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21/06/2007

Trans Tasman Pétanque Challenge 2007

New Zealand vs Australia - St Kilda, Melbourne – Australia

It was a great experience for Rex to be selected to represent New Zealand in Pétanque for the second year in a row… This time, to travel to Melbourne in Australia was a wonderful experience and so we planned a holiday together.

Departure was 19 April at Wellington airport, where we met up with some of the other selected players, both in the Open Grade and the Senior Grade (the latter of which Rex was selected for). There were 20 of us altogether consisting of players, supporters and Managers from the Wellington and Hawkes Bay regions, leaving the Capital city of NZ and the others were departing from Auckland a few hours later.

A good flight on Qantas and transported by Shuttle Bus to St Kilda where we were all staying at the Marque Hotel in Fitzroy Road. That evening at 6.30pm there was a meeting at the pistes in readiness for the tournament. Dinner at an Italian Restaurant, and an early night. Next day we met for b’fast in the hotel dining room and walked along to the pistes where practise got underway on a warm, sunny morning. The Seniors practised all morning and after lunch back at the hotel, we all did our own thing. Rex and I, along with some of the others, caught one of the modern trams into the heart of the city to visit the Victorian Markets. The fruit & vege stalls and other produce stalls were colourful and plentiful, leaving nothing to your imagination..

It was an early start for all of us staying at the Marque Hotel, as the fire alarms went off around 6.45am and we all had to rush outside .. some of us not quite dressed in the appropriate attire..! 3 fire appliances arrived, but it turned out to the a false alarm, steam setting off the smoke alarms in one of the guest rooms… (not one of our lot I have to say!).. [Now was that a ploy by the opposition, we ask..!] The Opening Ceremony was for 9.00am on Saturday 21st, so we were all down at the Sports Club Rooms by the pistes for an 8 o’clock b’fast.. then speeches and ‘team talk’ got underway with the traditional HAKA by our boys.. then play commenced with rain predicted for later in the day..

The Seniors played their Men’s & Women’s Triples (2 games) before lunch, which was a lovely spread put on by our Hosts in the clubrooms. The (3 games) of Doubles was held in the afternoon. Rain started to fall and gradually set-in and became quite cold. Puddles began to form on some of the pistes making the play more difficult. As darkness began to creep in we went back to our hotel and got showered and changed so as to return for the Official dinner organised for that Saturday night. The tables were set-up so 12 could sit altogether to form a circle. In the middle, was placed this huge platter of King Prawns with other food to follow.. Rex WON the raffle, a mixture of French food, and wine..!

Day 2, saw everyone arriving down at the clubhouse earlier for b’fast at 7.30am as it was decided to bring the start time forward to 8.00am. I decided to write-up postcards and treat myself to a continental b’fast in the hotel, then walk down to the beach and along the Pier at St Kilda. Along the Promenade, the Sunday Market stalls were being set-up and it was a pleasant walk past the Salt Water Baths to Acland Street shops.. What a marvellous array of delicious looking cakes displayed in many shops, and the windows all done up so beautifully… I caught a tram back to the pistes and enjoyed watching the Seniors playing the Mixed Triples (2 games) in the morning and Mixed Doubles (3 games) in the afternoon. The weather was fine but time was against the players with them having to finish playing into the dark. Lighting was only down one end of the whole area, so when the Open Grade finished and crowded around to watch the final playoff between Rex and Margaret Maher (Auckland), it was dark enough to have to shine a torch to measure and check the distances between boules and cochonet. It was such a pity as it could have been either team who won, and our NZ team who played so well, only lost by 1 point…13-12 to Australia making the Seniors lose to Australia 62-58 points. Had NZ won that last game, they would have DRAWN. It wasn’t meant to be and so this year it was Australia who won back the trophy.

Speeches and presentation of the Trophy was later done inside the clubrooms and we all went off to enjoy a dinner at one of the many restaurants nearby..

The next morning, the Senior’s Manager, Murray Porter, got his teams together for photos in the hotel foyer.. before we ate breakfast out on the sidewalk at a café then all went our different ways.. some staying on, others like ourselves going into the city of Melbourne to stay at other hotels right in the heart of the city.

Written by: Shirley Hayes – Kapiti Pétanque Club. Reproduced with permission.

PHOTOS by Rex Hayes.

see also Morning lights in Melbourne (six photos).

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