Janet Kimpton
It is with great sadness and shock that we have to report the sudden and untimely death of Janet Kimpton. Janet, who was a originally a member of Coventry Pétanque Club and more recently a member of the Half Crown Pétanque Club in the Heart of England Region, was a popular and talented pétanque player, who has played at the highest level during her twenty plus years of activity in the sport and represented her Club and Region on many occasions. She had a zest for life and a wicked sense of humour, and was always ready to share her pétanque expertise with others to encourage them and help improve their play. Jan was a great character, full of fun, was kind, thoughtful and caring and she will be greatly missed by her wonderful husband David and their family and her many friends. We are sure you will join us in sending our sincere condolences to David and the family. Her funeral will take place at Canley Crematorium on Friday, 4th January 2013 at 1.30 and afterwards we will celebrate her life at Coventry Golf Club, St Martin's Road, Finham Park CV3 6RJ. David asks that those attending bring a single red rose to hold during the service and leave at the coffin or take home as a memory. He will welcome any savings made as a donation to Myton Hospice.
God Bless you Jan.
1942-2012
God Bless you Jan.
1942-2012
COVENTRY PETANQUE CLUB’S REMARKABLE WIN
Coventry Petanque Club achieved a superb victory at The Burnt Post on Kenpas Highway at the weekend, toppling a Stockton team bristling with international players.
Their team of six, which included three relatively novice players, took on a team of seasoned players representing The Half Crown club at Stockton, near Southam, three of whom recently represented England in the Men’s World and Ladies’ European Championships.
The match began with two triples games, the experienced home triple of Tony Thompson, John Baxter and Brian Stote facing Herve Bavazzano, recent World Championship player, Ben Treend, playing his first match for the Stockton club, having been newly recruited from the Portsmouth area, and local legend David Kimpton, former secretary of the British Petanque Association.
Using their superior knowledge of the terrain, Coventry built up an early lead of 7-1 and although the visitors then began to keep pace with their hosts over several ends, the home team ran out 13-9 winners.
An even more remarkable win was achieved by Coventry’s other triple, the mixed team of Eileen Sollis, Alf Smallman and Gareth Twitchett who faced Claire White, who returned only last weekend from playing for England Ladies in the European Championships in Ghent, Belgium, Jerome Rousseau, one of the top England players for over a decade and fresh from the World Championships in Marseille, and Richard Powell who travelled as coach to the national team at Marseille.
After a nervous start in which a point went each way, the Coventry players, none of whom had played for more than three years and certainly never against this level of opposition, managed to take a five off the third end and began to grow in consistency and confidence.
They pointed amazingly well and put the shooting skills of the opposition to a severe test on a difficult surface and took the game with an astonishing 13-5.
Despite this remarkable start, the tie still remained open with the players dividing into three pairs for the second round.
Alf Smallman and Gareth Twitchett, playing against Bavazzano and Powell, struggled to match the range of skills available to the visitors, and succumbed 5-13, the match margin reducing to 2-1.
Tony Thompson and John Baxter had a tremendous tussle with Rousseau and Kimpton which reached 12-12 with Rousseau having to shoot out a specific Coventry boule from a crowded head with his team’s last boule, and succeeding, to level the match at 2-2.
Attention then turned to the final game in progress, the mixed game between Eileen Sollis and Brian Stote for Coventry against White and Treend for the visitors. An early lead by the home team was whittled away until the score stood at 7-7. From then on, Stockton won two singles to go 9-7 up, Coventry responded with another to go to 8-9 and the visitors made a three to sit 12-8 and the win beckoning.
Sollis and Stote dug in to retrieve two points to reach 10-12 and two more singles to get to 12-12 and sudden death. The deciding end looked to be slipping away but a tight point from Stote moved the jack to hold the lead and he still held a boule to play. Treend shot but only clipped the boule to leave it still holding and had to clean it with his last shot to pressure Stote to win the tie.
Fortunately for the home squad, he missed the vital shot and the Coventry team burst into celebration at a victory over a club which has dominated Midlands petanque for several years and were National Club Champions in 2010, representing England in the European Cup for Clubs in Denmark.
Coventry now progress to the semi-final stage to face Harrow, Bancroft Park (Milton Keynes) and The Engine (Baldock) on January 27th. at a neutral venue. The winners of which will go to a four-club final in 2013.
John Baxter remarked, before the tie, “We stand about as much as chance as Celtic had against Barcelona”. How right he was!
The annual Dinner 2012
The annual presentation dinner this year was held at Raffles Restaurant Kenilworth. The committee were a little aprehensive during the planning of the event as the meal cost was a little more than in previous years and we also had to guarantee a minimum of 30 diners. In the event all worries were cast asside when the final numbers got to 32.
The attention to detail by the restraurant was second to none and both food and service were excellent. A small problem with one meal was soon sorted out and I think we can forgive that. A surprise on the evening was the pianist. This extra had not been expected but added a certain extra ambience to the occasion.
Guests of honour this year were Heart of England President Barry Cox and his wife Carol. Barry said that he was surprised and honoured to have been asked to attend and was delighted to hand out the trophies to all this years winners. We also welcomed David and Susan Sutton, Chris and Charles Caruana and Rosaleen Preston, who had been invited as paying guests in recognition of their continued support of our open competitions.
Several other invited guests were unable to make it.
As is becoming the norm for our dinners several of the men wore brightly coloured waistcoats or dinner jackets and in a nod to Nigel's famous attire several wore large hats as well.
The committee had hoped to be able to present Lou Harris with a gift and flowers as a thank you for the way she had looked after us during her years at the Burnt Post but unfortunately she was unable to get away from her new venture at the Green Man. This presentation will now take place at the Green Man as soon as a suitable date can be found.
