Friday 12 Oct 2018 at 7:00 pm until Saturday 13 Oct 2018 at 6:00 pm

Handcross Return to France

Handcross Vs La Fanny Coquelloise 2018 in Calais

We fielded a team of 28 to take on la Fanny Coquelloise on 12/13 October. 

The proceedings commenced with an informal buffet and drinks on Friday evening, enriched by Justin’s rendition of New York, New York adapted to Coquelles, Coquelles. We had some difficulty arriving at the venue as the Calais taxi drivers had not done their “knowledge” of the Coquelles area and initially deposited us at an empty sports centre miles from the home of la Fanny.

The match itself kicked off the next day.

14 teams played four rounds totalling 56 games, of which Handcross were the victors in 19 of them leaving the French club winning with a score of 37. Special mention to Maria and Mike G for being on the receiving end of the first Fanny of the day and Justin and Sarah who suffered the same fate but gallantly submitted to the ceremonial blessing of The French club’s lifesize (and lifelike) statue. Our captain, Brenda, and Moira managed to win three out of four games. Many of us had to be satisfied with one win.

This was the fifth year the two teams had met, alternating between Coquelles and Handcross. The first visit to Handcross in 2014 was opened by the Mayor of Haywards Heath. This time the mayor of Coquelles officiated and presented a plaque to the Handcross club to mark the occasion.

The weatherproof indoor facilities were not always used as the temperatures reached an unseasonal mid twenties and many of the games took place on the exterior pitches replicating the ambiance of the source of the game in the south west of France. Although both sides played to win, there has evolved a unique friendship between the two clubs which was sealed over a magnificent sit down lunch for over 100 people around the edge of the boulodrome. Another tradition is that the winning team buys the losers a consolation drink in the well provisioned bar and, as the score line indicates, Handcross did very well out of this arrangement. There was a notable drop off in the number of Handcross successes after lunch!

At the end of the competition, we presented a clock based on our new logo to go behind the boulodrome bar and both clubs exchanged traditional food and drink gifts. Handcross invited members of La Fanny Coquelloise to the UK next year for the sixth match in this most enjoyable series.

(David Leech)