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Matches conclude at the DSE Boccia Open 2014

Held at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, the 2014 DSE Boccia Open was an exciting competition with over 95 competitors taking part and trophies awarded in 7 different classification groups.

The group of players from Wales had great success at this weekend’s event, taking home trophies in the BC1 and BC3 classes. Cheered to victory by a large band of supporters, Rhodri Tudor took home first place with a fantastic 4 wins out of 4. In the BC3 class, James Bailey followed up his silver medal in 2013 to claim the trophy in 2014.

Winning by the tightest of margins, Callum Smith beat Chelsea Williams 5-4 to claim victory in the BC5 class. The tense final went down to the fourth end and was just taken by Callum on the final ball.

Peter Shepherd from First York Boccia was delighted with his victory in the BC8 class for players with a Learning Disability. He said;

It’s fantastic to have won my first ever National competition. The other players played exceptionally well and I just can’t believe I’ve won.

Working alongside the competitors, over 30 volunteers and officials have undertaken various roles over the weekend, including timekeeper, scorer and referee. The event has been supported by a number of young volunteers from Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield College, many of whom were inspired to train as Boccia referees following the exciting competition. 

Rachel Miller, a referee from the North East, who is a disability sport development officer and founder of ‘Smile Through Sport’ said;

It’s been a great competition, the standard amongst the players has definitely gone up. My favourite match of the day was the BC3 semi-final between Christopher Jackson and Craig Johnson. It was an incredibly tight game with Craig just taking it on the final ball.

She continued;

 I always enjoying helping out at the Boccia competitions, there is a great community feel amongst the referees and it’s been great to see everyone again.

The social side of the event was also mentioned by Richard Batchelor, a BC5 from Swansea Boccia Club. He said;

It’s my first DSE competition and it’s been absolutely fantastic, I’ve made lots of new friends and I will definitely be coming back next year. Although I didn’t win a medal, I’m really pleased with the way I played and have gained lots of experience for the future.

The competition also acted as the final opportunity for BC1 – BC4 players to qualify for the Boccia England National Championships in two weeks’ time. All semi-finalists and the top 4 players in the round robin BC1 competition have gained coveted Nationals places.

If you are interested in the tactical sport of Boccia, either as a player or referee, please go to the Boccia England website for more information and opportunities to take part www.bocciaengland.org.uk