Trophée L'Equipe

In October 2018, the city of Tours welcomed the stars of pétanque from 7 nations for the second edition of the Trophée L'Équipe. Held over 6 days and hosted in the Boulodrome de Tours, the competition was played out in singles, doubles and triples formats.

The nations of France, Italy, Denmark, Tunisia, Madagascar, Thailand & Cambodia were joined by an eighth team aptly named, The Legend’s. Of whom, consisted of some of the most well known names in the sport. Such as Fazzino, Foyet & Schopp. One fun moment was seeing Foyot mark the rond in such a way it looked like Mickey Mouse’s ears.

With Thailand having been the dominant force in the 2017 tournament, yet again there was high hopes for another good showing from the East Asian nation. The Thailand men’s team made an early statement with an emphatic victory over France on day two, stunning players and onlookers alike with an almost flawless display.

However, Thailand weren’t the only team to watch this year, as their neighbours Cambodia were equally thrilling. In-particularly their women’s team were exceptional throughout the whole tournament and really set a precedent.

Equally, the African nations both put in some excellent displays as Madagascar excited the crowds with their aggressive style of play, shooting almost any boule that held point.

In total, over 80 games of the highest standard were played over a six day period. All of these games were recorded by L’Equipe and therefore will be aired on TV throughout October and November 2018.

The Trophée L’Équipe has been a true showcase event for the sport of pétanque. It demonstrated how the sport has developed around the world. Players, coaches and crowds alike all enjoyed this fantastic tournament. Even, the local school kids received training from the famous players and a bid to inspire them to become future pétanque stars. Great work all involved.