Melees and other Events
Beaujolais Nouveau Melee 23rd November
20 players turned up for the Beaujolais Nouveau Melee on 23rd November on a dull, cloudy afternoon that turned into torrential rain. After three rounds there were four unbeaten players, the winner being Charlie Caruana with a +33 points advantage, pipping Steve Neal by just one point. Sarah Jerger was third with +19, just pipping Emily Adams by just one point.
At the end of play we all retired to dry off and enjoy a wine tasting of the 2024 Beaujolais Nouveau and a very welcome French-themed buffet. This year’s wine was excellent and the highlight of the very enjoyable buffet, prepared by Rich and Becky Rushton, was the onion soup. The party was rounded off with a fun game of indoor boules.
2nd November
20 players turned up for our November melee, including three new members. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players, with Christine Caruana the best with a +18 points advantage, followed closely by Jeff Rand with +17. Rich Rushton was third with +10. Diane Emberton was the best of those with two wins with +16.
13th October
Stockton Pétanque Club achieved a great 3-2 win in the first round of the ‘European Cup for Clubs’ qualifier on 13th October. We were drawn against a strong team from Solihull and after a shaky start with both of our triples well down after two ends, Charlie Caruana, Jeff Rand and Rick Hayes recovered from 0-8 to 12-12 and went on to win the game. The other triple - Catherine Black, Steve Neale and Rich Rushton lost their match due to some excellent shooting by Solihull's Roger Seabery. Catherine and Steve made up for their loss with a great 13-1 win in their pairs, and Rich Powell and Jeff Rand achieved a hard fought win 13-9, to secure the match.
5th October
25 players turned up for our October melee, including 10 friends from Nomades Pétanque Club. After three rounds there were four unbeaten players, with Nouri Beladaci the best with a +21 points advantage, followed closely by David Mason with +19. Christine Caruana was third with +16 and Steve Neale fourth with +6.
Open Pairs - 22nd September
The club’s annual Open Pairs was played on 22nd September in torrential rain by four very brave teams who played a round robin. The champions were Becky and Richard Rushton who won all of their games, the runners up being Catherine Black and Steve Neale.
Inter-Regional 14-15th September
Five members of Stockton Pétanque Club were selected to play for the Heart of England (HoE) Region in the National Inter-Regional Championship in September and helped HoE to a promotion from Division 2 to Division 1 with great performances. Our stars were Richard & Becky Rushton, Catherine Black and Steve Neale, playing as HoE 6, and Charlie Caruana, playing with colleagues from Coventry as HoE 7.
7th September
12 players turned up for our September melee and after three rounds there were just two unbeaten players – Rich Rushton taking the honours with a +13 advantage, just pipping Catherine Black who had +9. The best of those with two wins was Jenny Lowe with +14.
28th August
We played our annual match against Coventry PC as a memorial to David Kimpton. Each club fielded five teams who played three timed rounds. The final result was a draw with 7.5 wins each, but Stockton achieved a +17 points advantage and therefore won the David Kimpton trophy. The best pair was Catherine Black/Steve Neale with +15, closely followed by Rich Powell/Jeff Rand with +13. The evening, hosted by Coventry PC, concluded with an excellent buffet laid on by The Burnt Post.
26th August
The club’s annual open triples ended up as a contest between Stockton and Penkridge, one of the new clubs in the Heart of England Region. We played a four round competition with Stockton Yeomen – Sarah Jerger, Catherine Black and Steve Neale winning all four of their games. Stockton Knights – Becky Rushton, Rick Hayes and Jeff Rand won three games, losing only to the Yeomen, so Stockton PC were the champions, with Penkridge achieving just two wins.
3rd August
There was a great turnout of 23 players, including seven guests from other clubs.
After three rounds there were six unbeaten players, the prizes going to Becky Rushton with a +23 points advantage, followed closely by Rick Hayes with +22 and Jenny Lowe with +21. The other unbeaten players were Doreen Scrutton with +18, Ewan Cameron with +17 and Bill Bentley with +15.
6th July
Only six players due to weather, holidays and football! After three rounds, Anthea Sansom was the only unbeaten player and took the honours. Emily Adams was the best of those with two wins.
2nd June
A Stockton team – Richard & Becky Rushton, Catherine Black and Steve Neale - put in a great performance on day 1 of the Inter-Regional squad qualifiers at Solihull on 2nd June, winning four of their six games which placed them 6th overall. Charlie Caruana also played with three Coventry colleagues and was placed 7th. Well done to them all!
1st June
There was a great turnout of 20 players for the June Stockton melee. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players, the star being Bill Bentley with a points advantage of +28 just ahead of Sarah Jerger with +25. John Emberton was third with +14.
4th May
There was a great turnout of 21 players for the Stockton melee on Saturday 4th May for the first dry and warm day of the year. After three rounds there were four unbeaten players, the star being Charlie Caruana who enjoyed 2 13-0 wins and a comfortable 13-6 win for a points advantage of + 33. Sarah Jerger was 2nd with +25, just ahead of Catherine Black with +23. Steve Neal came 4th with +17.
