About Bocce Ball

The object of bocce ball is to get one or more of your team’s balls closer to the pallino than any of your opponent’s balls. Bocce is played with eight large balls (four balls per team) and one smaller target ball called the pallino.

Team

  1. Team rosters shall include a minimum of 4 players, including at least 2 of each gender.
  2. Each game in a match shall be played by only 2 players; extra players can rotate in and out as much or as little as needed.  As long as all 4 balls are thrown by a single player in each frame.
  3. For postseason games: Only registered players may play.  
  4. You may bring an unregistered player during the regular season but not during playoffs.  

 

Time

  1. Each match will last approximately 60 minutes. Teams will complete as many games as possible in that allotted time period. The team with the most games won in the time period will be declared the winner.
  2. No new game will start after 55 minutes.  Games already in progress after 55 minutes will continue until 60 minutes at which time the leading score will stand.  
  3. If the last game is tied next point wins. 

Rules of Play

Dimensions

  1. The Bocce Ball Court dimensions are XXX

Equipment

  1. All bocce balls and pallinos will be provided by the league and are the standard 3.9 inches for colored team balls and 1.4 inches for the pallino/white ball.

Start of Match

  1. Each match shall begin with a coin toss, rock-paper-scissors, or other agreed upon game of chance.  The winner shall decide which side of the court throwing will begin on and also throws the pallino to start the game. 

ROLL ROTATION 

  • The same player that throws the pallino must throw their bocce ball first. 
  • The opposing team will then throw their bocce balls until their ball is no longer closer to the pallino or they have exhausted their four balls. 
  • The “nearest ball” rule governs the sequence of thrown balls. The team whose bocce ball is closest to the pallino is called the “in” ball and the opposing side is “out.” Whenever a team gets “in,” they step aside and allows the “out” team to throw. 

SCORING

  • At the end of each frame (when both teams have exhausted 4 balls each) the captain of each team will determine the points scored or the league official can be summoned to make a determination.
  • To score points, count all the balls of one team that are closest to the pallino, which can be determined by viewing or by league provided measurement device. A team can score up to four points per round if all four of their balls are closest to the pallino compared to the other team’s balls. 

HOUSE RULES

  1. A team has the option of rolling, bouncing, banking, etc. its ball down the court provided it does not go out-of-bounds or the player does not violate the foul markers. 
  2. If the thrown ball hits the back stop, it is considered dead and will be removed from play after it comes to rest. All balls affected from the throw remain as they land. If the thrown ball hits another ball OR THE PALLINO and then hits the back wall, it is still considered dead. Once the ball is in play, it is live even if it is hit into the back wall by another ball.
  3. A player also has the option of hitting out any ball in play in trying to obtain a point or decreasing the opposing team’s points.
  4. Penn Social Sports DOES NOT permit overhand throwing, and ball must hit the turf before crossing the center line. These violations will result in a foul and ball will be dead and removed from play.
  5. You ONLY get one chance to throw the pallino and it must cross the center line and not end up closer to the back or side wall than the width of a bocce ball. However, the pallino can bounce off the back wall and is still consider in play if it obeys the original rule of being a bocce ball width from the wall.  To measure a legal throw, slide a bocce ball between the wall and pallino; if it hits or “ticks” the pallino or does not cross the center line, the opposing team gets to place the pallino where they choose; given it is a legal placement of the pallino.
  6. If the captains decide the closest ball of each team is equal in distance from the pallino, NO points are awarded and the game continues from the opposite end, with the same team throwing the pallino as the previous frame. League official can be summoned to make a determination
  7. If a team throws out of turn or touches a ball that is active in play, the opposing team will earn two points. Once this infraction has occurred, the frame is over.
  8. The ball is dead, and the opposing team gains one point.
  9. The opposing team gets to place pallino where wherever they like and thrown ball is removed from play and consider dead. 
  10. The throwing team’s ball is removed and opposing team gets to re-throw knocked out ball(s).

Scoring

  1. First Team to 15 wins the round.  There are a total of 3 rounds. 
  2. Players are responsible for keeping score of points in each individual round and also keeping score of rounds won.
  3. Each match score will be recorded by a League official.

Officiating

  1. All questions of rule play will be directed to the league official.
  2. Unsportsmanlike conduct, including but not limited to throwing balls out of play, conducting yourself in an inappropriate manner, or excessive taunting shall be grounds for ejection. The league official has the ultimate say.

Forfeits

  1. Teams must be ready to play and meet game start requirements at the posted game time. Any team not ready to play at this time shall forfeit, and the opposing team shall take a default win.  Final score shall be recorded 3 to 0.
  2. If neither team is ready to play, both teams shall forfeit.
  3. See league tardiness rules for teams running late.

Playoffs

  1. All teams make playoffs