The Nice pétanque team narrowly missed another final during the fifth stage of the Sport-Boules League M1, held in Lyon.
OGC Nice Boules stopped just short of the final on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Lyon. Facing Génelard in the semi-final, the Nice team delivered a closely contested match, eventually losing by a single point (6-5). The match, marked by several reversals, kept everyone on the edge of their seats until the end. Despite this, Nice remains well-positioned in the overall standings, just four points behind the leader.
The match against Génelard had a taste of revenge. One week earlier, the two teams had already faced each other at the same stage of the competition. This time, Nice had a strong start. After more than an hour of play, the players from the Côte d’Azur led 3 to 0. However, Génelard came back and widened the gap (6-3). Nice managed to close the gap to 5-6 a few minutes before the end.
The suspense lasted until the last end. Jérémy Micoud missed the annulment. With three balls against six, the situation seemed compromised. But two strong plays by Romain Garcia and Bastien Paradis reignited the team’s hopes. A final attempt by Paradis could have turned the match, but narrowly failed to add a second point. The decisive end ultimately went in favor of Génelard, who then won the final against Lagnieu (13-5).
Strong performance by Nice in the group stage
To reach the semi-finals once again, Didier Abrate’s team got off to a good start for the weekend. On Friday evening, they defeated CRO Lyon (11-3), and continued on Saturday morning against Lyon Sport Métropole (13-4). The third victory against Saint-Quentin-Fallavier (9-6) allowed them to finish first in the group with 16 points earned.
Nice retains its second place overall with 88 points, behind Plaine de l’Ain (92 points). Génelard follows with 72 points. Next stage: Romans, on May 9 and 10. Perhaps an opportunity to return to the final.
