Himalaya Sugi Petanque Club

A star is born ...

2010-09-07T11:20:00.006+09:00

Veteran 6-year-old petanque player Jay Okawa (yes that's right, SIX!) came of age in the Tokyo Petanque League on Sunday, Sept. 5, teaming up with his dynamic dad to stave off defeat against the HSPC boys, or to pinpoint the blame a bit more precisely, Chris and ... er ... Greg.

With some precise pointing, and hot shooting, Jay and dad won the last game 13-4 to split the honors on the day.

Well done to the Okawas and their team in earning a 5-5 draw. Something tells me I'll be losing a few more games to Jay in the future ...

Full results can be found on the TPL site.

River petanque rocks!

2010-08-23T13:16:00.003+09:00

An excellent day chillin' out by the river at Okutama on Friday with a little swimming, floatie riding, boulles and brews.

The piste was very sandy a little away from the river but on the edge it was rocky with the river swallowing up any wayward or shot boulles. Thanks Bob and Steve, let's do it again lads!

Stone The Crows laundry service!

2010-08-23T13:08:00.003+09:00

Sharp-eyed Steve recently spotted a crows nest high up one our beloved trees in the park. When he climbed up to investigate he found about 40 coat hangers nursing a well-made nest. Seem these crafty crows in Tokyo steal hangers and underwear to build their nests.

Watch your washing boys!

Petanque haiku from Don the poet ...

2010-08-10T12:27:00.002+09:00

Feeling refreshed after a weekend of hiking in Idyllwild, Ca., and upon seeing HSPC has closed the gap in the TPL, I was inspired to compose some petanque haiku.

Silver ball takes flight
Quiet stillness broken now
There is a carreau

Blue skies of summer
A warm breeze across the piste
Thunder of the boules

` Thirteen to zero
Not happy in the outcome
A fanny to kiss

The pig stands alone
The assault comes rapidly
Only one team scores

and one for the pervs

Feel the heavy balls
The hand moves purposefully
Sweet release again

Congrats on tying things up,
Don

HSPC keeps TPL title hopes alive

2010-08-09T16:55:00.003+09:00

HSPC kept its Tokyo Petanque League title hopes alive when it defeated OBA 6-2 on Sunday, Aug. 9, at Toyama Park in Okubo. After splitting the first two games HSPC won the next four to seal victory.

Well done guys and a big thank you to the OBA crew for a fun day, fine spread and some nostalgic tunes on the record player.

Full results can be seen on the TPL website.

HSPC ties Mon Soleil in league

2010-07-24T16:24:00.004+09:00

HSPC held defending champion Mon Soleil to a 4-4 tie in our Tokyo Petanque League clash on Sunday, July 17. After a flying start that saw HSPC take a 3-0 lead, the boys had visions of victory but some fine play by our opponents and a few strategy errors on our part left both teams deadlocked.

Despite the disappointment it was encouraging to hear all six HSPC players take responsibility and admit they could have played better.

Full league results can be seen here.

HSPC attracts more talent ...

2010-06-24T14:48:00.003+09:00

After a petanque marathon on Saturday, the boys of HSPC showed their mettle by turning out two teams for the 19th Japan Cup tournament, played on Sunday, June 20, in the shadow of Tokyo Midtown. Raj, Bill, and Francis formed one team, while Steve, Bob, and Don made up the other. It was a day of mixed results for the Himalayans. Raj, Bill, and Francis got off to a good start, winning their first game, but were then bogged down by exceedingly slow play in game two, where they eventually lost to the team that wound up winning the tournament. The painfully slow torture of that game two loss seemed to deflate the HSPC boys for a while, but they finally rallied to pull out a close win in their final game. Steve, Bob, and Don had better luck, winning five out of six games on the day and finishing third overall, which brought a prize of one bottle of Bordeaux for each of the three players--the kind of prize that HSPC takes to heart (and in the case of Don's bottle, almost immediately to the stomach).

The petanque was followed by a gathering at an outdoor pub in Roppongi attended by all the players (except Bill), Mike, and some special guests -- Francis' girlfriend Leigh, brother Alex, Layla, and Jamie. The pretty faces of the young ladies together with the pleasant breeze and cool glasses of beer (awanashi, of course) made it an evening to remember.

HSPC has talent!

2010-06-12T15:00:00.002+09:00

At the welcome party for Brother Don on Friday night, some artistic talent emerged in the ranks -- Layla wowed the guys with her miniature origami!

She's probably got a great eye for measuring boulles too!

Have a great trip Don, looking forward to next Saturday's comp.

A day of missed chances ...

2010-05-17T11:29:00.002+09:00

HSPC stumbled to our first loss this year in the Tokyo Petanque League, falling 6 games to 4 to Aoyama at our new home ground on Saturday, May 15.

It was a good learning curve for many guys. The first game when Francis knocked Albert/Ogawa out to get six points to lift the score to 11-5 was immense and we looked set to see the game out and go 2-0 up, instead Albert and Ogawa crawled back and we lost.

After Raj and Bill surprisingly lost two games early, we were suddenly trailing 1-4 and we had to make some tough decisions. Hold some of the more experienced pairings back for a finale that might not eventuate or throw caution to the wind and try to get back into the game. We rallied well getting back to 4-5 but that last win proved elusive. Hey, those are the breaks.

Congratulations Aoyama.

Thanks to everyone for bringing down plenty of food and drinks on Saturday and to those who helped mark the courts. Next time we need a tent peg for that hard ground.

Previously, HSPC had defeated Hiratsuka Beach Petanque 7-3 on April 24.

Full league results can be seen here.

HSPC opens new TPL season with a win

2010-03-23T12:07:00.012+09:00

HSPC began its 2010 Tokyo Petanque League (TPL) campaign with a comfortable win on March 21, defeating OBA 8-2 after electing to hold our home game at Aoyama due to restrictions on play at Myoshoji Park.

Both teams had solid turnouts and the captains agreed to play 10 games.

After the first two games were split, with rival captain Monty spearheading a strong shooting perfomance for OBA, several HSPC rookies entered the frey and performed well as our depth of squad showed through.

Well done team!

The team post-game party at Zest had plenty of zing!

Full match results on the TPL site.

Big Bill, little brother and getting hit for six!

2010-02-23T15:43:00.006+09:00

A huge turnout at the park on Saturday with 13 of us present under sunny skies, including Big Bill and little brother Kevin visiting from Washington D.C. Kevin took to the game well and pointed his way to several wins.

In one of the highlights of the day, one lucky team, who shall remain totally anonymous, scored six points in the last frame to win 13-8!

Kevin, drop by again next time you're in Tokyo and this time please stick around for the post-match party!

V comes through with the B!

2010-01-19T11:15:00.006+09:00

Barolo is an Italian wine, one of many to claim the title "Wine of kings, and king of wines". This Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wine is produced in the Cuneo province, south-west of Alba, within the region of Piemonte.

While most HSPC members are no strangers to the taste of fine wine, Vasili, the Baron of Belarus, was handed a harsh lesson in the value of this vino supremo when he drunkenly made a bet on a boulle measurement for FIVE bottles of the great grape during a late night game last year.

Thanks for the Barolo Vas, only three more bottles to go!

