St. James Bocce League (Sunday)
Fall 2025
Eligibility and Registration
• Participation is limited to residents of St. James.
• No registrations for league play will be accepted after teams are established.
Fees and Payments
• Each team captain is responsible for collecting $20 from each team member.
• Players pay their fees to their captain, who submits the total amount to the League Treasurer – Karen Del Sordo.
• Fees fund awards for the league champions and the Golden Ball Winner as well as a celebration with food at the end of the season for all league players. Any remaining unspent funds will be used to upkeep and maintain the courts or purchase new equipment.
Equipment and Court Preparation
• Captains handle equipment setup and lock-up duties.
• Teams are encouraged to groom courts before their match. No grooming is permitted during play or if the previous match is ongoing.
• Teams may warm up before matches and should arrive 15 minutes early for a prompt start. Both teams should assist with grooming.
Scorekeeping and Lineup
• Captains must prepare and exchange score sheets with player lineups before the match starts.
• No substitutions unless a player is injured or sick. In such cases, eligible substitutes can fill in, and score sheets must be updated accordingly.
• All captains (or designated players) must report scores to the League Scorekeeper, Matt Crean, either in person, by text (704-648-9512), or by email (mcrean750@gmail.com).
Court Conduct and Etiquette
• No smoking on the courts.
• Civility is required at all times.
• Court etiquette will be enforced; violators may be removed from the match by the captain.
Match Format
• Regular season and semi-finals use four courts.
• Final matches are played on four courts. Each court plays three games to 9 points.
• Doubles format is used; teams should aim for at least 8 players per week, with a minimum of 4 players for games to count.
• If a team only has 1 player on the court and the other team has 2, the team with two players will have each player stand at one side and throw solo against the single player. Each player on the two person team will not play both sides (walk).
The team with the single player will play both sides (walk).
• If a team can’t put at least 1 person on the court for all 3 games, that team will forfeit that court (scored as three 9-0 losses).
• Playoffs/Championship: Teams must have 8 players or matches should be rescheduled to a date agreed upon by the captains. No walking allowed.
• A 5-minute grace period is allowed after the scheduled start to add players to a
court.
• Latecomers beyond 5 minutes may be added only if there is a single player on the court and fewer than 3 rounds have been played.
Match Play and Scheduling
• Matches take place as scheduled. Rescheduling (due to rain or other reasons) requires mutual captain agreement and must occur before the next match unless prevented by weather.
• Schedule changes/makeups must be reported to the League Chairpersons (Karen Del Sordo or Suzanne Polizzano) before the match.
• Each week, all players must be invited to play and all available players must play at least one game during the regular season.
• In playoffs/finals, players who attended at least half of the season must play at least one game.
• Matches are allotted 1 hour and 45 minutes. If unfinished, the score at the time limit is final, except: ongoing frames are completed, ties are resolved with a single throw (closest ball to the end wall without touching the wall wins), and any incomplete games are recorded as 0–0.
Home and Away Teams
The Home team starts with the Pallino for the first game on each court and throws the green balls.
• The team that loses a game gets the Pallino for the next game. Ball colors remain constant throughout the match.
• In playoffs, the higher-seeded team is the Home team.
Player Movement and Refereeing
• When 2 players are present from each team, all players will throw 2 balls each, alternating between the two, from each end (walking). When a team has only one player playing against a team of two, the players from the team of two will each take an end and stay on that end for the entirety of the game (no walking). The single player will walk and play both sides. Each player throws all 4 balls from their side.
• Non-throwing players must stand behind the blue line or step off the court.
• Teams referee their matches and should resolve points expediently. Captains may assign a neutral referee if necessary.
• Measurements are taken from the Pallino’s center to the Bocce Ball’s edge, using a Pallino cover with string or tape measure; no electronic devices allowed.
• Only captains may make rulings when there is a dispute; team members should not interfere.
• Foot faults result in a warning, then a one-point penalty for repeats.
Pallino Rules
• Throwing of the Pallino by a team will alternate between the two players based on an assigned end, i.e., ‘parking lot’ and ‘trailside’
• The Pallino must be thrown past the half-court mark. If it doesn’t pass the mark, the other team throws the Pallino. The team that originally threw the Pallino retains the first bocce ball throw.
• The Pallino must not hit the back wall. If it does, the other team throws the Pallino. The team that originally threw the Pallino retains the first bocce ball throw.
• If the Pallino is thrown out of order, it is rethrown by the correct player.
• If less than 12” from a wall, it must be moved accordingly before play begins.
• If the Pallino leaves the court during play, the round ends with no score; the next frame starts from the opposite end. The same team that threw the Pallino in the prior round will throw it again.
Bocce Ball Rules
A bocce ball may not hit the back wall unless it contacts the Pallino or another bocce ball first. Otherwise, it is removed from play.
• If the starting bocce ball thrown hits the back wall, the same team must throw again until they have a bocce ball in play.
• If a player throws the wrong color ball, the ball is replaced after the shot.
• If a player throws out of order and the ball doesn’t touch other balls, the ball is returned and rethrown. If it touches other balls or the Pallino, the team loses a point, and play continues with the correct team. The court remains “as is.” Balls not passing mid-court are not removed from play.
Substitutions
• In the event of a medical or other emergency and a player is forced to drop out mid-game, a player who is scheduled to play on that same court in a later or earlier game may be substituted in. If no one from the same court is available, a player scheduled for another court may substitute, provided it doesn't conflict with their own upcoming game.
• A substitute may finish the game and any remaining games on that court, even if the substitute has played on another court.
• If no substitute is available, the remaining player plays solo and format will revert to the team with two players taking opposite ends.
• If a player leaves during semifinals or finals, and no substitute is available, the current score is recorded. In case of a tie, each team selects a player for a single throw to decide the winner; remaining games on that court are forfeited 9-0.
League Standings and Playoffs
• Standings at the end of the season are based on total games won. The team with the least games won, will not participate in the playoffs. The 1st place team will automatically advance to the Championship game. The 2nd place team will play the 3rd place team. The winner of that match will proceed to the championship to play the 1st place team.
• Ties are broken by scoring differential (points for minus points against). If still tied, a single round determines the winner.
• At season’s end, the championship game determines the league champion. Championship ties use the same rules as above.
Golden Ball
Based on the results of the regular season, the top individual player will be awarded the Golden Ball. The top player is based on the winning percentage based on the games won divided by the total games played. To be eligible, a player must have played in at least 14 of the 27 regular season games. In the event of a tie, the point differential will be used. It is based on the following calculation: total points scored minus total points given up, divided by number of games played.