Sophie makes impressive debut as GB win eight medals in Zagreb

Sophie Newnham certainly knows how to make a debut. It was the Surbiton teenager’s first ever senior appearance at a World Boccia sanctioned event and she returns with two gold medals.

At the Zagreb Challenger, Great Britain’s boccia squad secured eight medals: four gold, one silver and three bronze.

sophie wins gold in the individuals and in the pairs

The sixteen-year-old topped her pool in the BC4 women’s event, booking her place in the semi-final against Ukraine’s Nataliia Konenko. Winning on tiebreak, Newnham went on to defeat Slovakia’s Kristina Vozarova to secure the gold.

Teaming up with Lanarkshire’s Stephen McGuire, the Treloars college student went on to win a second gold in the BC4 Pairs.

Following the win, she said:

“I’m over the moon with the win today. It was the first time playing with this bossman (Stephen McGuire) which was a privilege. And to win a gold in the individuals too and get the double gold was fantastic. So, I’m very happy with how the week’s gone.”

In fact, Great Britain completely dominated the BC4 classification in Zagreb with McGuire winning gold in the men’s individuals and teammate Louis Saunders from Bognor Regis taking the bronze.

Swansea’s David Smith OBE also started his season on a high, cementing his World number one spot with a 5-1 win over Daniel Perez from the Netherlands in the BC1 class.

Great Britain again featured heavily on the podium of the BC2 women’s category. World Champion Claire Taggart from Larne seized silver while Ayrshire’s Kayleigh Haggo took the bronze; her first ever individual medal at international level.

And finally, the BC1/2 Team featuring Smith, Taggart and Haggo further added to Great Britain’s medal celebrations winning bronze after a 15-0 defeat over Czech Republic.

Team win bronze

Haggo explained:

“I’m really happy to be coming home with my first international medal and second international team medal. In the individuals, I was seeded ninth and finished third, winning four matches against higher ranked players.

“In the team competition, we didn’t quite reach our full potential, but that’s ok – we can and we will learn more from our losses than our wins.

Sophie to make debut in Zagreb

Surbiton teenager Sophie Newnham is set to make her senior debut in Zagreb with the Great Britain boccia squad this week.

The 16-year-old will compete at the World Boccia Challenger event in the Croatian capital which starts on Sunday.

While it may be the 16-year-old’s official debut, she has already excelled, competing at the unsanctioned test event in Paris earlier this year where she won gold in the BC4 Pairs with Louis Saunders. And last year, she secured gold at the World Youth Championships with Tyler McLelland.

In Zagreb, she will play in the individuals and then is due to team up with European silver medallist Stephen McGuire from Lanarkshire:

“It’s my first World Boccia sanctioned event so it’s an exciting prospect to hopefully kickstart my world ranking. I had a taste of international competition at the World Youths last year but it feels really good to represent GB at a senior level.”

Newnham was first introduced to boccia at Treloar’s School in Alton.

Louis Saunders is also competing in Croatia and will hope to build on the success at the test event where he not only won gold with Newnham but also in the individuals.

The Great Britain BC1/2 Team – currently ranked no 3 in the world – will be wanting to hone its skills ahead of the Paralympics in August. Ahead of announcing selected athletes, Boccia UK is fielding David Smith OBE, Claire Taggart and Kayleigh Haggo.

Haggo explained:

“It’s great to get started with our season. Zagreb marks the start of the 2024 boccia calendar and it’s a really important one as we warm up for Paris. We’re in a great position with the Team as we are already qualified for Paralympics but, as athletes, we are yet to know who is to be selected so it’s all about honing our skills and seeing how we work together.”

County Antrim’s Robyn McBride will also be competing in the individuals of the BC3 category with Dad, Davey, on court as ramp assistant.

Greg Baker, Boccia UK's Performance Director, said:

"We've really focussed on increasing strength and depth in the squad over the last 12 months. It means that we are in the position where we can try out different Team and Pair combinations which is really important.

“For most of our athletes, this is their first international competition of the year. We want to build on the BC3 Pair’s success last week in Coimbra where they qualified a slot for the Paralympics. And Zagreb certainly starts an exciting build up towards Paris - it will be a good first test to see where athletes are at.”

FURTHER PARALYMPIC SPOTS SECURED FOR GB

Great Britain’s BC3 Pair have secured a Paralympic spot in Paris this summer.

European silver medallist Will Arnott, from Arborfield, and teenage sensation Sally Kidson from Salisbury won gold at the qualifying event in Japan. They needed to secure at least a bronze medal for GB to add to its athlete quota at the Games.

Supported by ramp assistants Connor Wellfare and Hannah Stewart, the dup did not have a promising start to the tournament. On day one, GB lost to both Greece and Peru. But day two saw victories over Portugal and Singapore, booking their place in the semi-final.

Overcoming Poland 4-1 in the semi-final, Great Britain celebrated the guarantee of Paralympic spots. But Britain didn’t stop there, winning gold after a fantastic final with Japan, triumphing 4-2.

Arnott, 25, explained, “Going into this event, we had lost our last ten games so, to put that behind us, shows the huge improvements we’ve made. We’ve been working so hard, together with our ramp assistants, on the training courts so have it all payoff is amazing.”

19-year-old Kidson said, “We’re so happy to have been able to qualify the spot for the BC3 Pair and now are waiting for the results of selection for Paris.

“We had a difficult start to the week, losing our two games on day one of competition but we managed to turn it around.”

Coach Glynn Tromans said: “This result has been two years in the making. We’ve had to go through some difficult times and hard losses but we’ve achieved something special here.”

While the result means that Great Britain now qualifies for Paris this summer, the athletes will need to wait a bit longer to find out if they have been selected by ParalympicsGB.

Already, Great Britain’s BC1/2 Team had safely earned passage to Paris through the rankings as they have reigned in the number two spot for the last 12 months.

However, it was the end of the road for the BC4 Pair. Lanarkshire duo Stephen McGuire and Fiona Muirhead just missed out qualifying through the rankings so they too competed in Portugal.

