The Chris Guitton Trophy, League Medals, and Prizes
Photographs by Howard Heflin
The 2026 League concluded on Saturday, June 12, with an all-day League tournament and the presentation of the Chris Guitton Trophy. After intense competition, initially within a first flight of eight teams and then in a head-to-head playoff with the top team from the second flight of eight teams, Brian Francis and Doug Lockhart claimed the top spot in the Edmonds Petanque Club’s premier competition. Brian and Doug were outstanding and hold the trophy until next year’s contest.
League Tournament competitors on June 12 prepare for a challenging day of boules.
This year the League took on a new format. Select doubles teams had the option of joining one of two flights of competition. The flights were scheduled earlier or later in the spring, allowing players more flexibility in scheduling. Each flight contained eight teams and produced a flight champion. On June 10, the two top place flight teams faced each other to determine the overall League champion. In similar fashion the teams finishing in second place in each flight entered a playoff to determine the third and fourth place positions.
Doug Lockhart and Brian Francis accept the 2026 Guitton Trophy from Bill Laprade
Competition in both flights was strong, though the early flight produced an exceptionally tight set of results. As demonstrated in the following table, a total of 1.5 match points separated the top five teams. Tie breaker criteria were needed to determine the top team of Brian and Doug. Their rivals Brad Hanson and Scott Shimel finished the first flight with an identical tally of 13 match points. The point differential of 31 (Brian and Doug) to 27 (Brad and Scott – excuse the typo on the chart below) turned out to be the difference. In the playoff match for third place, Brad and Scott defeated Mike Martin and David Sundquist, who claimed fourth place in League overall.
The second/later flight of eight teams produced spirited competition, though the outcome was never in doubt. The family team of Patrick Trompeter and Margaret Evans “ran the table” and emerged as Flight 2 champions.
For the June 12 League Tournament, teams were grouped into Concours and Consolante brackets depending on where they finished in their original flight. Over the course of four games, each team competed for a top spot within their championship or consolation bracket.
Jeff Brann (playing for Margaret Evans) and Patrick Trompeter finished in first place overall. Brad Hanson and Scott Shimel placed second, and Brian Francis and Doug Lockhart ended the League tournament in third place. In the consolation bracket, Joan Poor and Joanie Neuhaus defeated Mari and Paul Dever to win top spot in the consolante. Mari and Paul came in second, and Jan Pruatt and Ralph Sanders took third.
EPC League Tournament top finishers. From left to right: Mari Dever, Paul Dever, Joanie Neuhaus, Brian Francis, Joan Poor, Doug Lockhart, Jeff Brann, Brad Hanson, Scott Shimel, Patrick Trompeter. Missing: Jan Pruatt and Ralph Sanders.
The club extends special thanks to all who helped prepare and conduct the tournament. Michelle Martin picked up tournament gear from our ECA storage locker; Jeanna then made a Costco run for goodies. Ron Stires devised a stand for the club’s new match timer and supplied the software to manage scoring seamlessly. Howard Heflin took photos. Cris Dreher served as arbitre and gravel-keeper, raking the courts before the first whistle. Heather Hunt took care of scoring and records as games concluded. Ron LaRue and La Singkeo were tournament managers, tracking details and signaling for the start and finish of each round. Doug Lockhart spent hours recording and sharing League match scores, keeping all involved up to date with standings. Ron Stires and Doug are the Sports Directors of the club and work tremendously behind the scenes to ensure an event like this comes off well. Thank you, EVERYONE!
All in all, it was another beautiful Edmonds Petanque Kind of Day at the Civic Playfield!