Early History
The following is a chronological history of the club. There have been two major milestones:
- The construction of the original Pistes enabling interest to be generated over the years
- Establishment of “The Northey Arms Boules Club” in 2014 via a formal constitution.
The club has grown in strength and depth from its early days while maintaining its core principles – to provide opportunities for members to learn, practise and enjoy the sport of Petanque (sometimes referred to as Boules).
(Note – The overall playing area is called a Terrain with individual ‘lanes’ called Pistes. A Piste is made up of various granular materials with a width of about 2.5m and a minimum length of 10m. Competition Pistes need to be wider).
2000 – Marshall Ewart was landlord of the Northey Arms in 2000 and he with Kevin Ford, Peter Dixon and others constructed a Terrain area for the playing of Boules. This was located at the back of the Northey Arms car park. It was essentially two Pistes wide and was used for a number of club and informal competitions and casual playing. It never really took off at that time, and interest soon faded when Marshall left.
2010 – Matt Warburton, the Landlord’s son at the time, entered a team in the Bath Thursday Night Boules league, using the existing two Pistes at the Northey as their home.
2011 – A group of neighbours in Middlehill showed interest in playing boules and entering a team in the Bath Thursday Night League. Various venues were considered, but after discussion with the Northey it was agreed to use the Northey as the home Pistes. Graham Cogswell agreed to manage this team for the 2011 season. To differentiate it from the Northey team it was called Barn House. It played its games at the Northey, on the alternate weeks to the main Northey team. There was only one division in the Bath Thursday Night League that year, comprising 12 teams. Each team played one another only once. The Barn House team consisted of: Graham Cogswell, Adrian Dolan, Tim Bolt, Steve Richman and Ed Heal.
2012 – Loss of key players and a lack of interest in the main Northey team led to Graham Cogswell being asked to manage both teams in the league. Two teams were entered in the league in 2012. Because of an upsurge in interest locally, the league was expanded to two divisions with both Northey based teams playing in the second division. The Northey based teams were:
- Barn House – Graham Cogswell, Adrian Dolan, Tim Bolt and Steve Richman
- Northey Arms – Alison Curd, Mike Curd, Annie Ford, and Kevin Ford with support from Ed Heal, Gordon Johncox and Richard Grigsby
2013 – The game was becoming more popular at the Northey and as a result four teams were entered in the Bath Thursday Night Boules league for the summer of 2013. Each home game requires two Pistes, so in order to accommodate the extra teams, the Terrain area was extended to four narrow Pistes in the spring of 2013.
Barn House had gained promotion to Division 1 and changed their name to Northey 1 for the summer 2013 league. A summary of the league details follows:
| Team | League | Captain | Finishing Position | Those who played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northey 1 | Division 1 | Graham Cogswell | Third | Graham Cogswell, Adrian Dolan, Steve Richman, Tim Bolt and Anette Dolan |
| Northey 2 | Division 2 | Alison Curd | Runners (promoted to division 1) | Alison Curd, Mike Curd, Annie Ford, Kevin Ford, Liam Holley and Mike Turner |
| Northey 3 | Division 2 | Peter Dixon | Fourth | Peter Dixon, Richard Grigsby, Roman Mohr, Len West, Claire and Gordon Joncox |
| Northey 4 | Division 2 | Tracey Grigsby | Eighth | Tracey Grigsby, Theresa Cogswell, Helen West, Jo Richman, Bethan Denning and Annette Dolan |
The numbers of club members had risen to 33, 26 of who played in the Thursday Night League at some time. We had our first annual dinner and awards evening in October 2013 at the Northey, with trophies sponsored by BathAquaGlass.
The Chairman of the Club was Graham Cogswell with Tracey Grigsby as both Secretary and Treasurer. Other Committee member were Adrian Dolan, plus the Captains of the league teams.
2014 – This year saw major steps forward in the establishment of the Northey Arms Boules Club.
- The AGM on 10 February 2014 formally adopted the Club’s Constitution and established “The Northey Arms Boules Club”. The Constitution sets down the aims of the club and how it should be run
- The Terrain was extended substantially from four to six Pistes in the spring and floodlights were added. The work was undertaken by club members, led by Kevin Ford, with donations from the Northey Arms for materials and a grant of £500 from Wiltshire Council for equipment and scoreboards
- There was a grand opening of the new Pistes and celebration of the club’s inauguration on 20 July 2014 followed by the club’s Mid-Summer Melee and BBQ. The opening was by David Warburton who was the owner of the Northey Arms at the time.