McGuire said:

"We are really disappointed but also extremely proud. Last year, we were ranked 14th in the world as a Pair and we have progressed to reach as high as sixth. Our trajectory has been really strong which augurs really well for the future but we just needed that little bit of luck to get over the line and sadly it just didn’t go our way."

Its crunch time in Portugal

 It’s back to business on Sunday as four Great Britain athletes will begin their campaigns in Portugal to qualify for the Paris Paralympic Games.

And double European medallist Stephen McGuire says it’s more difficult than ever before to secure those all-important slots. The BC3 Pairs and BC4 Pairs both need to win medals in Portugal before they can book their Eurostar tickets to Paris.

McGuire explains:

“I’m really excited for the qualifier – it’s the first time that World Boccia has staged a qualifying event in the twenty years I’ve been competing. But it is more difficult to qualify than ever before as, up to this event, it has relied on winning specific events such as the Europeans which we just missed out on. But it’s also testament to the fact that, globally, boccia is growing rapidly.”

Stephen and fiona claimed silver at the europeans last summer

Stephen McGuire will line up with fellow Lanarkshire player Fiona Muirhead and will aim to build on the progress made last season in the BC4 Pairs. The duo started working together just under two years ago and began to see their hard work pay off last year.

Coached by Claire Morrison, they won their first gold together at the Heraklion Challenger last October. And before that, they claimed a silver medal at the Europeans in Rotterdam:

“We do have some tough opposition in Coimbra,” says McGuire. “Our big rivals going into this as Brazil and Portugal. Plus, Malaysia – a duo who have only played BC4 Pairs for two years – are a bit of an unknown but they’re doing well and are ones to watch.

“Fiona and I are a new partnership but, in just under two years, we have learnt so much – about each other’s styles of play but also the style we create together and how we can get the best from each other. It was great to see that hard work paying off last year and hopefully we can go one step further and secure that spot for Paris. Fiona’s put so much effort in and it would be her first Paralympic Games so fingers crossed we can get over the line.”

Meanwhile, Arborfield’s Will Arnott and Salisbury’s Sally Kidson – coached by Glynn Tromans - are readying themselves for the BC3 Pairs. Like Muirhead, it would also be their first ever Paralympic Games. In fact, Kidson is just 19 years old and is the youngest member of Boccia UK’s World Class Performance Programme.

will arnott will team up with sally kidson in bc3 pairs

Greg Baker is Boccia UK’s Performance Director and he says:

“We expect this tournament to be very competitive with each nation fighting it out to get to the Games. It’s one we feel ready for and have had good preparation leading into it with international sparrers and nations coming to train in the UK while we have also travelled to other countries to train. 

“It will be a fascinating few days in Portugal and rest assured we will give it everything we’ve got to ensure we deliver our very best performances.

“We have three athletes who have never competed at a Paralympic Games before so it’s really exciting to see that talent coming through. They’ve put in a huge amount of hard work and hopefully we’ll see it pay off.”

If Great Britain manages to secure places in the Pairs events, they also earn individual spots in Paris. Meanwhile, the BC1/2 Team has already qualified.

UK Championships showcase talent

Boccia UK’s Performance Director Greg Baker said the UK Championships, which drew to a close yesterday in Warwick, are a “brilliant showcase of the talent coming through.”

The best British boccia players came together to battle it out for UK titles. Paralympic gold medallist David Smith OBE took the top honours in the BC1 category while world number one Claire Taggart ended her fantastic season by winning her fourth title.

ln the BC4s, Stephen McGuire will have his name engraved on the trophy once again, after having to settle for bronze last year. And in the BC3s, Matt Berry triumphed in a close final with Will Arnott.

For Baker, it certainly augurs well to see athletes coming through the pathway, delivering solid performances and reaching the podium:

“Earlier this year, we set up the first Talent Transition Squad together with the home nation organisations. To see Matt Berry claiming gold in a very competitive BC3 category, Reshad Saraj taking silver in the BC2s, Tyler McLelland also winning silver and Sophie Newnham taking the bronze in the BC4s - this is so promising for the future of boccia in the UK.

“As well as launching our Talent Transition Squad, we have also continued to increase opportunities for athletes within the pathway this year. We’ve seen the likes of Penny Froude and Caroline Robinson competing at the international events which has been really important for the development of boccia in the UK.”

With an ambition to become one of the world-leading nations in the sport, Baker says tournaments like the UK Championships are vital for athletes:

“Events like this are a really good opportunity for athletes to play against those who compete at the highest levels. It’s a good chance for us to take a look at the talent coming through too.”

The event was this year hosted by Boccia England and supported by an army of volunteers and officials.

Boccia UK ends season on a high

Everything is going in the right direction for British boccia stars as the 2023 season draws to a close.

The Heraklion Challenger in Crete was the final tournament of the season for GB and proved to be a big moment for Stephen McGuire and Fiona Muirhead. The duo won gold in the BC4 Pair event, remaining undefeated across all four games.

It is Fiona’s first full season on the international circuit and her first-ever gold. But the pair have been building positive momentum all season, winning silver at the European Championships in August as another key highlight.

stephen and fiona win first-ever gold as a pair

Muirhead said: “It’s good to know the hard work is paying off. There are long hours training and travelling to do what we do and it makes it all worthwhile.”

Meanwhile McGuire, with a keen eye on the world rankings, explained:

“We did as much we could this season. At the beginning of the year, we were 14th in the world rankings and we’ve now halved that so things are coming together well.”

For Greg Baker, who came into post at Boccia UK last summer, the key aim has been to strengthen GB’s performance across all classifications, providing opportunities to players outside of the World Class Programme.

Boccia England’s Penny Froude joined the team in Crete and made it all the way to the bronze medal match, finishing fourth.

Penny froude finish fourth in her international debut

Scotland’s Kayleigh Haggo – who joined the World Class Programme earlier this year – also finished just outside of the medals but put in some strong performances.

On social media, Sally Kidson from Salisbury, who also finishes her first season with Boccia UK, posted:

“It’s been a great year of learning and if you’d told me this time last year that I’d get to play (and win) against the World Champion, the World Youth Champion, the World no 1 and the European Champion, I probably would have laughed at you, but here we are!”

