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Success for Derbyshire at Disability Sport England Regional Boccia Competition

10 November 2008

An U15 team also represented Derbyshire at the event, and took a respectable second place, losing out to Nottinghamshire in the final.

The event at Aylestone Leisure Centre in Leicester saw more than 60 young people from Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire taking part.

Members of Derbyshire’s teams were selected during two county boccia festivals, with Beth Foster from Ashbourne’s Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Tom Morris from High Peak College, and Gregg Vickery, Jonathan Staniforth and Peter Bocij from Derby College selected to play for the U25 team.

The U15 team included Saul Winston from The Delves School in Swanwick, Richard Jarvis, Charlotte Godley and Ryan Parnham from Stubbin Wood School in Bolsover, and Andrew Prince from Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School.

Team manager of the U25s was Richard Sudnik from Derby College, and Patsy Ramsbottom from Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School led the U15 team.

The U25 team came out on top after facing teams from Leicester, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire – who they faced in the final. The result was a marked improvement on last year when the U25 team finished 5th.

Meanwhile Derbyshire’s U15s also played Nottinghamshire in the final after first facing teams from Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, but had to settle for second place.

Catherine Davies, Derbyshire Sport Disability Sports Development Officer, congratulated both teams on their performance.

She said: “Boccia is a very accessible sport for people of all abilities. It gives young people the opportunity to develop their skills and confidence, and they can be proud to have represented Derbyshire.

“For many of the players it was their first chance to represent the county at a tournament like this, and they performed brilliantly.

“Derbyshire Sport and its partners are committed to developing sport for disabled people, and after publishing the Derbyshire Disability Plan for Sport 2008-2012 earlier this year we are now working hard to make our vision a reality.”