New pétanque rink opens in Burgess Hill

They were joined by town councillors and members of the Burgess Hill U3A Pétanque Group.

The Burgess Hill U3A Pétanque Group has been working with Burgess Hill Town Council and Mid Sussex District Council to develop a rink at Fairfield Recreation Ground.

They were the first to enjoy a game on it.

“I am delighted to see un petit coin de la France come to Fairfield Rec,” said town mayor Anne Eves.

“It’s high time we had our own rink here in Burgess Hill so that our townsfolk and players from surrounding villages won’t have to go further afield to play this very accessible game,” she said.

The Pétanque Group has previously had to travel to Haywards Heath and Handcross to play, but now they aim to develop the sport locally and make it much more accessible to casual players and the wider community.

Samantha Smith, Mid Sussex district councillor for Dunstall Ward in Burgess Hill, said that she and Ray Smith, the chairman of Burgess Hill Bowls Club, had also been working hard together since 2018 to get the pétanque terrain to Fairfield Recreation Ground.

She said Steve Cridland, CEO of Burgess Hill Town Council, had dedicated a lot of time to getting funding from Sport England.

“Mims Davies MP was delighted to help us when we needed it,” she added, saying she is ‘extremely happy and proud’ to see the project complete.

Pétanque, also known as boules, is a highly accessible sport that originated in southern France in the early 20th century.

It is now played in more than 50 countries worldwide, with thousands of players in the UK.

The new rink provides enough room for four games to take place simultaneously and is funded by a grant from Sport England and developer S106 contributions.

To book a piste at Fairfield Recreation Ground, contact Mid Sussex District Council on 01444 477379 or visit www.midsussex.gov.uk/leisure-sport/sports-and-bookings.