News

Northern paperwork such as minutes , constitution and playing rules are now available via the homepage.
All Northern members can also receive any other regional information that is sent out.
To add your name to the list use the contacts form.

24/12/11 - EPA newsletter
Mike Pegg has sent a brief newsletter to regional presidents.
It doesn't seem to be on the EPA website but you can read it here

Full details of costs for accommodation at the Inter Regional championships should be available early in the new year

For further information or contact details on the following new terrains please use the contacts form.
(or to supply information on new terrains not listed)

Firth Park, Heckmondwike - 2 terrains approx 12m * 9m recently built , surrounding work still in progress

Harrogate - the proposed terrain (4 pistes) in the town centre may be built next spring.

Wythenshaw Park, Stockport - The old Woodstock PC terrain may be resurrected as part of a multi sport games being organised for next year.

Kirkby Stephen - A terrain is being considered at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School and Sports College.
A 'taster' session is planned for January 29th (10 am to 12 am) on a temporary surface to try to ascertain the level of interest.

Congratulations to Steve Meadowcroft and Robert Eunson who did well in the Champion of Champion Pairs.
They won all 5 of their league games which put them in the semi final but unfortunately they were well beaten in that.

Our other Pairs team were unable to take part and neither of the triples teams were very successful.
The full results are on the EPA website.

The Regional AGM will be held at Wigginton on the 19^th November starting at 10.30 a.m.
PLEASE NOTE the date and the venue have both changed from the provisional details shown in the last regional minutes.

Point 6.1.c of the constitution is

Motions for the AGM may be put forward by any Northern registered club or Northern officer and must be received by the regional secretary at least 14 days prior to the meeting.
Nominations for any regional officer position may be put forward by any Northern registered club.
Candidates may also be nominated by a minimum of three individual members.
All nominations must be in writing and must be received by the regional secretary at least 14 days prior to the meeting.
The nomination must include the members signature consenting to the nomination and consenting to serve if elected.
Elected members shall remain in office from the end of one Regional AGM until the end of the AGM following.
Serving officers may stand for re-election without a new nomination being required.
If there are no nominations for a post the Presiding Officer at the AGM may accept nominations from the floor.

The motions for the AGM may be proposals for changes to the constitution or for changes to the playing rules.
The agenda for the AGM including details of any proposals or nominations will be available shortly after the closing date of November 5^th

There has only been a very limited response to my email regarding a possible team or club event.
The response has a 50:50 split in favour of clubs or teams but overall the idea does not seem to be attracting the interest required to make the event worthwhile.

The only person that has volunteered to run the event is Luke.
He has put together some ideas which you can find here

Please respond to Luke with your team as soon as possible if you would like to enter.
You can contact him on 0775 4472249 or lukeghoward@hotmail.co.uk

At times a horrendous weekend with rain and hail making play very difficult and flooding some of the terrains.

However the main point is that Northern finished top of division 2 and so we have finally corrected the injustice of not being promoted last year.
None of our teams had a brilliant weekend but also none had a poor weekend.
All but 1 team won 6 or 7 games (out of 10 because there were only 6 in the division).
Perhaps not too surprising given the closeness of this years qualifiers.

The highlight had to be the final game between our juniors and the Eastern juniors.
This was the last game in the round to finish so most of us were fortunate enough to watch it.

The score at that stage was Northern 54 - Eastern 53 so the result was critical and our juniors were trailing 8 - 12.
They knew the result was important but did not know just how important.

On the next to last end they pointed brilliantly and got 4 points to make the score 12 - 12.
Annabelle then pointed onto the coche to put Eastern in trouble.
Their shooter hit with his 2nd attempt which took the coche to about 13 metres.
Annabelle then pointed to within a foot at a distance she won't have played very often and the Eastern players were unable to match it so we won 13 -12.

As it happens we would have won on points difference with both regions on 54 wins if the juniors had lost but none of us knew that at the time
and it takes nothing away from their brilliant win.