She added: “Many thanks to the whole Boccia UK team – athletes, coaches and support staff – who I am proud to work with. And thanks to the National Lottery and UK Sport who fund the World Class Programme which allows us to do what we do.”

sally kidson finishes her first full season

Baker is feeling upbeat as the 2024 season approaches:

“There’s always more work to do but we’ve made some huge strides this season and we’re enjoying success at major events across the classifications. A number of players joined the World Class Programme this year and we’ve seen them grow in confidence with every tournament.

“Our aim is simply to be the best boccia nation in the world and we’ve got a brilliant team of athletes, coaches and support staff to achieve just that. I’m so proud of every single athlete who has competed for Boccia UK this season and also really pleased that we’ve been able to open up international opportunities for individuals outside of the World Class Programme. I can’t wait to see what we can all achieve together in 2024.”

Boccia UK continues strength and depth mission

A seven-strong Great Britain team is heading to the Heraklion Challenger in Crete next week for its final tournament of the season (22-28 October).

And Boccia UK continues its campaign to increase its strength and depth across all Paralympic classifications.

penny froude makes her international debut

Making her international debut is Penny Froude who won a coaches’ award at last June’s UK Challenger event after she won all four matches.

Boccia UK’s Head of Performance Pathway Liz Fisher says it is vital to offer competitive opportunities to pathway players:

“We have really moved forward this year with our plans to develop talented athletes through the pathway. If we are to grow and strengthen boccia in the UK, it’s crucial that we create opportunities for promising athletes to experience international competition.

“In June, we launched our first ever Talent Transition Squad and we have also invited other players outside of that named squad to join us at tournaments so we can really extend our reach, and help nurture the talents of those who demonstrate real potential.”

Penny is joined by a squad of familiar faces including BC2 star Kayleigh Haggo. The Ayrshire athlete is set to build on her performance from the Povoa World Cup earlier this month in which she triumphed over world number two and top seed, Rebecca Duarte.

Will Hipwell, world silver medallist in the Team event, competes individually in the men’s BC2 event while Robyn McBride and Sally Kidson both feature in the BC3 women’s individuals.

will hipwell also travels to crete

Steph McGuire, who sits in the number seven spot in the world rankings, is hoping he can bolster his ranking points in the season-closer.

Elsewhere in the BC4s, fellow Scot Fiona Muirhead will be vying for a place in the knockout rounds and will then team up with McGuire in the Pairs event.

It's gold (again) for Smithy

British boccia star David Smith OBE has grabbed his third gold medal of the season.

He returns home from the Povoa World Cup in Portugal, with yet another gold in the BC1 Men’s Individual competition. The victory is set to put Smith, Britain’s most successful boccia player of all time, back on top of the world rankings.

In September, he slipped to second place behind Thailand’s Witsanu Huadpradit, having enjoyed an incredible seven years at the top.

david smith obe wins gold in povoa

“To re-establish myself back at number one feels good but I’m not sure for how long – my rival, Huadpradit, has a couple more tournaments to go so potentially, if he does what I can imagine he’ll do on form, I think I may slip to second again by the end of the season,” said Smith. “But for now, being back on top, is good and I’m just trying to make it as difficult as possible for my opponents to catch me.

“But really for Paris Paralympics, it doesn’t really make much difference. We’ll both be seeded going into that. It doesn’t change much apart from semi-finals – the top seed plays the third seed rather than the fourth, but that’s about it,” he added.

For Smith, his season now comes to a close. He will not be competing at the final international tournament, the Heraklion Challenger in Greece, in which a small British squad will be fielded.

In the week that ticket sales opened for the Paris Paralympic Games, Smith is looking forward to playing infront of a crowd once more:

“It’s going to be a brilliant Games – the Paralympics have come on such a long way since my first in Beijing. Paris, I hope, will be a lot like Tokyo except we’ll have a crowd this time which will be cool. Add in some Parisian culture, I’m sure it will be spectacular and I’m looking forward to everything that comes with a Games.”

In Povoa, Smith also competed alongside Claire Taggart and Kalyleigh Haggo as part of the Team event. They were knocked out by Paralympic Champions Thailand in the playoff.

For Haggo, who holds six world records in the sport of framerunning, Povoa will surely last long in the memory after she overcame the world number two and tournament top seed, Rebecca Duarte 5-2 in her opening match. Despite the incredible victory for the Ayrshire BC2 player, who is relatively new to the sport of boccia, she didn’t manage to escape the pools.

KAYLEIGH HAGGO RELISHING INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Meanwhile, Stephen McGuire of Hamilton, Lanarkshire finished fifth in the BC4s after being stopped in the quarter finals by Japan’s Shunsuke Uchida. It may not have been the result he was looking for but it is the fourth top five finish he’s clocked up this season.

Elsewhere in the BC4s, Louis Saunders was also denied a place in the semi-finals after he was defeated by Gershon Haimov of Israel.

Finally, it was a bit of a rollercoaster tournament for Edinburgh’s Patrick Wilson. An admin error and a cancelled flight meant he missed his opening match with ramp assistant, Meredith Greenwood, and therefore was forfeited a 0-8 defeat by default. Racing to Povoa on the soonest flight available, he was able to lodge a 6-3 win over Boris Klohna of Slovakia but lost to Australia’s Daniel Michel 3-4.

Boccia UK now look ahead to the Heraklion Challenger which begins on 22 October and is the final tournament of the season.

Claire returns to Povoa

Larne’s Claire Taggart is next month returning to the city where she won her first-ever World Cup gold medal.

Last year in Povoa, Portugal was a breakthrough moment for the Northern Ireland boccia star who went on to become World Champion five months later and has reigned as world number one in the rankings ever since. In fact, she cemented her position as the BC2 to beat by winning her second World Cup last month, in Brazil.

Taggart is delighted to head back. This time though, she will only be playing as part of the Team, having already used her allocation of events this year:

claire won her first world cup gold in povoa

“Povoa is a stalwart tournament in the boccia season – we compete there every year. It’s a great location and a firm favourite of mine. It is of course where I won my first World Cup last year. I’m really looking forward to playing as part of the Team event and against the top boccia nations in the world.”

