Although it was, officially speaking, an unsanctioned meet, the play was World Cup style (round robin, then single elimination). The snacks, catered by Wild Olive, were plentiful and superlative, including roasted eggplant sandwiches smothered in hummus. The weather was perfect and the dozen local sponsors were omnipresent, with professionally-produced giant banners circling the fields of play.

The crowd, however, was somewhat thin. Perhaps it was Spring Break burnout, or too many competing activities on a great spring weekend. 60 two-person teams were signed up, but only 32 adult teams and a half dozen children's teams came to play. Nonetheless, the enthusiasm of organizer/master of ceremonies, Allen Bergdorf, was contagious, and the competition was fierce.

"We never used to use strings, but some people started to get feisty," mentioned one burly competitor, referring to the string or tape measure used to gauge distance of the bocce ball from the palin, or target ball.

Originated in Italy, this local bocce tournament remains true to its roots by kicking off the competition with the Italian national anthem, flag raising and a ceremonial first toss by a local celebrity

In the crowd at Rosemary Beach on Saturday, there were several contenders for that honor, with a local pastor and son teaming up, and a well known restaurateur joining forces with the event's guiding light, Dr. Steven Weiner. Weiner's Aesthetique Clinique is the overall event sponsor.

The game is refereed each year by Rosemary Beach's Town Manager, Jim Bagby.

Teams can be of mixed gender, ages and skill levels. In fact, one player making it as far as the semi-finals had never played before. Learned skills were also evident among most of the competitive teams.

"Last tournament, we had seven teams participate from one extended family," said founder Steve Weiner.

Held on the East and West Long Greens at Rosemary Beach, the annual event is intended to be a jovial game of friendly competition. The flavor of the day was extreme relaxation, until the last few thrilling minutes of the final playoff, when the winning team came from behind and tied up the score, running neck and neck with the competition to the final point.

The after party took place at Cowgirl Kitchen, where the monkey trophy is proudly displayed, awaiting the next tournament, which will take place in the fall, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

To catch a complete flavor of the day, view all the photos in the online photo gallery at www.waltonsun.com.