The Axe Valley Boules League was formed to enjoy and promote the game of Boules as played in the Axe Valley. These rules are to help in the enjoyment of a fun game on an English summers’ evening. Anything not covered by these rules should be treated with common sense and in the best spirit of the game.
1. The League shall be known as the Axe Valley Boules League, and hereinafter referred to as the League.
2. A League Committee will run the League affairs. The League Committee consists of at least a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer.
3. Meetings:
(i) An Annual General Meeting will be held on the first Tuesday of March each year.
(ii) An Extraordinary or Special General Meeting may be called either by the Committee or by no less than three member teams.
(iii) 14 days notice must be given of any General Meeting, Annual or otherwise, to all member teams.
(iv) At all such General Meetings member teams will be allowed one vote each. A member team for the purposes of the Annual General Meeting is one that played in the previous season or has been accepted at that particular meeting. At Extraordinary or Special Meetings, member teams are those playing during that particular season.
4. Complaints and behaviour:
(i) Any complaints must be received by the Secretary in writing within seven days of the incident occurring. The Committee will consider all complaints. The decision of the Committee is final.
(ii) The attention of all players and spectators is drawn to the British Petanque Association’s Code of Behaviour. The League Committee is empowered to suspend for an appropriate period any player whose conduct brings the league into disrepute. An appeal against any suspension is allowed and will be heard by a committee of three member Team’s Captains (other than that of the player(s) concerned, and the decision of that committee shall be final.
5. Entries:
(i) All entries are to be made at the AGM. If a team is unable to attend, they must notify the Committee of their intention to play in the League prior to the AGM.
(ii) There will be an entry fee of £20 per team.
(iii) Entries are to be accompanied by fees, contact name, and telephone number.
(iv) Miniature trophies will be given to 8 members of the winning teams of each division in the League and Whitbread Cup. Trophies will also be awarded for the Singles, Pairs and Triples competitions. Teams may purchase extra trophies if they wish.
6. Teams:
(i) A team may play any number of players during a season, but no player shall play for more than one team in the League during a season. A contravention of this rule will bring a 2-point penalty for the team concerned. If the offence is committed in a knockout competition, the games involved will be forfeited.
(ii) Generally, a team consists of six players. It is permissible to substitute players during a match. However, no player shall play in more than one Pairs game or more than one Triples game during a match.
7. Matches:
(i) The Secretary will distribute a fixture list for the season at least 14 days prior to the start of the season.
(ii) Matches will be played in accordance with the rules of the game of boules as laid down at the end of this document.
(iii) League matches will be played on a home and away basis. Each match will comprise of three Pairs and two Triples games, all on a 9-up basis. Games can be played in any order, to accommodate late arrivals.
(iv) Fixtures will be arranged for Tuesdays with a prompt 7.30pm start. When two or more members of each team are present, the match can commence.
(v) All possible and reasonable effort must be made to notify the opposing team if there is a possibility of a late arrival of more than fifteen minutes.
(vi) If a match is postponed, the teams concerned will be responsible for its re-arrangement. They must inform the secretary of the new date within 14 days of the original fixture. If one team cannot fulfil a fixture, the opposing team may claim a default win (3 points) on application to the Secretary.
(vii) Rearranged or postponed games may be played at any time, but if not played by the end of the season neither team will score any points.
8. Points awarded:
(i) For each game won, one point will be awarded; e.g. a team winning 3-2 will receive 3 points, their opponents receive 2 points.
(ii) If a team fails to arrive for a fixture without prior reasonable notification to the opposition, their opponents will be awarded a default win (3 points) on application to the secretary.
(iii) lf any team is short of players, they will forfeit the boules for the missing player(s) in the games involved (e.g. for a team with only 5 players, they will play one pairs game with one player with three boules, and one triples games with two players with two boules each). Under no circumstances can a player play in more than one Pairs and one Triples game on a night (see Rule 6 (ii) above).