6th April
13 players turned up for the April melee and after three rounds there was just one unbeaten player – Becky Rushton. There were seven players with two wins, the best of these being Alfie Potter with a +19 points advantage. Third was Jenny Lowe with +8, a great achievement as our most recent novice member.
30th March
Stockton’s Annual Easter Saturday Charity Pairs Competition attracted a great field of 18 teams from Whitnash PC, Nomades PC and London PC as well as the home Stockton club, including 10 current and former England Internationals. It was Stockton teams that emerged with the glory with Rich and Becky Rushton winning the final with some great play against very strong opponents. The final of the Plate competition was contested by two Stockton pairs – Sarah Jerger and Jeff Rand against Rich Powell and Alfie Potter, which was clinched 13-10 by Sarah and Jeff.
The competition raised £227 for charity – shared between Myton Hospice (in memory of Dianne Scott) and Dementia UK (in memory of David Kimpton).
9th March
Sarah and Catherine put up a magnificent display to win the Heart of England International Women's Day (IWD) pairs competition from a field of 16 teams from across the Region. Stockton Petanque Club hosted the event and entered four pairs. After four rounds, three of the Stockton teams featured in the top six, with Sarah and Catherine third, Diane and Emily fifth and Anthea and Clare sixth. The top four teams then played a very close semi-final in which Sarah and Catherine beat the England Singles Champion - Hannah Griffin - and partner Carol Woodward from Whitnash 13-11, earning them a final against another Whitnash pair which they also won 13-11.
The top four teams now go forward to the National IWD competition in a field of 32 pairs from all of the England Regions.
2nd March
19 players turned up for the March melee on a very cold and sleety day. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players, the top prize going to Rich Powell, in his first game for six months, with a +30 points advantage. Rich Rushton was 2nd with +22 and Rick Hayes 3rd with +17. Diane Emberton achieved the best result of those winning two games with +16.
3rd February
14 players turned up for the February melee, and after three rounds there was just one unbeaten player - Charlie Caruana - who took the glory. Rich Rushton achieved the best result of those winning two games and was therefore also in the prizes.
6th January 2024
13 players turned up for the January Melee for a pleasant New Year's throw. After three rounds there was just one unbeaten player - Richard Rushton with a +20 advantage. The best of those with two wins was Jeff Rand with +16.
2nd December
10 players turned up for the December mele. After three rounds Dave Hancox was unbeaten with a +26 advantage, with Charlie Caruana second with +16.
Beaujolais Nouveau Melee 18th November
21 players turned up for the Beaujolais Nouveau Melee on 18th on a dull, cloudy but rain-free afternoon. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players, the winner being Dave Hancox with a +24 points advantage, well ahead of Catherine Black on +11. One of our guest players from Nomades PC was third with +9. At the end of play we all retired for a wine tasting of the 2023 Beaujolais Nouveau and a very welcome French-themed buffet. This year’s wine was excellent and the highlight of the buffet was the onion soup, lovingly prepared by Becky Rushton, which rounded off the very enjoyable 2023 Beaujolais party.
4th November
Just 8 players turned up for the November melee with bad weather forecast and we all got soaked! After three rounds there was just one unbeaten player - Emily Adams with a +25. The best of those with two wins was Catherine Black with +12.
7th October
16 players turned out for the October melee in very pleasant weather. After three rounds, there were two unbeaten players – Jeff Rand with a +27 points advantage and Dave Hancox with +14. Third place went to Sarah Jerger with the best points advantage from 2 wins of +13.
30th September - Annual Open Pairs
Catherine Black delivered the best Stockton club performance in our Annual Open pairs on Saturday 30th September, playing with Charles Caruana, so Catherine is now Stockton Club Pairs Champion. This was Catherine’s first full playing season, starting as a novice, so this was an excellent performance. Well done to her!
The Open Pairs was won by a visiting team from Kenilworth – Richard Dinnis and John Geddes.
2nd September
Just 9 players turned out for the September Melee. After three rounds, there was just one unbeaten player - Doreen Scrutton, one of our most senior players. Well done to her. The runner up - with best points advantage from 2 wins - was Jeff Rand.
5th August
Melee cancelled - only 8 players
Kimpton Memorial Challenge 7th July
Stockton hosted the second Annual David/Janet Kimpton memorial match against Coventry PC on 7th July on a very pleasant evening. Each club fielded 7 teams who played three rounds. Coventry won 12 games and Stockton won 9 games, so Coventry retained the Kimpton trophy. The best team on the night was the Stockton pair Rich & Becky Rushton, with three wins and a +22 points advantage, closely followed by the Coventry pair of Jane Geddes and partner Chris with 3 wins +21. The only other unbeaten team was the Stockton pair Rich Powell and Jeff Rand with +14. After play everyone tucked into an excellent French themed buffet, and £120 was raised in the raffle for David Kimpton’s Alzheimer charity.
1st July
We had a good turnout of 14 for our July melee, with three unbeaten players - Rick Hayes with +26, Diane Emberton with +23 and Emily Adams with +18.