Pisted up at the HSPC end of year party!

2009-12-11T14:48:00.004+09:00

HSPC would like to thank our management, sponsors, families and legions of fans worldwide for all their support in 2009! :)))

All the best for 2010!

Vas and Bob swim against the Sagamihara tide

2009-12-08T11:52:00.014+09:00

HSPC's last game of the 2009 Tokyo Petanque League was away to Sagamihara Belle Equipe on Saturday, December 4. Knowing a win would give us a chance of finishing second, the boys started their warm-up routine on the train by shooting some Ebisu steel.

But our physical preparations proved inadequate for the rocky "car park" terrain, with Vas and Bob the only team that earned victories for the club under frigid conditions.

In the last game in particular they showed great spirit through torrential rain, earning HSPC our second win as we lost 6-2 on an inconsistent piste.

Congratulations to Sagamihara on their win, and to Mon Soleil for capturing the league again. Thanks Mizumoto san and crew for a fine spread.

A big thanks also to Adrian and Okawa san for all their work on the league admin side and to all the teams that participated.

We look forward to next year's competition.

Full results here.

HSPC triumphs against OBA in league

2009-11-17T11:23:00.005+09:00

A lovely autumn day on Sunday at Myoshoji Park saw HSPC defeat Okubo Boules Association 8-0 in the Tokyo Petanque League. Bob and Raj raced out to an early 13-0 victory while Steve and Greg labored away in a lengthy battle before emerging winners over Monty and Nakahara san 13-8.

Bob and Yutaka then teamed up winning 13-5 while Greg found some form to take the weight off Steve as they triumphed 13-2.

In the end seven HSPC players flew the team flag with new boy James Allen getting his first taste of league action in a win with Steve. Father Pete also deserves an honorable mention for blessing us in the last game.

Steve was in fine form -- especially in the first game with Captain Crumble -- and earned MVP honors.

Full results can be seen on the Tokyo Petanque League site.

HSPC final game of the TPL season will be a toughy, away to Sagamihara Belle Equipe.

The HSPC beach boys rock in Hiratsuka

2009-10-19T21:28:00.006+09:00

HSPC traveled to the sunny Shonan shores on Sunday to take on Hiratsuka Beach Petanque in the Tokyo Petanque League.

The Okawas and crew have an excellent set-up, exclusive courts looking over the sea. Their team were great hosts and offered a superb spread of food and drinks. On the piste, the visitors adapted well to the Aoyama-like terrain, going on to win the day 6-2 with Steve and Greg sharing MVP honors after triumphing in all four games. Vas and Bob also showed great spirit to battle back from huge deficits to emerge victorious in both their games. For the first time in a while, the team didn't have to rely on Raj the Rock.

Well done guys.

Full results can be seen on the Tokyo Petanque League site.

Not even new team shirts could help HSPC beat Mon Soleil

2009-10-06T19:49:00.005+09:00

A damp day on Saturday, and for our league campaign, as HSPC fell at home to front runners Mon Soleil 6-2, despite the arrival of new team shirts.

Congratulations to Hosoda san and her team and a big thanks to Big Bill for the new shirts and team cooler!

Full results can be seen on the Tokyo Petanque League site.

Bob the ... builder?

2009-09-29T14:25:00.003+09:00

Thanks to brother Don for the pics and blog.

Brother Bob can be seen helping with the final tamping of the piste in San Diego.
He developed his own techniques, one move was termed the "starfish tamp" and another the "kangaroo tamp", at one point he tried to combine his two moves into the "kangaroo starfish" and ended up tamping his big toe. There's also a shot of Bob explaining to my wife, Maritza, the intricacies of his tamping moves (note the blister covering tape on Bob's thumb).

Don

HSPC beefs up security measures ...

2009-09-22T14:58:00.004+09:00

... amid introduction of new leakproof team cooler! :)))

A fine long weekend of petanque to greet Bob on his return to Japan. New boulles, new cooler, but those memorable Myoshoji sunsets haven't changed.

Bob and Don show us how it's done!

2009-09-15T13:03:00.012+09:00

A superb series of photos here from Bob "the Pointer" and brother Don with friend Keith on the new HSPC piste in San Diego.

Those mega wine goblets courtside need filling up with some California Chardonnay!!!

HSPC hangs on to beat OBA

2009-09-08T11:19:00.010+09:00

HSPC narrowly defeated OBA in the Tokyo Petanque League on Sunday, Sept. 6.

Racing away to a 3-0 lead in the best of eight series, visiting HSPC appeared in control before OBA rallied well to level the series at 3-3.

As darkness set in, Raj and Bill combined to earn our fourth victory before Steve and Greg held on 13-11 in a nail-biter.

Some solid play by Steve, Raj, Bill and Chris to carry Captain Crumble. Thanks guys.

Thanks also to OBA for a fun day, a superb spread and some loaded G and Ts!

HSPC opens court in San Diego

2009-08-10T17:45:00.004+09:00

A big hello to brother Don in San Diego, who has just completed building his own petanque piste in his backyard! Way to go mate!

Construction required Don to shovel about 8 tons of 3/8-inch playing surface material from his driveway in the front of the house into the backyard.

Good to see you building up those shoulder muscles to carry your brother on his upcoming return home! :)

Greg

A day of disappointments ...

2009-07-14T11:18:00.005+09:00

HSPC could only manage a draw against Aoyama Petanque in the Tokyo Petanque League on Saturday July 11 at Myoshoji Park. After both clubs split the first two games, Bob and Raj won the third and Steve and Greg were leading 10-6 in the fourth but squandered the opportunity to take a 3-1 lead.

From there Bob and Vas lifted us to 3-2 but Steve and Raj couldn't hold on for the win against Ogawa and Yokoyama san. With the games tied 3-3, Vas and Bob came up large to beat the hot pairing of Adrian and Albert, but Greg and Raj fell to Bernard and Mochizuki san to see the day end at 4-4.

Both teams blew several opportunities to score big and, as hard as it is to say, a draw was probably the fairest result.

Big thanks to Vas who once again played great, winning both his games. Sorry we couldn't do the same.

More pics to come later.

HSPC kick starts league campaign with vital victory

2009-06-22T13:30:00.007+09:00

After two narrow defeats, and a scrappy draw, HSPC finally posted its first victory of the 2009 Tokyo Petanque League campaign, overcoming Sagamihara Belle Equipe 7-1 on Saturday, June 20.

Raj and Big Bill earned MVP honors, going undefeated in their three games, while Bob also played a great anchor role, teaming up with three different partners – Greg, Chris and Vasili – to post an impressive 4-1 record himself.

Determined to get off to a fast start, Greg and Bob came out of the gates like Usain Bolt, dashing to a dream-like 10-0 lead before the sprint race turned into a battle of endurance and, after hacking into the lead with two 4-point frames, Sagamihara leveled the scores at 10-10.

From there the fading HSPC boys caught a bad break when Bob's clean knock out sent a boulle into the bit and after some pinballing, the target ball settled amongst three of Sagamihara's boulles. With only one ball left, Greg needed to throw a quality shot to at least have a chance of extending the game but his effort came up well short and a gutted HSPC were left wondering how we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

The second game featuring Raj and Big Bill, two players renown for lifting their games to match the occasion, started in a similar style with HSPC taking an early lead before Sagamihara fought back. Our opponents had a chance to clinch victory and take a 2-0 lead but failed to grasp the opportunity. Sensing a win was there to seal, Raj and Bill held their nerves and slammed the door shut on a 13-12 victory to even the score at 1-1.

