Spotlight on the oval ball game made in Sète (Hérault). This variation of pétanque, whose ball shape is directly inspired by that of the oval ball, caught the eye of the Lotois group Andros.
The official supplier of the Rugby World Cup has installed two pitches in the Marseille fan zone (Bouches-du-Rhône) to introduce people to the game.
“We are not talking about piglet but olivette”
“It is played in 15 points in homage to rugby,” explains its inventor, José Llinarès, who was won over by the values held by this sport. The players do not have their feet fixed like in pétanque, they can move behind a line to shoot. And we are not talking about piglet but olivette. »
The game of oval ball is promoted through the charity Les Copains d’abord, which José Llinarès chairs. “It’s up to us to sell the 150 triplets that we had made (180 euros for three balls). The entire proceeds will be donated to the Montpellier Breast Institute, specialized in the fight against cancer. »
After a first tournament in Saint-Tropez (Var) with the manufacturer Boulenciel, the villages around Sète take over and provide visibility. “Neither the Toulouse Stadium nor the MHR in Montpellier accompanied us on this adventure,” regrets José Llinarès. But no matter, this Thursday, September 21, it is another Sétois, André Lubrano, former player of the XV of France, who must make the trip to Marseille for the France-Namibia match as a proud ambassador of this a new kind of pétanque.
