History of Petanque in Bridgwater

La Ciotat: the birthplace of petanque

The town of La Ciotat in the Provence region of France is the birth place of petanque. According one tourist information site the following is an explanation as to how the game came into being:

That day, the players were good, but the ex-champion was bored. From his bench, he absent-mindedly and half-heartedly rolled some balls a few metres away. Unbeknownst to him, Ernest Pitiot, the owner of the nearby café, was watching him attentively from the other side of the court. This one-legged man shared Lenoir’s passion for La Longue and, just like him, had been obliged to take a bow. « Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself », he shouted. « Get your balls and we’ll play differently ». Lenoir raised his head: « Are you kidding? How do you expect us to play La Longue? ». « Just like you’re playing it now », replied the café owner, « with our feet firmly on the ground (les pieds tanqués). And that is how, in the year of 1907, two invalids invented pétanque.

Since that day petanque has developed into a sport that is now played worldwide and enjoyed by young and old alike. For some it is a pleasant recreational activity to be enjoyed on the beach or in the local park. For others it is a serious competitive sport played at local, regional, national and even international level.

Town Twinning

In 1957 the towns of Bridgwater, Somerset and La Ciotat, France entered in to a "Town Twinning" agreement, an association that has continued until the present day. Despite this arrangement the game of petanque was not an activity that the people of Bridgwater embraced until covid came along. In 2020 when having get togethers indoors was not possible a solution had to be found for people to meet outside.  Although lacking the proper facilities it was suggested that a "Petanque Competition" should be held involving all the different towns Bridgwater is either twinned or associate with.

With the support of the Town and District Councils a suitable location was identified and prepared, sufficient boule (even if some were a bit rusty) were located in lofts and garages and eight teams came together for the competition. Despite having to play on grass, not an ideal surface, the competition has been held every year since with this year's event due to be held on the 6th June 2025.

On the links page you can find a full report on the second competition when Camacha (Portugal) were the winners.