Extreme Boule in the news!

A great piece on the World Alternative Games which mentions Extreme Boule...

http://home.bt.com/news/uk-news/swimmers-brave-murky-waters-at-bog-snorkelling-championships-11364000979325

Pen y Fan boule

It would be amazing to be part of next years games along with all the extreme boule / petanque players and fans out there!

New number one on the leaderboard!

Pippa Cox has stormed to the number one spot, with 4 months of the season remaining.
Known as the Eliminator, Could she be the first female Extreme Boule champion?

Current rankings can be found here: http://extremeboules.blogspot.co.uk/p/world-rankings-current-top-20.html

 

 

Pippa Cox - the facts

Career % Win: 33%

Opponents defeated in career: 43

2012 Ranking: 2nd

2013 Ranking: 3rd

2014 Ranking: 39th

 

Knowlton Extreme Boule

Knowlton Church and Earthworks

Knowlton Church and Earthworks has a rich and unsettling history. This is a place where the ruins of a 12th century church sits right in the middle of a Neolithic earth work. It is where Christianity and paganism mingle, with the old ways winning it seems. The once nearby village was wiped out during the black death leaving only these remains, including the ancient yew trees. It is reputedly the most haunted place in Dorset, a living Pagan shrine. The earth ring that surrounds the church is said to keep the unwanted spirits in the rather than out!

Perfect for a round of extreme boule then.

Boule nestle in the ruins

Darren Woolridge took on Tim Wort amongst the ruins, both players employing a Jack God. A close battled ensued, Wort claiming his points in clusters, Woolridge more consistent in his approach.

It has to be said that Woolridge has struggled to find boule gold ever since winning the championship in 2011. In those halcyon days he served up the finest trifle in the land when it came to extreme bouling - in the years that have followed it has been more like offerings of stale jelly haphazardly speared by sponge fingers.

A pesky ghoul that has reputedly been seen at Knowlton. Interestingly it seems to be playing boule.

 

Boule gather under some ghostly lichen.

Wort has extreme bouled forever and plays with the deluded glaze of a man who thinks this year could be the one. It won't. Whisper it quietly but Woolridge is playing like the 2011 version- the accuracy it there, both the short and long game are honed and the nerve is strong. In the end Woolridge outwitted Wort and the ghosts of Knowlton, employing a new move in the process, Spectral Spin, to claim a victory which just could be a  launch pad to reclaiming the title and all the glory that brings.



What is probably a ghost, looks down on a boule round, which incidentally landed in ectoplasm.

Aberdyfi Show Down

Kate Robinson launches a long shot on the unforgiving sands of Aberdyfi

Ten of the finest extreme boulers around gathered on the West Wales coast for a series of extreme show downs. Bouling down sand dunes, over wet sands, in mud flats and through rock pools this was a test of mental fortitude as well as skill.
The Godmother of extreme boule, Gwen Thomas, had the short game nailed, but lacked the distant shots. Catrin Hughes, an almost World Champion two years ago, showed glimpses of undoubted skill whilst rookie, Ed Hughes held his nerve well amongst the big guns. Sioned Jones, consistent as ever, could be an outside bet for this years title whilst Kate Robinson looked impressive duelling in the rock pools. Mei Howells, who developed his posture in nearby Aberystwyth surprisingly struggled along with training partner Fran.

Players attempt to master the mud flat suction conundrum

The biggest shock came with two time Champion, Rich Waterman, who played nadly throughout. Waterman looks a like a man haunted by the fame and prestige his titles have brought him-  he was a shell of the player the fans have come to expect.

Boule and rock. Rock and boule.

However two players shone most brightly during the event. Geraint Burrows continued his glorious 2015 playing the low tide sands like a banjo - he is now a serious contender. But the biggest news is the player who has climbed to the number one spot in the rankings after dominating the Eliminator competition - Pippa Cox. She has come so close to being champion before - could 2015 be her year?

Boule in 240 Frames per second

Extreme Boule Art

Extreme Boulers do battle on the wet sands of Rhossili

The Battle of the White Horse

The White Horse at Alton Barnes

This was a match sprinkled with some star dust – two world champions doing battle under the gaze of a giant chalk white horse, surrounded by burial mounds. If Darren Woolridge (2011 World Champion) and the Wizard of Edale himself, Rich Waterman (2013 and 2014 World Champion) were the port and fine cheese at this boule lunch, then journeymen boulers Seb Moss and Tim Wort were very much the slightly stale pork pie –  always present but surely not likely to anyone’s pick off this menu. But what was the glass jar filled with an unknown condiment marked X on offer? That was Huw Walters, a man who has bouled since the beginning of time but, incredibly, has never graced an official extreme boule match. He was an unknown quantity.

