Whitnash petanque players represent England in World Championships in Spain

Two Whitnash Windmill Petanque Club ladies formed 50 per cent of England’s team in the World Championships in Spain last weekend.

The club is very proud of this magnificent achievement by Hannah Griffin and Rachel Kelly, which was well deserved and earned through hard work, determination and constant training over many months.

Five timed games were played in a ‘Swiss’ format (winners play winners and losers play losers) which determined which countries progressed to the main World Championships and which would enter the Nations Cup. Each match was one hour plus two ends.

The English ladies played exceptionally well to win two out of the five games, 13-6 against Andorra and 13-3 against Austria, but lost against Belgium (13-5), Sweden (10-4) and also in a very tight match against Denmark (10-9) which could have gone either way.

A third win would have put them through to the main event but their narrow loss meant they progressed to the Nations Cup. There they beat Slovakia 10-3 in the first round but they were unable to retain their excellent form in the quarter-finals against Canada losing 10-3. A win would have ensured them a bronze medal.

However, the girls played extremely well throughout the competition, on what were very challenging pistes and did themselves, the Whitnash Petanque Club, Whitnash Sports & Social Club and the country proud.