click here to sign up for the 2025 season
Scoring rule to remember
Each game normally ends when one team scores 10 points; however, all games must end before 4:50 PM. The team with the highest number of points is the winner of that game. If necessary one additional frame may be played to break a tie.
Matches are on Friday, starting promptly at 3:00 PM. Come early and practice or socialize. The courts are available for practice starting at 2:00 PM. All players are expected to be at the courts by 2:45 PM. Courts must be cleared by 4:50 PM.
2025 captains (requires login: contains emails and phone numbers
Important additional information:
o The benches at the ends of each court are only for the active players. Additional benches are available between courts. If you want to ensure that you can sit in the shade, bring a chair.
o Only measure when necessary – try to eyeball it first. Referees should be the ones to measure or else appoint one person from your team. Referees should not touch or move balls until everyone agrees.
o When grooming the courts, only use the smaller ½ court wide broom. The full court width broom is to be used only by maintenance workers. There is also a stick broom that should be used on the ends of the court.
o Captains should report number of games each team won to Ben Bachrach as soon as the match is over.
Please read all of the rules. Be prepared know the court you are to play on. The courts are numbered 1 to 5 with court 1 being the far court as you enter the bocce courts the from the parking lot, or another way to describe it would be the closest to the river. Each match you play will most likely be on a different court. It is best to have some kind of eye shade such as a golf hat. Look for notes from your captain who may want to schedule a practice and set up the line ups for the 3 games your team will play.
Basic Play and Rules
- The Masters Bocce season play Fridays January 12 until March 29, 2024.
- Play will start promptly at 3:00pm. The courts will be available for practice at 2:30.
- Each team has a captain. If the captain cannot be present, he/she will designate an acting captain for the match. Captains coordinate who is playing, help with questions, provide playing tips, remind all team members of the forthcoming match, and cheer on the participants. Each player has been assigned to a team. The teams will remain together for the length of the 2023 season.
- Everyone that signed up to play agreed to play at least 50% of the games. It is hoped that most will play more than 50%. A team must have 4 players to participate in a match. Should there be less than 4 team members present, someone from another team with sufficient players will be asked to join the understaffed team for the day.
- Three games are played in a match. All 3 games will be played. Each captain is responsible for providing the number of games their team won to Ben Bachrach, either at the Bocce Courts or by email to benbachrach@gmail.com. Standings will be based on total number of games won.
- Each captain assigns 4 team members to play each game. Two players of each team are positioned at each end of the court.
- A match begins with the toss of a coin. The winner of the toss has choice of ball color and rolls the pallino and bocce ball first.
- A player may toss the pallino any distance as long as it passes the center line and does not hit the backboard. If a player fails to toss the pallino successfully, a player from the opposing team throws the pallino. If the second player also fails a successful toss, the pallino is placed in the center of the foul line. The first player still rolls the first bocce ball. If a tossed bocce ball hits the backboard without hitting the pallino or another bocce ball, that ball is removed from play for the duration of that frame. If this is the first throw of the frame, that team continues to throw until the initial point is established.
- After the first bocce ball is played, the second team rolls. Each succeeding ball is thrown by the team NOT closest to the pallino (the “Out” team). The “In” team throws only after the opponent has thrown all 4 of their balls.
- The team that wins the frame or game will throw the pallino first in the next frame or game.
- Team members may throw their bocce balls in any order they choose but no player will throw more than 2 balls.
- If a player rolls out of turn, the other team may choose to leave all balls as they are or remove the illegal ball from play and return all balls to their approximate original positions.
- If a player, accidentally rolls the wrong-colored ball, simply replace it in the same spot with the correct colored ball.
- If a player accidentally moves a ball prior to the end of a frame (thinking play is over) and the balls cannot be accurately relocated, all remaining non-thrown balls of the non-offending team are counted as points and the frame is over.
- Each team must have a captain or acting game captain present and only the captains can call for a measurement. All issues and procedural questions will be decided between the two captains.
- Advice to the shooter may be given by any team member or coach as long it does not disrupt play.
- Arching or lobbing the balls is not allowed. All balls must be released at or below the waist.
- Players are not allowed to step over the foul line before releasing the bocce ball or pallino.
- A captain may make substitutions but only after the completion of a frame unless it is an injury substitution. Captains are required to play every player attending the match.
Scoring:
- One (1) point is awarded for each ball of the team closer to the pallino than any ball of the opposing team.
- If at the end of a frame the closest ball of each team is equidistant from the pallino, that frame is declared a tie and no points are awarded.
- Games are played to 10 points.
- If 10 points is not reached before 4:50 PM the team with the highest number of points is the winner of that game.