Invented by the French, 'boules' refers to the collective name for games played with metal balls. The two most popular forms of 'boules' played throughout European villages for centauries are 'pétanque’ and ‘boule lyonnaise’. The aim of the game is to throw out the jack and compete in teams to see who can land their ball the closest. Played in very similar fashion to lawn balls, except an underarm technique is used to lob the ball into a sandy pit rather than rolling across a grass green.