Indeed, the 2022 Povoa World Cup was a golden moment for the BC1/2 Team featuring Taggart, David Smith OBE and Will Hipwell.

Smith – Britain’s best ever boccia player – described winning Team gold as a career highlight:

“We had gone into 2022 with the aim of moving up the rankings, slowly improving to the top four. Winning gold in Povoa was certainly a fantastic stepping stone and we went on to win silver at the World Championships a month later.

“We now have less than a year to go until Paris and we need to qualify so we’re focussing on our consistency, shot after shot, which will help us be brave with our shots and decisions.”

This year, however, they will be missing Hipwell, their usual middle man, who is replaced by Kayleigh Haggo. She is a relative newcomer to the World Class Programme but the Scot – who has six framerunning world records to her name – has learnt incredibly fast and is thrilled to be competing both individually and as part of the team in Portugal:

“I can’t wait to compete in Povoa. I have been training lots and learnt so much since my last competition. I’m looking forward to putting everything into practice. It’s always good fun working alongside David and Claire too,” said Kayleigh,

Edinburgh’s Patrick Wilson will also be returning to court after success last month in Brazil. The BC3 player saw a return to form which took him all the way to seizing silver at the Fortaleza World Cup.

In the BC4s, Stephen McGuire from Hamilton and Louis Saunders from Bognor Regis will also be aiming to impress. Saunders, 21, will no doubt have a boost of confidence having beaten world number one Euclides Grisales from Columbia to reach the quarter-final in Fortaleza.

BC1 Male            David Smith (Individual & TAP).  Assistant Sarah Nolan

BC2 Female        Kayleigh Haggo (Individual & TAP).  Assistant Kevin Brown

BC2 Female        Claire Taggart (TAP).  Assistant Stevie Taggart

BC3 Male            Patrick Wilson (Individual).  Assistant Meredith Greenwood

BC4 Male            Stephen McGuire (Individual).  Assistant Chris Owen

BC4 Male            Louis Saunders (Individual).  Assistant Steve Richards

Gold and silver in Fortaleza

It was another World Cup gold in the collection for boccia star Claire Taggart last week when she triumphed in Fortaleza, Brazil.

It is the second World Cup gold of her career and provides the player from Northern Ireland – who became World Champion last December - with all-important ranking points now that we’ve passed the Year to Go mark to the Paris Paralympic Games.

Claire Taggart seizes gold in fortaleza.

She remained unbeaten in her matches and in the final, came up against Indonesia’s Gischa Zayana. It was a case of déjà vu for Taggart as she come up against the 18-year-old talent in her first pool match.

Posting on Instagram after that match, Taggart explained:

“Gischa is a young new talent who has a VERY bright future in boccia. She put me under pressure from the start i8ncluding winning the first end, but I was able to put the nerves to the side and win the game 4-3. She ‘s already a fierce competitor in BC2F and, at the age of only 18, she has so much potential.”

Despite clocking up the first win over the Indonesian, Taggart still remained under pressure:

“The nerves of a final are completely different and I knew I was going to have to play well to win again. Gischa pushed me hard to execute shots and take risks but in the fourth end, my jack ball won me the game.”

Meanwhile, Edinburgh’s Patrick Wilson made a solid return to winning ways, seizing the silver in the BC3 individuals with ramp assistant Meredith Greenwood. His last appearance on a World Cup podium was in 2019 and Boccia UK is thrilled to see him back where he belongs:

“I’m really delighted and proud to have got silver here in Fortaleza. I’ve worked really hard in the past 18 months to get back to a level where I can achieve these kinds of results and it’s great to see that come to fruition,” said Wilson.

“The exciting thing is I feel I can play much better than I have here so hopefully the best is yet to come.”

fortaleza saw a return to winning ways for patrick wilson in the BC3s

Wilson was denied the gold medal by Hong Kong’s Howon Jeong – multiple Paralympic and World Champion and current world number one.

A relatively small contingent from Great Britain featured in Brazil with other notable highlights including Louis Saunders from Bognor Regis  beating Columbia’s Euclides Grisales - the world number one - to claim his spot in the BC4 men’s semi-final.

In the BC3s, Will Arnott and Sally Kidson were both in action individually and as a pair. It was certainly a tough couple of days for the newly established duo but Fortaleza will no doubt lay essential foundations for future success.

On the medal hunt in Brazil

Following the success of British boccia stars at the European Para Championships, the mission to win medals and ranking points continues next week at Fortaleza in Brazil.

Boccia UK is sending five athletes to the Fortaleza 2023 World Boccia Cup which kicks off on 2 September. Led by World Champion Claire Taggart who bagged a bronze at the Europeans earlier this month, the squad will be aiming to impress – especially as the countdown to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games has passed the one year to go milestone.

claire taggart heads to brazil

The Northern Ireland BC2 player will be joined by Will Arnott, who won silver at the Europeans with ramp assistant Connor Wellfare. The duo will no doubt take huge confidence from the podium position in Rotterdam:

“I think I’ve been threatening to have a result like this, maybe for four or five years, and to finally get it is really a great experience.”

Patrick Wilson from Edinburgh and Salisbury’s Sally Kidson will also feature in the line up in Brazil.

And in the BC4s, Louis Saunders from Bognor Regis. Now ranked inside the world top 20 players, the 21-year-old will be eager to climb a few spots up the ranking ladder.

patrick wilson aiming to rack up ranking points

Performance Director Greg Baker says it’s a good opportunity:

“Ranking points are all up for grabs at this World Cup event so it’s a good chance for athletes in the individuals but also the BC3 Pairs. We’re expecting a big event with strong representation from across the nations so it’s really good preparation as we continue on towards Paris 2024, especially now that we have passed the one year to go mark.”

Boccia UK doubles its European medal haul

Boccia UK returns home with six medals from the European Para Championships – the brand new, multi-sport event which has descended on Rotterdam this week.

The medal haul is double that secured two years ago at the Europeans in Seville. Britain also won the most medals of any other nation at the tournament, albeit the squad didn’t win a gold.