- BathAquaGlass agreed to sponsor the club and provided all the trophies for the club competitions and awards. These were presented at the club’s first formal dinner in Nov 2014.
The Chairman of the Club was Graham Cogswell with Tracey Grigsby as both Secretary and Treasurer. The other Committee members were Adrian Dolan, plus the Captains of the league teams.
The club entered five teams in the Bath Thursday Night League. A summary of the league details follows:
| Team | League | Captain | Finishing Position | Those who played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northey 1 | Division 1 | Graham Cogswell | Third | Graham Cogswell, Adrian Dolan, Steve Richman, Tim Bolt |
| Northey 2 | Division 1 | Alison Curd | ?? | Alison Curd, Mike Curd, Annie Ford, Kevin Ford |
| Northey 3 | Division 2 | Peter Dixon | ?? | Peter Dixon, Richard Grigsby, Len West |
| Northey 4 | Division 2 | Tracey Grigsby | ?? | Tracey Grigsby, Theresa Cogswell, Marie Kerr, Helen West |
| Northey 5 | Division 2 | Adrian Bligh | ?? | ?? |
There were 36 club members, about 30 of whom played in the Thursday Night League at some time. We had our second annual dinner and awards evening in October 2013 at the Northey, with trophies again sponsored by BathAquaGlass.
Four people became EPA qualified coaches in 2014 – Allen Lovelock, Thierry Sarkissian, Steve Richman and Graham Cogswell
.
In September the club organised its first tour to Sorigny in France (it was anticipated that they would be twinned with the village of Box in the near future). The party was eleven with a competition within the group on the local Piste one day and against the Sorigny Petanque club on the next day. The local club were very strong and results for the Northey could have been better, but we learnt a lot, had a good demonstration of shooting from Sorigny and were very well entertained throughout an enjoyable visit. Those who toured were – Annie and Kevin Ford, Alison and Mike Curd, Tracey and Richard Grigsby, Adrian Dolan, Marilyn Harford, Peter Dixon, Theresa and Graham Cogswell.
2015 – The club continued to build and grow in 2015, with a very good and enthusiastic membership with rising skill levels. There were 46 club members, 36 of whom played in the Thursday Night League at some time during the season. Club nights continued to be well supported as did the five main internal competitions.
| Team | League | Captain | Finishing position | Those who played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northey 1 | Division 1 | Graham Cogswell | Third | Graham Cogswell, Adrian Dolan, Steve Richman, Tim Bolt Also played – Mike Turner and Thierry Sarkissian |
| Northey 2 | Division 1 | Alison Curd | Relegated to division 2 | Alison Curd, Mike Curd, Annie Ford, Kevin Ford Also played – Lesley Holley, David Murray, Fred Curd, Mike Turner |
| Northey 3 | Division 2 | Tracey Grigsby | Relegated to division 3 | Tracey Grigsby, Theresa Cogswell, Marie Kerr, Helen West Jo Richman Also played – Corinne Sarkissian, Adrian Bligh, Lesley Holly |
| Northey 4 | Division 2 | Peter Dixon | Promoted to division 1 | Peter Dixon, Richard Grigsby, Liam Holley, Thierry Sarkissian, Bob Prior Also played – Roman Mohr, Allen Lovelock, Len West, Corinne Sarkissian |
| Northey 5 | Division 3A | Len West | Promoted to division 2 | Len West, Allen Lovelock, Jonnie Phippen, Janie Phippen, Also played – Andy Kerr, Helen West, Pauline Lea, Keith Edwards, Fred and Molly Curd |
| Northey 6 | Division 3B | Ian Morrison | Promoted to division 2 | Ian and Elaine Morrison, Keith Edwards, Chrissy Edwards, Andy Baker Also played – Andy Kerr, Corinne Sarkissian |
The Chairman of the Club was Graham Cogswell with Tracey Grigsby as both Secretary and Treasurer. Other Committee members were Mike Curd and Jonathan Phippen, plus the Captains of the league teams. BathAquaGlass were again our very welcome sponsors.
Our tour in 2015 took us to the World Boules championship in Marseille – the home of boules – from 2 to 7 July. Thirteen of us went with club members, 
Corinne and Thierry Sarkissian, who come from Marseille. An incredible tournament of boules. Some 15,000 competitors in teams of three, from all over France and nine other countries –including of course England. Games are played in venues throughout the city. It is a straight knockout competition of one game to 13 points and while our games may not have lasted long (!), many of the other games approached two hours in temperatures above 38C with little shade.