Waterman and Woolridge collect boule under the malignant gaze of the White Horse

 

As the White Horse of Alton Barnes looked down, the players bouled over meadow, tussock, hill and hole. The going was tough, but it always is, when dreams are there to be made.

 

Seb Moss contemplates his next move whilst sitting on the White Horse's eye

Wort crumbled, a shadow of the player who once duelled with Jean Baptiste Gressier, finishing scoreless. Woolridge, more shockingly, also finished scoreless, a man still haunted by the ghosts of 2011 it seems. Debutant Walters, impressed, his command of the turf impressive, irrespective of his constant desire for a more sandy terrain. Surely that leaves Waterman as the winner? Not this time. This was Seb Moss final match in the Northern Hemisphere before being deported to Australia. Moss has bouled for a decade, yet you can count his victories on one seven fingered hand. But on this day the boule gods smiled upon him. His aim was reminiscent of a young Perrot, his subtlety of touch like Gressier in his prime and he carried the luck of Grandad John. He commanded the field, playing the best boule of his career. He pleased the White Horse and this was the match of his life.

1.       Seb Moss

2.       Huw Walters

3.       Rich Waterman

5.       Darren Woolridge

5.    Tim Wort

Burrow's Masterclass

G. Burrows   21
T. Wort          5

This was a first to 21 long player on  Wort's home ground, Burrows having travelled from Oxfordshire. A quick check of the record books shows Burrows had never beaten Wort. In fact he had never before scored 21 - Wort has on 11 occasions.This was surely as predictable as an Extreme Boule match can get?

Burrow's takes aim

The terrain was lumpy, the turf producing unforgiving, unpredictable bounces. Whoever could adjust first was sure to take the spoils.
Burrows edged into a 6-4 lead, the ale easing his progression, flattening the uneven turf in his mind's eye. Then the decisive moment came. Burrows produced a glorious kisser near some bluebells, the cat very much licking his bacon. This was a psychological turning point for Wort - he was mentally deflated, retreating into a world of botchy boule. And so followed the best boule of Burrow's life - he scored 15 of the next 16 available points to cruise to an incredible 21-5 victory. For Burrow it means a jump up the World rankings, whilst Wort is left eating a pickled egg in a sauna.

Burrow's the 2015 World Champion? That doesn't show too far fetched on this showing!

Breaking News...

Latest breaking news from the world of extreme boules in Scotland!!! A new prodigy has arrived to our noble sport. Rowan 'Schiehallion' Topalian played and convincingly won her first game aged just 6 days!
A classic old school indoor first to 7 match was played on the 30th March, In which she beat her opponent (Stanley Topalian) 7-0 humiliating him publicly and making him the laughing stock of Succoth.
"I haven't been sleeping well recently" Topalian senior muttered as he departed the field of play, disgraced....
Waterman is said to be 'unfazed' by the emerging wunderkind....

Lunar letdown

Location: Southbourne, Dorset

Consumables: imperial Russian stout & Cuban cigars

Dangers and annoyances: lunar Rays and grass stains

Extreme rating: 1*

———

Match results:

D. Woolridge 8
A. Betts 4
M. Hopkins 4

Played by the light of a near full moon (and a halogen patio bulb) the match saw all three players shooting some serious botchy ball.

That didn't stop Woolridge snatching all the points he could gather whilst betts and Hopkins fiddled with their runcible spoons.

Night battle

Date: 22/3/15
Consumables: imperial stout
Extreme rating: *
Dangers and annoyances: toddlers

Match Results:

D Woolridge: 5
G Searle: 2

With an egg jack and a tumbler full of imperial stout from Salisbury, this match showed what these two players are capable of; complete bocci ball and subtle genius. Searle took an early lead, but Woolridge pulled it back with a couple of high-scorers.

Woolridge is again, a threat to the extreme boule world championship's top spot. Keep your eyes on the skies.

Location:Fenton Road,Bournemouth,United Kingdom

EXTREME BOULE NEWS

February

 

The Month in a Nutshell: January saw Extreme boule action stretching from the South Coast of England to the Shetland Isles. In February it was the turn of the Welsh Extreme Boule scene to enter the limelight. In particularly it was the Cardiff boulers who set out to top the World rankings.