It was a tournament of many firsts in which the traditional schedule was ripped up, allowing for back-to-back individual and Team & Pair finals over the weekend. And in another move to attract crowds, the finals took place on outdoor courts in the heart of the city.

Steph and fiona with silver medal

On the final day of competition, Lanarkshire duo Stephen McGuire and Fiona Muirhead secured silver in the BC4 Pairs. It is a relatively new pairing with Muirhead only joining the World Class Programme last year. McGuire – who captained the Pairs – explained:

“If we’d been offered a silver medal before we came out here, we’d have been delighted. We were one of the lower-ranked teams and we came within one end from taking the gold so I’m thrilled. Winning here would have meant automatic qualification for Paris – it was the golden ticket - but we came so close and have had a great season so far. We have two more competitions, in Portugal and then Greece, which will be our final opportunity to qualify. We are in the mix for qualification now which is great whereas at the start of the season we were probably outside the mix.”

And silver by the BC4s was followed up by the BC1/2 Team – made up of Eastleigh star David Smith OBE, who now lives in Swansea, Larne’s Claire Taggart and Papworth Everard’s Will Hipwell – who were unable to overcome hosts, Netherlands, and also return home with silver.

Smith, captain of the trio, said:

“It was just one of those games. We had an opportunity in the first end when I thought we were going to score three and we ended up losing three. It was just the roll of the balls after that. Boccia is like that sometimes. They had the crowd on their side which probably helped, but we played well. We will keep pushing as we want to get gold when we can in tournaments but team sports are quite unpredictable.”

claire, david and will are silver medallists at europeans

In the individual event, GB took a further four medals – two silver and two bronze and arguably the highlight was Will Arnott and ramp assistant Connor Wellfare winning their first major international medal.

On winning silver, Arnott from near Reading said:

“It’s my first major international medal. I’m disappointed about how the final went, I thought I could have played better. I didn’t play with the same sort of commitment. Maybe, I was a bit more tentative about things and I was made to pay for that. The rest of the tournament has been so good for me. I think I’ve been threatening to have a result like this, maybe for four or five years, and to finally get it is really a great experience. This is a huge confidence booster for me at this level of event. This is the biggest event where I’ve earned ranking points by miles.”

will beat paralympic champion adam peska on his way to winning silver

And on playing outside, Will added:

“I really like the idea of playing outside. I think it’s great to get people in to watch the sport though when the wind picked up it was difficult as we both had to take balls off the ramp as they were swaying slightly.”

David Smith also seized silver for Britain, but was unable to defend his title against host favourite Daniel Perez:

 “I am a little bit disappointed,” said Smith. “I had a chance in the second end and if I’d have scored then I think I would have won the game. But it is good for the Dutch crowd that Dan (PEREZ, gold medallist) won. The tournament has been really good. In the Ahoy arena, the atmosphere that was built up was really cool with the noise and all that. We have had a special couple of days. Hopefully, it will help promote Boccia. We are rightly in the Paralympic movement and we are one of the more competitive events so we get a good atmosphere.”

Stephen McGuire also went into the event as defending Champion but was pleased to secure bronze, after coming back from major injury and rehabilitation in 2022. Meanwhile, World Champion Claire Taggart also added to Britain’s medal haul, bagging the bronze after overcoming Christina Goncalves 7-1.

claire won bronze in the individuals

Performance Director Greg Baker said that doubling the medal haul from the previous European Championships demonstrates the progress Boccia UK is making:

“Winning six medals here in Rotterdam and managing to convert all our bronze playoffs into medals shows a really good performance from the squad. We’ll go home and reflect and take stock collectively of what we can do to be even more prepared for the competitions coming up and, of course, for Paris next year. But it’s been a really good positive experience with the athletes enjoying the multi-sport format and that Paralympic Games type feel of event. It’s given us vital experience ahead of Paris next year, especially for our newer, less experienced players in the squad.”

Louis says new Europeans event is "massive step forward"

British boccia star Louis Saunders is gearing up for the European Para Championships which take place in Rotterdam from 8-20 August.

It is a brand-new multi-sport event which is set to attract1500 Para athletes from 45 European nations who will battle it out across 10 sports.

And the 21-year-old Paralympian – who studies at University of Sussex - says it’s a major move forward for disability sport:

“I’m really excited for the competition in Rotterdam next week. I think it’s such a big moment for the Paralympic movement to finally have a huge multi-sport event, outside of the Paralympic Games.

louis in action for boccia uk

“We’ve been crying out for this for a long, long time. It’s so important that Paralympic sports get more attention and more media coverage so that disabled people know they have opportunities to enjoy sport. We can’t just wait for the Paralympics to roll around every four years to shout about what we do. So I’m really pleased It’s a really exciting opportunity for boccia and for disability sport as a whole. I’m proud to be part of that in the Netherlands.

“Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to check out the other sports that are happening and the public and other athletes can take a look at the boccia. That’s quite a unique opportunity, apart from Paralympic Games of course, because we’re normally taking part in tournaments that are purely boccia tournaments.”

Saunders has been playing boccia since he was at introduced to it at school. Similar to boules, players must throw, roll or kick coloured balls as close as possible to a white target ball, known as the jack.  

Testing muscle control, strategy and accuracy, you can compete as an individual, pairs or as a team of three over a set number of ends. Each side has six balls (red or blue) each end to try and score points. Points are accumulated over the course of a match to find a winner.

He represented Great Britain at the delayed Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 and is now hoping to book his place at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The European Para Championships is a crucial milestone in the build up to Paris with opportunities to qualify individual as well as team and pair slots.

“We have an exciting summer of boccia coming up. Boccia UK is sending a team to four competitions over next couple of months – we have the Euros, then the World Cups in Brazil and Portugal and then we end the season in Greece. It’s an exciting time as we fight for qualification for Paris. That does make the Euros quite pressured – we do need to perform well to get our slots for the Paralympics next year but I’m hoping to draw on my experience of qualifying for Tokyo to help me deal with that.”

While next week’s tournament is brand new, organisers have also shaken up the traditional format of a boccia competition.

