In this series we are looking at the top Five things new players to the Petanque game get wrong
Part 3 Always play their last boule
New players seem to always throw all their boule without thought to the consequences. In the past I have been 8 nil up against a fairly new team. On a lightning fast pitch I placed my last boule 6 inches in front of the jack. They were holding with a boule 4 inches to the side with two boule to play. The fanny was off and we were happy with this result as we do not wish to fanny any one without due cause. One of these causes I must say is to stop a good team getting the jack. Anyway you all know what happened. The opposition threw both boule and with the last one knocked up my boule to put us on 9-0 instead of 8-1. So not all fannies are as blatant as they may seem. Some people fanny themselves though lack of thought. Maybe the fanny is a method of coaching involving pain and humiliation. Remember you do not have to throw your boule. Take what you have if there is a risk of losing the end and get hold of that jack! The jack may not be the target when you are pointing. Oh that’s part 4! Anyway putting the jack where you can play your best and keep control of a game is so vital to winning a game and many experienced teams will take the one to control the jack if there is any danger of not only giving away a point to the opposition but also losing where the jack goes and the opportunity of placing the first point.
