Ottery St Mary Pétanque Club – A brief history

Ottery St Mary PC is one of the oldest clubs in the Devon Pétanque Region, formed in 1987 by a group of friends who developed a liking for the sport while holidaying in France. This group self-financed and built a playing area at the Colin Tooze sports centre next to the Kings School in Ottery St Mary. The club hosted open competitions several times a year, which attracted up to 60 players. Club members were also involved in developing pétanque in Devon into a region of the national governing body, at that time the British Pétanque Association, in 1995. That was superseded by the English Pétanque Association, now Pétanque England (PE).

In 1997 the club relocated to The Salston Manor Hotel because the sports centre and the Kings School needed to increase their car parking. Again the club financed the building of a new playing area through member donations and fees without any financial assistance from local grants.

In 2015, with financial assistance from Ottery St Mary Town Council and East Devon District Council, the club constructed a new purpose-built playing area at Strawberry Lane. Currently the club plays on Wednesday afternoons at 2 pm and Sundays at 10.30 .

During the past 25 years the club has supported many local organisations and provided instruction on playing the game of pétanque or providing the facilities to allow them to play with our support. Those organisations have included the Kings School, Tipton Boy Scouts and Cubs, Otter Vale Rotary Club, Otter Vale 41 Club and Chris Piper wines. Between 1999 and 2019 the club has staged an annual charity event in aid of Hospiscare which raised over £10,000.

The club is very welcoming to new members and visitors alike. Groups may wish to avail themselves of a new and different sport for an evening’s entertainment.