Tegan Finley from Underriver, Sevenoaks began playing pétanque at the tender age of 7, coached by her Dad, Jamie Finley who is the Kent Pétanque Youth Development Officer and Squad Manager. In the sports world, be it golf, formula 1, or football, invariably it’s those that started when they were very young who become champions – Rory McIlroy was 7 when he took up golf, and Jensen Button began go-karting aged 8.
Almost every French family has played pétanque – it’s in their blood and part of the family growing-up process. In sports clubs, pubs and country clubs in the UK the game is taking off rapidly too, with Kent, Surrey and Sussex leading the way.
Tegan plays for Seal Pétanque Club, based at The White Rock Inn at Underriver but is also captain of the Kent Juniors and won her England shirt in 2024 at the age of just 15! “We are immensely proud of Tegan’s achievements and her 13 year old brother (Zac) is following in her footsteps too!” said her Dad, Jamie.
Unlike France, where the sport is played by families from Calais to Cannes, in the UK the game of pétanque seems to be perceived like lawn bowls as a game for the older generation, but clubs and regions across the country are now producing Junior Squads, led by teenagers like Tegan, who will be representing England at the pétanque World Championships event in Spain this October.
“I first picked up a Boule in 2017 and took to it right away” said Tegan. “With good hand to eye co-ordination it’s a very friendly game and easy to get started – the clever techniques take a lot longer but I would urge young people to give it a go they’d be surprised at how much fun it can be and it’s very competitive when you get into it!”
Tegan’s club Seal celebrates its 50th anniversary in June, and is the longest established pétanque club in Kent, with members ranging from 13 to 95 years of age! The sport has an established UK history with Kent League matches played every week and regional events, big open competitions and international qualifiers played most weekends. Duncan Brown, Kent Pétanque Association Chairman, had this to say about Tegan’s achievements and the journey ahead of her as one of the leading lights of the sports future: “Tegan showed great potential from the very start. She has great determination and is always learning from older players. There’s a wealth of experience at her home Club (Seal) and playing internationally is teaching her to take responsibility in her stride. There is no doubt further international honours are on the horizon.”