Fresh off an amazing 61 on the golf course on Friday, Chris entered the match, teaming up with Bob in a critical Game 3 for a 13-8 triumph. Unlike his native banana-bent state Down Under, Chris was straight and true on the piste, his pointing packed with the poison of a thousand Cane Toads.

Raj and Bill teamed up for two other victories, as did Belarusian bamboozler Vasili and Bob, while Greg and Bob erased the pain of their opening defeat with a tight 13-11 result as HSPC rolled to an impressive 7-1 triumph.

Despite early warnings from the local constabulary following a complaint about "dangerous steel balls flying high," the celebrations continued well into the night and morning, with Steve joining in the festivities, making an emergency dash from Narita Airport. Top effort mate!

Next up, HSPC takes on undefeated rivals (and good friends) Aoyama Petanque at home in another "must win" scenario for the Peter Pan Boyz.

The Aoyama Petanque Wine Tasting Club

2009-06-09T11:31:00.003+09:00

A big thanks to the "Aoyama Petanque Wine Tasting Club" for their generous hospitality on Saturday. Endless bottles of grape, goose liver, cheeses, Barolo, salami, Pinot Noir, prawns, Merlots ... even some hard-fought games.

Thanks guys!

Nomination for HSPC 'Man of the Year'!

2009-06-01T12:23:00.005+09:00

On another stormy Sunday, the "Peter Pan" boys braved the elements and amid the thunder in the skies and the roar of the surging canal behind the "clubhouse," an early nomination for HSPC "Man of the Year" emerged.

Riding his mom's trusty steel steed, young Alex Witmer surfaced from behind a wall of water, answering a desperate call from some freezing fathers. Just like jolly Saint Nick on his sleigh, he was bearing handfuls of gifts: three fleece jackets and three umbrellas.

Warmed by the selfless sacrifice, Alex was suitably rewarded, only to return half the gift to his grateful father.

Good luck with your studies in the U.S. Alex, and a big thanks from us in Never Neverland!

The convenience and consideration of Japan ...

2009-05-25T14:03:00.006+09:00

After some fun games between Albert-Greg and Bob-Steve on a weather-wonky Sunday afternoon, the crackle of thunder grew louder and the dancing lightning became brighter. The inevitable downpour soon followed and after initially taking refuge under the shelter of the Himalaya Sugi tree clubhouse, we were washed out and retreated to the safety of the nearby 7-11.

Sipping a Sapporo while waiting under the awning for the storm to pass, the sympathizing manageress came out and after a mandatory "taihen desu ne," invited us to drink our beers in the warmth of the dry shop. A few sticks of yakitori later and exchanges of pleasantries, the boys finally headed home.

The Japanese can be very considerate.

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Pisted off! More league frustrations

2009-05-11T13:54:00.003+09:00

HSPC traveled to the shoreline of Shinkiba on Sunday, May 11, to take on defending champion Mon Soleil in the Tokyo Petanque League. After a poor start to this year's competition that has left HSPC with one draw and a defeat, the boys needed a win and got off to a solid start, easing out to a handy 3-1 lead before Mon Soleil shuffled their team, brought in the big guns, and clinched the clash 5-3.

Congratultations Mon Soleil!

Full results can be found on the TPL site.

HSPC battles back for draw after another slow start

2009-05-04T12:15:00.004+09:00

HSPC hosted Hiratsuka Beach Petanque Club at Myoshoji Park on May 3 in the second round of the Tokyo Petanque League and once again found themselves four games down before battling back for a 4-4 draw.

Some fine play by our opponents, a morning start, and a lack of "fuel" were all cited as causes for our disappointing performance.

Thanks to Okawa san and his crew, you have a great club.

Full results can be found on the Tokyo Petanque League site

Next up HSPC plays away to last year's champions Mon Soleil and like in 2008, HSPC will be looking for (and needing!) a win!

HSPC's courageous rally comes up short

2009-04-14T12:30:00.009+09:00

HSPC lost its opening game of the new Tokyo Petanque League season on Saturday, falling 5-3 to host Aoyama after rallying from 4-0 down.

Under perfect weather conditions -- and a playing terrain fit for Martians! -- Aoyama raced out to a dominating lead and appeared destined to sweep all matches before Bob and Vasili started the fight back for HSPC, streaking to a 13-0 victory.

On center court, Greg and Chris eased out to an impressive 10-3 lead against "snipers" Albert and Bernard before the sharp-shooters clawed back into the match. In a game many said was the most exciting petanque game they've ever witnessed, the momentum swung both ways before underdogs Chris and Greg held their nerve to seal a 13-11 victory.

Sensing a draw was there to be had, the experienced duo of Raj and Bob teamed up to tackle nemesis Adrian and Albert, a combination that the HSPC pair hadn't beat at Aoyama in several years. After a surprising 6-point first frame, Bob and Raj won the game 13-6 to bring the dream of a draw closer to reality.

But HSPC's heavenly run ended there, with Chris and Greg struggling to reproduce the magic from the previous game against Mochizuki san and Kurosawa san, falling 13-1.

Kurosawa san, the smiling assassin, deservedly won MVP honors with his 13-1, 13-1 performance.

Thanks to Aoyama for their warm hospitality and congrats on the victory, you were the better team overall.

Most picturesque petanque piste in the world?

2009-04-06T18:54:00.005+09:00

OK, so the lads are a little bit biased on this one but spring in the park is hard to beat. Beneath the blanket of cherry blossoms there's barely space for a game. So in my heart I know Steve and I didn't get thrashed yesterday. :)

Another picturesque piste that comes to mind is the cathedral-like setting of the Place de la Bien-Aimée in Madagascar. Love to play there one day.

The Italian Spiderman, a sleeping sloshed Swede and Finnish reindeer salami ...

2009-03-30T14:46:00.004+09:00

A few unusual visitors to the park on Sunday.

The Italian Spiderman

The sleeping sloshed Swede

And Yuha returned for a visit from Finland with some fantastic reindeer salami.

A fun day in the park.

We missed you Raj.

Get well mate.

HSPC to play away to Aoyama Petanque in league opener

2009-03-09T16:32:00.002+09:00

The Tokyo Petanque League is set to start for 2009 in April and two new teams have been added to the roster to bring to total number of clubs to six.

The teams are:

Aoyama Petanque
Himalaya Sugi Petanque Club
Hiratsuka Beach Petanque (new)
Mon Soleil
Okubo Boules Association
Sagamihara Petanque Club (new)

HSPC travels to Aoyama Petanque for our first game.

Here is the draw.

