2018 CLEVELAND CHALLENGE CUP OF BOCCE – RECAP

Every year, teams across the United States and Canada gather together in Wickliffe, OH to enter the well-known Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce tournament. This tournament has affectionately become known as “The Big One” because the prize money has grown substantially over the years ($20,000 in prize money and $8,000 to the winner this year). These teams get the opportunity to play on nine of the finest courts in the Midwest. During the whole weekend, large crowds of bocce fans come to witness the best teams in a truly Italian festive atmosphere. This tournament also includes an exciting entertainment lineup, great food selections, and of course, ample amounts of adult beverages. This year 102 teams came into town with the intention of making an appearance in the Sunday bracket “Sweet 16” and potentially making a run to the championship match late Sunday evening. This is why bocce has grown in popularity over the last decade – especially in the Cleveland area, where younger players have taken up the game to compete at a higher level. In fact, Cleveland-area teams have won the Challenge Cup 6 times in the last 8 years. Some of those teams have featured players under the age of 40 such as ABV/Mentor Fiat and Adelio’s Contracting teams.

This year was no different with the double-elimination format. Teams were going through the proverbial “meatgrinder” battling to advance to the next round and avoiding being chopped up. Last year’s and 5x champion “The Vandra Brothers” (‘90, ‘02, ‘10, ‘12, ‘17) unfortunately had an early exit (losing against DCI then eventually Zappy’s Auto Washes) meaning a new champion would be crowned in 2018. Last year’s runner-up and 2x champion “ABV Contractors (formerly Mentor Fiat)” (‘14, ‘15) looked like they were poised to run through the winner’s bracket, but had to play a former champion “Palazzo 777” (‘13) with the winner advancing to the 35th Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce Championship match. Palazzo 777 team consisted of one of the world’s top-ranked players, Jose Botto. along with his teammates who included Pat Pezzin, Mario Federico, and Tony Pitiglio. ABV ran out to an early commanding 13-7 lead, but couldn’t close the deal as Palazzo 777 steadily came back with a 7-0 run to win 14-13, sending ABV to the loser’s bracket. Unfortunately, ABV’s dynamic young hitter, Anthony Croce, took a personal leave of absence after the match due to a loss in the family and didn’t make it back in time for ABV’s next match. ABV would go on and ended up losing to Tripepi Consulting by a score of 14-3. Tripepi Consulting had defeated Ponte 65 (Waterbury, CT) in the previous round and by defeating ABV, moved on to the finals to face Palazzo 777.

Tripepi Consulting, Captain and Wickliffe I&A Club Member Tim Tripepi, constructed a solid team for the tournament, featuring some of the finest bocce players in the area. The team consisted of Pete Melaragno as 1st Pointer, Doug Carter as 1st Hitter, Tim Tripepi as 2nd Pointer and Natale Scala, an all-around player from Rochester, NY as 2nd Hitter. To start the game Tripepi Consulting controlled the early frames jumping out to a 5-1 lead on Palazzo 777, but unfortunately, it would not last long. Jose Botto put on a clinic as far as hitting & sticking, and the momentum quickly shifted for good when Palazzo 777 grabbed the lead back at 6-5. Palazzo 777 kept the pressure on from there, capitalizing on several opportunities and steadily increased the margin to a final score of 16-6.

Overall, Tripepi Consulting orchestrated a great run throughout the tournament and battled to the very end. Palazzo 777 a very talented team, defeated several great teams along the way as they cemented their 2nd Challenge Cup in the last 6 years. Many questions come into play when looking into the future for next year tournament. Will Palazzo 777 repeat as champions for the first time since ABV in ‘14-’15? Can Tripepi Consulting duplicate their amazing tournament run in 2019? Can ABV get back to the winner’s circle after a 2nd & 3rd place finish in the last two years? Can The Vandra Brothers franchise climb back to the top in search of their 6th championship, or will there be a new team to rise to the occasion? One has to wonder as we will have to wait and find out next year in 2019. Until then, Ciao!

Final Open Division Standings 2018 1st. Pallazzo 777 (Toronto, CA/Detroit, MI) – #CCCB35 CHAMPION 🏆 2nd. Tripepi Consulting (Wickliffe, OH) 3rd. ABV Contracting (Willoughby, OH) 4th. Ponte 65 (New Haven, CT) T-5th. JJS Bocce (Wickliffe, OH) T-5th. Cascade Park / IMBS (New Castle, PA) T-7th. Fioritto Funeral Services (Concord, OH) T-7th. Adelio’s Contracting (Highland Hts., OH) T-9th. Club Molisani #9 (Chesterland, OH) T-9th. East Haven #1 (New Haven, CT) T-9th. East Haven #10 (New Haven, CT) T-9th. Coda Corp (Rome, NY) T-13th. Buckeye Bullets (Sharpsville, PA) T-13th. Koppel / IMBS (Koppel, PA) T-13th. LC Photography (Rome, NY) T-13th. Woodmen Life (Rome, NY)

Ladies Division Standings

1st. Bottaglieri’s Lawn Care (Niles, OH) – #CCCB35 CHAMPION 🏆 2nd. Bocced (Mayfield Hts., OH) 3rd. Formica Plumbing and Sewer (Wickliffe, OH)

2018 WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Bottiglieri’s Lawn Care, from Niles, Ohio who were the Women’s Division champions in 2016, sailed all the way through the Women’s bracket to take the cup by defeating the Bocced team (from Mayfield Hts.) by a score of 16-12.

Bocced jumped out to an early lead but couldn’t hit consistently enough and got stuck at 10 points. Bottiglieri steadily pulled ahead to 15-10, but Bocced hung on and came back to score 2 points to make it 15-12, hoping to shift the momentum. However it was not to be as Bottiglieri came right back to score a point and make the final margin 16-12.

Congratulations to both teams on a well played game! The winning team members are:
Debbie Bottiglieri, Captain Sharon Wilson Jen Hardy Lee Christman