The local pétanque leagues that had not been played for two years due to the pandemic are up and running. With three leagues on Tuesday evenings and one league on Wednesday evening they consist of teams from towns and villages around Rye.
For the first time in the twenty years, no teams are playing from venues in Rye, where there used to be four pubs with pitches. Now players from Rye have joined village teams. In Tuesday A league, the Warren Inn, New Romney topped the Varne Boat Club into second place. In Tuesday B league, the White Hart, Newenden, who have not lost a match are top and following in second place is the White Dog. In the Tuesday C league, the Queens Head and the Two Sawyers are joint top. In the Wednesday league, Tenterden Club have the top spot followed the Plough, Hastings.
Kissing the Fanny
If you’re whitewashed, that is losing without scoring a point in a game of boules in France you should perform a humiliating ritual called Kissing the Fanny. When a player loses it is said that “il est fanny” (he’s fanny), or “il a fait fanny”(he made fanny), that he has to kiss the bottom of a girl called Fanny. Since there is rarely an obliging Fanny handy, there is always a substitute picture, wood-carving or pottery so Fanny bottom is always available.
According to the Musee international Petanque et Boules in Sait-Bonnet-le-Chateau near Lyon, the tradition started in France’s Savoy region. The first Fanny was a waitress at the Café de Grand-Lemps during the first world war who would allow customers who had lost at boules without scoring a solitary point to kiss her on the cheek.
Image Credits: Rye News library .
I only kiss winners.