Somehow I do not think that this will be the last time we go to Raffles. (Photographs are on the gallery page)
Coventry Petanque Club achieved a superb victory at The Burnt Post on Kenpas Highway at the weekend, toppling a Stockton team bristling with international players.
Their team of six, which included three relatively novice players, took on a team of seasoned players representing The Half Crown club at Stockton, near Southam, three of whom recently represented England in the Men’s World and Ladies’ European Championships.
The match began with two triples games, the experienced home triple of Tony Thompson, John Baxter and Brian Stote facing Herve Bavazzano, recent World Championship player, Ben Treend, playing his first match for the Stockton club, having been newly recruited from the Portsmouth area, and local legend David Kimpton, former secretary of the British Petanque Association.
Using their superior knowledge of the terrain, Coventry built up an early lead of 7-1 and although the visitors then began to keep pace with their hosts over several ends, the home team ran out 13-9 winners.
An even more remarkable win was achieved by Coventry’s other triple, the mixed team of Eileen Sollis, Alf Smallman and Gareth Twitchett who faced Claire White, who returned only last weekend from playing for England Ladies in the European Championships in Ghent, Belgium, Jerome Rousseau, one of the top England players for over a decade and fresh from the World Championships in Marseille, and Richard Powell who travelled as coach to the national team at Marseille.
After a nervous start in which a point went each way, the Coventry players, none of whom had played for more than three years and certainly never against this level of opposition, managed to take a five off the third end and began to grow in consistency and confidence.
They pointed amazingly well and put the shooting skills of the opposition to a severe test on a difficult surface and took the game with an astonishing 13-5.
Despite this remarkable start, the tie still remained open with the players dividing into three pairs for the second round.
Alf Smallman and Gareth Twitchett, playing against Bavazzano and Powell, struggled to match the range of skills available to the visitors, and succumbed 5-13, the match margin reducing to 2-1.
Tony Thompson and John Baxter had a tremendous tussle with Rousseau and Kimpton which reached 12-12 with Rousseau having to shoot out a specific Coventry boule from a crowded head with his team’s last boule, and succeeding, to level the match at 2-2.
Attention then turned to the final game in progress, the mixed game between Eileen Sollis and Brian Stote for Coventry against White and Treend for the visitors. An early lead by the home team was whittled away until the score stood at 7-7. From then on, Stockton won two singles to go 9-7 up, Coventry responded with another to go to 8-9 and the visitors made a three to sit 12-8 and the win beckoning.
Sollis and Stote dug in to retrieve two points to reach 10-12 and two more singles to get to 12-12 and sudden death. The deciding end looked to be slipping away but a tight point from Stote moved the jack to hold the lead and he still held a boule to play. Treend shot but only clipped the boule to leave it still holding and had to clean it with his last shot to pressure Stote to win the tie.
Fortunately for the home squad, he missed the vital shot and the Coventry team burst into celebration at a victory over a club which has dominated Midlands petanque for several years and were National Club Champions in 2010, representing England in the European Cup for Clubs in Denmark.
Coventry now progress to the semi-final stage to face Harrow, Bancroft Park (Milton Keynes) and The Engine (Baldock) on January 27th. at a neutral venue. The winners of which will go to a four-club final in 2013.
John Baxter remarked, before the tie, “We stand about as much as chance as Celtic had against Barcelona”. How right he was!
The annual Dinner 2012
The annual presentation dinner this year was held at Raffles Restaurant Kenilworth. The committee were a little aprehensive during the planning of the event as the meal cost was a little more than in previous years and we also had to guarantee a minimum of 30 diners. In the event all worries were cast asside when the final numbers got to 32.
The attention to detail by the restraurant was second to none and both food and service were excellent. A small problem with one meal was soon sorted out and I think we can forgive that. A surprise on the evening was the pianist. This extra had not been expected but added a certain extra ambience to the occasion.
Guests of honour this year were Heart of England President Barry Cox and his wife Carol. Barry said that he was surprised and honoured to have been asked to attend and was delighted to hand out the trophies to all this years winners. We also welcomed David and Susan Sutton, Chris and Charles Caruana and Rosaleen Preston, who had been invited as paying guests in recognition of their continued support of our open competitions.
Several other invited guests were unable to make it.
As is becoming the norm for our dinners several of the men wore brightly coloured waistcoats or dinner jackets and in a nod to Nigel's famous attire several wore large hats as well.
The committee had hoped to be able to present Lou Harris with a gift and flowers as a thank you for the way she had looked after us during her years at the Burnt Post but unfortunately she was unable to get away from her new venture at the Green Man. This presentation will now take place at the Green Man as soon as a suitable date can be found.
Somehow I do not think that this will be the last time we go to Raffles. (Photographs are on the gallery page)
Lou finally gets her gift
Alex, John, Tony, Reg and Shiela met at the Green Man on Monday 17th. December to present Lou with a glass vase and flowers, as a thank you for the way she looked after the club while she was at the Burnt Post. Lou was delighted that we had made the gesture and said that she hoped we would visit the Green Man from time to time. I understand that the garden at the back of the Green Man is to get a makeover next year, is it too much to hope that there will be room there for a Kenilworth Pétanque Club as a sister club to Coventry? We will have to wait and see.
Alex, John, Tony, Reg and Shiela met at the Green Man on Monday 17th. December to present Lou with a glass vase and flowers, as a thank you for the way she looked after the club while she was at the Burnt Post. Lou was delighted that we had made the gesture and said that she hoped we would visit the Green Man from time to time. I understand that the garden at the back of the Green Man is to get a makeover next year, is it too much to hope that there will be room there for a Kenilworth Pétanque Club as a sister club to Coventry? We will have to wait and see.