Brighton and Hove Petanque Club

Players at the Peace Statue Terrain (West Pier in the distance)

The Brighton & Hove Pétanque Club (BHPC) was formed in 1995 by a dozen or so players who started playing on the all-weather football pitch at The Level, Brighton.

The club was originally called A Lot of Boules, the Brighton & Hove Pétanque Club and was sponsored by A Lot of Gaul, the then French shop in Kensington Gardens, Brighton, run by the club’s founder President, Ray Ager.

We asked the Council if there was any possibility of providing an “official” terrain and we were very lucky as the Council agreed to convert the former derelict boating pool by the West Pier into a large, purpose built terrain in 1996. With support from the then British Pétanque Association (BPA), Brighton hosted the inaugural round of a new national competition, the British Open. The club also held regional matches for the then BPA SE Region, comprising Kent and East Sussex.

The West Pier terrain was originally “as flat as the proverbial pancake” and has been gradually improved over the years by the club to create a much more authentic Provençal style terrain, which has been highly commended by visiting players.

A second, smaller terrain was built at Hove Lagoon, a few years later and the club has a regular mid-week group who play there.

Plans for the redevelopment of the West Pier meant that we were likely to lose the West Pier terrain, which was earmarked for a 3-storey commercial development – a scheme which received large-scale public opposition as an “out of character” development.

Fortunately for the club, the Council had generously agreed to replace the terrain and we now have the Peace Statue terrain, giving Brighton and Hove two of the finest terrains in the country in an unrivalled seafront location.

Over the years, pétanque has become more and more popular and become an established seafront activity, especially during the warmer summer months. Of course, the keen club members play all year round!

2006 saw Brighton hosting a Nation Competition, the English Pétanque Association (EPA) Over-50s Doubles, which saw both terrains full to capacity with the country’s top players.

Brighton has always been viewed as a “showcase” venue for pétanque, being one of the few venues with large enough terrains to host the bigger competitions and offering superb facilities for players and the crowds of spectators.

Written by Ray Ager