Fall 2021 — Week Two
You couldn’t have asked for better weather as the regular Fall season got under way last Monday at Carreau Club. With temps in the mid-70s and a cool breeze running through the courtyard, the pétanque faithful trickled in to warm up for the first of our team challenges. The road to pétanque immortality begins here and our returning league members seem to understand the importance of making a strong first impression.
In the first of the team challenges, the Boule$hit Artists were looking to make their mark after a disappointing 0-4 finish on opening night, leaving them in the basement with lots of room for improvement. Bad Boules was just ahead of them in the standings with a 1-3 record and something to prove. Unfortunately for the latter, this was the Boule$hit Artists’ night, accomplishing a clean sweep for the evening for the first time in league history. This was a team effort for sure but Laura, who was absent the previous week, ignited this team and led the way with a 3-0 performance for the evening, good enough for top spot on the individual leaderboard. Aaron and Clayton likewise scored spots on the leaderboard with 2-0 showings, including a solid win together in a grudge match against pals Hugue and Marco. Despite a couple of close matches and strong performances from Dana and Dan Gr., the Bad Boules mostly lived up to their name. They’re going to need a strong performance and perhaps a little good luck next week to have any hope of playing in the concours at the end of the season.
On the other side of the courts, it was a battle between our two top teams after opening night. Sacré Boule came into the evening 3-1 and looking solid but it was the recently name-adjusted Tenacious Boule Destroyers who were the team to beat after a perfect 4-0 showing last week. It was a competitive race from the start and the teams split three out of four of the matches with a differential of only two points! But, in the third frame Sacré Boule came alive a swept, giving themselves a small edge at 5-3 for the evening and claiming the top spot in the standings. No one was perfect for the evening but winning outings from Ernesto, Sam, Anne-Sophie, and Mike G. made all the difference and earned each of them a spot on the leaderboard. Of the latter three, there is a former rookie-of-the-year, a player who missed it by a hair last spring, and the leader in this year’s race. This is going to be a touch team to beat! TBD sits in third place by only one game and they’re not giving up yet. Returning league member Chris is hungry from his own ROTY near miss last season, and he made a splash in his first night back going 2-0 in some tough matches. Newcomer Seamus has found himself a spot on the leaderboard and will be one to watch as the season progresses.
MONDAY WEEK TWO RESULTS
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Overcast skies loomed over the courtyard on Tuesday Night as our league faithful took to the courts. A few drops, here and there, couldn’t stop the former and future sickos from getting in some last minute practice before the first of our team challenges. By game time the rain had disappeared and everyone settled in for an exciting evening of competition.
In the first of our team challenges, the could-be-contender Raging Boules were looking to improve on their opening night 1-3 performance. Standing in their way: the Spaceboules who began the season 2-2 and are wondering if they have the right combination to rise in the standings (hint: it’s 1-2-3-4-5!). The two teams were even-steven in the first frame but then it was Raging Boules’ night, taking five of the last six games to end the evening 6-2, good enough for second place on the hit list. Ernesto and Zach both went 2-0 for the evening while emerging league super-sickos Jeff and Jess M. each had solid 2-1 outings. But the real knockout punch for the ragers was league veteran Anne who scored a hat trick for the evening and sits alone atop the individual leaderboard with a 4-0 record and a solid +2.25PPG. Despite getting sucker-punched in broad daylight like Rick Moranis, there were a few bright spots for the spacers, most notably newcomer Danya who went 2-0 and appears fearless in her quest for Rookie of the Year status. Even so, they are sitting in dead last and will need to pick up some ludicrous speed next week to catch up to their competitors.
On the other side of the courts, the first place Dream Team was looking to extend their lead over the rest of the league. Just below them in the standings and looking to ignite a winning streak, Great Boules of Fire showed up fine-tuned and ready to play. They wasted no time in the first frame taking both games including a rare slim victory over all-time league leader Kasia. But the dreamers woke up in the second with a sweep of their own. The final two frames were split leaving these two teams evenly matched for the evening at 4-4. There were solid performances on both sides including a 2-0 performance from Aaron and a 2-1 night from ROTY contender Cody. The standout for the evening, however, was league faithful Hichem who scored two easy victories, landing in the second spot on the leaderboard with a 3-0 record and crushing +4.00ppg.
TUESDAY WEEK TWO RESULTS