9. Results:
(i) The winning team will forward a result card to the secretary within 7 days of the match being played. Failure to do so without informing the secretary will result in the deduction of 2 points.
(ii) lf a match is postponed for whatever reason, the home team must notify the Secretary of this within 7 days; failure to do so will result in the deduction of 2 points.
10. League Tables:
(i) The League will be divided into a number of divisions, with numbers of teams in each division appropriate in order to fit the fixtures into the summer season (ideally between 8 and 10 teams to a division).
(ii) New teams joining the league will start in the lowest division.
(iii) The final places in the league tables will be decided by the team with the highest number of points. In the event of any teams having the same number of points, the highest number of match wins will be the deciding factor, and if that is the same then the teams tying for either first or second place will have a play-off match, the teams tossing a coin for choice of piste.
(iv) The teams finishing in first and second place of a lower division will be promoted to play in the division above the following season. The two teams finishing bottom in the higher division will play in the division below in the following season. Where teams resign from the league, and new teams join, these rules may be adjusted by the committee to ensure as equal-sized divisions as possible. In this case, all decisions will be made at the AGM.
11. One Umpire is to be appointed for each game in a match, and should not be a player taking part in that particular game. These Umpires’ decision will be final. The Umpire will be responsible for the refereeing of the match; no other person or player shall be involved in this respect.
12. Whitbread Cup:
(i) There will be a League Cup, known as the Whitbread Cup, and played for on a knock-out basis. The draw for the competition will be made at the AGM, the team drawn first having choice of piste.
(ii) Matches will be of six single games on a 9-up basis. In the event of a tie, the three winners from each team will play a deciding triple game.
(iii) The first two rounds of the Cup will each be allocated a Tuesday evening for matches to be played; for all subsequent matches up to the Final, teams will have to arrange the fixture date between themselves, and on a date not later than that specified by the Secretary when the fixture list is produced.
(iv) The final will be played at Seaton Town Football Club.
13. There will be Singles, Pairs and Triples competitions, with the draws taking place at the AGM. Only one entry per team is allowed. Qualifying rounds and Finals Nights will be held on pistes selected by the committee. All games will be played on a knockout and 9-up basis.
14. A Presentation Night will be held after the end of each season, at a venue chosen by the committee. The venue will be drawn from all member teams that wish to stage it. No venue will stage a second night until all the other venues have had a chance to stage it.
These rules are adapted from “The Official Rules of the game of Petanque” (2006), as issued by the FIPJP. The numbering of the Articles in these rules corresponds to that document.
Boules games can be played as Singles, Pairs or Triples. In Singles, each player uses 3 boules; in Pairs each player uses 3 boules, and in Triples each player uses 2 boules. All games are played to 9 points.
Boules must be made of metal, have a diameter of 7-8cm and have a weight of 650-800g. Identifying markings of any kind are permitted, so long as they do not radically alter the behaviour of the boule.
Jacks should be made of wood and have a diameter of between 25-35mm. Painted jacks - whatever their colour - are authorized.
Boules pistes should ideally have a width of between 3-4m, and a length of between 12-15m, although it is recognized that some venues do not have enough room for this size. Efforts should be made to conform to these guidelines as much as possible.
The players must toss up to decide which team will be the first to throw the jack.
Any member of the team winning the toss chooses the starting point and places a prefabricated hoop of around 50cm diameter on the ground inside the playing area such that the feet of the players may be placed entirely inside it, and 50cm from any boundary.
The circle is not considered to be an out of bounds area.
The feet must be entirely on the inside of the hoop, not encroach on its perimeter and they must not leave it or be lifted completely off the ground until the thrown boule has touched the ground. No part of the body may touch the ground outside the hoop. As an exception, those who are disabled in a lower limb are authorised to place only one foot inside the hoop.
For players throwing from a wheelchair, at least one wheel (that on the side of the throwing arm) must rest inside the hoop.