Inter-Club
The Heart of England Inter-Club competition was held on Sunday 4th June, with Whitnash emerging as top club with 10 wins from 12 games. Hampton-in-Arden were second with 8 wins and Stockton were joint third with 6 wins.
3rd June
Our June melee attracted 16 players on a hot, sunny afternoon, including friends from East Midlands. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players, the best being Vicki Lloyd from East Midlands with a +21 points advantage. Lizette Powell was a close second with +20, playing for the first time in over a year. Iain Cunningham was third with +18.
7th May
Cancelled due to Coronation
8th April
Eight teams competed at our annual Charity Pairs on Easter Saturday. The final was contested by Stockton’s Rich Powell and Jeff Rand against Whitnash’s Glen Woodward and Hannah Griffin, with Glen and Hannah emerging as winners. The event raised £148 for the Myton Hospice Charity.
1st April
We had a turnout of 14 players for the April melee. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players, the top prize going to Charlie Caruana with a 25 point advantage, just pipping Chris Caruana who was on +23. Rich Rushton was not far behind on +20, taking third place.
4th March
We had a great turnout of 21 players for the March melee, despite a cold - but dry - wind. After three rounds there were five unbeaten players, the top prize going to Catherine Black with 21 point advantage, just pipping Iain Cunningham who was on +20. Becky Rushton was not far behind on +17, just ahead of Charlie Caruana on +15. Dave Hancox and Doreen Scrutton were also unbeaten with a joint +7.
4th February
We had a great turnout of 21 players on a sunny, dry afternoon. After three rounds there were just two unbeaten players - Jeff Rand and Dave Hancox. Dave had an an impressive +24 points advantage to take the honours over Jeff's +17. There were nine players with two wins, the best of these being Doreen Scrutton, one of our new novice members - well done to her!
7th January
12 players turned out on a very wet afternoon and after three rounds there were just two unbeaten players - Rich Rushton with a 19 point advantage just behind our most recent novice joiner - Catherine Black - with +20. Well done to her.
3rd December
Ten players turned out on a cold and almost dry autumn afternoon for the December melee. After three rounds, there were just two unbeaten players - Dave Hancox with +20, just behind Jeff Rand - who won the day with +22.
19th November Beaujolais Melee
A great turnout of 22 players competed for bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau wine including some new players, some friends from Leicestershire and some visitors from Nomades Petanque club.
After three rounds there were just two unbeaten players - Rich Rushton with a +25 advantage and Bill Bentley with +8.
The players and some additional friends and family then enjoyed a French-themed buffet and tasted the Beajolais Nouveau, which was a very good year.
5th November
13 players turned up for the melee on 5th November. After the second round there were only two unbeaten players - Rich Rushton and Jeff Rand, who were drawn to play each other in round three. Rich was victorious and took the honours.
1st October
Ten players turned up for the melee on 1st October and in a very tight competition there were two just two unbeaten players after three rounds, with a tie on +24 points advantage for Anthea Sansom and Sarah Jerger who shared the glory!
25th September
We enjoyed a very competitive round robin for our Annual Open Pairs, with a grand final played between Dave Hancox & Diane Emberton against a team from the London Region Championship squad - Ewan Cameron and Richard Dinnis. The match went to 9 across before Ewan and Richard snatched a four point end to win the competition, but this also gave Diane and Dave the Stockton Pairs Championship.
3rd September
Fourteen players turned up for the September Melee and after three rounds there was just one unbeaten player – Bill Bentley. Well done to him. Seven players ended up with two wins, the best of these being Rich Rushton with a +17 points advantage, followed by Rita David with +9 and Diane Emberton with +7.
29th August
We hosted our Annual Open Triples on 29th August in excellent weather. We welcomed some new friends from Brackley and some old friends from our Half Crown days - Jerome Rousseau and Philppe Bonnet. We played five rounds followed by a grand final. The French team - Jerome and Philippe - were in fine form and were unbeaten in the qualifying rounds, including a 13-4 win against the other finalists - Rich and Becky Rushton, playing with Paula David. However, Becky found some excellent pointing in the final and the Stockton team outclassed the French team with a 13-2 win. Well done to The Rushtons in what was an excellent day's play.
27th August
We played the first round of the Euro Cup for Clubs on the morning of 27th August in a home match against Hampton-in-Arden. We fielded the Knights team and Yeomen team in what we thought was a strong squad. Unfortunately the Hampton squad was in great form and took the match by four games to one.
16th August
18 players gathered from ‘Simply Social’ on a dull afternoon for a friendly game followed by a French themed buffet.
6th August
The August melee had a great turnout of 20 players on very a hot day. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players - Chris Caruana taking the honours with +22 well ahead of Bill Bentley on +10 and Diane Emberton on +9.
2nd July
There was a disappointing turnout of just eight players for the July melee due to holidays. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players - Becky Rushton taking the honours with a +30 points advantage. Dave Hancox was second with +26 and Diane Emberton was third with +24.
4th June
There was a great turnout of sixteen players for the Jubilee melee on June 4th. After three rounds there were two unbeaten players – Bill Bentley and Anthea Sansom, with Bill taking the honours with +21, ahead of Anthea on +13. There were five players with two wins, the best being Dave Hancox with +16. The players then enjoyed a Jubilee party on the piste with a BBQ kindly organised by Dave Hancox.
