Start by drawing a circle in the dirt with your heel.

Then toss the cochonnet, a small wooden ball that acts as a target for the boules, into the playing area – anywhere between six and 11 yards away.

Then take your first go

Lob one of your two or three iron boules towards the cochonnet, aiming to get it as near as you can.

The next player follows suit...

He or she tries either to nudge in more closely to the cochonnet than the first player, or to whack the other boule clear out of the way. A species of backspin, lobbed underhand as the player adopts a semi-crouched stance, seems to be the master’s choice. Moving the cochonnet or hitting one of your previous throws in order to edge it closer are both allowed. Cunning is everything in this game.

Once the second player has either succeeded in...

...getting one of his or her throws closest to the cochonnet or run out of boules, his/her go is over. And so it continues. For such a quiet sport, the jubilation you will feel when you are in the lead is quite something – but note that victorious cheering and football-style team hugs are frowned upon among veteran players.

Once all boules have been tossed, the round is over.

The winner is the person whose boule is now closest to the cochonnet, and they get a point for every boule closer than the nearest boule of the next most successful player. A new round takes place, usually played in the opposite direction, and so on, until one of the players has won 15 points. When it gets too dark to play any more, retire to the nearest bar and discuss semiotics till bedtime. Flat caps, filterless Gauloises and bottles of pastis are unavailable in sports shops, but you should be able to buy a decent pétanque set for about €40. You’ll see the game played comme il faut in squares and gardens around Paris, and along the banks of the Canal St-Martin.