jack. This opportunity is offered only if the jack cannot be thrown to the maximum distance in any other direction.

 If the jack has not been thrown in accordance with the rules defined above, the opposing team will place the jack in a valid position on the terrain. They can also move the circle back, in accordance with the conditions defined in these rules, if the first teams positioning of the circle did not allow the jack to be thrown the maximum distance.

Takes some reading and understanding but it means the circle can only be moved sideways to get away from an obstacle and it can be moved back to allow a maximum distance jack throw. If you can throw the jack to a legal position in ANY other direction it means the circle stays where it is.  You do not have to be able to get 10 metres. The choice is up to you if you want to move the circle if allowed under the rules. Many new pistes suffer from players constantly returning to the same place with the circle. This causes the boule to land in the roughly the same place all the time and thus damage the newly laid piste toping before it has had time to bed in.

There is a rule that only exists in players heads. You can scour the rule book for it but, it is not in there. We can move the circle a metre to the side if you want. NO NO NO. This made up rule is getting confused with  the rule where you can move the circle sideways to get away from an obstacle or it will be too close to another circle. Other than that it is placed around the position of the jack

So next time you see a player with a jack and a circle in his hands half way through a game you may be within your rights to ask, Oi! Where are you going with the circle?