Easter Saturday Charity Pairs
On Easter Saturday, 16th April, the club hosted an Open Charity Pairs competition which was fiercely contested. The final was between two Stockton teams – Rich and Becky Rushton versus Nigel and Jane May, with Rich and Becky emerging as the winners. Dave Hancox and Bill Bentley won the plate. The event raised £112 for charity.
2nd April
There was a disappointing turnout of just nine players for the April melee, and after three rounds there was just one unbeaten player - Rich Rushton - who therefore takes the honours. There were four players with two wins, the best being Dave Hancox with +10. Sarah Jerger and John Emberton tied for third place with evens scores.
5th March Melee
The March Melee was well supported with 20 players. After three rounds there were five unbeaten players, Anthea Sansom taking the honours with an impressive +24 points advantage. David Mason was second with +21, Iain Cunningham was third with +20 just ahead of Rich Rushton on +19. Becky Rushton was fifth on +16.
5th February Melee
12 players turned out for the February Melee and after three rounds, there was just one unbeaten player - Paula David - who therefore took the honours.
There were six players with two wins, the best being Jeff Rand with a +20 points advantage, closely followed by Rick Hayes on +19.
1st January Melee
The first melee of 2022 attracted 20 players to see in the new season in style. After three rounds there was just one unbeaten player – Paula David, who therefore took the honours. Eight players won two games, the best of these being Dave Hancox with a +11 points advantage, who therefore took second prize.
4th December Melee
The December melee attracted 12 players on a dark, cold afternoon. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players – Dave Hancox taking the honours with a points advantage of +23, just ahead of David Mason on +22. Diane Emberton was third on +16.
Beaujolais Nouveau Melee
We had a great turnout of 25 players for our annual Beaujolais Nouveau Melee on Saturday 20th November, which was played in perfect weather. After three rounds there were four unbeaten players, the honours going to Vicky Lloyd, our guest from Leicester, with a +25 advantage, followed by Keith Pick with +22. Caroline Powell was third with +17 and Diane Emberton was fourth with +5.
After play we all retired to the clubhouse for our excellent French-styled buffet that was provided by Rich and Becky Rushton. The star offering was the delicious French onion soup which we washed down with this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau – which was very nice. We were joined by eight guests and everyone had a great evening with lots of Beaujolais consumed.
6th November Melee
13 Petanquers turned out for the first 1.00pm start of the winter season. There was just one player who won three games - Jeff Rand - who took the prize of two bottles of wine. Dave Hancox was second with two wins +18 and there was a tie for third place - Becky Rushton and Rich Powell both winning two games with +10.
2nd October Melee - cancelled due to heavy rain.
Annual Open Pairs 26th September
Stockton Pétanque Club’s Annual Open Pairs was held on 26th September, and was dedicated to the memory of David Kimpton who sadly passed away on 19th August. The competition raised £100 for Dementia UK. David was a much respected, admired and loved member of the Club for more than 25 years and was a key member of the Regional and National squads.
11 teams turned up for the competition including many Regional and International players. The winners were Patrick Robiquet and JD Scatena who beat Jeff Rand and Paula David in the final. The plate was won by Ewan Cameron and Richard Dinnis.
4th September Melee
The September Melee was well supported with 17 players. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players, Dave Hancox taking the honours with an impressive +30 points advantage. One of our newest members, Nigel May, was second with +20, just ahead of Rich Rushton’s +17.
Annual Open Triples 30th August
There was a disappointing turn out of just six teams for our Annual Open Triples on Bank Holiday Monday. However, the competition was excellent, with a Stockton team - Rich Powell, Alfie Potter and Gareth Potter - winning four out of five games and taking top prize. Three teams won three out of five games, the best of these being another Stockton side – The Knights (Rich & Becky Rushton and Dave Hancox), fresh from being joint second in the Heart of England Summer League which concluded on 25th August.
7th August Melee
The August Melee was well supported with 16 players. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players with Iain Cunningham taking the honours with an impressive +27 points advantage, just ahead of Dave Hancox’s +24 and Rich Rushton’s +17. There were four players with two wins, with Bill Bentley as the best with +14.
3rd July Melee
14 players turned up for Stockton PC’s July melee. After three rounds there were just two unbeaten players with Charlie Caruana taking the honours with an impressive +26 points advantage, just ahead of Sarah Jerger’s +23. There were eight players with two wins, with Becky Rushton as the best with +16.
5th June Melee
15 very enthusiastic Pétanquers turned up for the Stockton June melee in very pleasant weather. After three rounds there were just two unbeaten players with Rich Rushton taking the honours with an impressive +30 points advantage, well ahead of Dave Hancox’s +8. There were five players with two wins, with Becky Rushton as the best with +10.
1st May Melee
18 very enthusiastic petanquers turned up for the May Melee in very pleasant, though unexpected, weather. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players with John Emberton taking the honours with a +24 points advantage, just pipping Jeff Rand’s +22. Charlie Caruana was third with +16.
