Ottery St Mary have been busy in recent Devon Petanque League action.

On the final Sunday of April they entertained Plymouth at Strawberry Lane, with the visitors looking to build on their opening first round success.

However, the Otters had other ideas and new player Keith Tizzard, playing in his first league match, recorded his maiden success with a perfect Carreau (knocking away the opponent’s boule and leaving his own in its place) to win the triples 13-8 and then he followed that with a 13-11 victory in the doubles with Peter Smith against the strong pair of Mike Carroll and Mike Newberry. There were other members of the team who also contributed to Ottery’s ultimate 4-1 overall success.

The second Ottery match was a tougher test as it saw them up against an established Chudleigh team.

After two triples matches the overall score was 1-1. John and Rose Thatcher, playing with Sue Smith, went down 13-5, but the threesome of Keith Tizzard, Peter Smith and Mike Bird, won their match 13-11.

The three doubles contests were even with the first two seeing both clubs winning one to leave the outcome of the match on the final double, in which Ottery were represented by Mike Bird and Sue Smith.

It proved to be a compelling contest with the lead changing hands throughout until the final end when Mike and Sue managed to pick up a three point end to win 13-8 and that sealed a superb 3-2 overall win for Ottery.

John Thatcher, chairman of Ottery Petanque Club, says: “We have started the league season very well, but all our games so far have been home ones as is our next fixture, the May 9 visit of ISCA.”

He continued: “On Sunday, May 13, we are staging the Ottery Petanque Charity Shield with 20 teams entered and all proceeds going to Hospiscare and the following evening we are hosting the 41 Club before, on Tuesday, May 15, Ottery Guides are coming along to try out the sport.”

You can find out plenty more about the sport of petanque in Devon at www.devonpetanque.org