– Glyn Alexander Recalls the Club’s Origins as Anniversary Celebrations are Placed on Hold
reflects on the Club’s Beginnings
Where it all began – Handcross Petanque Celebrates 25 Years as a Club
The origins of our club go back as far as 1988 when co-founder, Glyn Alexander, delivered his daughter to stay with her pen friend in a small village in the Vendée called Grand’Landes and came across a notice about a Pétanque competition about to take place. Without understanding a word of French or having a clue about the game, he entered, enjoyed it and decided to replicate his experience at home in Handcross.
He built a piste in his garden, invited friends and neighbours to play and soon had interest from the likes of the WI and the Twinning Association.
Following a meeting in the village hall, about 40 people signed up to found a club but with no terrain of any size, had to use the disused sand school of neighbour and Frenchman, Patrick de Ruyter. For three years the two founders managed at this location to entertain and visit local clubs at Crowborough and Worthing and began to raise funds to build a proper Pétanque court by having jumble sales, Quiz nights and race nights.
In February 1996 Glyn managed to persuade the Earl of Snowdon to become the Club’s Patron.
The two founders approached the local council to build a terrain in the Recreation Ground but were initially met with some resistance on the grounds that few people in the area would be interested. A petition was organised with a hundred signatures and eventually in 1997 the Council agreed to provide the all important land for the piste. The Council also offered to fund half of the estimated build cost of £10000 to build the piste.
The groundwork was carried out by Frank Dixon, hedging by Ron Eggleton and Gary Foster managed to purloin a JCB.
The terrain was finally completed in early 1998 and the new facility was officially opened by Nicholas Soames MP on 17 May 1998.
Glyn left to move to France with wife Shirley in 2005 when he was made Honorary Lifetime President but has since returned and is back playing at Handcross.
In early 2008, due to the good handling of the club’s finances by then Treasurer Eric Finney, sufficient reserves had been raised to purchase materials for the Cabine which club members themselves built. The cabine was officially opened by Nicholas Soames MP on 21st March 2010. In October 2011 Club members dug a trench for the installation of water and electricity to the Cabine.
Below are a few more images of the Club’s early days.
To view more images of the Club’s past days, please click here…