April / 4月
1st Round
AP - HSPC HBP - SPC MS - OBA
May / 5月
2nd Round
HSPC - HBP SPC - MS OBA - AP
3rd Round
HBP - OBA AP - SPC MS - HSPC
June / 6月
4th Round
HSPC - SPC AP - HBP OBA - MS
July / 7月
5th Round
HBP - MS SPC - OBA HSPC - AP
August / 8月
Summer Break
September / 9月
6th Round
SPC - HBP OBA - HSPC MS - AP
October / 10月
7th Round
HBP - HSPC AP - OBA MS - SPC
8th Round
HBP - AP HSPC - MS OBA - SPC
November / 11月
9th Round
HSPC - OBA MS - HBP SPC - AP
December / 12月
10th Round
OBA - HBP AP - MS SPC - HSPC

Good luck HSPC!
2007 inaugural champions!

Albert celebrates the big Five Ohhh!!!

2009-01-29T16:44:00.004+09:00

A belated post on Albert's 50th birthday a few weeks ago. Some fun games of Petanque in the afternoon followed by a wild night of festivities. Congrats Al!

HSPC, Aoyama toast the end of the year at Charlie's spot

2008-12-31T14:05:00.012+09:00

A galaxy of stars from the Tokyo petanque scene drowned out the end of the year with a mega party at Charlie's spot.

The events of the night are a major blur but the photos suggest a great night (and morning) was had by all.

Thanks Charlie, good luck with the bar.

Global appeal ...

2008-12-26T14:38:00.004+09:00

A big hello to Scott, Don and Tom in the U.S. who have taken a real 'shining' to petanque, so much so that they have invested in their own boules and Don has even gone to the extreme of building his own piste in his backyard!

A dream for us here in tight Tokyo!

I can see a future trans-Pacific challenge brewing!

All the best guys from the 'Peter Pan' proteges!

Await the pics of the piste Don!

Mon Soleil wins Tokyo Petanque League

2008-12-01T14:30:00.003+09:00

Mon Soleil defeated Aoyama 6-2 on Saturday Nov. 29 to lift the Tokyo Petanque League. After joining the competition this year, Mon Soleil finished the season with five wins and one loss, the team's only defeat coming against HSPC in the opening match of the year.

HSPC, which struggled with scheduling and had several key players miss matches, finished joint second with Aoyama.

Congratulations Mon Soleil!

The photo shows HSPC player Rajan presenting the trophy to Hosoda san of Mon Soleil.

HSPC comes third in Japan Cup

2008-11-17T15:02:00.013+09:00

The team of Bob, Raj and Bill overcome sloppy terrain conditions to finish third in the Japan Cup on Sunday, Nov. 16. Well done guys!

Heavy early morning rain dampened our enthusiasm before we agreed to play after some encouragement from "twinkle toes" Albert, whose shoes picked a fine day to explode and were only held together by some superb "technical" repair work by Vasili.

The other team of Chris, Vas and Greg finished midtable -- good enough for a box of chocolates! -- but did win a hard-fought clash against Albert's team 11-10.

HSPC knocked out of league title race after drawing with OBA

2008-10-27T13:21:00.002+09:00

HSPC drew 4-4 with OBA on Saturday in the Tokyo Petanque League, ending any chance HSPC had of making a playoff.

Despite the disappointment, it was good to see Big Bill team up with Raj for four convincing wins. Well done guys.

Good luck to Aoyama and Mon Soleil.

Mon Soleil shoots past HSPC

2008-09-08T12:04:00.017+09:00

HSPC lost to Mon Soleil in the Tokyo Petanque League on Saturday, September 6 at Myoshoji Park. Early morning rain made the ground sticky, with some peculiar turns puzzling the home side.

Playing without the experienced Bob who was in the United States, HSPC struggled from the outset against a hot shooting team. Raj did his best to carry the side, teaming up with Charlie for a nail biting 13-12 win, but it just wasn't our day.

One of the few bright spots for HSPC was "Father Pete" giving a game the ultimate blessing, a 13-0 drubbing with Steve.

Next time, though, I think we may need more "holy water."

Congratulations to Mon Soleil.

Making the most of a lousy weekend

2008-08-26T12:26:00.002+09:00

What happened to summer? Lousy weather over the weekend didn't stop a diehard group of enthusiasts from getting together on Sunday.

Thanks to Albert and Yokoyama san for coming down from Aoyama and MPC regulars Charlie and Kato san.

Several good games from under the trees and later from the warmth of the "clubhouse."

Bob's posh umbrella is apparently a reincarnation of Albert's beloved Loius Vitton that sadly was lifted in a brazen attack last year. There have been several rumors of sightings among the faithful at the Stadium of Light ...

The famed Aoyama Petanque clubhouse?

2008-08-18T12:01:00.003+09:00

A few years back when I first started hurling the rock, the experienced players from Aoyama Petanque would often come down to Myoshoji and with their fine play, personalized towels, state of the art measuring devices and regular reference to "World Championships," I had thoughts of Aoyama Petanque being like the Wimbledon of the Tokyo boules scene.

Visions of personalized lockers, showers, and a clubhouse serving the freshest croissants and vintage Bordeaux poured through my mind and I looked forward to one day making my debut at the sacred club.

Of these grand expectations, only the warm hospitality, generous food and drink spread, and purist approach to the game proved true.

The "clubhouse" is in the shape of a collapsible table, and a few makeshift chairs. Shelter from the elements is provided by the overhanging trees and for those "extreme" weather conditions, a scrub bunker protects players from heavy downpours.

In other words, not that different to our beloved Myoshoji Park.

Thanks for a great day on Saturday Aoyama. Some fine play and a lot of laughs.

Greg

44 beers and a 4 kilo steak for Steve's 44th birthday!

2008-08-05T12:11:00.002+09:00

A great day down the park on Sunday with plenty of beers sunk to celebrate Steve's 44th birthday. Some competitive games too that stretched well into the balmy night.

The four-day party ended on Monday night with a family feast fit for the whole team, a certified Prime Angus Cow!

Hope the next year's a cracker, Steve!

Feeling the heat ...

2008-07-28T12:18:00.003+09:00

A big weekend for visitors to the HSPC club with Neil from England dropping by on Saturday and Frenchman Bernard and Adrian from Switzerland joining us on Sunday.

Neil, a former power lifter, took to shooting very quickly and after teaming up with Raj and Greg was inspirational in a 2-1 game victory over Mike, Vas and Yutaka.

Bernard and Raj took on Bob and Greg in the first game on Sunday and rallied from 5-0 down to win 13-10 in a marathon. Next game saw Adrian, Bernard and Greg take on Bob, Raj and Yutaka and after playing over some rocky terrain not often visited by the home club, Adrian, Bernard and Greg emerged winners before Steve stepped in for Yutaka and the home side won the revenge match.

A loud storm threatened to wash out our fun but apart from a few drops held off. The only answer to the stifling heat was plenty of ice-cold beer and a lovely bottle of French white wine.

Thanks to all those who dropped by. Not too many photos of the action though we did capture one of the red skies at sunset.

Scott sighting ...

2008-07-18T12:21:00.003+09:00

Scott's been secretly training in the Himalayas for the Petanque World Championships and the intrepid traveler looks to have recruited some new team mates.

Way to go dude!

Still drying out after Scott and Rick's visit ...

2008-07-02T12:20:00.003+09:00

The rain fell in buckets -- as did the beers!!! -- when Bob's friend Scott and his pal Rick visted from the US on their way to the sacred Himalayan Homelands.

