WITH 16 teams playing, this year saw one of the biggest entries for the annual boules tournament run by Crediton Twinning Association, as part of Crediton Festival and held on the town square.

The tournament dates back to the beginning of Crediton officially twinning with Avranches, the Normandy town with which there has long been links through its schools.

Winner was Meltdown, a team of Martin Ord, Elaine Pollard, Linda Fornal and Trevor Bennett.

Runners' up, winning the antique boules ball was the Barclays Bank team of Andrew Tonkin (Captain), Robert Tonkin, Phil and Sharon Willcock.

Winners of the Plate competition were Golden Balls' team of Sheila Ralph (Boniface Rotary Club), Gary Adam, David Pitts (Boniface) and his wife, Jenni. They were playing on behalf of the Twinning Association, gaining their name because one year they painted their boules gold.

Runners up were the Crediton Rotary Club team of Brian Shillingford, Roger Pennington, Mel Wheal and Erwin Moore.

The Twinning Association's first tournament was in 1989, shortly after the Association was formed, played on courts that had been created from the foundations of old classrooms at QE Lower School.

The games went on so long that car headlights were used to complete the tournament, which was won by the QE School staff, a team which included Gordon Shrubsole and Stephen Berridge.

The original trophy had been bought in an antique shop for £5, but Gordon Shrubsole, technology teacher at QE, made a new, more impressive, trophy and the original trophy became the Plate award.

Gordon also made the runners' up trophy using a very old boules ball he had found in the garden of his cottage in France.

The Plate competition was between teams who lost their first match in the tournament.

Anyone is welcome to join the Twinning Association. You do not have to speak French or go on the visits to Avranches. The Crediton group runs a number of social activities in which everyone can take part.

Membership is £5 a year. You can find out more by contacting the chairman, Mrs Jenni Pitts, by email: [email protected]">[email protected] . Secretary is Mrs Pat Sherwood.

This is the 20th year since the signing of the Twinning Charter between Crediton and Avranches in Normandy, in April 1993.

The Charter was signed by Mrs Fran Richer and Peter Brewer in Crediton and in Avranches it was signed by Jenni Pitts, the new Mayor of Crediton, the first time that title was used.

Crediton Twinners visited Avranches two weeks ago, the French visitors will be coming to Crediton in a fortnight's time.