Pétanque

Pétanque is a French boules sport in which players throw metal balls toward a small target ball, aiming to finish closer than their opponents.

Boules: Boules is a family of games in which players roll or throw balls toward a target. Pétanque is the best-known member of this French ball-game family.
La Ciotat: La Ciotat is a Mediterranean port town in Provence, France. Pétanque's modern form emerged there in the early twentieth century.
Boules (equipment): Boules are metal balls used in pétanque, made to meet size and weight specifications. Their mass and dimensions shape the feel and outcome of each throw.
Pétanque triplette: Pétanque triplette is a team format with three players on each side, each using two boules. It is the standard format in many major pétanque competitions.
Bocce: Bocce is an Italian ball sport in which players roll balls toward a smaller target ball. Unlike pétanque's usual standing throw, bocce is commonly played with underhand rolls on a prepared court.
Cochonnet: The cochonnet is the small target ball used in pétanque. Players score by placing their boules closer to it than the opposing team.
Jules Lenoir: Jules Lenoir was a French boules player whose mobility became limited by rheumatism. His difficulty with the running start used in jeu provençal helped inspire pétanque's stationary style.
Pétanque playing surface: A pétanque playing surface is a firm outdoor area, often gravel or compacted earth. Its texture affects how thrown boules bounce, roll, and settle.
Pétanque doublette: Pétanque doublette is a team format with two players on each side, each using three boules. It gives teams fewer players but more boules per player than triplette.
Lawn bowls: Lawn bowls is a sport in which players roll biased balls toward a smaller target called the jack. Its rolling, biased bowls and grass greens differ from pétanque's metal boules and throwing circle.

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CroquetCompared with: It shares lawn-play sociability but replaces mallets and hoops with throwing and proximity.