Thanks for playing in the league Scott, you did well mate.

The mini barbie was a beauty! Got to get some more of those sausages.

Great seeing you guys and some memorable games from under "The Clubhouse."

Stay in touch.

Greg

Red-hot Aoyama trounces HSPC in league

2008-06-16T09:41:00.010+09:00

Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus once said, "you don't judge a champion by the way he celebrates winning, you judge him by how he takes defeat."

After getting trounced 7-1 at Aoyama on Saturday in the Tokyo Petanque League (TPL), the Myoshoji boys took the loss very well, so well in fact, they "celebrated" until 11:30 p.m. at the ground!

Aoyama's Adrian Buehler is one of the best players in Japan and if he brings his "A Game" to the piste, you certainly better have yours. Bob and Raj did on Saturday and that still wasn’t enough. Adrian and the ever steady Yokoyama san combined for a very convincing 13-3 win in the opening game.

On court 2 Steve and Greg were on cruise control, rushing out to a 10-0 lead before Albert, whose game has matured tremendously in recent years, anchored a steady revival with Ogawa san to lock it all up at 11-11. From there Steve had a chance to win – or possibly lose! – the game and after flirting with danger by hitting the top of the bit, HSPC moved to 12-11 before Aoyama seized the game with two points.

HSPC then shuffled their teams and introduced Scott, Bob's good friend from the US, and even though he hadn't played for two years, he soon found his touch. Teamed with the experienced Bob, they came close to stealing victory before Takahashi san won the game in style, shooting out two boules for the win.

In the fourth game, Raj and Vas got out to a rough start against the red-hot Adrian and Yokoyama san and were trailing early before rallying to make it a good contest, though they two eventually succumbed, falling 13-8.

HSPC then introduced two fresh faces into its line-up, baseball players Big Bill and Chris, who also performed admirably considering they hadn't played in years, but once again victory proved elusive.

It was left to Steve and Greg to salvage some pride for the day, defeating Albert and Ogawa 13-6 san in a replay of their opening game, but the damage was done.

Congratulations Aoyama, you played great.

So at the halfway point in the TPL, three teams sit atop the standings, HSPC, Aoyama and Mon Soleil.

Full results can be seen on the TPL website.

HSPC beats Aoyama to stay undefeated in TPL

2008-05-25T11:45:00.008+09:00

HSPC hosted Aoyama on Saturday May 24 in the Tokyo Petanque League, winning six games to two to remain undefeated atop the standings.

In the absence of the jetsetting Raj, Bob "Mayor of Myoshoji" Witmer teamed up with Magical Masafumi Kamata and the pair put on an impressive show, winning 13-0, 13-4, 13-10.

Steve and Greg struggled early but managed to win their first game before losing the second. The loss woke the boys up and they went on to win their next two games to seal a 6-2 victory overall. Rain soon washed out any further friendly games and the lads retreated to our favorite pub Amenbo to toast our success.

Later in the evening we were thrilled to get a call from Raj at Hong Kong airport checking on how we did. What great concern, the effort worthy of an early nomination for HSPC Man of the Year.

For full results see the TPL website

Big Al's Big Party

2008-05-08T12:21:00.005+09:00

A great turnout recently for Albert's petanque party with about 20 friends -- old and new -- showing up. Between the festivities, we even mananged to play a few games ...

See you soon Albert, take care.

HSPC opens TPL title defense with win over Mon Soleil

2008-05-07T11:06:00.003+09:00

HSPC opened its Tokyo Petanque League (TPL) title defense on April 26 with an important away victory over new team Mon Soleil.

Playing against a strong shooting team that included professional Konari san, HSPC expected a tough battle and rose to the challenge, winning the first five games before running out 6-2 winners.

Full results can be seen here.

HSPC wins consolation tournament at Tokyo Midtown Cup

2008-04-21T15:03:00.003+09:00

HSPC fielded two teams in the Tokyo Midtown Cup on Sunday, April 20, and despite the disappointment of not advancing to the finals tournament, the team of Bob, Raj and Greg came alive in the afternoon and trounced some solid competition to win the consolation tournament.

Well done guys.

Boulles on tour ...

2008-04-08T21:28:00.004+09:00

There has been a bit of talk about a camping tour in the summer so I took the opportunity to scan for a few venues during a recent family tip to Doushimura in Yamanashi Prefecture.

The cherry blossoms had just started to bloom and the rocky venue by the river made for some interesting and scenic Petanque.

I still favor Okutama though for the tour as it offers day-trip options for those who wish to return at night.

Seagull sightings ...

2008-03-26T11:46:00.004+09:00

New HSPC member and avid Brighton and Albion Seagulls fan Pete dropped by the park on Saturday with Francis, a childhood friend from England, and his wife Suzanne.

After a few ales, the English trio of Pete, Francis and Mike teamed up for a game against Charlie, Orite san and fresh face Quincy.

With Pete's wife cheering on her man from the sidelines, the boys from Ol' Blighty pulled off a rarity for an international English sporting team -- a victory!

Thanks for coming down.

Steve and Mike win Tokyo Midtown Cup

2008-02-18T12:19:00.008+09:00

HSPC fielded three teams in the Tokyo Midtown Cup on Sunday, Feb. 17, and the pairing of Mike and Steve overcame an early setback to win the event, breaking the club's drought at the Akasaka monthly tournaments.

Despite some confusion with the draw, all three HSPC teams -- Sherpas (Bob and Raj), Snow Leopards (Mike and Steve) and the Yaks (Charlie and Greg) -- qualified for the finals with 2-1 records in the morning's play.

The Yaks' satisfaction at advancing was short-lived though after Charlie went walkabout, last seen mountain trekking in Tibet, during the brief lunch break and Greg had to face Aoyama alone in a three balls vs. six situation, giving up eight points in two rounds in a hopeless scenario. Charlie eventually returned to base camp and a brief rally was launched. At 9-3 there was a sliver of hope of pulling off the impossible but the weight was too heavy for even a Yak to haul and Charlie and Greg bowed out of the tournament 11-3 to Tom and Yokoyama san.

Bob and Raj were leading 9-6 and looked set to move on but a late rally by their opponents dumped them out of the tournament as well.

That left Mike and Steve and with some solid teamwork and plenty of encouragement on the sidelines from their club mates, the Snow Leopards showed their claws and triumphed in a tense final.

Needing little excuse to celebrate anything, the HSPC boys weren't going to waste this golden moment and sunk endless amounts of golden ale to toast the victory.

Congratulations Mike and Steve!

Let it snow ...

2008-02-06T17:33:00.000+09:00

Some memorable weather and games on the weekend, with Kato san from MPC teaming up with our Bob on Saturday to defeat Steve and Greg. Kato san's knowledge of the ground was on full display with some astute pointing in the confusing sandy/muddy terrain. Whenever Steve and Greg looked liked changing the momentum, Bob was on hand to blast away with a double-barrell attack that would have made Wyatt Earp proud! It was a vintage display of shooting from Bob and we hope he can carry that form into the Feb. 17 tournament at Akasaka.

Steady snowfall on Sunday did not deter the boys and a six-pack of players turned up to take shelter beneath the 'clubhouse.' Several games were played on the back "tracks" with Bob and Steve taking on Albert and Greg.

