TWO Dorset young pétanque players have been called up for the European Junior Pétanque Championships.

Thirteen-year-old Aimee Rickman from West Moors and 14-year-old Matthew Butcher will travel to Isla Christina this week to take part in the championships between October 3 and 6.

Both players are a part of Muscliff Park Pétanque Club in Bournemouth and train there every Monday, representing the club at matches and competitions across the country.

Rickman, who goes to Ferndown Upper School, will join up with three teammates from Leamington Spa, Coventry and Kent in the England girls’ team.

(Image: Chris Chubb)

Ringwood School’s Butcher will be alongside players from Wiltshire, Leamington Spa and Peterborough in the boys’ team.

Speaking at Muscliff this week, Rickman said: “This is a great opportunity to play pétanque at the highest level (for juniors), I am looking forward to the challenge but it will be tough.”

Butcher added: “We are still young so it will be a good learning experience, if we don’t win this year we will have another chance in 2026, that’s if we make the team.”

The 14-year-old recently won the national doubles title with clubmate Alex Read, with Rickman taking third place with Tegan Finley from Kent.

The pair have also played in a series of major competitions in London, Gravesend, Worthing and most recently in Lowestoft.

(Image: Chris Chubb)

Here, they represented the Southern Counties Pétanque Association in the English Inter-Regional Championships, alongside Alex Read and Axel Franco-Llado from Southampton.

The team recorded just one loss over the weekend and won the title, beating opposition from around the country.

The European Championships are held every other year and attract entries from across the continent, with juniors under the age of 17 eligible to compete.

The French, where pétanque is the national game, will be favourites to take the title, but there will be stiff competition from Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and Italy.