Half Crown Petanque Club

The Half Crown Pétanque Club was formed in 1989, has three International twinnings per year, has represented Great Britain in the European Club Championships, achieved recognition by the Guinness Book of Records in 1999 and was the first holder of the prestigious Sports Club of the Year awarded by Stratford-on-Avon District Council. The Club is situated in Stockton, a very old village in the lime quarrying area of Warwickshire which is famous for the prehistoric Ichthyosaurus that was discovered in the early 1900s, and now has pride of place in The British Museum.

The Club was formed in February 1989 when a group of 12 amateur, but enthusiastic Pétanquers, hired a mini-bus for the day to play in the Towerlands Triples Competition at Braintree in Essex.

While deciding what to call themselves for registration to the competition, it was recognised that half of the group were former members of The Black Horse Pétanque Club, from Marton in Warwickshire which had recently closed down following a change of landlord, and the other half were regular drinkers from The Crown Inn Stockton, including the Landlord and Landlady. They therefore called themselves The Half Crown.


On the journey home the landlord of The Crown Inn offered the use of his car park as the home for a new club, and 10 of the players pledged £10 towards a kitty for purchasing some gravel to provide a suitable playing surface. Hence the Half Crown Pétanque Club was formed.

The terrain has since been significantly improved and extended, with the help of a lottery grant, and now affords an excellent playing environment.