Bob continued his fine form from Saturday and with Steve as reliable as ever they took the first game. Albert and Greg found their range and combined well to capture the second match and chipped away for a hard-fought decider in the dark.

The HSPC boys would like to thank ailing Albert for making the effort to come down in the snow and are sure his health will soon be on the road to a 13-0 recovery!

HSPC captures inaugural Tokyo Petanque League

2008-01-21T12:54:00.000+09:00

HSPC won the inaugural Tokyo Petanque League on Saturday, January 19, after defeating the Okubo Boules Association (OBA) 4-0 in the best-of-seven playoff series at Aoyama.

The matches were all hard-fought in a good spirit, and the 4-0 scoreline doesn't reflect how close the games were.

Playing on the rocky "graveyard" piste, the teams of Raj-Bob and Steve-Greg were determined not to get away to a bad start, which had led to the team's demise at OBA in our earlier clash.

So much for game plans.

It wasn't long before Raj and Bob were staring down both barrels on Center Court, trailing 7-2 against Monty and Bernard. Greg and Steve had their own troubles, stranded in the direct firing line of "assassin" Yutaka, who couldn't seem to miss a knock out.

Patience was needed and Bob and Raj slowly clawed back, edging ahead 9-7 before holding off a late charge by Monty and Bernard.

Steve and Greg, though never trailing in their game, couldn't break away from Tom and Yutaka and with the scores locked at 7-7, the game was anyone's to win. Finally the HSPC boys got in sync and found their zone, edging ahead 9-7 before clinching a 13-7 victory.

The next round was also a good match-up with Steve and Greg holding a slim 4-3 lead over Monty and Bernard prior to Steve shooting the bit out of bounds, and with our opponents out of stock, he earned HSPC four valuable points.

But OBA again rallied and brought the score back to trail 8-7. With the pressure on, Steve and Greg found their range, edging ahead 10-8.

In the final frame, Greg was sitting on the point with Bernard's boule in second but Greg was holding third and fourth with his boules well-grouped.

With three chances to shoot Bernard's boule for the victory, Steve stood up and fired in low and hard -- a direct hit to seal HSPC's third win of the day. The result meant that the pairing of Steve and Greg managed to go through the league undefeated.

Attention quickly turned to Center Court, where Bob and Raj were trailing 12-9 before drawing on their experience in clutch situations to trim the lead to 12-10. Raj then led off and put his first attempt on the money, and after a few misfired shots from OBA, Bob clinched the third point and the league title, sparking a night of celebrations.

We'd like to thank OBA and Aoyama for their sportsmanship and hospitality and look forward to some great games and happy times in 2008!

HSPC wins treasured beer coupons at Akasaka monthly tournament

2008-01-21T12:31:00.000+09:00

Following our success in winning the playoff for the Tokyo Petanque League title, the team of Bob, Steve and Mike nursed their hangovers to the Akasaka school ground to represent HSPC in the monthly tournament on Sunday, Jan. 20.

A few hiccups in the morning meant that our team did not advance to the finals. Despite their disappointment, news that the winners of the "tanoshimi kai" ("Friendly Event") would receive beer coupons got the boys frothing at the mouth and they stormed home to victory, winning three game straight including the final 11-0.

Congrats guys, please bring the beer coupons to the park next week!

Also a big thanks to Adrian and the Aoyama crew for a very well-organized tournament.

Belated congrats to Aoyama Petanque

2008-01-16T17:29:00.001+09:00

Congratulations to Aoyama Petanque representatives Albert, Tom and Yokoyama san who won the 2nd annual HSPC End of Year Invitational on Dec. 30.

Amidst temperamental weather that saw blue skies, storms and cold wind, the event was hard-fought with several games going down to the last point.

Apologies for the delay in posting but we were waiting for Vasili's photos, which have captured the atmosphere of the day -- and night!

Thanks Vas!

Braving the elements ...

2008-01-14T12:55:00.000+09:00

Despite some lousy weather on Saturday the boys braved the rain and rigged up a courtisde cover before playing a few games between the rocky "back tracks." Steve in particular was in fine form and his hot hand could only be cooled by numerous beers.

Later in the day a "well oiled" Ale-bert dropped by to celebrate his birthday (we think he may have started early) and the play continued to deep in the evening.

The Sunday recovery session was relatively mellow until "Bingo" arrived to fire the boys up with his courtside commentary and later from the front lines pointing.

They love you in New York Bingo, in Takao, even in Myoshoji!

Surprises aplenty at inaugural HSPC Awards

2007-12-28T13:07:00.000+09:00

The prestigious HSPC Awards extravaganza was held at the posh setting of the Dubliners Shinjuku on Dec. 29 and a gala mix of "athletes" and celebrities came out to support one of the premiere events on the Tokyo social calendar ... er, not quite, but we had a great night.

The first prize up for grabs was the "Fashion Statement of the Year Award." The "Man in Black" was a hot favorite to scoop the prize over the models sporting their latest HSPC T-shirt designs but late entries by "Rodeo Raj" and "Rob DJ Wokmer" added interest to the event and in a photo finish Rob stole the award with a toe-tapping version of "We Will Wok You" which stirred up the Dubliners crowd.

The "Appreciation Award" was next up on the agenda and there were two nominees. Kawamura san from MPC for his endless generosity -- designing the logo for our T-shirts, supplying photos of our team in action and, best of all, the supplier of countless cans of Sapporo beer of late due to his poor performances on the piste!

The other contender was Brother Don of sandbag boule fame who's selflessness extended to supplying every member of the team with his own set of cushonettes, color coordinated for any occasion. The Don got the nod for the prize and we hope to see him at Myoshoji in the near future. Thanks again guys.

The "Party of the Year Award" was a hotly contested affair with many memorable performances including the all night BBQ at Greg's following our win over Aoyama in the league (Anyone need any chicken???). But the standout live performance by "The Seahawks" with Charlie on bass and Bob on guest harp got the boys groovin’ and was one of the most memorable nights of the year.

The final prize on offer was the "Man of the Year Award." This prize, not strictly limited to HSPC members, is given to a player whose actions go beyond the call of duty, a player who puts the game and the team ahead of anything else. There were many honorable efforts ranging from Bob bringing extra boules to the park every week to Albert regularly making the trek across Tokyo for a game with the boys. But one player topped these acts when he checked himself out of hospital to play in the league decider. This great competitor also refused to sit on the sidelines when he broke his ankle and played with a crutch in one hand, boules in the other.

The HSP Man of the Year is Charlie!

Well done mate, drinks on us on Sunday!

Happy New Year to all!

Keep 'em in front!

OBA defeats HSPC to set up playoff for league title

2007-12-28T12:22:00.000+09:00

After HSPC had gone undefeated in the Tokyo Petanque League, Okubo Boules Association (OBA) dealt our team its first loss of the season on Dec. 16 to force a playoff for the title.

Behind from the first frame, our boys could never really find their rhythm and loss all 6 games.

The wild piste -- a fast terrain mixed with "rocks of death" and blankets of leaves -- proved untamable for us visitors, though we look forward to a future challenge.

The games were played in a good spirit and HSPC would like to thank OBA for their hospitality.

