Faringdon Town Council’s Clos Mêlois Boules Court is available to all and playing is free of charge. There is no booking system so we ask people to politely wait their turn and enjoy the area that has been created. Boules can be borrowed from the Information Centre in the Market Place, or opposite from the Swan Pub by leaving a deposit. Please return the boules after your game and keep our park tidy.
Very many thanks to the volunteers from the French Twinning Association who not only supplied but planted the many shrubs and flowers that now make the space so appealing.
Rules of play
- Teams: Play in singles, doubles, or triples with metal balls (boules).
- Start: Toss a coin to decide the starting team. They throw the cochonnet (target ball) 6-10 meters away.
- Throws: Each team takes turns throwing their boules, aiming to get closest to the cochonnet.
- Foot Faults: Throw from within a circle and don’t step out until the boule lands.
- Scoring: The team with the closest boule to the cochonnet scores points based on how many of their boules are closer than the opponent’s closest boule.
- End: An end is completed after all boules are thrown. The previous scoring team throws the cochonnet in the next end.
- Winning: The first team to reach a set number of points (usually 13) wins.
Local variations may exist, so refer to specific rules for the game you’re playing.
Clos Mêlois Boules Court can be found opposite the Swan Pub, Park Road, Faringdon SN7 7BP.