East Midlands Boccia - Silver Success for Derbyshire Team

East Midlands Boccia Youth Games 2005

Derbyshire Silver Success

Five Derbyshire sports players have become silver medallists after competing in the first East Midlands Boccia Youth Games, held at NottinghamTrentUniversity on Saturday 1^st October.

Boccia, a Paralympic discipline, was played at the Derbyshire Youth Games for the first time on Saturday 2^nd July this year. From the event several players were asked to attend a Boccia Derbyshire Trials at Springwood Centre, Derby in September. From the trials, five players were selected to represent Derbyshire at the East Midlands Boccia Youth Games.

The competition was split into two levels. Level One competition was for players who are not members of clubs and not playing Boccia regularly and Level Two for those players who play regularly and who are members of a club or school team. Both competitions were played as a round robin tournament.

Sarah McIlroy, Beth Foster and Charles Smith all students at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Ashbourne along with Kamran Khan and Thomas Hall, students at Derby Moor Community Sports College, Derby took part in the Level One Competition. The competition took place in the afternoon after a variety of warm up activities available in the morning.

Derbyshire got off to a flying start by winning the first game against Lincolnshire 9-0. Derbyshire’s next opponents were Leicestershire. Both teams took it in turn to lead the game, but after a very tense climax Leicestershire clinched the victory 6-5. Derbyshire remained focused though and fought hard in the last game to beat Nottinghamshire 8-2.

Leicestershire were the overall winners of the level one competition, with Derbyshire collecting the silver medals. All other competing counties have had Boccia as a sport at their youth games prior to this year so for Derbyshire to finish second is an excellent achievement for the five players and is hopefully representative of what Derbyshire can achieve in the future in this sport.

To add to this success, Beth Foster and Kamran Khan have been selected to represent the East Midlands team at the Disability Sport England (DSE) National Boccia competition held in Liverpool, 26^th/27^th November.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Kamran, Beth, Thomas, Charles and Sarah for their achievement and also express thanks to Hannah Lomas (volunteer) and Matthew Champion (Team Manager), as well as all who came to support from Derbyshire on the day. The atmosphere throughout the event was highly competitive with all participants and spectators showing excellent levels of fairplay.

If anyone would like more information on Boccia, please contact:

Emma Champion

Derbyshire Sport Development Officer (disabled people)

Cultural Services

HighPeak Borough Council

Hayfield Road

Chapel-en-le-frith

HighPeak

SK23 0QJ

Tel: 07769 631 432

E-mail: emmachampion@highpeak.gov.uk