How to Play Boule

Two teams of two of three players play the game. In teams of two each player has three boules, in teams of three each player has two boules.
Players use metal boules having a diameter between 7 cm and 8 cm and a weight not exceeding 800 grammes. The marker ball (the "cochonnet") is wooden and should have a diameter between 25mm and 30mm.
The Starting team is decided by the toss of a coin. One member of the team chooses the starting place and draws on the ground a circle in which to stand, 36 cm to 50cm across. Both the feet of the thrower must remain inside the circle till the boule lands.
The First Thrower throws the cochonnet between 6m and 10m away, not near that 50 cm from the edge of the terrain or from any obstacle (wall or tree etc.) if playing on open ground.
He/she then throws their first boule, trying to place it as near as possible to the cochonnet.
A player from the other team then comes into the circle and tries to throw his/her boule nearer to the cochonnet, or to knock away the leading boule. The boule nearest to the cochonnet is the leading boule.
Then it is up to a player in the team not leading to throw until his/her team gets a leading boule and so on.
When a team has no more boules left the players of the other team continue to throw theirs and try to place them as close as possible to the cochonnet
When both teams have no more boules left, the points are counted. The winning team gets as many points as it has boules nearer to the cochonnet than the best boule of the team losing that end.
A player of the winning team throws the cochonnet back up the terrain from where it is i.e. in the opposite direction to that in which the previous end was played. The game starts again and continues, reversing the direction of play each end, until one team reaches 13 points.
During the Match:
A measure (like those used in bowls) and some means of scoring should be available.
If a boule hits the frame surrounding the terrain and stays within the terrain it is nevertheless considered to be a dead boule and should be picked up and removed
Players should change ends after each end has been played.
In the relatively rare event that the best boule from both teams is the same distance from the cochonnet (i.e. effectively a tied end) that end should be replayed from the same end.
(Taken from the 'Dorset twinning Association' Website)

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