Castlemaine local Ruth Giddings and her triples team took out the win for the Victorian Pétanque Championships on Sunday.
28 teams from across Victoria headed to the Weird Entertainers and Pétanque Club in Dandenong, where they battled it out on the notoriously tough and rocky piste.
An open-age event, participants ranged in age from 20 to 80 years.
Having played socially for more than 13 years, Ruth was astounded at her team’s win.
“I love the tactics of Pétanque,” Ruth said.
“It’s a great game, and people of any age or physical ability can play.”
Partnered with Esther Boulger from Bendigo, who calls Ruth her mentor, and Myriam Parson’s from Camberwell, the three women beat some of the top players in the state/
Coming 7th after the first four games, Ruth and her teammates were elated to make it into the Principale (the main championship bracket for the top-qualifying teams).
Winning the next two games, the women played the final untimed game, winning 13-6.
Playing from 9.30am to 5.45pm, 78-year-old Ruth who suffers from arthritis, said she struggled to sleep that night, both from the excitement and the aches and pains!