Our expectations were generally low considering the quality of the opposition, but the team of Alison and Mike Curd and TJ (Corinne’s friend from Marseille) made it through to the second round – a tremendous achievement, winning them the ‘tour’ cup! Our valiant efforts were rewarded with a two-page spread in the local paper, La Marseillaise. Magnificent hosts and great experience for us all.
2016 – The club had a really good year in 2016. There was steady growth in numbers and the club was able to field six teams in the Bath Thursday Night League. None of the teams were relegated, one was promoted, and one won the first division without losing a game. A team from the Northey played for the Great Western Region (GWR) in the “Race to Hayling Island” national championship, and 3 teams did well in the GWR winter doubles competition. Monday club nights again proved very popular as had all the social events and internal competitions.
| Team | League | Captain | Finishing position | Those who played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northey Originals | Division 1 | Graham Cogswell | League winners (not losing a game) | Graham Cogswell, Adrian Dolan, Steve Richman, Tim Bolt. Also played – Allen Lovelock |
| Northey Nobblers | Division 1 | Peter Dixon | Fourth | Peter Dixon, Liam Holley, Thierry Sarkissian, Bob Prior, Also played – Richard Grigsby Roman Mohr, Kevin Ford, Marie Kerr |
| Northey Cannyboules | Division 2 | Alison Curd | Leagure division 2 winners | Alison Curd, Mike Curd, Annie Ford, Kevin Ford Also played – Lesley Holley, David Murray, Corrine Sarkissian, Keith Edwards |
| Northey Notaboules | Division 2 | Ian Morrison | Promoted to division 2 | Ian and Elaine Morrison, Joni and Janie Phippen, Keith Edwards, Mike Turner Also played – Corinne Sarkissian, Len West, Jo Richman, Catherine Simpson |
| Northey Wonderboules | Division 2 | Keith Edwards | Promoted to division 2 | Keith Edwards, Len West, Allen Lovelock, Lesley Holley, Also played – Giovanni D’Agostino, Corinne Sarkissian, David Murray, Mike Turner, Chrissy Edwards, Marie Kerr |
| Northey Belles | Division 3 | Theresa Cogswell | Relegated to division 3 | Theresa Cogswell, Marie Kerr, Helen West, Jo Richman Tracey Grigsby. Also played – Corinne Sarkissian, Annette Dolan |
There were 51 club members, 35 of whom played in the Thursday Night League at some time during the season. The Chairman of the Club was Graham Cogswell with Sue Lovelock as Secretary. Corinne Sarkissian was Treasurer. The other Committee members were Mike Curd and Jonathan Phippen, plus the Captains of the league teams.
The club formally joined the EPA (English Petanque Association) as a club and there were some eight other individual members as well.
A team from the Northey (Pete Dixon, Steve Richman, Allen Lovelock and Graham Cogswell) entered the Race to Hayling competition for the first time. There are three qualifying rounds in this triples competition and the best twelve teams from the GWR region of the EPA then qualify for the national competition at Hayling Island. The top eight play in the main competition. The Northey team qualified seventh and were the best performers from the region at these championships, where nearly a thousand people compete.
We raised £965 for our chosen charity (Wiltshire air Ambulance) from club activities. We did not have a tour this year.
2017 – Another successful year in 2017, both on and off the Piste. This year we decided to only enter five teams in the Bath Thursday Night League.
One notable achievement was that Northey Arms teams won both the main cup (Kevin Ford and Mike Curd) and the plate (Alison Curd and Annie Ford) in the Bath Thursday Night League Doubles competition.
