Pisted up at the HSPC end of year party!

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

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

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

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

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?

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 ...

... 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!

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!!!