Waterway Bocce League (Wednesday)

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 $5 from each team member.

·      Players pay their fees to their captain, who submits the total amount to the League Chairman, Nat Scaccianoce.

·      Fees fund awards for the league champions. Remaining money rolls over to offset Spring league fees.

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.

·      Players scheduled for back-to-back games must play on the same court, except when assigned only to games 1 and 3.

·      No substitutions unless a player is injured or sick. In such cases, eligible substitutes can fill in, and score sheets must be updated accordingly.

·      Both captains (or designated players) must report scores to the League Scorekeeper, Tom Melillo, either in person, by text (732-639-4399), or by email (clubmelillo@verizon.net).

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 (two per team). With five teams, one team has a bye each week.

·      Final matches are played on two 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 6 players (3 per court) for games to count.  If playing with 3 players, teams must rotate the single player, so each single player plays one game in the match.

·      Teams with fewer than 3 people on a court will forfeit that court (scored as three 9-0 losses), though games may be played for fun. Exception: if both Captains agree, they may at their sole discretion play games for standings with less than 3 people on a court.  No Captain shall put pressure on the other if they want to forfeit according to official league rules. 

·      Playoffs/Championship: Teams must have 8 players or matches should be rescheduled to a date agreed upon by the captains.

·      A 5-minute grace period is allowed after the scheduled start to add players to a court.

·      Latecomers may substitute in if there are only 3 on a 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 must be reported to the League Chairman before the match.

·      Each week, 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 wins), and 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

·      Players must stay on their designated sides during a game. After each round, the players on the opposite end throw next, alternating until the game ends.

·      If the same players remain for the next game, they must switch sides.

·      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; team members should not interfere.

·      Foot faults result in a warning, then a one-point penalty for repeats.

Pallino Rules

·      The Pallino must be thrown past the half-court mark. If not, the other team throws it. If placed incorrectly or out of bounds, the process repeats for the opposing team. 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.