Easter Melee 3rd April 2021
After 3 months of lockdown, most of our club members turned up very enthusiastically to play in our Melee on Easter Saturday and celebrate the opening of our new 'pavilion'.
Sixteen players competed and after three rounds there was just one unbeaten player - Dave Hancox - who took away two bottles of wine. No less than eight players won two games in some very hard fought matches, and we had a tie for second place - Diane Emberton and Becky Rushton both had a +15 score and took away a bottle of wine each.
We now look forward to playing our regular Winter League and Annual Singles contests on Saturday afternoons.
The October 3rd Melee was cancelled due to inclement weather, and COVID-19 Lockdown prevented any play from the beginning of January until Easter.
September 5th Melee
20 players turned out for Stockton PC’s September melee, including friends from Nomades, Coventry and Whitnash clubs. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players, with John Emberton taking the honours with a +20 advantage. Glen Woodward from Whitnash was second with +18 and Nouri Beladaci from Nomades was third with +13.
August 1st Melee
After a break of 4 months due to lockdown, 10 players turned out for Stockton’s first post-Covid melee on 1st August. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players, with Bill Bentley taking the honours with a +19 advantage. It was great to see Bill in fine form after three months of incapacity. Adam Holland was second with +12, a great achievement for a novice in his very first melee. Dave Hancox was third with +11.
March 7th Melee
14 players turned out for our Melee on 7th March. After three rounds there was just one unbeaten player – Sarah Jerger who therefore took the honours. There were seven players with two wins, the best being Diane Emberton with +10, closely followed by one of our newest members Anthea Sansom with +9. Well done to her!
February 1st Melee
The February 1st Melee attracted 12 players. After three rounds two of our guest players were unbeaten with Vicky Lloyd having a better points (+22) difference and winning over 2nd place Rachael Kelly (+17).
January 4th Melee
The hard fought melee on 4th January involved 14 players and after three rounds there were just two unbeaten players – Paula David and John Emberton – who tied for top place with a points advantage of +10 each. Five players achieved two wins each, the best of these being Rita David with +12 who therefore won third prize.
December 7th Melee
The December melee was contested by ten players. After three rounds there were just two unbeaten players – Dave Hancox and Perry Stevens, Dave winning with a better points difference.
Beaujolais Nouveau Melee
21 players turned out for our Annual Beaujolais Nouveau melee on Saturday 23rd November, all expecting rain but very happy when it held off until the last few minutes of the afternoon. After three rounds there were just two unbeaten players – Dave Hancox and Perry Stevens, with Dave taking the honours on +22, well ahead of Perry’s +11. There were seven players with two wins, the best of these being Becky Rushton on +13, who took third place.
At the end of play everyone adjourned to the club house for a French themed buffet and a taste of the 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau. The wine was very drinkable and the buffet was excellent, particularly the French Onion Soup made by Rich Rushton, so everyone had a great afternoon.
November 2nd Melee
13 players turned out for our monthly Melee on 2nd November in pleasant conditions after the heavy rain in the morning. After three rounds there were just two unbeaten players: Dave Hancox and John Emberton who tied with a +22 advantage. Five players won two games, the best of these being Paula David with +16, who was therefore third in the competition.
October 5th Melee
10 players turned out for our monthly Melee on 5th October and after three rounds there were three unbeaten players. Dave Hancox took the honours with a +19 advantage, with Rich Powell and Perry Stevens tying for 2nd place with +15 each. We also welcomed new players Rick and Sally Hayes.
Open Pairs 29th September
Stockton's Open Pairs attracted 8 teams on a rain-threatened day . Rich Powell paired up with Brian Stote from Coventry and was victorious in the final against Phil Price and Elianne David from Kenilworth. The plate was won by Jeff Rand and David Kimpton from Stockton, and the title of Stockton Pairs champions went to Dave Hancox and Iain Cunningham who were unbeaten in the qualifying league but lost in the semi final to Phil and Elianne.
September 7th Melee
15 players turned out for our monthly Melee on 7th September which had a remarkable finish. After three rounds there were three unbeaten players with just one point separating them. There was a tie for first place between Sarah Jerger and Rich Rushton with +27, hotly followed by Bill Bentley with +26!
Heart of England Summer Triples
The Summer Triples league finished on 4th September with a very tight finish, featuring Stockton teams. Dave Hancox, Pete Bingham and Teresa Bingham entered the final round in the lead and hot favourites. However, the team featuring Jeff Rand had a great last round and just pipped Dave, Pete and Teresa to take the title.
Stockton Open Triples
Our annual Open Triples on 25th August was well supported with 11 teams, including visitors from Leicester, Hereford and Kenilworth. The visitors were triumphant, with the Leicester team beating the Hereford team in the final, and a Kenilworth team winning the plate.
August 3rd Melee
The August melee attracted just 12 players, and after three rounds there was just one unbeaten player – Rich Rushton, who therefore took the honours. Six players had two wins each, the best of this bunch being Wendy Brittain with a +15 points difference.
July 6th Melee
Just eight players turned out for the July melee, the only unbeaten player after three rounds being Charlie Caruana. Rita David was 2nd as the best of the players winning two games, just ahead of Dave Hancox.
