An evening of celebration was the order of the night as guests from across the South were greeted with a glass of Buck’s Fizz and invited to take their seats in the stylishly-decorated Hambledon Suite at the Solent Hotel. Amongst the seventy plus guests were our sponsors and five of our regional juniors who all arrived smartly dressed for their big night.
Glenn welcomed our sponsors before everyone enjoyed a two-course buffet with a choice of four hot main courses and a selection of desserts.
Following the dinner, Chris Chubb swiftly got the proceedings under way as he invited our new President Steve Lombard along with our sponsors to present the winners of 2019 Regional competitions with their trophies and shirts. A specially compiled playlist by Will Read created a perfect ambience as winners walked up to collect their prizes.
To kick-off the celebrations, Chris congratulated our junior inter-regional team of Francesca Evans-Jones, Sam Rattue, & Will Read (and Sally Sin who was unable to attend the evening) for their amazing achievement of winning the Junior Championship at Hayling Island. The newly-formed team were greatly admired for their excellent team work and petanque skills.
We also celebrated Jamie Brooks and Liam Floyd having made the National Youth A squad and being selected to represent England at the Youth World Championships in Cambodia. Making the B squad were Francesca, Sam & Will, with the latter two going to Slovakia for an International Training Camp.
All the remaining junior competition trophies were presented. We missed having Marc Franco-Llado and Sally Sin at the Presentation Night, and the region wishes them both the best of luck as they leave the Junior Squad and join the Espoirs.
A smooth sequence of presentations followed (see full list below) as DJ Will’s music continued to entertain the audience. Most amusing was his choice of playing the Pompey anthem for staunch Saints fans Glenn, Stuart & Liam Floyd as they collected their awards. Glenn was not amused!
Following the Regional competitions, the League winners and runners-up were presented with their trophies. River Hamble scooped the Salver, 9-a-side and 6-a-side trophies, with Fareham Oaks and Cobbetts A taking the two Runner-ups awards respectively. Other league winning teams included Muscliff Raiders, Portchester Pumas, Southampton City, Shedfield, Oxshott Larks, Bordon, Handcross, & Arundel Aardvarks and it was good to see representation from most of the clubs at the evening.
Chris congratulated all the teams who had played at the Inter-Regionals last September before announcing the winner of the Vice Presidents Trophy, which is traditionally awarded to individuals who have made a contribution to petanque in our region. This year the VP Trophy was awarded to Keith Wannell and the committee of Clymping Petanque Club for their hard work in getting the new club started and promoting it to the local community. Unfortunately no members of Clymping club could attend the evening, so their award will be presented in person at a later opportunity.
With the evenings presentations nearing the end, Steve Lombard had the pleasure of announcing the winners of the last two prestigious awards.
For the Most Improved Player, the Regional Committee had received five nominations: Francesca, Dave Kilshaw, Jamie, Sam & Will. All were worthy nominees but the final decision was to award the trophy jointly to Sam Rattue and Will Read, who had both shown great dedication and improved tremendously over the course of 2019 and overcome challenges.
Finally the Player’s Player of the Year, which had received a total of 11 nominations, with five players (Callum Lombard, Mark Duncan, Hassi Leverett, Jamie Brooks & Mark Robertshaw) being shortlisted for the ‘live’ vote on the night. It had been a very close vote, with Hassi being announced as the final winner. Hassi requested the honour of sharing the accolade with Mark Duncan in recognition of the excellent work he does coaching and motivating our junior players.
With the conclusion of the presentations there was opportunity for mingling at the bar, catching up with friends and hitting the dance floor to DJ Will’s excellent choice of music. Our sincere thanks to Will who spent many hours putting together his playlists and helping to set up on the day.
Thanks also to everyone who donated a raffle prize and well done to Francesca, Will & Sam for selling the tickets and raising an impressive £300 on the night, which goes towards supporting our region’s Juniors in 2020.
Special thanks to Mike Porter & Dave Stubbs for being our photographers for the night and capturing some great moments, and to Paul Leverett for assisting with the smooth running of the evening. A selection of Mike and Dave’s excellent photos will be added to the Gallery soon.
Finally, many thanks to Mark Duncan & Hassi Leverett who for the past six months have worked tirelessly to ensure that all the various components of the evening came together and the evening was a success. Thanks also to Chris Chubb for organising the Player’s Player vote and making the announcements.
And so all that remains is to wish everyone a fantastic 2020 as we get ready for the start of the new petanque season. Who will be the winners at next years Presentation Evening? We look forward to welcoming you.
Sayonara from your Happy Blogger!
Awards are listed below in order of presentation on the night
Juniors
Inter-regional Champions
- Sally Sin, Will Read, Francesca Evans-Jones & Sam Rattue
- Junior Managers: Mark Duncan & Julia Jones
Junior Singles
- Runner-up: Sally Sin
- Winner: Jamie Brooks
Junior Shooting
- Runner-up: Sam Rattue
- Winner: Jamie Brooks
Junior Certificates
- Sally Sin completed: Green Plus, Red, Red Plus, Blue
Adults
IWD Women’s Doubles
- Winners: Paula Fauvel & Sammy Thatcher
Singles
- Runner-up: Sammy Thatcher
- Winner: Glenn Floyd
Shooting
- Runner-up: David Kilshaw
- Winner: Sammy Thatcher
Doubles
- Runner-up: Steve Lombard & Dave Lucas
- Winners: Marc Franco-Llado & Liam Kidd
Triples
- Runners-up: Glenn Floyd, Stuart Floyd & Liam Floyd
- Winners: Steve Lombard, Callum Lombard & Jamie Brooks
Mixed Doubles
- Runners-up: Kaylee Thatcher & Callum Lombard
- Winners: Karen Lombard & Jamie Brooks
Winter Doubles
- Runners-up: David Franco-Cruz & Marc Franco-Llado
- Winners: Mike Tull & Sammy Thatcher
Summer Doubles
- Runners-up: Callum Lombard & Karen Lombard
- Winners: David Franco-Cruz & Marc Franco-Llado
Adult/Junior
- Runners-up: Marc Franco-Llado & Steve Daykin
- Winners: Jamie Brooks & Glenn Floyd
Over 50’s
- Runners-up: Bob Ainsworth & Malcolm Berrett
- Winners: Peter Missen & Trevor Treend
Secretary’s Cup
- Runners-up: Anne Pickering, Carol Parker, & Barry McDonnell
- Winners: Hassi Leverett, Steve Lombard & Mark Robershaw
Leagues
9-a-side Salver
- Winners: River Hamble
9-a-side Division 2
- Runners-up: Bordon
- Winners: Shedfield
9-a-side Division 1
- Runners-up: Fareham Oaks
- Winners: River Hamble
6-a-side Division 3 West
- Runners-up: Southampton City Pilgrims
- Winners: Portchester Pumas
6-a-side Division 3 East
- Runners-up: Oxshott Larks
- Winners: Handcross
6-a-side Division 2
- Runners-up: Arundel Aardvarks
- Winners: Muscliff Raiders
6-a-side Division 1
- Runners-up: Cobbetts A
- Winners: River Hamble
Inter-Regionals
Team Acknowledgements:
- Championship Team: Finished 4th
- Challenge Team: Finished 3rd
- Team Manager: Hilary Kidd
- Challenge Manager: Kim Elcome
Special Awards
Vice Presidents Trophy
- Winner: Keith Wannell and the committee of Clymping Petanque Club
Most Improved Player Award
- Joint Winners: Sam Rattue and Will Read
Player’s Player Award
- Winner: Hassi Leverett (& shared with Mark Duncan)