Disability Sport Wales
Chwaraeon Anabledd Cymru

BOCCIA BOYS BRING BACK BRONZES

Nottingham’s Wildcats Arena was the host for the best British Boccia players over the weekend of October 24th & 25th. Amidst them were the young stars from the Disability Sport Wales Academy program, who didn’t disappoint, coming home with 2 Bronze medals and 1 fourth place.
The BC3 group (players who play with a ramp) is the most hotly competed class, which sees a higher percentage of players competing in the competition pool. And the Welsh players didn’t disappoint. 2 players won their groups undefeated, sending them through to the Semi-Finals. Karl Parrish – pictured (Chepstow) and James Bailey (Cardiff) swept aside their competitors to go face to face with the best of the rest.
Karl Parrish found himself up against English No. 1 player Craig Johnson, and a hard fought match finally saw Johnson nip it on the last end 3 – 2. James Bailey had the unenviable task of taking on GB No. 1 Ce Turk, and fought hard over the 4 ends, losing out 9 – 6 at the end.
This meant an all Welsh 3rd/4th Playoff which saw Karl Parrish come out on top 8 – 2.
In the BC1 class, a round-robin competition saw Steve Evans (Crumlin) face all the countries best players in his group, and played magnificently to take the Bronze.
A number of the players from the weekend have been invited onto the GB Fast-Track Camp which takes place in Sheffield in November.
Academy Manager, Gerwyn Owen said: ‘We at Disability Sport Wales have invested in these players over the last 18 months or so, providing a strong training and competition program, led by our Head Coach, ex-paralympian Peter Pearse (from London). It is testament to the players themselves in fully committing to the program that has seen the rise in their successes. Two Bronze medals are an excellent return, as well as the whole squad performances over the weekend.
For further information on Boccia, the National Championships or the Academy in general contact Gerwyn Owen, Academy Manager on 07918716344 or email gerwyn.owen@fdsw.org.uk
Boccia is a traditional recreational sport for athletes who require a wheelchair because of physical disability. Also known as bocce, it’s name is derived from the latin word for ball – bottia. It was originally designed to be played by people with cerebral palsy but now includes athletes with other severe disabilities affecting motor skills. In 1984 it became a Paralympic sport, and in 2008 was being practiced in over fifty countries worldwide.[1] Boccia is governed by the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association(CPISRA) and is one of three Paralympic sports that have no counterpart in the Olympic program.

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