Kevin's Watch

So, some of my family in the 'Old Country" of Italy, were telling the rest of my family about a popular game they play involving some steel balls. You need to get your balls closest to the middle ball, I think?

Anyone know the name?

That's Bocce. I've heard of the game through my French classes taken long ago, they play something similar there, but I, myself, have never played it.

Cool. Now all I've got to do is find a set of steel balls. None of this plastic crap.

Bocce owns. I've never played it with steel though, and I know native Italians who play it with plastic too. Weird. Very fun game, though.

I have always played it with wooden balls. I have never heard of using either plastic or steel ones.

While I have seen formal matches and alleys for it over in Canada, around here people play it very informally in their yards. You can buy the equipment (with wooden balls) pretty inexpensively. We have a couple of sets people have given us. We often take the set with the carrying case with us on camping trips.

In France it is calles Petanque (in Germany Boccia). France has a lot of players as cmpetitions, but also as championships. It ist also an usual family game. In some parts of France, espiacally in summer, who have to watch each of your step for otherwise you fall over on of the balls
The balles are always metallic, only the little ball in the middle is of wood.

We play what we call "Mountain Bocce"

We go out to a friend's house in the mountains and play with totally random rules... sometimes you have to do it with your eyes close, throw between your legs...etc.

Ramen wrote:In France it is calles Petanque (in Germany Boccia). France has a lot of players as cmpetitions, but also as championships. It ist also an usual family game. In some parts of France, espiacally in summer, who have to watch each of your step for otherwise you fall over on of the balls
The balles are always metallic, only the little ball in the middle is of wood.

Boules used to be a common sight in English rural pubs when I was growing up (although Boules actually refers to many games played with metal balls, the game played in England is almost exclusively petanque as far as I'm aware) and I think some areas still run leagues. Sadly, like other pub games such as skittles, it is dying out as more and more country pubs convert their skittle alleys to restaurants and their boules pits to beer gardens.

I play it very occasionally.

Nav wrote:

Ramen wrote:In France it is calles Petanque (in Germany Boccia). France has a lot of players as cmpetitions, but also as championships. It ist also an usual family game. In some parts of France, espiacally in summer, who have to watch each of your step for otherwise you fall over on of the balls
The balles are always metallic, only the little ball in the middle is of wood.

Boules used to be a common sight in English rural pubs when I was growing up (although Boules actually refers to many games played with metal balls, the game played in England is almost exclusively petanque as far as I'm aware) and I think some areas still run leagues. Sadly, like other pub games such as skittles, it is dying out as more and more country pubs convert their skittle alleys to restaurants and their boules pits to beer gardens.

I've never seen boules or skittle alleys in a pub. How odd.

That's because Robin Hood didn't like them.

yah, we actually have an outdoor bocce 'court' about 5 minutes from my house. They do lawn bowling there too. The grass is like a putting green.
cool
we play it at the cottage too. Just wooden balls and a large patch of yard. Oh, at the beach too, only you can't roll the balls, just toss 'em, like horse shoes.. heheheh

Bowls is one of the few sports I actually quite enjoy, along with basketball and badminton.

if you want a real "mans" ball (ba) game, have a look at this

Man, I wish that community existed lie that where I live. Everyone here is eaither wondering if your crazy or need some smokes if you talk to a stranger.