Now for some Extreme boule means mountains, bogs, forests… however some get their extreme kicks by clattering boule over tarmac, judging cambers, dodging drains and playing under street lamps – Urban Extreme Boule (UEB).

Extreme Boule veterans Murray, Moss and Wort met for a night time clash of UEB with only one thing on their mind – the number one spot in the World Rankings.  The poorly lit conditions meant players had to rely on their senses, more than their eyes and one man’s senses were far better honed than the others. Enter Jim Murray, long time top dog on the Cardiff scene, to play a round of sublime UEB. He dominated the game from the off, leaving Moss and Wort floundering, even serving up a cold hard slab of ‘La Rappiste’ from which Moss and Wort never recovered.

Moss in particular played pure botchy ball throughout and ended up, somehow, with no points.

In the end Murray took home the plaudits, and eased himself into the second spot on the World Rankings. Could this be his year?

Current World Number One: Sam Charles. No games from the master extreme bouler, but no one could match his points average, although Jim Murray came close.

Match of the Month: Murray 17, Wort 11, Moss 0. Murray won in style and Moss may have played one of the most notoriously bad rounds of Extreme Boule yet.

Photo of the Month: Night boule matches do not always generate classic images so we've opted for this photo, taken pre match, when Murray met Wort and Moss. It captures the pre-match tension, only eased with the opening of the port - an old Cardiff extreme boule tradition.

Murray, left, won the match at a canter

 

Fact of the Month: The highest game of boule recorded is 886m a.s.l. played on the summit of Pen y Fan. There are substantial rumours that a game once took place on a plane, but these cannot be verified.

 

Technique of the Month:  La Rappiste. A move in which a player dupes his opponents into playing harder shots, leaving themselves with an easy shot to the Jacque to claim the points. As pioneered by Jim Murray.

Check this out: We love the World Alternative Games!http://www.worldalternativegames.co.uk/

Cheerio for now Extreme Boulers!

 

 

From the Archives - Part One

Join us as we venture into the past of Extreme Boule…

The Most Extreme Game of All time?

Gillard, Burrows and Charles on an Extreme Boule mission

 

History doesn’t recall the winner of this encounter which took place almost a decade ago – but memories of the game still linger like frisky ghosts. Four Extreme Boule pioneers headed to one of Extreme Boule’s spiritual homes, the Brecon Beacons to test their skills.

Llyn y Fan Fach

 

 

Messrs’ Burrows, Gillard, Charles and Wort ventured to Llyn y Fan Fach to seek guidance from the Lady of the Lake (http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/wfb/wfb03.htm). There they spent the night by the lake, haunted by ghostly sounds,  and fortified with whisky and port.

Pre match rituals and an appreciation of Slovakia

 

On the day of the big match the players headed up onto Bannau Sir Gaer, at a height of over 600m. Atop the view down to the glacial lake is magnificent.

 

From here the players took aim. Boules were launched off the cliff edge, down a shear drop towards the lake – a drop of over 150m. To fall off here would mean death, yet over the boule went.

Burrows has a practice round with a boulder. The boule were launched from here

Where the boule were launched and landed - a drop of over 150m

 

Two shots each – that was it. To retrieve the boule, the players descended down a safer route and then spent hours, but what seemed like days, searching amongst the scree for the boule. Not all were found. Furthermore the Jacque was never located so there was no winner... except maybe the Lady of the Lake.

What Happened Next?

Charles, Wort and Burrows still play on the Extreme Boule scene, some say still trying, and failing, to recapture that moment. The World Championship is still a dream for them.

As for “Grandad” John Gillard? Well he went onto to be a World Champion, a hero of the game. Fame took it’s toil and he disappeared, to become a legend, like the Lady of the Lake. Some say one day he will rise again, like King Arthur or E.T. , to rule the Extreme Boule scene once more. Until that day all we have are memories.

 

The spiritual home of Extreme Boule

 

 

EXTREME BOULE NEWS

January

The Month in a Nutshell: The 2015 season launched in spectular style with a clash of the titans, Woolridge vs Martin just after the stroke of midnight January 1^st.

One of the deadliest rivalries in the sport has some juicy history (http://extremeboules.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/big-battle.html). This time Woolridge took the spoils leaving everyone asking is Balance Boy Ben Martin a has-been?