The throwing of the jack by one member of the team does not imply that he or she is obliged to be the first to play.
At the following end the hoop does NOT have to be placed where the jack finished at the previous end.
For the thrown jack to be valid, the following conditions apply:
1) That the distance separating it from the nearest edge of the circle must be between 6 metres minimum and 10 metres maximum.
2) That the throwing circle must be a minimum of 50cm from any obstacle and from the limit of an out of bounds area.
3) That the jack must land within the boundary of play. If the jack is less than 50cm from any boundary, the player throwing may ask the umpire to move the jack to a position 50cm from the boundary in line with its original position. Note that this is a change to the rule of 2010.
4) That the jack must be visible to the player whose feet are placed astride the extreme limits of the interior of the circle and whose body is absolutely upright. In case of dispute on this point, the Umpire decides, without appeal, if the jack is visible.
If the jack has not been thrown in accordance with the rules defined above, it is passed to the opposing team to start the end.
If the thrown jack is stopped by the Umpire, a player, a spectator, an animal or any moving object, it is not valid and must be thrown again without being included in the three throws to which the team or the player is entitled.
If after the throwing of the jack, a first boule is played, the opponent still has the right to contest the validity of its position. If the objection is recognised as valid, the jack is thrown again and the boule replayed.
For the jack to be re-thrown both teams must have recognised that the throw was not valid or the Umpire must have decided it to be so. If any team proceeds differently, it loses the benefit of the throwing of the jack.
If the opponent has also played a boule, the jack is definitely deemed valid and no objection is admissible.
The jack is dead in the following six cases:
1) When the jack is displaced into an out-of-bounds area, even if it comes back on to the authorised playing area. A jack straddling the boundary of an authorised terrain is NOT valid.
2) When the jack is displaced to less than 3 metres from the throwing circle.
3) When the displaced jack cannot be found, the search time being limited to 5 minutes.
4) When an out-of-bounds area is situated between the jack and the throwing circle.
It is strictly forbidden for players to press down, displace or crush any obstacle whatever on the playing area.
Players are forbidden to change the jack or a boule during a game except in the following cases:
1) The one or the other cannot be found, the search time being limited to 5 minutes.
2) The one or the other is broken: in this case the largest part is taken into consideration. If boules remain to be played, the aforementioned is immediately replaced, after measuring, if necessary, by a boule or a jack of identical or similar diameter. At the next end the player concerned can take a new complete set.
If, during an end, the jack is accidentally masked by a leaf or a piece of paper these objects are removed.
If the stationary jack is displaced, by reason of the wind or the slope of the terrain for example, it is put back in its original place, on condition that it had been marked.
The same applies if the jack is accidentally displaced by the Umpire, a player, a spectator, a boule or jack coming from another game, an animal or any moving object.
To avoid any argument, the players must mark the jack's position. No claim can be accepted regarding boules or jack whose positions have not been marked.
If the jack is moved by a boule played in this game it is valid.
If, during an end, the jack is dead, the end is void – in all situations. For the replayed end, the jack belongs to the team that did not kill the void end.
1) If the jack, having been hit, is stopped by a spectator or by the Umpire, it remains in this position.
2) If the jack, having been hit, is stopped by a player, his opponent has the choice of:
a. leaving the jack in its new position;
b. putting it back in its original position;
If, after having been struck, the jack travels into an out-of-bounds area before returning, finally, on to the playing area, it is classed as dead and end is void.
Boules are to be thrown with the palm of the player’s throwing hand facing down, underarm throwing is not allowed.
The first boule of an end is thrown by a player belonging to the team that has won the toss or has been the last to score. After that, it is the team that does not hold the point that plays.
The player must not use any object or draw a line on the ground to help him/her in playing a boule or mark its landing point. Whilst playing his or her last boule, it is forbidden to carry a boule in the other hand.
The boules must be played one at a time.