The two teams will clash for the trophy in a playoff at neutral Aoyama in January in a best of seven series.

HSPC stays undefeated in Tokyo Petanque League

2007-11-06T14:00:00.000+09:00

HSPC resumed action in the Tokyo Petanque League on Saturday Nov. 3 and defeated Aoyama Petanque five games to one to remain undefeated.

Despite a threat of early rain at our beloved Myoshoji Park, the clouds cleared and after a hearty buffet washed down with champagne (or honey in one case! Sorry guys!) play commenced around 1 p.m. HSPC won all three games in the first round and sealed two of the remaining three matches to clinch the points to stay atop the league.

A few "revenge" friendlies followed in the "Swiss Alps" before players from both teams retired to the local izakaya for some seafood and suds.

Thanks to all players for making the day a success.

Full league results and standings

HSPC defeats OBA in Tokyo Petanque League

2007-09-25T17:45:00.000+09:00

After an initial away draw against Aoyama in the Tokyo Petanque League, HSPC took on Okubo Boules Association (OBA) on Saturday, Sept. 22, on our home piste at Myoshoji Park.

The blistering weather made the ground crusty and inconsistent but a few cold ales smoothed the most important surface and HSPC fared well, with the teams of Bob and Raj and Steve and Greg winning all eight games.

The full results were:

Harrell-Mettam 13-4 Di Pietro-Hagans
Witmer-Shastri 13-5 Di Dunnam-Yoshikawa
Harrell-Mettam 13-8 Dunnam-Yoshikawa
Witmer-Shastri 13-0 Di Pietro-Hagans
Harrell-Mettam 13-12 Di Pietro-Yoshikawa
Witmer-Shastri 13-2 Dunnam-Hagans
Harrell-Mettam 13-9 Dunnam-Hagans
Witmer-Shastri 13-10 Di Pietro-Yoshikawa

After the dust settled, HSPC retreated to the tranquil setting of Greg's backyard for an impromptu celebratory BBQ, with the beers and snores (of one member!) lasting till well into the morning hours.

Well done guys.

For further details on the league see Tokyo Petanque League

Raj, Steve and Bernard win Tokyo Midtown Cup

2007-09-19T16:12:00.000+09:00

It was an early rise and late shine on Sunday, September 16th, for HSPC members Steve and Rajan and guest Bernard.

After an initial setback in the opening game, the lads focused or getting through to the afternoon. An 11-3 defeat of the Samurais got things back on track, and with confidence restored, HSPC dominated NDB-5 11-1 in their third morning game to advance.

With 90 minutes for lunch on a sizzling day, the boys made the wise decision to replenish vital fluids and were joined by Ale-bert and Mike.

A few swigs of medicinal ale at trendy Tokyo Midtown recharged the tanks and HSPC soared through the afternoon competition, blanking NPD-4 11-0 in the final to seal a well-deserved victory.

Congratulations guys!

HSPC, Aoyama share spoils as Tokyo Petanque League gets underway

2007-07-23T13:22:00.000+09:00

HSPC traveled to Aoyama on Saturday for the opening round of the Tokyo Petanque League. With many players away, working or on the injured list HSPC could only field one team but Bob and Greg earned a valuable draw for the club.

The rocky terrain was difficult to adjust to and getting close to the bit proved a real challenge. HSPC trailed in most games but rallied well and managed to salvage three important wins.

Full results can be seen at http://tokyoleague.petanque.cc/

Next up HSPC plays Okubo at home in September after the teams agreed to delay August's scheduled game.

Charlie back on his feet, sort of ...

2007-07-23T13:15:00.000+09:00

After slipping and breaking his ankle, Charlie made a welcome return to Myoshoji Park on Sunday following a five-day stay in hospital to have his leg operated on.

With one hand on his crutches, and his foot wrapped in a bag, Charlie joined Bob and Greg for a game of three-way killer and performed very admirably, making several trademark clutch throws to earn the point.

His effort has earned him a nomination for HSPC Man of the Year!

We wish him a speedy recovery.

A big hello to Don in San Diego

2007-07-23T13:13:00.000+09:00

Don, thanks for the feedback on our site. More regular updates to follow after a brief lull. Humble apologies.

Greg

PS The "sand bags" are all polished and await your return!

Mixed success at the Tokyo Midtown Cup

2007-04-16T16:41:00.000+09:00

HSPC fielded one team (Bob, Rajan and Steve) at the Tokyo Midtown Cup on Sunday, April 15.

In the morning session, Bob played all 3 singles matches winning one, and Rajan and Steve played the 3 doubles matches winning two.

In the afternoon two matches of triples HSPC won both games which placed us tied for 3rd. Thus we had to have a one round play-off between us and the other tied team, which they won with the very last ball leaving us to place 4th out of 27 teams in all.

First thru third received trophies and some other small prize items.

Not a bad performance considering we were 5 wins and 3 losses match wise.

One of the 3 teams from Myoshoji Park (MPC) took 2nd.

Congratulations MPC. We'll toast your success down the park.

2-to-1

2007-04-11T17:57:00.000+09:00

The park has been very crowded of late with hanami lovers enjoying the blooming cherry trees.

After a school fundraiser on Saturday, Mike and I managed to stagger (literally) down to the park and Raj and I teamed up for a game of doubles against Bob and Mike. We jumped out to an early 8-1 lead and this is when it got interesting, so to speak.

Bob challenged us to a 2-beers-to-1 bet that they would beat us. "You're on," we replied and despite getting it to 9-1 we fell in a huge hole and choked.

We eventually lost 13-9, I believe, but don't quote me; it was all a bad dream...

'Ya gotta go 3-0 in the morning boys'

2007-03-06T10:51:00.000+09:00

HSPC put together two teams for the 9th Kanto Petanque League Cup, held under stinging sunshine at the Akasaka Junior High School ground on Sunday March 6.

The event marked the debut of our team T-shirts, which initially were a good omen as both teams -- HSPC-A (Bob, Raj and Bill) and HSPC-B (Steve, Greg and Francis) -- went through the morning with impressive 3-0 records.

Prior to the big day, Albert from Aoyama Petanque had kindly reminded us of the need to go undefeated in the morning if we wanted to advance to the championship round in the afternoon, a sharp reminder of a previous hiccup when our team failed to advance despite having a solid 2-1 record.

Ironically, this time Albert's team (Aoyama Petanque 2, comprising of Adrian, Albert and Bernard) lost one morning match (6-5, called game) and were crossing their fingers that they would go through to the finals.

Surprise, surprise, they advanced with a superior point differential than their opponents.

The Aoyama Petanque guys made the most of their opportunity and went on to win the event convincingly after HSPC's two teams lost their first afternoon games to different clubs, albeit by the narrowest of margins.

Congratulations Aoyama Petanque.

MPC win 'Champions League' final

2007-02-21T12:16:00.000+09:00

A very healthy turnout at the park on Saturday, including many friends from MPC.

After a few mixed rounds within the clubs we played a "Champions League" format with two teams facing off from MPC and two from HSPC. The respective winners advanced to meet in the final.

Bob, Raj and Yutaka took on Steve, Michael and Greg and in a well-fought game Bob's team emerged victorious (11-10) after he threw a superb long-distance knockout to get the winning point with his team's last ball.

