Belated congrats to Aoyama Petanque

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 ...

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

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

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

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

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