THE MelroseGala Pétanque Club has found a new home and is now known as the 'Reiver Pétanque’.
Pétanque is an increasingly popular sport played with hollow steel balls known as boules, and a small wooden target ball or jack and is usually played on a gravel-topped terrain at least 12m long.
Points are scored by having one or more of your boules closer to the target than those of your opponent, after all boules have been thrown.
The aim of the game is to be the first player/team to score thirteen points.
When the pandemic started the club lost its playing area within the grounds of the Kingsknowes Hotel in Galashiels.
Since then various club members searched for a new area to play but to no avail.
A chance meeting with longstanding member David Adamson and Sir Michael Strang Steel who owns the Philiphaugh Estate in Selkirk, resulted in an offer of a section of the car park south of the Waterwheel Tearoom on which to construct a playing area.
The tearoom is on the A708 road leading to St Mary's Loch and Moffat
Planning permission was sought and granted and with the help of a community grant of £4568, the work commenced on July 18.
Glendinning Groundworks from Walkerburn constructed the terrain and a fence was built by Mick Young of the Philiphaugh Trust Estate.
The terrain officially opened at a ceremony for invited guests on Thursday September 1.
The successful launch of the playing area was inaugurated by Sir Michael throwing the cochonet (jack) and the first boule watched by the Scottish Pétanque Association’s president Alison Swiffin and Reiver Pétanque’s president Peter Harrington.
In attendance were Alistair Patullo and Judith Thompson of Selkirk Community Council, Miranda Alcock of Ettrick and Yarrow Community Council, SBC Councillor John Paton-Day, Trevor Bryant of Sport Scotland who then had a chance to play before tea and coffee and delicious traybakes were served in the Waterwheel Tearoom.
The club’s pubicity officer Ron Anderson said: “We had a great day at the official opening of our pétanque piste at the Waterwheel Tearoom.
“The weather was kind and we had a great turnout from the public and invited guests. We will now be actively recruiting to help build our membership.
“On Wednesday and Sunday afternoons all are welcome to try out the sport under the guidance of members. Membership fees are £10 to the end of March with £1 playing fees per afternoon.”
The Waterwheel Tearoom is situated on the A708 out of Selkirk, the road leading to St Mary's Loch and Moffat. Postcode TD7 5LU.
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