The Challenge had 15 teams for the 1st time so had to be split into 2 divisions.
Northern were in division 1 thanks to winning the Challenge last year.
The squad were unable to match last year but finished 5th which ensures Northern will be in division 1 in both competitions next year.

There is a proposal to move away from Brean Sands next year and it is difficult to find anyone disappointed with that.
Unfortunately the only option known about at the moment is a holiday camp at Hayling Island next to Portsmouth (the island is connected to the mainland by an A road bridge).
This is even further from the North than Brean (approximately an extra 30 minutes for most of us).
The other major changes are that the holiday village chalets at Hayling Island are in better condition but the prices are per person not per chalet.
The proposed cost is £129 per person which includes full breakfast and evening meal for 3 nights (not an advantage if you can't be there for 3 nights).

Views both for and against will be sent to the national president by each regional president before the end of the month.
Nearly everyone who was at Brean has had the chance to comment but if you haven't or have changed your view in some way please let Alan Swift know by email as soon as possible,

4th June at the Fox

Coaching will begin at 2pm and finish about 4pm, to be followed by a mini-competition finishing around 6pm.

The session is open to players of all abilities and is not restricted to members of Northern.

There is no charge.

The session only has limited places available because a large number of players could not be fitted in to the 1st 2 sessions.

If you are interested or need further information please contact your club secretary.

Very many thanks to all our friends in the game for their support during John’s illness.
The very fact that you were thinking of us both was a great comfort throughout a very difficult time.
The cards you sent after John’s death were beautiful and a great help to me, our son John and to the rest of John’s family.
We were also very moved by the fantastic turnout from petanque at John’s funeral.
The collection for the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund totalled over £700 – another wonderful tribute to John and his life.

Unfortunately the 2nd loss of a Northern player within a week.
This morning Sue Kirby lost her long painful fight against cancer.

Sue was a long time member of Lincoln PC and East Midlands region but transferred to Doncaster PC and Northern in 2006.
Sue represented Northern twice in the Inter regional championships.

The highlight of her playing career has to be winning the EPA National Over 50's title in 2008.

The arrangements for Sue’s funeral are

Thursday 14th April at 11.10
Lincoln Crematorium , Washingborough Road, Lincoln LN4 1EF
and afterwards at Doddington Hall , Doddington , Lincoln

The family would prefer donations to the Lincoln and Nottingham Air Ambulance rather than flowers
and the family requests that people wear coloured clothing rather than black.

I'm very sad to have to report the death this morning of John Stockton.

John played his first Petanque match for Boston Crown in 1997 and from the following year he was a regular in the Boston Crown teams.
When Boston Crown moved and became Wetherby in 2002 John was heavily involved in building the new terrain and has been a major Wetherby player since then.
Through last spring and summer John had health problems which were eventually found to be pancreatic cancer but despite this he played 64 games in the York league last year and only lost 2 of them.

John was also a Northern member from its founding in 1998 and that year he was the first winner of the regional singles.
He represented the region in every Inter Regional championships from 1998 to 2009.

John was the Regional Coach from 2000 to 2006

He will be greatly missed.

The arrangements for John’s funeral are

Tuesday 5^th April at 11.00
St James Church , Wetherby

Jenny would like everyone to go to the Wetherby Social Club after the church service.
The address is 1 Sandbeck Way , Wetherby NOT the Sports & Social Club where we play petanque.

The family would prefer donations to the RAF benevolent fund rather than flowers.

9th April at the Fox
23rd April at Wetherby

Sessions will begin at 2pm and finish about 4pm, to be followed by a mini-competition finishing around 6pm.

Both sessions are open to players of all abilities and are not restricted to members of Northern.

The second session will be a repeat of the first.

There is no charge for either session.

They need to know the number of participants at each venue and if there is great demand then entry may have to be restricted and further dates added.

Club secretaries have been asked to let Matt know by Friday 1 April how many from their club they anticipate attending at each of the dates. If you are interested or need further information please contact your club secretary.