Bocce keeps you on the ball
Stephen Heard tries his hand at an ancient game that can be played almost anywhere.
bfThe basics
Often considered the oldest game in the world, bocce (pronounced ‘‘botch-ee’’) is an Italian sport of the boules family – it’s the sister of petanque and the reckless airborne cousin of lawn bowls. The objective is to launch, roll or bounce orange-sized plastic or metal spheres as close as possible to the smaller, golf ball-sized target, which is called the ‘‘pallina’’.
It’s a social activity that thrives on arguments and ribbing. It can be played between two players or teams with equal numbers up to four. The playing field for bocce is traditionally flat soil, sand or asphalt, with a length spanning anywhere from 5 to 30 metres and width of 2-4m. The playing destination in this instance would be a local basketball court, thanks to its flat surface and existing lines that could act as boundaries.
Thick white chalk was used to mark out further applicable areas, including the inbound zone for the pallina which was marked nearly 15m away from the pitch line. Rain soon washed away all the markings, prompting a lawless street version of the game. Given the distance, landing the pallina in its required box proved more of a challenge than expected.
The first few attempts bounced beyond the line into the local reserve. The official rules state that you’re allowed two attempts before handing the pallina over to your opponent. Already an unofficial backyard petanque champion, the practice of throwing the boules in one direction came fairly naturally; having no experience playing on the Australian cricket team, the underarm technique did not.
We would take turns throwing boules at the pallina, hooraying when they drew close and apologising when the balls dribbled off into a neighbouring basketball game. Once all boules have been thrown, one point is scored for each that is closer to the target than your opponent’s closest.
Without the luxury of a tape measure, we used the classic foot measuring technique when it was too hard to determine the winning shot with the human eye. It’s typically played until one player scores 16, though with no official timeline we simply gave up when we’d had enough. If you’ve played petanque or lawn bowls, or can at least throw an object in the direction of another object, then you can play bocce ball. It’s a great social activity for all ages and has the potential to be enjoyed with a beverage in hand.
It can be played with your STEPHEN HEARD average petanque set and, depending on how relaxed your fellow players are, on the surface of your choice. There aren’t a great number of physical benefits but you can expect to reap the results of a leisurely stroll when collecting your balls.
Throwing the boules in one direction came fairly naturally; having no experience playing on the Australian cricket team, the underarm technique did not.
Given the game’s low levels of impact and intensity, there aren’t a lot of things to look out for when chucking boules – except just that: chucked boules.
Common sense is the main prerequisite and players should steer clear of the playing field when the game is in action to avoid flying orbs. Sun protection is also recommended.