Any boule thrown cannot be replayed. However, boules must be replayed if they have been stopped or deviated accidentally from their course between the throwing circle and the jack by an animal or any moving object (football, etc.).
Before throwing his/her boule, the player must remove from it any trace of mud or whatever deposit.
If the first boule played goes out-of-bounds, the same team throws a second boule, and so on until a valid boule is thrown.
If after shooting or pointing no boules are left on the designated playing area, the arrangements concerning a dead end as defined in Article 28 apply.
Opponents and spectators must not walk, nor gesticulate nor do anything that could disturb the player about to play.
Absolutely no-one may, as a test, throw his/her boule during the game.
Any boule is dead from the moment that it enters an out-of-bounds area. The boule is dead if it is contact with, or has crossed, the boundary of the allotted playing area, or the dead ball line, that is to say, when it is situated entirely beyond the boundary when viewed from directly above.
If the boule comes back into the playing area, either because of the slope of the ground or by having rebounded from an obstacle, moving or stationary (including any piste border), it is immediately taken out of the game and anything that it has displaced after its passage into an out-of-bounds area is put back in place. If the boules in play are so disrupted that this replacement is not possible, the Umpire shall call the end void and it shall be replayed.
Any dead boule must immediately be removed from the game.
Any boule played that is stopped by a spectator or the Umpire, will remain where it comes to rest.
Any boule played, that is stopped by a player to whose team it belongs, is dead.
Any boule pointed that is stopped by an opponent, can, according to the wishes of the player, be replayed or left where it comes to rest.
If a player plays a boule other than his own, it is nevertheless valid but it must immediately be replaced, possibly after measuring has been done.
Players are forbidden to pick up the played boules before the completion of the end.
Any boule thrown contrary to the rules is dead. However, the opponent has the right to apply the advantage rule and declare it to be valid. In this case, the boule pointed or shot, is valid and anything it has displaced remains in its place.
In order to measure a point, it is permitted, after having marked their positions, to temporarily remove the boules and obstacles situated between the jack and the boules to be measured. After measuring, the boules and the obstacles which were removed are put back in place.
Players from either side may request a measure at any time. The measuring of a point is the duty of the Umpire, whose decision is final.
At the completion of an end, any boule picked up before the agreement of points is dead if it was not marked (Article 24).
The team, whose player displaces the jack or one of the contested boules, while effecting a measurement, loses the point.
If, during the measurement of a point, the Umpire disturbs or displaces the jack or a boule and if, after re-measuring, the point remains with the boule which had originally been estimated to be closest to the jack, the Umpire, in all fairness, declares it to be so. The same applies in the hypothesis that where, after a new measurement, the point does not remain with the boule originally estimated to be holding.
When two closest boules to the jack belong to opposing teams and are at an equal distance from it, 3 cases can apply:
1) If the two teams have no more boules to play the end is dead and the jack belongs to the team which scored on the preceding end.
2) If only one team has boules at its disposition, it plays them and scores as many points as it has boules closer to the jack than the nearest opponent's boule.
3) If both teams have boules at their disposition, it is for the team which played the last boule to play again, then the opposing team, and so on alternately until the point has been won by one of them. When only one team possesses boules, the arrangements set out in the preceding paragraph apply.
If, after completion of the end, no boules remain within the boundary of the authorised playing area, the end is null and void, and the jack belongs to the team which scored on the preceding end.
Any foreign bodies adhering to the boules or the jack must be removed before measuring a point.
An incomplete team has the right to start a game without waiting for its absent player; nevertheless it does not use the boules of that player.
If, after an end has started, the missing player arrives, he or she does not take part in this end, he or she is accepted into the game only as from the following end.
An end is considered as having started when the jack has been placed on the playing area in accordance with the Rules.
In the case of rain, any end started must be completed, unless a contrary decision is made by the Umpire, who alone is qualified to decide on its suspension or cancellation in the case of a “force majeure”.