Xavier Thibaud and Jean-Pierre Subrenat of the New York Petanque Club won the 2009 New York Open petanque tournament, prevailing in the final against Keita Bangaly and Charles Kossi. The highly anticipated match up of different styles and personalities quickly turned into a game of missed shots and miscues. On steady play, Xavier and Jean-Pierre took a commanding 8-1 lead, with Keita missing his first 6 shots. A small rally by Keita and Charles and a late change in position was to no avail. Xavier and Jean-Pierre, who won all 8 games, beat Keita and Charles, 13-5.

“This is not the same team that played in the semifinals.”
Keita and Charles played like world-beaters in their semifinal game against Alec Stone Sweet and Yacob Nour, the defending champions. An exciting game, with a large crowd attending, it was the most dramatic match of the tournament, with Keita and Charles winning 13-11.

The other semifinal was boring by comparison. Xavier and Jean-Pierre plodded through a slow torturous games, one point won at a time, against Ernesto Santos and Yngve Biltsted, winning 13-9. At 10 meters the shooting was missing, the pointing uneven.

This New York Open attracted 32 teams. Three teams came from as far as Leers, France. Players representing 8 petanque clubs came from Massachusetts, Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maine, and Canada.

A two day tournament, the first day featured 4 games in regulations to qualify 16 teams to the finals. The weather held up for half of the day before the downpour in the forecast materialized and made for soggy petanque.

Sunday was a perfect day. The round of 16 featured some rematched from the day before. Ernesto-Yngve took revenge on Phil Hemery-Richard “Ti” Meas, 13-12, and so did Jeannot Ruperti-JP Hemery on Peter Crowley-Phil Riand. George Galtier and Alexis Herzberg knocked off Mamary Couli-Baly and Ziggy, one of the tournament’s early contender.

Three consolante took place. Phil and Ti won Consolante “A” against Lucien Nys and Jacques Petitberghien. This consolante was for the 8 teams in the finals that lost their first game of the day.

Joseph Hassoune and Guy Rabarijaona won main Consolante “B” against Joel Shifflet and Burt Queiroz of Brooklyn.

Amadou Thiam and Pierre Benjamin beat Raja Harb and Chris Reilly for Consolante “C”.

MAIN EVENT

• 1st Jean-Pierre Subrenat, Xavier Thibaud
• 2nd Keita Bangaly, Charles Kossi
• 3rd Alec Stone Sweet, Yacob Nour
• 3rd Ernesto Santos, Yngve Biltsted

• 5th to 8th
• Thierry Julliard, Robert Dunn
• Steve Ginsberg, Lucien Rakotojaona
• Georges Galtier, Alexis Herzberg
• Jean-Pierre Hemery, Jeannot Ruperti

CONSOLANTE A

• 1st Phil Hemery, Richard “Ti” Meas
• 2nd Lucien Nys, Jacques Petitberghien

CONSOLANTE B

• 1st Joseph Hassoune, Guy Rabarijaona
• 2nd Joel Shifflet, Burt Queiroz

CONSOLANTE C

• 1st Amadou Thiam, Pierre Benjamin
• 2nd Raja Harb, Chris Reilly

Photos to come.

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