June 23, 2024, Fourth Day of Summer Tournament

True to its name, the weather on the fourth day following the summer solstice was sunny and mild, perfect for a pétanque tournament.  Sixteen players competed in the panaché-format tournament on four of our five courts.   In a panaché tournament individual players are randomly assigned to two-person teams, and after each round the teams are randomly reorganized so that in each game each player plays with a different partner.  Each player retains the score (total points, point differential, and win-loss) from each round.

A perfect day for pétanque

I’m not aware of a word in the English language to adequately describe this tournament format.  The French word is appropriate, but definitely needs some explanation.  The website, petanquerules.wordpress.com, offers a clear explanation.

“First of all, let’s get the spelling right. The word that we want ends with an accented é— panaché. The French word panaché (ending with an accented é) means “mixed”, “variegated”, “motley”— une salade panachée is a mixed salad. The French word that we do not want is panache (ending with an unaccented e). That word refers to a plume (like a feather plume) and by extension means “flair”, “style”.”

“This is what a “panache tournament” looks like. The knights are bedecked with magnificent spreads of feathers atop their helmets. These plumes, known as panaches, were common 16th-century tournament wear. Feathers indicated status, wealth, the colors of one’s family, and much more.”

  A “panache tournament”

Okay.  We may not always bother with the accented é, but we understand the word panache, as we use it, means “mixed”.

Back to the tournament – The first two rounds produced similar result ranging between 13-2 to 13-9.  This was followed by the usual sumptuous lunch.

The usual sumptuous lunch

The lunch apparently refueled and inspired all players, because for the third round, scores ranged between 13-10 to 13-12.  Or maybe the lunch had the opposite effect.

The finish was very close.  The top five players were separated by only 4 points (39 to 35). The players who finished in the top three all had three wins.  The first and second place players tied with 39 points each, however the first-place player had a greater point differential.  The players divided a $160 tournament purse.

2^nd Place – Jim Schonlau (L), 1^st Place- Bob Gamble (C), 3^rd Place – Neil Martin (R)