Jeu Provençal
Jeu Provençal is one of the more popular French form of Boules, also called Boule Lyonnaise, where the objective is to throw a set of hollow metal balls as close as possible to a target ball, referred to as a jack. The sport can be played individually or in teams. The game developed during the 18th century around the area of Lyon.
The field used is 27.5 meters long and 2.5 to 4 meters wide, relatively large compared to other forms of Boules (it is twice the size of a pétanque court). The balls used are usually made of bronze, and vary in size and weight based on a player's comfort. The jack is made of wood and is smaller than the balls used for playing.
Provencal game on the island of Barthelasse, in Avignon, at the beginning of the 20th century A match begins with a coin toss, and the team that wins the toss starts by throwing the jack into the playing area. The jack has to land at least 12.5 meters away from a player. Each team or individual is handed four playing balls that has to be thrown closer to the jack. Teams takes turns to throw the balls, until both teams run out of all the balls.
One point is awarded for each ball a team has closer to the target, ahead of the closest ball of the other team. If the closest ball of both teams are at an equal distance, then neither team gets a point for the round. The team that reaches 13 points first is declared as the winner.
Similar Sports
- Pétanque — a type of boules in which the objective is to throw hollow metal balls towards a small wooden target ball.
- Bocce — is part of the boules sport family, similar to bowls and pétanque.
- Bolas Criollas — a traditional Venezuelan team sport like bocce and pétanque in which players throw a set of balls as close as possible to the small target ball.
- Lawn Bowling — the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty".
Related Pages
- List of Boules-type sports
- About Bowling Sports
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports
- Sport in France
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