| Team | League | Captain | Finishing position | Those who played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northey Originals | Division 1 | Graham Cogswell | League runners up | Graham Cogswell, Adrian Dolan, Steve Richman, Tim Bolt, Allen Lovelock |
| Northey Nomads | Division 1 | Peter Dixon | Fourth | Peter Dixon, Bob Prior, Keith Edwards, Giovanni D’Agostino Also played – Thierry Sarkissian, Roman Mohr |
| Northey Cannyboules | Division 1 | Alison Curd | Fifth | Alison Curd, Mike Curd, Annie Ford, Kevin Ford Also played – Lesley and Liam Holley |
| Northey Notaboules | Division 2 | Ian Morrison | Relegated to division 3 | Ian and Elaine Morrison, Joni and Janie Phippen, Len West, Catherine Simpson Also played – Corinne Sarkissian, Chrissy Edwards, Fred Curd |
| Northey Belles | Division 3 | Marie Kerr | Winners of division 3 (promoted to division 2) | Marie Kerr, Theresa Cogswell, Helen West, Jo Richman Tracey Grigsby Also played – Andy Kerr, Chrissy Edwards |
We also decided to enter a team for the first time in the Brunel League. The league is considered to be of a higher standard, with three rounds of matches being played in an evening. The league is centred more towards Bristol so involved longer travelling and game times. In the first year the team won the second division and will play in the first division in 2018. They also won the inaugural Brunel League Cup, played for the first time, with first and second division teams in an open draw.
| Team | League | Captain | Finishing position | Those who played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northey | Division 2 of Brunel League | Graham Cogswell | League winners, division 2 | Graham Cogswell, Steve Richman, Peter Dixon, Bob Prior, Mike Curd, Keith Edwards. Also played – Tim Bolt, Allen Lovelock, Kevin Ford, Giovanni D’Agostino |
We also made our debut in the EPA European Cup, making it through to the 3rd round and learning a lot on the way.
Two Northey Arms teams qualified for the National Triples event, and one of those teams competed at the national championships at Hayling Island, representing the Great Western Region of the EPA. We also had 4 teams in the EPA winter doubles competition.
The internal club competitions proved very popular and very exciting, with some great games being played. Monday club nights were always well attended, and other informal evenings were developing.
Allen Lovelock undertook his Advanced Coach qualification consisting of several modules. and Peter Dixon now sits on the GWR regional EPA Committee. The club continued its membership of the EPA in addition to its fifteen individual members. This enables them to play in EPA competitions.
There were 54 club members 33 of whom played in the Thursday Night League at some time during the season. The Chairman of the Club was Graham Cogswell with Sue Lovelock as Secretary and Treasurer. Other Committee members were Mike Curd, Keith Edwards and Jonathan Phippen, plus the Captains of the league teams.
BathAquaGlass were again our very welcome sponsors and supported us in the 
provision of club branded polo-shirts and fleeces purchased by some 35 members.
In September some 15 club members travelled to Guernsey, where they were well entertained for 2 days. A team reached two quarter-final rounds – Doubles (Pete Dixon and Adrian Dolan) and Triples (Pete Dixon, steve Richman and Graham Cogswell). (The Tour party were – Jo and Steve Richman, Helen West, Marilyn Harford, Peter Dixon, Annette and Adrian Dolan, Tracey and Richard Grigsby, Marie and Andy Kerr, Elaine and Ian Morrison, Theresa and Graham Cogswell) All in all, the club is increasingly being recognised as having good players and a good social side too.
2018 – A new Terrain area has been added with an additional three pistes, taking the total number to nine pistes. The work was undertaken by club members under the directions of Kevin Ford and Mike Curd with the help of a grant of £250 from the Bingham Hall Trust for materials.
These new pistes proved to a great and very valuable addition to the Club and have provided the opportunity to host other Regional GWR events as well as a challenge to our members playing on the very different surface.
Continuing with some strong performances in both the Bath Thursday night and Brunel Leagues we built some strength and depth with more teams and more interest than ever. The high light being our Northey Newbies team who won promotion from Div 4.
We also enjoyed a good run in the European Cup with some great rounds and although we were in the Plate Competition we managed to progress through to the finals at Worthing where we were equal in games won suring the round robin format but ended up 3rd on points. Nevertheless a great step forward and good fun all round.
The Club also had their first Regional Champion with Keith Edwards winning the GWR Singles competiton held at the Northey. Well done Keith!
Our competitive Club was also well represented at the Regional Championships at Hayling Island and in the Winter Doubles competitions.
We are also very fortunate to have a number of reliable and very good qualified coaches in the Club that provide excellent support during Club nights as well as on a “as and when” requested.
2019 Continued to be a successful year for the club with some great results in the Thursday Bath League in which our teams came runners up in each of the five divisions.
2020. Into a new era.
Graham Cogswell has decided to step down after 10 years as Chairman of the Club. It goes without saying that we simply would not be the Club that we are without his leadership. The Committee has decided to make him a Life member in recognition of his dedication to the Club and Petanque in the region. Thank you Graham.
Our new Chairperson is Mike Curd.