Petanque shares a concept similar to bowls as the object of the game is to rest your boules closer to the coche (jack) than the other team. However, instead of rolling wooden bowls on a level grass playing area, Petanque is played on rough terrain with metal boule which are rolled or tossed to the coche. Petanque is played as singles, doubles or triples. In triples, each player has 2 boules and in singles and doubles each player has 3 boules. SVPL League matches only involve doubles and triples.

Teams usually toss a coin to decide who starts. The winner of the toss draws a circle a throws the coche to land between 6m and 10m away from the circle. The rest of the game is spent trying to throw your boules closer to the coche than the other team. Unlike bowls, players on the same team can play in any order.

Boules must be thrown from within the starting circle  with both feet on the ground. The aim is to throw the boule so that it comes to rest as close to the coche as possible, this is usually termed as “pointing”. If the opposition manages to point closer to the coche than your team, it is allowable to knock your opponents boule out of the way. This is known as firing and is regarded as an important part of the strategy of the game Once all boules have been thrown, the team with the closest boule receives a point for each boule that is closer to the coche than their opponents. The first team to earn 13 points wins the game. The rules of Petanque / Boules are not complicated. the challenge comes in mastering your throwing skills and adopting an effective game strategy.