Bocce On! – Yountville – Oct. 1, 2026 – Robbie repeats as champion in season finale
What a way to finish the season! The Yountville Bocce Club tournament delivered bellringers, comebacks, nail-biters, enthusiastic cheering and more than a little pressure as 16 players competed for the championship.
The day started bright and early with the Wild Card Shootout, where seven players rolled for the final spot in the tournament. Paula Simi emerged as the winner—and if that sounds familiar, it should. Paula won the Wild Card last year and rode it all the way to the championship match.
Could history repeat itself?
Adrian Calderon had other ideas.
Adrian opened their first-round match with a bellringer and never looked back, winning 8–0. Sorry, Paula! So much for a repeat Cinderella story.
Monday night’s top player, Giulio Giuliani, defeated Wednesday’s Don Olvarado, 8–1, to move into the quarterfinals.
Several of the remaining matches were much closer. Lilette Tyler appeared to be cruising against Marianne Lyons before Marianne battled back to tie the game. Lilette held on for the win and a spot in the quarterfinals.
The Thursday night crowd was out in force to cheer on their teammates, and Fred Espinoza and Rosella Giuliani gave them plenty to cheer about. Their match was much closer than the final score suggested, with Rosella advancing.
Dana Dellascio and Jim Lyons provided another nail-biter, with Jim squeezing out the victory by a single point.
After a long wait for their court (thank you, Lilette and Marianne!) Lisa Whitham and Charles Burke finally got their turn. Lisa had Charles on the ropes early, but Charles battled back and escaped with another one-point victory.
Defending champion Robbie Whitham started strong against Ernie Cabral and just kept rolling, while Bob Garske defeated Jim Cherniss to complete the quarterfinal field.
And then there were eight.
In the quarterfinals, Adrian’s impressive run continued with a hard-fought victory over Giulio. Robbie got past Jim and was beginning to look suspiciously like someone who had done this before.
Bob defeated Rosella in another competitive match, despite plenty of encouragement for Rosella from the Thursday night cheering section.
The final quarterfinal brought Monday night competitors Lilette and Charles together, with Charles earning the last spot in the semifinals.
And then there were four.
The semifinals were played to 12 points instead of the usual eight—because apparently we thought everyone needed a little more pressure.
Robbie faced Adrian first. Adrian had put together a terrific tournament, but he couldn’t get past the defending champion. Robbie was headed back to the final.
Then came Charles and Bob, and what a match it was!
Charles moved ahead after rolling a bellringer, but Bob refused to go away. He battled back, tied the match and eventually pulled out the victory by just one point.
After a day filled with close calls, comebacks and plenty of bocce drama, the championship was set: Robbie Whitham vs. Bob Garske.
The final didn’t disappoint. Points came one at a time as Robbie and Bob battled back and forth, with their Wednesday and Thursday night supporters cheering them on.
But in the end, Robbie was unstoppable.
For the second year in a row, Robbie Whitham is the Yountville Bocce Club Tournament Champion.
Congratulations also go to runner-up Bob Garske, who survived some incredibly close matches on his way to the final, to third-place finisher Adrian Calderon, to fourth-place finisher Charles Burke, and to all 16 players who earned their way into the tournament.
The bocce club gathered that evening to celebrate the season with appetizers by Crushed Provisions (club members Lori and Phil Wright), Chef Omar Reyes and delicious wines donated by Tom Bardessono, John Dorenbecher, Gentleman Farmer, Hill Family Wines, Tom & Gayle Nelson, Priest Ranch and Marco Wright. Entertainment was provided by Robin McKee.
Thank you to Andrea and Joe Holko, Sherry Breitigam, Paula and Jim Simi, Dana Dellascio, and Carolyn Brown for setting the scene for a beautiful dinner. And with that, another bocce season is in the books. We’ve had bellringers and blowouts, one-point victories and spectacular comebacks, along with plenty of laughs and friendships along the way.
See you next year!
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