June 1st Melee
13 players contested the June melee, with just two unbeaten players after three rounds – Dave Hancox on +26 and Rachael Kelly on +21.
May 4th Melee
There were ten contestants in the May melee, and after three rounds there were just two unbeaten players – Perry Stevens on +12 and Rich Rushton on +11. Well done to Perry as our newest member and his first Melee victory.
Charity Easter Pairs – 20th April
16 teams turned out for our Charity event on Easter Saturday, with Rich Rushton and Alfie Potter representing Stockton PC in the final against the Whitnash pairing of Hannah Griffin and Glen Woodward. Hannah and Glen won the final, whilst the plate was won by the Nomades pairing of David Mason and Phil Price. The club made £190 which was donated to Myton Hospice.
Open Melee 6th April
14 Players turned out for the April melee, and after three rounds there were just two unbeaten players - Bill Bentley taking the honours with a +25 points advantage, well ahead of Charlie Caruana with +14. There were 6 players with two wins, the best of these being Perry Stevens with +13.
Open Melee 2nd March
12 Players contested the melee on 2nd March. Following a very keen competition no-one won all their games after three rounds, with six players winning two games. The winner, with the best points advantage after two wins, was Alfie Potter with +14, just pipping Bill Bentley with +12 and Rich Rushton with +11.
Open Melee 2nd February
Just 9 players turned out for the February melee and after three rounds there was just one unbeaten player - Rich Rushton, who therefore took the honours. There were three players with two wins, the best of these being Becky Rushton with a points advantage of +2, closely followed by Iain Cunningham on +1 and Diane Emberton on -2.
Open Melee 5th January
10 players turned out for the first melee of 2019. After three rounds there were just two unbeaten players - Rich Rushton with a +11 points advantage, and Perry Stevens who ran out winner with +12.
Open Melee 1st December
10 players turned out for the last melee of 2018. After three rounds there were just two unbeaten players - Perry Stevens with a +12 points advantage, and Sarah Jerger who ran out winner with a great +18.
Beaujolais Party Day 17th November
30 people joined the festivities from around the midlands regions, with 3 players remaining unbeaten in a hard fought 3 round melee.
England espoirs player Aimee Collee had the most points and claimed victory.
Fantastic French onion soup provided by James at the club warmed everyone up afterwards as part of our French themed buffet. We also sampled this years Beaujolais Nouveau which was surprisingly good! Overall, a great party!
Open Melee 3rd November
Only eight players turned up due to a poor weather forecast, with Ian Brittain emerging as the winner.
Open Melee 6th October
Following very bad weather forecasts, only six players attended so the melee was cancelled.Open Pairs competition on Sunday
30th September
We attracted 14 teams, including some that travelled from Doncaster, Liverpool and Leicester. The final between Phil Price & Richard Dinnis on one side and Brian Stote & Nouri Beladaci on the other side was a close game ending in victory for Brian & Nouri.
Open Melee 1st September
15 players turned out and after three rounds just two were unbeaten: Ian Brittain with a +23 points advantage gaining first place above Barry Scott with +17. Third place went to Rich Powell with two wins and +17.
Open Melee 4th August
18 players turned out for our melee on August 4th, including eight players from Les Nomades, three of whom took the honours on the day. The best performing Stockton player was Wendy Brittain who was joint 4th.
Bank Holiday Open Triples
Our Bank Holiday Open Triples scheduled for Mon 27th August was cancelled due to Regional match vs Great Western at Oldbury on Sunday 26th involving several Stockton players – which ended up as a washout, abandoned at lunchtime!
Heart of England Closed Singles and Shooting
We hosted the Heart of England closed Singles and Shooting competitions on 8th July with a good turnout of the top 14 players in the Region. Both competitions were won by Phil Price from Les Nomades Petanque Club in Kenilworth, with Dave Hancox as runner-up in the shooting.
Open Melee 7th July
Our Melee scheduled for 7th July was cancelled dur to a clash with England's game in the Football World Cup.
Open Melee 2nd June
15 players turned out for the June Melee, including two new villagers who came along to find out about our sport. After three rounds, Dave Hancox was the only unbeaten player and therefore took the honours. One of the Region's juniors - Elianne David - came 2nd with two wins and a +14 points difference, and her grandmother, Rita David was 3rd with two wins +11.
Open Melee 5th May
We had a great turnout of 26 players on the hottest Saturday of the year so far, including eight friends from Les Nomades PC and two from Coventry PC. After three rounds there were seven unbeaten players, with the honours going to Eileen Sollis with a +30 points difference. Garth Fletcher was second with +19 and there was a three-way tie for third place, with Sarah Jerger, Rich Powell and Jeff Rand all getting +16.
Open Melee 6th January
The bitter cold didn't keep 10 hardy players from competing, with the first honours of 2018 going to the only non member ! Ian Brittain was the only player unbeaten on the day, and with a healthy +23, Perry and Rich Powell took up the runners up spots with 2 wins and +10 & +9 respectively.
