Tracy, Thierry and I won the Auckland Regional Triples pétanque championship on Sunday. Woo-hoo!

It’s hardly a big accomplishment in the grand encyclopedia of sporting competition, but it’s the biggest event I’ve ever won. That was sort of surprising when I first realized it, but I think it is true.

It was a good day from the start… we easily won our first two pool games. We then lost 0-13 to one of the expected favorites, but bounced back in the 4th pool game with our own 13-0 win.

Three wins in pool play meant we were in the top division going into the afternoon elimination rounds. We dispatched our quarterfinal opponents relatively easily. At the same time, in an upset the team we smashed beat the one who smashed us. This meant that in the semifinals we played people we’d already beaten , and that’s a huge confidence booster. So much of the game is mental.

In the final, we were up against a team of players we know well. Two of them have lots of experience at the national and international level. Their third is someone who played a lot more in his younger days, got away from it, and has recently come back to the game.

The final game was a real battle, and it lasted the best part of two hours. We got off to a great start, up 7-0, but they clawed their way back, and even pulled ahead. Finally, we got to 10-11, they missed a crucial shot, and we were able to put them away. There were 20 or so spectators who hung on to watch, and it was certainly gratifying to hear a few ooohs and aahs when we made good throws.

I’ve gotten into a couple of finals this season. But each time I’ve disintegrated… after playing well all day something has turned itself off and I’ve gone to custard. Somehow last Sunday I was able to keep the focus, as were my teammates, and we won! We’ll have our names engraved onto the cup, going down in history.

The prize money was about enough to cover my entry fee and the gas for the trip. So I’m still some ways away from buying a car dealership with my winnings. But… one of these days…