Whitnash Windmill junior quartet selected by England for European Petanque Championships
Whitnash Windmill Petanque Club have had four of their junior players selected to play for England in the European Junior Championships in Greece this weekend.
The Whitnash club has one of the largest Junior sections of the sport in the country, with over 20 junior members, many of whom are competing at regional and national level.
And these selections for Greece see them provide 50 per cent of the national junior squad, which is an amazing achievement and well deserved.
The England team comprises a Girls’ squad of four players and a Boys’ squad of four players, and Whitnash boasts two junior members in each squad – Ayva Law and Erica Bennett for the girls and George Partridge and Jayden Davis for the boys.
All four are extremely talented and have trained hard to gain representation for their country.
Also included in the girls’ team is Coventry Petanque Club’s Amy Geddes, so in fact there are five out of eight players from the Heart of England region in the squad, the fourth member being Aimee Rickman from Southern Region.
Joining George and Jayden in the boys’ squad are Matthew Butcher also from the Southern region and Alex Warren from Central Region.
The European Championships is a very tough tournament, with quality players, and the England Squad will no doubt enjoy the experience and are ready for the challenge.
This accolade follows the success of the club in the recent Inter-Regional Championships - one of the biggest tournaments in England - where the Heart of England Region managed to retain their First Division place, finishing fifth out of eight regions, and the Whitnash Junior team of Ayva, George and Jayden also retained their junior title from 2025.
Last weekend, Whitnash player Chris Smith (playing with Timothy Sims from Penkridge), also won the National Veteran Pairs Championships, giving him a prestigious national title, which follows on from the National Pairs title won by Jen Martin and Ewan Cameron earlier in the year.
The main playing season is drawing to an end, although the club is open for play all year round, but with these notable performances, and the growing membership, the Whitnash Windmill Petanque Club, has had a particularly good year of successes, which bodes well for 2027.
Anyone wishing to try pétanque (French boules) is welcome to give it a try any Monday from 6.30pm at the Whitnash Sports & Social Club.