News · 24 June 2026
French Triplette Championship 2026: Lacroix - Doerr - Matraglia retain the crown
NewsResults of the 2026 French Senior Men's Triplette Championship in Sin-le-Noble: Lacroix, Doerr and Matraglia win Lacroix's 23rd national title against Magny - Fournié - Prud'homme.1.The official podium of the 2026 French Triplette Championship
Here are the consolidated results at the end of Sunday 21 June's final, as reported by the FFPJP and the specialist press (Boulistenaute, Facile à Comprendre, Nord regional press).
🥉 3rd Semi-finalists (beaten in the semis) Record: eliminated in the semi-finals 🥇 CHAMPIONS Henri Lacroix • Ligan Doerr • Laurent Matraglia La Crau (83) · 23rd title for Lacroix 🥈 2nd Baldwin Magny • Romain Fournié • Kévin Prud'homme Vaulx-en-Velin (69) 📋For the women's event, which was held at the same venue and over the same weekend, the full official results will be published as they are released by the FFPJP. This recap will be updated as soon as they are confirmed.
2.Setting and organisation: Sin-le-Noble (59)
The 2026 edition was organised by the Nord Departmental Committee (CD59) at the Boulodrome du Douaisis , in Sin-le-Noble, within the Douaisis Agglo urban community. The venue, well equipped for mass competitions, allowed the men's and women's triplette championships to run simultaneously.
Competition format
As specified by the 2026 FFPJP French Championships regulations , the event is structured into qualifying pools on the Saturday (4 teams per pool, 2 qualifiers), then in a knockout bracket up to Sunday's final. The triplettes entered qualified through their respective departmental championships in the spring.
TV coverage
For the second year running, the final phases (quarter-finals, semi-finals, final) were broadcast on la Chaîne L'Équipe as part of an expanded partnership between the FFPJP and the broadcaster, announced at the start of the season as "a new media era for pétanque".
3.The champions' run to the final
The defending champion triplette was under pressure right from the draw: seeded, they knew they would probably cross paths with Dylan Rocher and his partners in the quarter-finals. That is indeed what happened.
From Saturday morning to the round of 16
Topping their pool without a hitch, the La Crau team cruised through the round of 64 then the round of 32 against solid but less experienced sides. The commentators highlight above all the complementarity of the trio: a pointer of the very highest level, a shooter brimming with confidence, and an experienced lead.
Quarter-final: the showdown with Dylan Rocher
The quarter-final against Dylan Rocher's side was the key moment of the competition. As reported by facileacomprendre.fr , the match swung in the final ends, with La Crau prevailing after a tense game. It was no doubt that quarter-final that truly set the team free for the phases that followed.
Semi-final and reaching the final
In the semi-final, the reigning champions confirmed their status, managing their match perfectly to reach the next day's final against the Vaulx-en-Velin triplette, made up of Magny – Fournié – Prud'homme.
Perceived level of each member of the champion triplette
Ligan Doerr (shooter)Excellent weekend Laurent Matraglia (pointer)Consistency in pointing Henri Lacroix (lead, middle)Reading & experience Opponents in the finalSolid but outclassed4.The final dissected: a flying start, a controlled finish
Sunday's final swung very early in the Var side's favour. According to the reports, the score climbs rapidly to 5-0 then 8-0 , driven by Matraglia's high-quality support points and Doerr's decisive carreaux and strikes. Lacroix, for his part, manages the play, alternating precise points with effective shooting — the hallmark of an experienced player.
À 11-0 , the final looked already decided. But the Vaulx-en-Velin triplette refused to give up. Baldwin Magny produced spectacular shot after spectacular shot to kick-start his team, who came back to 11-4 thanks to several fine ends in a row. But the experience of the reigning champions made the difference: in the money-time, Ligan Doerr seals it with another decisive carreau to hand the title to La Crau.
Timeline of the final
| Phase | Score | Key moment |
|---|---|---|
| First ends | 5-0 | Doerr opens with two carreaux, Matraglia follows up |
| Middle of the match | 8-0 | A collective masterclass, Vaulx-en-Velin with no answer |
| Turning point | 11-0 | The final looks wrapped up, a controlled game |
| Opponents' reaction | 11-4 | Magny strings together strikes, Prud'homme knocks jacks out of play |
| Money-time | Doerr's carreau | Decisive shot that closes out the match |
| Final verdict | La Crau win | 23rd national title for Henri Lacroix |
What stands out in this final is not so much the pure gap in level as the ability to stop the opponent breathing . The champions rattled off the good ends without leaving any margin. When you look at the timings of the big finals, you often find this pattern: take the lead early, don't let them back in, and close it out cleanly. Magny and his partners didn't disgrace themselves — they just came up against a team that gave them no opening.
5.Henri Lacroix, 23 titles: a legend still very much alive
With this crown, Henri Lacroix adds another line to an already colossal list of honours. 23 French champion titles , several world titles, winner of almost every major national and international tournament: the Var player remains, at over 50, the absolute benchmark of French pétanque.
What impresses most is no doubt his longevity at the very highest level . While new generations emerge every year — Robineau, Rocher, Bonetto, and even younger ones — Lacroix keeps showing up at the big events, and keeps winning the titles that matter. His experience, his reading of the game, his technical precision make him a player nobody wants to come up against on a Sunday afternoon.
His partnership with Ligan Doerr and Laurent Matraglia is running at full throttle: an explosive shooter, an elite pointer, and the "Boss" in the middle. The 2025-2026 double confirms that this triplette is no make-shift outfit, but truly the benchmark triplette on the national circuit.
6.And now? The next big events
After this crown, the season obviously doesn't stop there. Several events now await the best French players:
The 2026 Pétanque Masters
The Pétanque Masters circuit started in Romans-sur-Isère and will continue all summer. The Lacroix – Doerr – Matraglia triplette is expected there among the natural favourites. The revamped 2026 format promises a show.
The European Championship
The France pétanque team, already crowned European champions through Mickaël Bonetto (a recent individual title in Lorca), will be eagerly awaited at the upcoming international competitions of the summer.
The summer Nationals
The calendar of the big Nationals (Saint-Nazaire, Fréjus, Nice, Var, Albret) will be in full swing until the end of August. The champion team's triplettes should be highly anticipated there, individually or as teams.
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📚 Sources consulted for this recap- French Federation of Pétanque and Provençal Game (FFPJP) — official press release, 2026 calendar.
- Official FFPJP French Championships website — live coverage and results.
- Facile à Comprendre — detailed report on the final (published 22 June 2026).
- Boulistenaute — news, BoulisteNOTE and live schedule.
- Sportmag — specialist press coverage of the French Championship.
- FFPJP departmental committees (CD59, CD78, CD64) — official communications.
No external links are inserted here by editorial choice: the sources are named and can be verified by direct search.
