Hard labour! The boules are going one for one in the ovenfire.
Photo: Henk Reesink. Source: magazine petanQue, The Netherlands.
On an industrial zone on the outskirts of Marseille is La Boule Bleue, Marseille’s ‘true’ boules manufacturer. La Boule Bleue remains a family run artisanal business, where boules are still « hand crafted » rather than made on an automated production line. Every 2 to 3 years, manufacturers usually introduce a new boule to their range. Many players just think, “a boule is just a boule” but I’ve always been curious to know how manufacturers set out to improve the performance of their boules.
Maurice Rofritsch and his son Hervé (at the left): the third and fourth generation of the Rofritsch-La Boule Bleue saga.
By Ray Ager
Without asking for any ‘secrets’ of their manufacture to be divulged, I asked how La Boule Bleue went about creating a new boule. The proprietor, M. Hervé Rofritsch, very kindly explained that there weren’t really any ‘secrets’. “We listen carefully to what players tell us they want. Usually they want a better performing boule, with a lower rebound, traditionally a soft boule but also a longer lasting boule rather than a boule that quickly wears out. With our specialist metallurgy knowledge that we’ve developed over the years, we can thermically treat boules so that they’re soft on the inside to give a lower rebound but hard on the outside so they last longer. Also the metal manufacturers are constantly bringing out new materials. We evaluate their properties and will use new materials, if we consider them advantageous. Each manufacturer basically follows the same process.”
Photo: Henk Reesink. Source: magazine petanQue, The Netherlands.
La Boule Bleue has an excellent website www.laboulebleue.fr which gives a lot of information about boules manufacture and history, as well as an online shop.
As part of the citys promotions to have the fench vs all blacksrugby test the council invited our petanque club to set up a piste in the town centre.
Mr. Setsaas has sendt us some petanque-pictures from Thailand.
After the success of 2003 and 2005, we are getting ready for 2009! Fernandina Beach is a small, very friendly town on beautiful Amelia Island on the Atlantic. From the Amelia river on the west side to the beaches on the east side is just 2 miles. With many cafés and restaurants for all budgets.
Pierre de Olivia has sendt us a snapshop from Yucatan, Mexico
We want to avoid all rumors at once. Even if the small ball is called "the pig", "le cochonette" - IT IS NOT A SURCE FOR SWINE FLU! So just keep playing! Just don't play as pigs, it might ruin the game...
Petanque America Open - Amelia Island - 14 & 15 November 2009SWINE FLU WARNING!!BBC on petanquePlay petanque with a kiwi and help raise money!Watch those holesWomens World Championship in SamsunLinks are being cleaned outNew petanque-product hits the webGérald at Mondial La Marseillaise a Petanque 2008-08-04Crazy petanque game soon available
Pétanque: 25th Southeast Asian Games (1 )Senior Games 2009 (1 )new friends (1 )Petanque in UAE (3 )Standing in the circle (8 )Removing an illegally played ball (9 )La Provençale (4 )petanque book (4 )Pastis? (6 )where to get a good balll and where tu buy (3 )Petanque America Open 2009 - Airfares (3 )Using FIPJP Approved equipment (2 )Refusing to play with legal equipment. (3 )New book on how to win at Petanque (10 )Open triples at Abergavenny (1 )
