Rules

General Rules

  1. All games must start at 7:30. If a team is not ready by 7:45, they will forfeit the first game, the second by 8:00, and the third by 8:15.

  2. Fees: Entry fees must be paid to the secretary of the League no later then one week before the season starts. If fees are not paid by that time, such a team may be dropped from the roster and a new team, on the waiting list, will replace it.

  3. Each team will consist of a maximum of (7) seven players (One captain and six players) and a minimum of (4) four players.

  4. All players must be eighteen (18) years of age or older.

  5. Roster: Names on the roster should be completed and delivered to the secretary of the League by the first week of play. Any changes will be allowed for the first two (2) weeks, by completing a roster change form and submitting it to the secretary. Any team without a roster after the second week will forfeit all three games to the opposing teams until the team complies with this rule.

  6. Roster Changes: Changes to the roster after the second (2) week, are possible only if more then two players resign from the team. The team is allowed to replace the players but only up to six (6) players on the roster and may not replace more than two (2) players for the season, providing that the secretary of the League is notified one week before with a new roster form, and each time the change is made. Any player replaced cannot return to his team, or after the sixth (6) week, to any other team on the League, for the remainder of the season.

  7. Any team dropping out of the League will forfeit their entry fee to the League.

  8. Players Shoes: All captains and players must wear flat shoes or sneakers while on the courts. Any player that breaks this rule will be asked not to play until he complies with this rule. Any team that refuses will forfeit all games until it complies.

  9. Rain Out: In the event of rain, the game(s) will be played the next open day, the score will stay as is, and continued when play resumes. If both Monday and Tuesday are rained out, the make up day will be Wednesday for Monday, and Friday for Tuesday. The games will be called off by the officers at the courts, so it is imperative that all players be present, unless the captains were notified by the officers before hand.

  10. Canceled Matches: In the event that a team must cancel a match, said match will be forfeited to the opposing team. No exceptions! The team canceling should contact an officer no later than 1pm the day of the match, so that the opposing team can be notified.

  11. Substitute Players: In the event that a team has only three players present for play, said team may use a substitute player for the game(s). Provided that an officer has been notified prior to the start of the game(s), and the opposing team captain does not protest the use of such player. If during play a roster player is present, the substitute must be replaced. Substitutes may not be members of another team and they must be eighteen (18) years of age or older.

  12. Score Card: It is the responsibility of the team captain to keep the score of the game. If the captain is playing any team member may keep the score. At the end of the match each captain must sign both score sheets. All score sheets are to be turned over to the secretary or assigned person after the match, to be recorded in the standings.

  13. Only captains not playing will be allowed to go back and forth on the courts. If there are only four players on a team, a player on each end of the court will control his end. No player is allowed to cross the half way mark of the court to the opposite end.

  14. The center board separating each pair of courts will be off limits to players and spectators.

  15. Switching Players: When a player is removed from a game, he cannot return to the same game. A player is not allowed to switch from one end of the court to the other during the same game. When a player throws at least one ball, he must complete the frame before he can be replaced.

  16. Protests: All protests must be made to the officers of the League present, by the captain of the team protesting, (Players are not allowed to protest games) and be acted upon before play continues. Any decision made by the majority of the officers will be final.

  17. Throwing a Game: Games should be played with honesty, always trying to beat the opposing team the best way they can. If a team is found guilty of favoritism toward another team, by giving games away, such team will be barred from the League for life.

  18. Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Players shall act in a sportsman like manner at all times. Any act which is deemed as poor sportsmanship, e.g. insulting language, gestures, action or offensive words which engender ill will-is flagrant, may result in forfeiting one or more games, and if it persists may be suspended from the League for the rest of the season. Such a player MAY NOT be replaced by the team.

Rules of Play

  1. All games consist of sixteen (16) points. Three games constitute a match. All games must be played on the official courts designated by the Stamford Bocce League. Playing on different courts will be allowed only if the officers of the League determine that the courts are not off limits for any obvious reason.

  2. The play is not official until the first large ball is thrown

  3. Pallino: The home team throws out the small ball (pallino) at the start of the first and third game. The visitor's team throws out the pallino at the start of the second game. The player throwing the pallino must throw the first large ball (Bocce) to start the frame. At the start of each frame, the pallino must go five (5) feet past the center court and not more than the foul line on the opposite end of the court. It also must be one (1) foot away from the side board. The foul lines are marked nine (9) feet from each end of the court. Should the player's foot come in contact or go beyond the foul line during play, the players ball will be disqualified and removed from the court, in the event the ball hits a played ball or balls, they must be put in the original place or places. Should a players hand touch the court ground over the foul line, no penalty is involved. The winner of the frame throws the pallino on the next frame.

  4. If the player fails to place the pallino in the appropriate place on the court in three tries, it is awarded to the other team for play.

  5. During the course of play the position of the pallino may change as a result of normal play. However, the pallino may never come closer than the half way point marker on the courts, if it does, the pallino is considered dead, and so is the frame. The frame will restart on the same side of the court.

  6. 4 men - 2 balls rule: Each team will have two players on each end of the court. Each player will throw two of the teams Bocce per frame (color chosen at start of game). No player may throw more then two (2) bocce per frame. In the event that a player throws more then two (2) bocce in a frame, the additional ball(s) will be forfeited and removed from play. Any ball(s) disturbed by the play, will be returned to the original place before play can continue.

  7. Wrong color ball: If a player should throw the wrong color ball, the ball may not be stopped by any player or captain. The ball must be allowed to come to rest and replaced by the proper color ball by the captain of the opposing team. If the ball cannot be replaced without disturbing another ball already in play, the ball should not be removed, the play may continue with both captains watching the play.

  8. Measuring for Point: During normal play, only the bocce closer to the pallino will be measured to determine who should throw the next bocce. It is the responsibility of the defending team (team to throw last) to measure when the point is in question. There is no restriction as to when a point can be measured.

  9. Whenever a bocce is thrown out of the playing area, it will be considered a dead ball.

  10. Illegal Movement of ball belonging to your own team: If a player moves one or more of his teams balls, it or they are removed from the court and considered dead and play continues.

  11. Illegal Movement of an opponent's ball: If the player moves one or more of the opponent's balls, those balls are removed and a point is awarded for each ball, to the opponent's team, and play continues.

  12. Illegal movement of the pallino by a player: If the pallino is moved by a player, the team fouled against will be awarded as many points as the number of balls that team has already played and the frame will end.

  13. Ties during a frame: In the event that two balls are equal distance from the pallino (tied), the team that rolled the last ball will continue to roll until the tie is broken. Example: Team (A) has point, Team (B) rolls its ball for the pallino, and the captains of both teams determine that they are exactly 11" from pallino, team (B) throws again until they have point. If team (B) does get point and team (A) hits the ball and establishes a tie, team (A) must continue to throw until the tie is broken.

  14. Ties at the end of frame: In the event that two balls closest balls to pallino belong to opposite teams and are tied, no points will be awarded, the frame restarts on the same side, and the pallino returns to the team which delivered it. In addition, if one team has the point and additional balls (points) are tied, only those that are distinguishably closer then the tie will be awarded points.

  15. Broken Ball: If during the course of play, a ball or pallino should break, the frame will be considered dead. The ball replaced and the frame restarted from the same side.

  16. When the game is over, any extra balls should be thrown to the playing ground.