PORTLAND man Philip Hay is trying to bring the backyard game of Petanque to town by campaigning for a new court.

The objective of Petanque, similar to the game bocce, is to throw hollow metal balls at a small wooden ball and get it as close to the target as possible.

The game originated in France and has become popular across the world as a fun social activity.

Hay says he has recently learned about the game and researched into locations close to Portland that have a court and play as clubs.

“Port Fairy has a car park where they play and on Lake Pertobe road there is also a court near some facilities,” he said.

“It’s a really social thing and even though people haven’t been able to play recently I think it’s a great, inexpensive hobby that can help people get out and playing something.”

The game resembles bowls but requires a less specific surface and less expense.

Mr Hay is looking to build a steering committee that will look into appropriate surfaces and areas in Portland to play on and go from there.

“I’m trying to gauge people’s interest at the minute and then hopefully we can put together a steering committee,” he said.

There are nearby clubs including Port Fairy and Warrnambool who also play petanque with some friendly rivalry between the clubs providing opportunities for a Portland club to get involved.

To show interest or to learn more contact Philip Hay on 0407 052 168 or via email philiphay@bigpond.com.