Important Information / Boules Rules

Please take a few moments to read the following very important notes.

Rain/No Show:

Huge problems are caused if you don’t turn up on the day or you arrive late. Please help us give all those taking part a great day by registering by 9.00am at the latest, regardless of the weather. The first games will start at 9.30am prompt (remember you have to have registered and had your coffee and croissant by that time). If you have a particular problem that is going to delay you, please give Adrian Lawrence a call on 01749 673457/07710 264570.

Registration:

Please go to ‘Le Bureau’ on arrival. You will be given a playing schedule. At this time you can purchase any extra lunch tickets.

Lunch/Coffee and Croissant:

We are providing four lunches and four coffee and croissants per team. These are all served in the town hall. Lunches will be served from 12.00pm to 3.00pm. There should be no need to queue as this may delay you for your next game.

Extra Lunches:

Food and drink will be available for purchase throughout the day in the square and town hall. It would help the caterer if you can pre-order and pay for any extra lunches you may require for other members of your team, family, friends, etc. If you haven’t already purchased your extra lunch or coffee and croissant tickets, these can be ordered and paid for at registration.

Bar:

There will be a bar set-up in The Crown Courtyard selling a selection of wines, soft drinks and beers. Please use this facility liberally as all profits from the bar (as well as the lunches) will be going to The Nepal Trust!

Seating:

Please bring along seating, in the form of picnic chairs, for you and the members of your team. Very limited seating will be available from The Crown on the day.

Loo Facilities:

Available at The Crown or public facilities at the side of the tourist information office, adjacent to the town hall.

Boules:
You will need eight boules and a jack per team, which you should bring with you. It may be possible to purchase boules sets on the day.

Rules:

The Boules Rules are printed overleaf but further copies will be available from Le Bureau, if required. Referee’s decisions on the day will be final, so please don’t argue with them!

Questions and Queries:

If you have any problems or are unsure about anything on the day, please direct your queries to ‘Le Bureau’.

The Boules Rules 2011
 

To play, a team will require four players, eight boules and one jack.

The game is played by two teams of four players who take turns to throw their boules toward the jack. The aim is to place your boules nearer the jack than your opponents, which may be achieved by either knocking your opponents’ boules away or ‘nudging the jack’.

During a game, players from opposing teams do not play alternately as is sometimes assumed. A player or team continues to throw until they gain the advantage.

The winning team scores as many points as it has boules better placed than the best boule of the losing team.  A new ‘end’ is then started with the jack being thrown by the winners of the previous end. The winners of the previous end must go first. The game is repeated until one team scores nine points. They are the winners.

Boules are in play as long as they come to rest on the pistes and not against the back sleepers. They can rest against the sides of the pistes and still be in play. If the jack ball is knocked out of play, the end must be played again.

If two opposing boules tie on completion of an end, then the same players will throw an extra boules until one wins the end.

The tournament begins with all teams split into groups. The teams in each group play each other.

The team in each group which records the greatest number of wins or in the event of a tie, the team with the greatest number of points, will qualify for the quarter finals. If there is still a tie, then the team with the lowest points scored against, will qualify.

NB: The absolute time limit for a league game is 40 minutes. If a game has not finished within this time, the winning team will be the one who is leading at that point.

After each game the captain of the winning team must report the result to ‘Le Bureau’.

The quarter finals and the semi finals to nine points and finals will be to eleven points.

The same four players must play throughout one game. A team must consist of four players and those four players must play throughout one game. However, different players may be used for different games and those players may only represent one team.

As this is a tournament for amateurs and to keep within the ethos of this event, we would point out that league players may be handicapped.  Please speak to Adrian Lawrence if this is the case.