Outdoor & pub games
Lyonnaise bowls
- players
- 2–12
- minutes
- 60
- years
- 8+
In the box
Boules of 90 to 110 mm · 1 jack
Official rules (PDF, federation's site)
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- DexterityTeam-Based
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
Get your boules closer to the jack than your opponents' boules, on a long pitch where a run-up is allowed. Each boule is played by pointing or shooting, and the side that is not holding the point keeps playing until it takes it back or runs out of boules; only the better-placed side scores, one point per boule ahead of the opponents' best. The game is played to 13 points, or against the clock in competition.
The rules, step by step
Setup
27.50 m pitch, 1 to 4 players per side
- A playing area 27.50 metres long and 2.50 to 4 metres wide, much longer than a pétanque pitch.
- Boules of 90 to 110 millimetres, clearly bigger and heavier than in pétanque, and a jack of 35 to 37 millimetres.
- Singles, doubles, triples or fours, with the number of boules varying accordingly.
How to play
Jack 12.50 to 19.50 m, Point or shoot, Run-up allowed
- The jack is thrown to a distance of between 12.50 and 19.50 metres.
- Two ways to play a boule: pointing, by rolling it, or shooting.
- A run-up is allowed, unlike in pétanque: the shooter takes a run and releases the boule before the shooting line.
- When shooting, the target boule must be hit before the thrown boule touches the ground: otherwise the shot is void and the boule removed.
- The side that is not holding the point keeps playing until it takes it back or runs out of boules.
Scoring
Only one side scores, 1 per boule ahead
- As in pétanque: only the side with the closest boule scores.
- It scores as many points as it has boules better placed than the opponents' best boule.
- An end in which all the boules are played without anyone holding the point is void and replayed.
End of the game
Game to 13 points, Timed in competition
- The game is played to 13 points, or against the clock in competition.
- The side that scored throws the jack in the next end.
House rules and pitfalls
Having to hit before touching the ground is what really separates the two games…
- Having to hit before touching the ground is what really separates the two games: in pétanque a rolled carreau counts, here it does not.
- The long pitch changes everything: you do not point at seventeen metres the way you point at seven, and beginners coming from pétanque systematically underestimate the distance.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
How is it different from pétanque?
The boules are bigger and heavier, the pitch is longer, and you take a run-up: you point and shoot while running a few metres, not with your feet together.
How do you score?
As in pétanque: the team whose boules are closest to the jack scores as many points as it has boules better placed than the opponents' best one.
What is shooting "au fer"?
Hitting an opposing boule full on to drive it away, without touching the ground first. The shooter must announce and keep to a precise run-up zone.
How far do you play?
The jack is thrown much further than in pétanque (up to about twenty metres), in a marked-out, regulated playing area.
How do you win?
At 13 points, as in pétanque, end after end. The discipline demands more athleticism than its Provençal cousin.