“The finals will be played on outdoor courts. I don’t think that’s been done before and it’s so cool for the sport of boccia. Playing boccia in a city centre? Who’d have thought or imagined that? Ten years ago, I don’t think people would have thought it possible.”

And Saunders is full of confidence for the Great Britain squad:

“We’ve got a squad of ten athletes and we have a mix of experience. You’ve got people who have been to Paralympic Games and defending European Champions in David Smith OBE and Stephen McGuire and then we have newer athletes. There’s a real mix and we have such strength in depth now across all classifications. It’s super exciting that we have two entries in the BC3 women’s and two entries in the BC3 men’s. It shows the quality of the squad right now.

“On a personal level, my parents are going to come out and watch. They haven’t seen me play in an international tournament since the World Championships in Liverpool in 2018. It’s going to be super nice for them and hopefully I can play well for them. I can’t wait to share the experience with my Mum and Dad.

“Hopefully we can all push for medals and get ourselves on the Eurostar to Paris next year.”

Boccia UK Performance Director Greg Baker says the event is an unrivalled opportunity for younger players:

“The European Para Championships is a fantastic addition to our calendar. 40% of our squad named for Rotterdam have never competed at a Paralympic Games before and so they don’t have that experience of a multi-sport event and everything that comes with that. It is a great opportunity, ahead of Paris next year, to soak up all that experience.

“We want to carry on the momentum and the positive results we have achieved this year and at the World Youth Championships last month,” added Baker. “This is a critical competition which we hope will help us with Paris 2024 qualification. It’s the major event of the season and we’re really looking forward to showcasing our performance levels.”

The squad:

BC1 Male – David Smith (IND & Pairs)

BC2 Female – Claire Taggart (IND & Pairs)

BC2 Male – Will Hipwell (IND & Pairs)

BC3 Female – Robyn McBride (IND)

BC3 Female – Sally Kidson (IND & Pairs)

BC3 Male – Will Arnott (IND & Pairs)

BC3 Male – Patrick Wilsom (IND)

BC4 Female – Fiona Muirhead (IND & Pairs)

BC4 Male – Stephen McGuire (IND & Pairs)

BC4 Male – Louis Saunders (IND)

Boccia UK on form for brand new Europeans event

British boccia stars are gearing up for next month’s European Para Championships which take place in Rotterdam from 8-20 August.

It is the first time the multi-sport event has ever been staged. 1500 Para athletes from 45 European nations will battle it out across 10 sports.

Claire taggart in action

Paralympic Champion David Smith OBE and World Champion Claire Taggart – both world number ones in their category – will be aiming to be among the inaugural title winners.

Larne player Claire Taggart became World BC2 Champion last December. And she says the brand new event is well timed:

“To compete in a multi-sport event just a year before the Paralympics is a great opportunity and the perfect introduction to the environment of a Paralympic Games for those who haven’t experienced it. I’m really looking forward to the challenge of Rotterdam and seeing where it takes me.”

David Smith – who was born in Eastleigh but now lives in Swansea – believes the GB squad can deliver:

“As a squad, we have a good chance to do well. If there is any country that can dominate the medal table, we can but Portugal can also do a really good job across the categories too.”

As well as achieving at the highest levels individually, Smith and Taggart have also set down a marker in the Team event. Together, they clinched a silver medal at the World Championships, along with Cambridge’s Will Hipwell. And, in Rotterdam, the trio will once again be aiming for the podium position. Smith adds:

“I’d love to win my eighth European title after so many years of playing – either as an individual or as part of the Team. In the Team event, we’re the highest-ranking European nation at the moment so we’re looking to go out and do something. Any sort of medal would be a good result but a gold would see us secure qualification for the Paris Paralympics.”

team won silver at world championships last year

Demonstrating the increasing strength in the GB squad of late, Boccia UK will field four BC3 players. Antrim’s Robyn McBride and Salisbury’s Sally Kidson, who both joined the World Class Programme last year, join Patrick Wilson from Edinburgh and Will Arnott from Reading.

In a new partnership, Kidson and Arnott will team up in the BC3 Pairs. For 18-year-old Sally Kidson, who is currently awaiting A level results, the tournament is a huge opportunity:

“I’m really excited for the Euros – it’s my first major event so I’m excited to play some good boccia against strong opponents and learn some things along the way.”

In the BC4s, stalwart player Stephen McGuire from Hamilton leads the line-up with fellow Tokyo Paralympian Louis Smith of Bognor Regis also making the cut for Rotterdam. Fiona Muirhead, also from Lanarkshire, makes up the BC4 contingent and will feature in the Pairs event with McGuire.

sally kidson named in squad as she awaits a level results

Boccia UK Performance Director Greg Baker says the event is an unrivalled opportunity for younger players:

“The European Para Championships is a fantastic addition to our calendar. 40% of our squad named for Rotterdam have never competed at a Paralympic Games before and so they don’t have that experience of a multi-sport event and everything that comes with that. It is a great opportunity, ahead of Paris next year, to soak up all that experience.

“We want to carry on the momentum and the positive results we have achieved this year and at the World Youth Championships last month,” added Baker. “This is a critical competition which we hope will help us with Paris 2024 qualification. It’s the major event of the season and we’re really looking forward to showcasing our performance levels.”

The squad:

BC1 Male – David Smith (IND & Pairs)

BC2 Female – Claire Taggart (IND & Pairs)

BC2 Male – Will Hipwell (IND & Pairs)

BC3 Female – Robyn McBride (IND)

BC3 Female – Sally Kidson (IND & Pairs)

BC3 Male – Will Arnott (IND & Pairs)

BC3 Male – Patrick Wilsom (IND)

BC4 Female – Fiona Muirhead (IND & Pairs)

BC4 Male – Stephen McGuire (IND & Pairs)

BC4 Male – Louis Saunders (IND)

Next generation win gold at World Youth Champs

Three of GB’s brightest young boccia talents have won gold at the World Youth Championships.

Sophie Newnham, Tyler McLelland and Harrison Smith fly home from Povoa with a little extra baggage – a gold medal each - after winning the BC4 Pairs.