There were glimpses of Woolridge, the World Champion version of 2011, but these proved elusive, as he was crushed by Geraint Burrows. This was Burrows first ever victory.

Meanwhile some 800+ miles away Shetland saw some extreme action. Matches were dominated by the Charles clan, with Sam Charles, the Dark Horse of the Extreme Boule world, climbing to the top of the World rankings after some outstanding performances.

Current World Number One: Sam Charles
Sam Charles has beaten 10 opponents and only lost to one person so far.

Match of the month: A night snow battle on Shetland won by veteran bouler Stan Charles Topalian

Photo of the Month: The Shetland pictures are extreme and triumphant, but this shot below captures the flipside of Extreme Boule - the dejection... Martin is currently 'eating a pickled egg in a sauna' (see terminology for a guide to extreme boule language)

Ben Martin is floored after losing a midnight battle to his old nemesis, Darren Woolridge

The Fact: of the Month: The most northernly match recorded took place in Iceland and was won by double World Champion Rich Waterman, with volcanic rocks replacing boule.

Technique of the Month: The Moonpie. The act of rolling your boule into a crowded game, connecting with the Jacque and escorting it out of the melange into a secluded spot, thus claiming the points. If you carry out this move but fail to end up closest to the Jacque you have merely 'presented a gift' to your opponents. Your confidence will be shattered.

 

Check this out: We are loving the work of the International Extreme Petanque Federation: https://www.facebook.com/extreme.petanque/app_267091300008193 

EXCLUSIVE Interview!!!
To finish off the January addition of EB News we caught up with 2011 World Champion Darren Woolridge, flexing his boule muscles on the South Coast.

Extreme Boule Reporter (EBR): Darren Woolridge, we have seen Sam Charles make a triumphant return to the sport and climb to the number one spot. He is the dark horse of Extreme Boule, but how dark and which horse exactly?

Darren Woolridge (DW): He's certainly not as dark as the Ceffyl Dwr of Flemingston. He's much less of a concern - more like Black Beauty or the Headless Horse of Lanreath.

EBR: What chance has Geraint Burrows this year?
DW: Burrows seems like he has been playing the long con for the past 12 years. Claiming his first 2015 match was "his first ever win"?! I'm not buying it. Can we get SkyNet to verify?

Geraint Burrows - the Long Con?

Editor: SkyNet, the self sufficent Extreme Boule database has verified Geraint Burrows has never won a game up until 2015. Incredible.

EBR: Balance Boy Ben Martin is a mere shadow of the player he once was. Discuss.
DW: Rumour has it that 'Balance Boy' Martin has been shut in this year drinking copious amounts of whiskey. I've heard that he can't even get a big enough buzz to contemplate picking an orb.

Balance Boy - a drunkard?

EBR: Can Rich Waterman claim the World Championship for an unbelievably third time and become immortal like Zeus?
DW: It's only a matter of time. That boy can throw!

 

Zeus and reigning World Champion Rich Waterman

 

 

 

Shetland Extreme Boule

Extreme Boule pioneers took the game to Shetland and did battle through sand and snow, day and night. The Charles brothers excelled, with Sam Charles claiming the honours. A dark horse in the world of Extreme Boule could this be a early stab at claiming the 2015 World Championships?

 

 

 

 

Geraint Burrows managed to play matches 2 weeks and over 800 miles apart, but ended up slipping down the World rankings.

Scrumpy Showdown

18th Jan 2015
Southbourne
Consumables: scrumpy
Extreme rating: 1 star
Chosen Jack: egg

Results:
G Burrows - 11
D Woolridge - 3

A whitewash from Burrows in the second game of the year. Burrows has claimed his "first ever win". Cider came from The Trading Post in Somerset and was the highlight of the match.

Location:Beaufort Road,Bournemouth,United Kingdom

Beaufort New Years Slam Jam

Beaufort New Years slam jam.
01-01-15
The only extreme thing is the date.
Consumables: Gin and Cuban Cigars
Egg for a jack.

Match updates:
1 Woolridge
3 Martin egg toucher
1 Martin steal
2 egg maximiser Woolridge
2 Martin
2 Martin
1 Martin photo max!!!
1 Woolridge pitch pressure
2 Woolridge - Ben got angry
1 Woolridge - Ben gets sloppy
2 Woolridge pulls it back 9 all

11 - 9 to Woolridge

Location:Fenton Road,Bournemouth,United Kingdom