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BOCCE
Melbourne’s Freccia Azzurra Club secured a nail-biting, one-point grand final victory to claim this year’s Latrobe City Bocce Classic title yesterday.
Despite boasting Australian bocce representative Santo Pascuzzi, a team from Melbourne’s Calabrian Club was unable to seize victory at Morwell’s Italian Australian Club, in a match requiring two extra ends to be played.
Sydney’s King Tomislav Club was heavily-favoured ahead of the tournament, but finished the tournament in third place.
Italian Australian Club bocce committee member Maria Maselli said having players of Pascuzzi’s quality compete lifted the quality of the tournament.
“When you play with the better player it makes you play a little bit better,” Maselli said.
“It was pretty close between the two of them.”
Twenty three-player teams took part in the event with the Italian Australian Club trio of Frank Fava, Mary Messina and Mario Pagani finishing fourth.
The bulk of the players hailed from Melbourne but with some coming from as far as Tatura in the state’s north.
Ivan Pepe from the Calabrian Club was named best and fairest of the tournament which Maselli said attracted a good level of spectators.
“We had a lot of people come in and have a look,” she said.
“A lot of the people that came to play brought their families as well.
“We also had the president of the Australian Bocce Federation.
“They don’t go to many events so we’re quite proud to have them come to our of our events.”
The club will now gear up for a couple of fun days against metropolitan clubs.