The trio battled it out against the top flight of junior talents from around the globe from 7 to 16 July 2023, learning all about what it takes to compete internationally and gaining valuable experience.

Sophie is 16 and has just completed her GCSEs. She explained:

“The best thing about this week has been playing Pairs competitively for the first time and learning new things as an individual. It feels so good to have won gold and it feels as if the hard work has paid off.”

After each athlete competed individually, Sophie took to the court with Tyler for the BC4 Pairs event, with Harrison supporting on the sidelines as substitute. In a tight, first game, they defeated Portugal 3-1. The final then saw GB pitted against Brazil. Sophie and Tyler went into the final end 3-1 down. But Sophie played a brilliant first ball right up to the jack which the Brazilians were unable to dislodge. Forcing a tiebreak, Tyler secured the gold medal with his final ball, requiring the Head Referee to come on court and check the measurement:

“I’m so happy to win gold,” said Tyler, who is 17 and a student at Fife College. “It’s been a fantastic experience to represent Great Britain. I was very nervous as I knew if we didn’t score, we’d lose the gold. It was so close - I thought we’d go to a double tiebreak, but the Head Referee declared it a win for GB.”

Meanwhile, Harrison – who celebrated his 17th birthday in Povoa – was also an important member of the winning team:

“Competing internationally for the first time has been brilliant – I’ve loved every minute. I feel proud to be a part of the gold medal winning team, knowing I’ve played well this week and supported my team-mates.”

Head of Performance Pathway Liz Fisher has been in Portugal this week with the team. She said:

“I’m so delighted that our next generation of athletes have had the opportunity to make history by competing in the first-ever World Youth Boccia Championships and returning home with gold in the BC4 Pair. The future is certainly bright for boccia in the UK and I know they’ll take all the experience - preparing for the event, competing and everything else that’s involved in an international tournament – with them into the future.”

And Boccia UK’s Performance Director Greg Baker was thrilled by the performances in Povoa:

“It’s fantastic to see our younger athletes coming through the pathway and competing on the world stage – it’s been a huge learning experience which I’m sure will help them develop as athletes. To win matches on the international scene – and against world-leading boccia nations, Brazil and Portugal - is no mean feat and it really augurs well for the future. It’s a great outcome and a great sign for what the future holds.”

Boccia UK would like to thank its home nation partners, in particular Boccia England and Scottish Disability Sport for their support of pathway athletes.

Tyler McLelland

Tyler is 17 years old from Windygates in central Fife. Coached by Claire Morrison, he certainly demonstrated his potential when he won his debut individual international match at the Czech Open in Prague last year. He is part of the Scottish Boccia Squad and studies at Fife College. He was also recently selected by Boccia UK for its first ever Talent Transition Squad.

Sophie Newnham

Sophie is 15 years old and is from Surbiton in southwest London. She started playing boccia at the age of 13. In October, she impressed Boccia UK when she won silver at the UK Championships. She is a student at Treloars School; the same school that Paralympic Champion David Smith OBE attended and has already shown great promise. She is coached by her brother, Jamie Newnham, and is supported by Boccia England,

Harrison Smith

Harrison is 17 years old and is from Cobham in Surrey. He discovered boccia at school. He attends Treloars School which boasts David Smith OBE among its alumni. He is supported by Boccia England and is coached by Kim Smith.

Jamie McCowan retires

Two-time British Paralympic boccia player Jamie McCowan has today called time on his international career.

The highly decorated player – who reached number two in the world rankings - has competed since 2006. And since 2014, he has been joined by his Mum and ramp assistant, Linda. The Ayrshire player has represented Great Britain at the Rio and Tokyo Paralympic Games and has achieved multiple medals at world-class events.

jamie and linda mccowan at the tokyo paralympic games

Jamie started playing in the BC4 category in which he won gold in the Pairs event at the European Championships. Moving into the BC3 classification, Jamie again won gold at the European Championships in 2017, this time as an individual. And he went on to win silver as part of the BC3 Pair at the same tournament. In 2022, he seized gold at the World Boccia Challenger in Poznan, overcoming World Champion Greg Polychronidis. And in his final tournament, just last month, he finished just outside the medals in fourth place at the Montreal World Cup.

Jamie and Linda often competed against and alongside older brother Scott, assisted by Dad Gary, who retired last October. In fact, at the Tokyo Paralympics, Jamie and Scott were drawn against each other in their first pool match, meaning all four members of the family were on court at the same time.

His career also saw him win the British title three times across two classifications, most recently in 2022, in a closely contested competition against brother, Scott. Jamie now plans to turn his attentions to coaching.

joined by mum linda as his ramp assistant, the duo have won multiple medals at world-class events

On his decision to call time on a highly decorated international career, Jamie said:

“After 17 years, I have taken the tough decision to retire from playing. From the age of 11, I have grown up playing boccia and the high lows, victories and defeats have all added up to become the most amazing experience and career. It’s been an honour to represent Boccia UK and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved.”

Jamie went on to thank those who have been instrumental in his career:

“My family have been huge supporters and I would never have got this far without them. My Mum is still by my side as my ramp assistant after all these years and I would like to thank her for everything. And of course, I’d like to thank all of my coaches over almost two decades, but in particular thank you to Claire Morrison for introducing me to the sport and also Glynn Tromans for his incredible commitment and support.”

Glynn Tromans, Performance Coach, said:

“Jamie’s time in the sport pre-dates my own when he was playing as a BC4. I started working him at the tail end of 2014 when he switched to play as a BC3. In that first 12 months, Jamie didn’t compete internationally but instead really got to grips with the ramp and the technical nature of the sport. It was probably the longest technical transition phase of any BC3 and this is Jamie through and through - thorough, focussed and determined.

“He went on to compete at the World Championships in 2016 where he finished fifth – an amazing achievement in what was only his second tournament as a BC3. It was very clear we had a real player on our hands!

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with Jamie and Linda – who has made an enormous contribution – and sharing in their successes.”

Greg Baker – who joined Boccia UK this year as Performance Director – said:

“Jamie has had an incredible career and his hard work, commitment and passion is clear to see. Both Jamie and Linda will be missed by everyone within the World Class Programme and indeed the wider boccia community.