Open Melee 2nd December
There was a disappointing turn out of just 8 players for the December melee, with just one unbeaten player after three rounds - Bill Bentley. Four players won two games, the best being Rich Rushton with +15, well ahead of third placed John Emberton on +10.
Beaujolais Melee 18th November 2017
18 players contested the three round melee in very mild weather with a good lighting scheme thanks to Gaz Potter. Dawn Whyte was the only player to win all three games. Alfie Potter was second with two wins and a draw with +16, and Rich Powell and Toby Leeman shared third place with two wins and +13.
10 other members and friends then joined us for the Beaujolais Night party where the Beaujolais Nouveau was excellent, James’ soup was delicious and Dave’s pate and cheeses were good. A great time was had by all.
Open Melee 4th November 2017
Only eight players vied for the honours with Ian Brittain victorious over Sarah Jerger on points, as both remained unbeaten on the day with three wins, but a strong +23 over from Ian beating Sarahs +16. The day began with a small but dedicated working party starting the ground works for a permanent fence around the terrain.
Open Melee 7th October 2017
We had just nine players for our October melee, and for the second month running there was no unbeaten player - just four players with two wins each. The clear winner was Alfie Potter with +21, the other three players had only three points separating them: Diane Emberton with +5, Sarah Jerger with +3 and Dave Hancox with +2.
Open Pairs 1st October 2017
Stockton Open Pairs on 1st October attracted just 10 teams and the overall winners were Phil Price and Richard Dinnis from Nomades, who beat Eileen Sollis and Maurice Rendall, also from Nomades, in the final. The plate winners were Stockton's Rich Powell playing with Nouri Beladaci. The best performing Stockton pair was David Kimpton and Jeff Rand who beat Richard and Becky Rushton in a play-off, to become the 2017 Club Pairs Champions.
Open Melee 1st September 2017
A competitive field of 17 players for the melee with a rarity of no players acquiring 3 wins! So it was down to points difference for the 10 players who secured 2 wins. John Emberton topped that statistic winning the melee with +18, with Ian Britain hot on Johns heels with +16. Third place went to Caroline Powell with +12. A good day that followed on into the evening in the bar for quite a few of the players !
Knights through to Round 3 of the Euro Cup - 5th August 2017
The Stockton Knights progressed to the next round of the EPA's Euro Cup qualifying competition by beating Whitnash 3-2 at home last weekend.
The victory was set up by 2 excellent wins in the opening Triples with Rich Powell, Pete and Teresa Bingham scoring a 13-0 victory and Garth Fletcher, Jeff Rand and newly 'Knighted' Alfie Potter combining well to win 13-8. Alfie and Jeff then went on to secure the team victory with an emphatic 13-0 victory in the opening pairs. Stockton lost the final 2 pairs but with victory already in the bag it hardly mattered. The Knights now await other results before learning who their next opponents will be but we do know that it will be a home tie against opposition from the Great Western region.
Open Melee 5th August 2017
Only 10 players for the melee follow the mornings Euro Qualifier (well done Stockton Knights for progressing through to the next round!), with showers all around but thankfully missing the piste. A strong performance following playing in the morning saw Rich Powell surviving as the only unbeaten player with 3 wins and +21. Second place was Richard Rushton with 2 wins and +17, but the star of the day was Clare Tutin, who only every has played once before and came third with 2 wins and +11, and Clares only loss was 13-12.
Open Melee 1st July 2017
A small turnout didn't prevent a good day with some fierce completion! Ian Britain came through with the only player on 3 wins with +21, With Rich Powell second and Richard Rushton third.
Regional Singles & Shooting Competition 4th June 2017
Thanks to all the players that took part in the Regional Singles and Shooting competition. Despite the afternoon downpours the day went really well thanks to David Mason's excellent organisation.
It was a record turnout for this competition and it was a pleasure to see a group of players enjoying playing, showing great sportsmanship all day and sharing a laugh and a joke.....that's exactly how Petanque is supposed to be played. Congratulations to our new Regional Singles Champion - Alfie Potter who played a great game in the final against Ian Brittain who was a worthy runner-up. On the new shooting piste at Stockton PC, Phil Price deservedly won the title and I'm delighted that he will now represent the HoE Region at the National Shooting competition at Hayling Island later in the year.
Open Melee 3rd June 2017
18 players enjoyed a pleasant summers afternoon, with some keen competition from some getting in practise for the next days Singles & Shooting completion. The 3 players that won the first triples, became the only three to remain unbeaten throughout the day, with points difference of +22 making John Emberton the overall winner, just sneaking victory over Paula David by 1 point, who was runner up, and Jeff Rand coming third with +14.
Open Melee 6th May 2017
A strong 17 players competed for this months Melee, with 5 players unbeaten after 2 games going into the final round. All fell foul to their opponents except Richard Rushton, who won as the only unbeaten player with 3 wins and +26, 9 players battled in with 2 wins each, with Bill Bently grabbing the runners up prize with 2 wins and +18 and Dave Hancox in third with 2 wins and +16.
