The Zanesfield Petanque Club hosted the 10th annual Ohio Cup on Saturday, Oct. 10, bringing competitors together for a day of competition centered around the unique sport of pétanque.

The tournament featured multiple qualifying rounds before the field advanced to the final matches, where players competed for the Ohio Cup title. Ron Walls and Loren McCumber emerged as the only undefeated team through the first three qualifying rounds, finishing with a 3-0 record to earn a place in the championship match.

Walls and McCumber faced Lucy Johns and Justin Bo Johns in the final. The Johns duo came away with a 13-5 victory, capturing the Ohio Cup championship for the second consecutive year.

In the third-place match, William Daniels and Sam Plank defeated Larry Niswonger and Mike Epp to secure a podium finish.

What is pétanque?

Pétanque is a precision sport that originated in southern France in the early 20th century. Similar to bocce, the game involves players throwing metal balls, called boules, as close as possible to a small target ball known as the cochonnet, or jack.

The game is typically played on gravel, dirt or another firm outdoor surface. Players take turns tossing their boules toward the target, aiming to place their throws closer than their opponents. Teams earn points for each boule that finishes closer to the target than the opposing team's nearest boule, with play continuing until a team reaches 13 points.

One of pétanque's defining characteristics is its throwing technique. Players generally keep both feet inside a designated circle while throwing, and the name of the sport comes from the Provençal expression pè tancat, meaning “feet planted.” The game rewards accuracy, strategy and the ability to adjust to changing playing conditions.

Pétanque can be played individually, in pairs or in teams of three, making it accessible to competitors of varying ages and experience levels.

A decade of the Ohio Cup

The 10th annual Ohio Cup continued the Zanesfield Petanque Club's tradition of bringing the sport to the local community. With three qualifying rounds determining the teams advancing through the tournament, the competition tested both consistency and precision before the championship matches decided the final standings.

Walls and McCumber entered the final round of qualifying as the tournament's only 3-0 team, but the Johns duo proved too much to handle in the championship, securing a second straight Ohio Cup title with a 13-5 win.

With another successful tournament in the books, the Zanesfield Petanque Club marked a milestone year for the Ohio Cup and continued to showcase a sport built on skill, strategy and friendly competition.