THE SWBRC-Petanque Section recently held their sixth annual Norman Dorling Melee Competition.

Due to the lack of a home ground after the Kymin closed their doors to what was then the Penarth Petanque Club, the club was unable to hold one last year.

Now re-housed and part of the South Wales Bowls Recreation Centre, SWBRC, in Sully, the Petanque section is thriving, with new members and a wonderful view from their newly formed pistes.

The competition was started in memory of Norman Dorling, who joined the Penarth Petanque Club in 1996, until his death in 2013 at the age of 94.

Even in his 90s, Norman would be on the piste, enjoying a game.

He called his third boule, ’the killer boule’, because it was always the most destructive to the opponents.

Now, the older members of the Petanque Section who remember Norman use his phrase.

The melee is an internal competition open to members of the SWBRC-Petanque Section, where a draw decides who your partner will be for the three games that are played.

Each player is partnered by different people every time.

The result is determined by the accumulative points each individual earns at the end of the three games.

The winner, Simone Ballett, would like to thank Pauline Thorne, Rob Falconer and Pat McCarthy, her three partners who helped her get to the top spot.

Pat took third place.

In second place, a young man, new to the game and recently joined the Petanque Section, Ryan Barnes from Sully, has shown a natural ability for the game and is definitely one to watch in future competitions.

After a wonderful afternoon, with 24 participants of mixed skills, this friendly competition ended with the new members fearless of competitive play.