In the final against MPC, the HSPC guys led early but MPC rallied for the win.

Congratulations MPC.

Going out on a limb ...

2007-02-13T16:09:00.000+09:00

Another balmy weekend saw a large turnout at Myoshoji on Saturday with several members from MPC dropping by for a few rounds. Discussions focused on the upcoming tournament and our new team shirts that Kawamura san has kindly designed.

All the talk of tree cones (the six-pack of beers may have helped …) inspired Steve to climb to the top of our clubhouse, the 8-meter tall Himalaya cedar tree, in search of a few fresh cones to model the design on. After a few tense moments swaying in the canopy, Steve descended with a chest full of treasure.

Sunday was marked by chilly winds and the return of lost son Albert, now of Aoyama fame. It was great to shoot the breeze, and share a few knock-outs, with the lanky legend over a couple of carafes.

Kampai, Kawamura san!

2007-02-05T17:27:00.000+09:00

Here's a tribute to our good friend Kawamura san, who apart from being very handy with a camera has expanded his portfolio to include logo design.

Kawamura san and his MPC teammate Shimizu san joined us at the park on Saturday and the master blaster was in superb form, hitting about 80 percent of his knock-out shots.

Kawamura san was aided by a trusty pal -- a bottle of 25%-proof shochu!

"I play better when I drink!"

Hard for anyone to argue with that, though he is very camera shy and would not pose for a photo.

A day in the snow, January 2006

2007-02-02T15:22:00.000+09:00

I remember this day vividly as Mike called and said he fancied going down the park.

"It's snowing mate!" was my reply but he was still keen so off I went with the children.

The weather did not deter Raj and Bob and we all had a good laugh in the 'warmth' of our clubhouse.

For some reason the guys had their medals they won at a recent tournament. They look more like winners of a ski event than Petanque! It was a great day, one we all made the most of.

Photos courtesy of Kawamura san (MPC).

Cherry blossoms, 2005

2007-01-30T16:05:00.000+09:00

Japan Cup 2004

2007-01-30T15:47:00.000+09:00

The photos above were taken at the Japan Cup in November of 2004. Bob from HSPC played with Adrian from Aoyama Petanque CC and a Japanese guy. The team finished second and won 5,000 yen each.

Our official team logo

2007-01-30T12:24:00.000+09:00

Kawamura san from MPC has kindly created our team logo from the photographs he took on the weekend. Thanks very much. 誠に有り難うございます！

Anyone know where you can get some good quality shirts printed up in Tokyo?

HSPC's team emblem

2007-01-29T15:04:00.000+09:00

Look out Nike and Adidas, HSPC now has its own team emblem courtesy of these photos from Kawamura san at MPC. The cone is from our favorite Himalaya Sugi tree.

Toasting the weather

2007-01-29T14:53:00.000+09:00

Despite gloomy weekend forecasts of snow and rain, Saturday was a balmy day down the park and the first plum tree buds started to bloom in the area. Together with the unusual January weather, there were several upsets during the day with Steve and Greg getting the better of Bob and Raj and the team of Raj, Mike and Greg coming back from 9-0 to defeat Bob, Steve and Charlie. Mike continued his good form of late and was undefeated on the day.

This Sunday HSPC will be fielding a team in a triples tournament at Akasaka High School.

Good luck guys.

The sound of one hand clap ...

2007-01-24T21:19:00.002+09:00

A good turnout at Myoshoji on Saturday Jan. 20, with Charlie Kamata and two of his MPC teammates showing up for a few games.

For some reason, probably a lack of beer consumption, HSPC struggled early in a few games of triples and were beaten soundly by MPC. Seemed every round we'd all throw one ball in the gutter followed by a decent shot. You don't tend to win too many games when you're playing three boules to your opponent's six ...

On Sunday a few of us made it to the park and Bob and Yutaka teamed up against Mike and myself. We got off to a great start leading 8-0 but as expected they fought back and evened the scores at 9-9. The tide turned again, though, and with Mike throwing some solid knock out shots we held on to win.

The rematch was another close affair and the scores were locked up at 12-12 before Mike sent the cochonnet back deep and with Bob still holding one boule and nothing really close we thought they'd take the game but Bob's shot came up short.

Bob did throw the shot of the day, though, with a brilliant high lob to extract our boule from a tightly-packed cluster.

HSPC comes third in New Year Tokyo Cup

2007-01-22T15:51:00.000+09:00

HSPC participated in its first tournament of the year at the Akasaka High-School ground, with the team of Bob, Bill and Rajan, defeating Fukugawa for third spot.

The team lost once in the morning round but with a 2-1 record (and a high win/loss point ratio) advanced to the finals.

Congratulations guys.

(Photo courtesy of Aoyama Petanque)

More pics of the HSPC Cup

2007-01-22T12:21:00.000+09:00

(Photos courtesy of Kawamura san, MPC)

Brothers in boules

2007-01-22T12:08:00.000+09:00

A few links to Petanque sites in Japan.

The Japan Petanque Boules Union site offers a wealth of information on the game in Japan, including tournament information, how to obtain a license, and numerous links to official organizations, clubs, etc.

We also regular play with with our good friends at Aoyama Petanque CC and the Myoshoji Petanque Club, who share the same homeground as HSPC.

The inaugural HSPC Cup

2007-01-17T18:55:00.000+09:00

HSPC held its first tournament on Dec. 30 at our homeground, Myoshoji Park.

Six teams participated in the triples league format, two from HSPC, two from MPC, one from Aoyama Petanque and a team put together for the event.

The weather was ideal and thanks to the annual New Year exodus from Tokyo, the park wasn’t crowded and we could play three games simultaneously.

The games were fought out in a competitive, yet friendly, manner and at the end of the day HSPC 2 (Raj, Steve and Greg) emerged undefeated to lift the cup, or in this case three bottles of wine.

In second place was team BRT (Bill, Rajesh and Takahashi), while MPC 1 (Kamada, Samejima, Kato) came in third.

After the day's play, the teams retreated to a local izakaya for the end-of-year party and presentation of the prizes.

Team BRT’s performance was outstanding as it was the first Petanque game for Bill, who generally spends his weekends on the pitcher’s mound.

A big thank you to Masafumi ‘Charlie’ Kamata for his help in organizing the event and for bringing the kegs of beer!

Choosing the right boules

2007-01-16T19:12:00.000+09:00

Several members have recently expressed an interest in buying, or upgrading, their boules. Here's a handy guide, unfortunately only in Japanese, to choosing the right weight and size.

Our beloved clubhouse

2007-01-15T19:21:00.000+09:00

After racking our brains trying to come up with a name for our “drinking club with a petanque problem,” the lads finally agreed to pay tribute to our expansive clubhouse. The Himalaya cedar tree, or Himalaya sugi as it’s know in Japanese, offers a forest of protection to the weary petanque player, shielding enthusiasts from snow, sunburn and lukewarm Sapporo.

Here you can see our dedicated members defying the elements and fine-tuning their stroke despite the blizzard.

Tournament on Feb 4

2007-01-15T19:16:00.000+09:00

There will be a triples tournament on Sunday, Feb. 4 at the Akasaka Chugakko ground. Usual times, usual procedures.