“Since I joined Boccia UK, it became clear that Jamie is an athlete who thrives on planning and analysing, leaving no stone unturned in his quest to meet performance goals. We now look forward to working with him to help him progress as a coach and we’re thrilled that his insights and knowledge will be poured back into the game.”

Three named for World Youth Championships

Three of the UK’s brightest boccia talents will be heading to Portugal in July to compete at the first ever World Boccia Youth Championships.

From 7 - 16 July 2023, Tyler McLelland, Sophie Newnham and Harrison Smith will be battling it out against the top flight of junior talents from around the globe.

The three talents are all BC4 players.

Head of Performance Pathway Liz Fisher said:

“It’s the first time that a World Boccia Youth Championships has ever been staged and that is testament to the rapid growth of the sport globally, It is a fantastic opportunity for Tyler, Sophie and Harrison to get a taste of international competition – not just on court competition but everything else that is required at an event and we’d like to thank Scottish Disability Sport and Boccia England for their support of their pathway athletes.”

Tyler McLelland

Tyler is 17 years old from Windygates in central Fife and has been nominated by Scottish Disability Sport. Coached by Claire Morrison, he certainly demonstrated his potential when he won his debut individual international match at the Czech Open in Prague last year. He is part of the Scottish Boccia Squad and studies at Fife College. He was also recently selected by Boccia UK for its first ever Talent Transition Squad.

Tyler mclelland has been selected for world youth boccia championships

Sophie Newnham

Sophie is 15 years old and is from Surbiton in south west London. She started playing boccia at the age of 13. In October, she impressed Boccia UK when she won silver at the UK Championships. She is a student at Treloars School; the same school that Paralympic Champion David Smith OBE attended and has already shown great promise. She is coached by Jamie Newnham and is supported by Boccia England,

sophie newnham is off to world youth boccia championships

Harrison Smith

Harrison is 16 years old and is from Cobham in Surrey. He discovered boccia at school. He attends Treloars School which boasts David Smith OBE among its alumni. He is supported by Boccia England. He is coached by Kim Smith.

The three talents are all BC4 players and will play individually. Tyler and Sophie will also play as a BC4 Pair.

Harrison smith has also been picked for world youth championships

Four to join Boccia UK's new Talent Transition Squad

Boccia UK’s masterplan to further strengthen the sport has taken a step forward today as it names four players in its first-ever Talent Transition Squad.

The players can now look forward to increased opportunities to play internationally as well as training with Great Britain’s world class players at training camps.

The athletes are:

• Matt Berry: BC3 (England)

• Sophie Newnham: BC4 (England)

• Tyler Mclelland: BC4 (Scotland)

• Reshad Saraj: BC2 (England

The programme is led by Boccia UK and is supported by Boccia England, Disability Sport Northern Ireland, Scottish Disability Sport and Disability Sport Wales.

Head of Performance Pathway Liz Fisher explains: “The Talent Transition Squad aims to bridge the gap between players competing domestically and the athletes that are supported by the World Class Performance programme. In the past, it’s perhaps been quite difficult to break through from domestic levels into international competition. And that’s what we want to change.”

The four were selected after demonstrating the potential to progress and compete at world-class events.

Sophie newnham is one of first members of boccia uk’s talent transition squad

Tyler, 17, from Fife and Sophie,15 from Surbiton in West London are both due to compete at the World Youth Championships in July.  Reshad, meanwhile, is 30 and from Pinner in North London. He won bronze at the Poznan Challenger last year. Matt – who completes the quartet – is 27 and lives in West Sussex. In 2017, he won the Tatra Cup, beating Paralympic Champion Adam Peska in the final.

Boccia UK has already appointed Michaela Rihackova as Talent Transition Squad coach. She is a former head national coach of the Czech Republic and has helped nurture the talents of current Paralympic Champion Adam Peska.

tyler mclelland has also received a call up for the boccia uk talent transition squad

It is the first time that Boccia UK has embarked on a talent programme. Liz explains:

“We’ve had individual athletes such as Louis Saunders and Will Arnott who have gone through a transition period between Home Nation and Boccia UK support but nothing like this before.”

And the Talent Transition Squad comes at a time when boccia is growing and evolving globally. In Paris next year, male and female players will compete for the first time at a Paralympic Games in separate individual events, increasing the number of medals available.

matt berry also joins the programme

Meanwhile, as boccia grows around the world, Great Britain is certainly making its mark. At the Zagreb Challenger earlier this year, Boccia UK topped the medal table while at the Montreal World Cup, a few weeks later, Britain scooped a gold and three bronze medals, demonstrating that it is capable of world-class success across the range of classifications.

Performance Director Greg Baker said:

“Recent tournaments have proved that Britain is capable of being a number one nation in the world. But to be the very best, we need to be honing the talents of those athletes who might not be at World Class Performance squad level just yet but are showing huge potential.”

reshad saraj completes the line up for the boccia uk talent transition squad

The Talent Transition Squad will focus on the four named athletes but it is hoped that the programme will grow in the future.

 Matt Berry

Matt is 27 and lives in West Sussex. He is coached by Bob Lathbury. He finished second at the 2019 UIK Championships, just missing out on gold after a narrow tiebreak. He is the current English national champion.

Tyler McLelland

Tyler is 17 years old from Windygates in central Fife. Coached by Claire Morrison, he demonstrated his potential when he won his debut individual international match at the Czech Open in Prague last year. He is part of the Scottish Boccia Squad and studies at Fife College.

Sophie Newnham

Sophie is 15 years old and is from Surbiton in West London. She started playing boccia at the age of 13. In October, she impressed Boccia UK when she won silver at the UK Championships. She is student at Treloars School; the same school that Paralympic Champion David Smith OBE attended and has already shown great promise. She is coached by her brother, Jamie Newnham.

Reshad Saraj

Reshad is 30 years old and is from Pinner in North London. The BC2 player started playing after first discovering boccia when watching the 2008 Beijing Paralympics:

“It’s not always been an easy ride but I’m so proud of myself for sticking at it and my support team has been amazing.

Reshad is the current English national champion.