The 2022 Senior Men’s and Women’s Championships will be a memorable championship – it will also be a celebration of the 50th Bocce Nationals Men’s Championships and the 25th Women’s Championships.
After a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is good to have the sport back and see players on the courts enjoying the game again.
To make this a memorable milestone and to reboot the sport, Bocce Australia decided to expand the number of teams to allow affiliated clubs to enter a men’s and women’s team. This will be exciting for many players who, for the first time, will experience the excitement of participating in a national elite competition and be pitted against some of the ‘best of the best’ bocce players in Australia.
The Nationals has attracted a star-studded line up of 25 teams, representing the teams from all corners of Australia, contesting in the five bocce disciplines: the traditional events of Singles, Doubles and Triples, along with the throwing events of Precision Throw and Progressive Throw.
The championships will welcome a number of newcomers, in both the women’s and the men’s division. After years of rebuilding, the Veneto Club in Melbourne is back with a force and will be very competitive. The team is the brainchild of Sonya Velo, whose father Marcello Velo was a top player for the club and Victoria.
The team has a star-studded line up of bocce names — Favrin, Pozzer, Gatto and Di Federico — all offsprings of past top bocce players that represented the Veneto Club and Victoria. The team is supported by Sam Mezio, Connie Dentesano, Eleonora Porta, Angelo Di Nome, Stephen Van Meeuwen and Andrew Peruffo. They will be up against the ‘Top Shots’ from Club Marconi of Giuseppe Rozzo, Daniel Samsa, Carlo Pavia, Valerio Chiandotto, Nicole Samsa, Giuseppe Marraffa, Ivan Desanti, and David Samsa for the prestigious title of top Australian Bocce Club, which is currently held by the Marconi Club, Sydney.
Other first-timers include the NatU35 team, comprising of sisters Ava and Chiara Tomasi, along with Carlo Bunin and Vinay Singh. They will be teamed with experienced competitors Max Tricarico and Ann Fiorevanti alongside the Casa D’Abruzzo Club, Lazio-Marche Club and Sunshine Club. It will be the first time competing in a Nationals for many of these players, and it will be exciting to watch.
Also, we welcome back the elite units from Team Victoria (Vic Metro, NEBA and Morwell), the NSW state team, Marconi club, Western Australia, Bundaberg, Cooma and the Redlands power team.
Bocce Australia acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government along with supporting partners Australian Sports Commission, Latrobe City, Bocce Victoria and host club Italian Australian Sporting Club, Morwell.
View the 2022 program guide here
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