Open Melee 1st April 2017
14 players dodged the April Showers with Nigel Ashby coming out victor on points difference with 3 wins and an impressive +29 points. Dave Hancox was the only other unbeaten player on the day with a commendable +23 points. Wendy Britain was the best of the 2 wins brigade with +6.
Open Melee 4th March 2017
13 players battled for the March honours with our resident coach Dave Hancox standing alone as the only player unbeaten with 3 wins and +16 points. Nigel Ashby with 2 wins and +19 and Brian Stote with 2 wins and +16 were runners up.
Open Melee 4th February 2017
11 players enjoyed a beautiful crisp February afternoon with some competitive games throughout the afternoon. Just one player remained unbeaten, Sarah Jerger, winning the melee with +10. Junior member Alfie Potter in second with 2 wins and +15 and family affair tied in third place with Paula (last months winner) and Rita David both with 2 wins and +7.
Open Melee 7th January 2017
A good turn out of 18 players on a misty afternoon with some experienced players from other clubs trying our challenging terrain for the first time. 2 players remained unbeaten, with Paula David winning the melee with +19 closely followed by Nigel Ashby with +17, the best of the rest with 2 wins in joint third were Penny Bratos and Richard Rushton with +10
Open Melee 3rd December 2016
Just 10 club members turned out for the December melee, and after three rounds there were just two unbeaten players - Dave Hancox and Rich Rushton who tied with +13 each. Rich Powell was third with two wins +4 just ahead of Geoff Jerrom-Pugh with two wins +3.
Beaujolais Nouveau Melee 19th November 2016
14 club members turned out for our special Beaujolais Melee on 19th November which was followed by a party at which we tasted this year's Beaujolais Nouveau. The wine was very good and the buffet was excellent - especially the French Onion soup which James Neal prepared for us.
The melee was won by Bill Bentley who was unbeaten with +21 followed by Rich Powell who was also unbeaten with +16. Third place went to Sarah Jerger who was best of those with two wins, managing a +20 scoreline.
The party went on until past 11.00pm so a great day was enjoyed by us all.
Open Melee 5th November 2016
12 players turned out on a bright, but chilly, afternoon for the November melee. After three rounds, there were just two unbeaten players - Gaz Potter and Alfie Potter, with Gaz just pipping Alfie for 1st prize with + 14, against Alfie's +11. There were four players on two wins, the third place being a tie between Jeff Rand and Alan Potter with +5.
Open Melee 1st October 2016
The melee was cancelled due the extremely bad weather. However, we were able to play our Saturday Club thanks to the temporary shelter that Gaz Potter and Dave Hancox built for us on the Friday. Many thanks to Gaz and Dave for their hard work.
Open Melee 3rd September 2016
We played our first Melee at Stockton Football and Cricket Club on 3rd September on our newly laid terrain.
We had 22 players who played enthusiastically despite pouring rain.
There were four unbeaten players after three rounds, the winner being Ian Brittain on +27, just ahead of David Kimpton on +26 Rich Powell on +23. Geoff Jerrom-Pugh was fourth with +15.
Open Melee 6th August 2016
The July Melee was cancelled due to too many unavailabilities, and only 12 players turned up for the August melee. However, we enjoyed a good contest in sunny weather and after three rounds there was just one unbeaten player - Diane Emberton, who enjoyed her first ever melee victory. There were six players with two wins, the best being Richard Rushton with +12 and in third place was Alfie Potter with +5.
Open Melee 4th June 2016
14 players turned out on a dull but warm and dry afternoon. After three rounds there were just two unbeaten players with Sarah Jerger taking the honours with a +21, ahead of Jeff Rand on +12. There were six players on two wins, the best of these being Richard Rushton with +16 just ahead of Gaz Potter on +15.
Open Melee 7th May 2016
There was a good turnout of 21 players on what started as a beautiful day, including 5 guests from Les Nomades. After three rounds there were just two unbeaten players - David Mason (+17) and Richard Rushton (+15).
Heart of England Closed Pairs 24rd April 2016
16 pairs contested the Regional Pairs contest at Kenilworth, the winners being Dianne Scott playing with Gary Durant (from Solihull). Dave Hancox was runner up, playing with Nouri Beladaci from The Nomades. Both pairs go forward to The EPA Champion of Champions in October.
Open Melee 2nd April 2016
There was a good turnout of 16 players for our first melee to be played on the hill alone.
Three players were unbeaten on the day, first prize going to Jeff Rand with a +15 score, just ahead of Toby Leeman on +10 and Sarah Jerger on +9.
Easter Monday Triples
This was played at Kenilworth on an extremely wet and windy morning, with a good turnout of 13 teams for a competition that was dedicated to the memory of Patrick O'Flynn and raised £120 towards the cost of his headstone in Ireland.
The winners were a strong team from Kinver who ended the day unbeaten after a good final against a team from Coventry. The plate was won by John Emberton, Russ Davies and Lyn Roberts.
Open Melee 2nd January 2016
12 players turned out on a wet and windy afternoon, and of those who played all three rounds there was just one unbeaten player - Sarah Jerger who won two bottles of wine for the privilege. The best of those winning two games was Dave Hancox with +21 followed by John Emberton on +20.