By ALESHA CAPONE
THIRTEEN is a lucky number for Taylors Hill Retirement Village residents who play the sport of French bowls, called petanque.
In the game, the first participant to reach a score of 13 is declared the winner.
Petanque involves throwing hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball.
The Taylors Hill Retirement Village recently held its Annual Singles Competition for petanque players.
Noelene Linard was crowned the female champion and Brian Sheils won the male title.
Their fellow resident Alec Newing, a former member of the Camberwell Petanque Club who has played at the Petanque Australian Masters Championships, introduced the sport to the retirement village.
“They didn’t know what it was until I arrived,” Mr Newing said.
But he said nowadays, petanque has become an “established village sport” with many devoted players.
Mr Newing’s son introduced him to petanque, after travelling to England for work and living with housemates who played the sport.
“When he came home, he told me all about it,” Mr Newing said.
“I’ve always been interested in games and that year Father Christmas bought me a petanque set.”
Mr Newing said petanque was a game which both genders could play on equal footing.
“While it is mainly skill, luck also plays a part in it and you can get complete novices winning games,” he said.
“We would love to get other retirement villages involved so we can have social competitions of petanque.”
Ms Linard said people in wheelchairs could also play the game “as long as they can lift an arm to swing a ball”.
“People with hip and knee complaints can also play, because the balls can be lifted with a magnet on a string, so they don’t have to bend,” she said.
More information: http://www.stockland.com.au/retirement/vic/melbourne-west/taylors-hill-village.htm
