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EQUIPMENT:
A set of bocce balls is
composed of 8 large bocce balls (4 green and 4 red) and one smaller target
ball called a ”pallino”.
PLAY:
League or tournament
play has 4 players on each team. A social game can be played
between two teams with from 1 to 4 players on each team. If each team
has:
1 Player - 4
balls each – walk end to end.
2 Players - 4 balls
each with one player at each end or 2 balls each & walk end to end.
3 Players - 2 balls
each for 2 players at one end and 4 balls for 1 player at other end or to
even out the teams, it may be desirable to have one player alternating on
the 2 player side each frame walk to the other end to simulate a 4 player
team.
4 Players - 2 balls
each with 2 players at each end.
The object of the game
of Bocce is for one team to get as many of their balls closer to the pallino than any of the opponent's balls.
The toss of a coin
determines the team that throws out the pallino first and selects the
team’s ball color. The first team member throws the pallino and then
rolls the first ball as close to the pallino as possible. The pallino
must cross mid-court mark, must be 12 inches from either sideboard and the
backboard. Next, a player of the opposing team rolls a ball and tries to
get closer or “better the point”. Each team must continue to roll its
balls until it beats the point of the opposing team. The player must
deliver the ball from behind the Pointing Line (first foul line).
While the object is to
get close to the pallino, it is permissible for a player to play the ball
in order to knock away an opponent’s ball. A player "hitting" out the
opponent’s ball may go as far as the Hitting Foul Line (second foul line)
to deliver the ball. Likewise, a player may play the ball so as to knock
or move the pallino toward another of their own team’s balls. The pallino
is live anywhere on the court, except if it comes back behind the
mid-court line or knocked out of the court, at which time the frame is
dead and play begins again at the opposite end.
When all balls have
been played, one team is awarded one point for each of its balls which are
closer to the pallino than the closest opposing team’s balls. Thus, a
team may score 1-4 points for each end of play. If the closest ball of
each team is equal in distance from the pallino, no points are awarded.
The team that scores in
one frame starts the next frame by throwing out the pallino and playing
the first ball.
The game is won by the
first team scoring 12 points.
www.boccestandardsassociation.org |
