Gold! David Smith takes BC1 title to go one better than London

David Smith was dominant in the BC1 Individual final to run out 5-0 winner and improve on his silver from London 2012.

Having beaten his nemesis Paralympic Champion and World Number 1 Pattaya Tadtong in the quarter final the path to Gold looked clearer. It took an incredible final end in the semi final to see him run out 5-3 winner and he took that momentum into the final.

Smith was in control throughout against Daniel Perez from the Netherlands and took a point on each of the first three ends and then two in the final end to secure the Gold.

Smith now has four Paralympic medals from three Games and has exactly the same tally as his mentor Nigel Murray MBE - two Golds, one Silver and one Bronze. At 27 years old there are plenty more Games to add to that tally.

David Smith makes BC1 Individual Final

After 5 gruelling matches David Smith is through to the final of the BC1 Individual competition and GB Boccia have a guaranteed medal.

The opponent will be Daniel Perez of the Netherlands. Smith and Perez have met several times over the last few years and a good natured rivalry has developed

For the second time today Smithy had to come from behind in the final end. It was three points in the final end to earn a tie break against Tadtong in the quarter final but here Smith took four points from Kim of Korea to win 5-3 having been 1-3 down.

The match is at 16.30 UK time so follow the live tweeting on our twitter feed to keep up wit hthe action.

Smith progresses to Semis but Wilson and McGuire just miss out

David Smith staged a heroic comeback to beat the World Number 1 and reigning Paralympic Champion Pattaya Tadtong of Thailand in the quarter finals of the BC1 Individual competition.

Smith was 4-1 down after three ends and facing an early exit but three on the last end forced the game to tie-break. With the momentum swinging in Smith's favour it was Tadtong who crumbled, missing the jack with his first ball. Smith nailed the jack with his first ball and Tadtong could do nothing about it with his five remaining balls. He plays again today (20:00 UK time) in the semi final against Won Jeong Yoo for a place in what would be his second individual Paralympic final.

Patrick Wilson also staged a stirring comeback but ultimately fell short against Kim of Korea. 4-0 down after two ends he regrouped to take two on the third end. Needing at least two on the final end he could only score one as Kim came out 4-3 winner and will play Greg Polychronidis in the semi final.

Stephen McGuire was also in quarter final action World Number 1 Yuk Wing Leung of Hong Kong. The first end was tied 1-1 and Leung added a single point on the second end. In the third end McGuire was holding one and had five balls to play but couldn't add to the tally which took the match all square going into the final end. Leung took two in the final end to triumph 4-2 and will face Pornchok Larpyen of Thailand in the semi.

Smith, Wilson and McGuire progress to Quarter Final stage

BC1 David Smith, BC3 Patrick Wilson and BC4 Stephen McGuire all made it through the pool stage to the quarter finals as the other five GB athletes were knocked out.

Smith had good wins in his first two matches but lost the last to end up with the toughest possible quarter final against Pattaya Tadtong of Thailand. Facing the World Number 1 will be a rematch of the final in London 2012 with Smith hoping to avenge his defeat in that match. It will take place at 14.00 UK time on Thursday.

Wilson had to recover from a 3-0 deficit in his second pool game but clawed it back and will face Han Soo Kim of Korea, a player he beat 9-2 in Montreal earlier in the year, for a place in the semi finals. He will be on court at 14.00 UK time.

McGuire also came from behind in two of his pool games and still topped his group despite a loss to Dirceu Pinto of Brazil in his last match. World number 1 Yuk Wing Leung of Hong Kong finished second in his group so will be McGuire's opponent at 15.30 UK time on Thursday.

Nigel Murray, Josh Rowe, Jamie McCowan, Scott McCowan and Kieran Steer all exited the competition at the pool stage but will be court side to cheer on their compatriots in their matches.

BC4 Pair beaten to Bronze by Thailand

It was an agonising third fourth place in two Games for Stephen McGuire as the BC4 Pair of McGuire, Evie Edwards and Kieran Steer lost 3-2 to Thailand in the Bronze medal match.

GB took one point on each of the first two ends and seemed in control but Thailand leveled it in the third end and nicked the fourth to come out 3-2 winners. It seemed GB had bounced back from their semi final defeat by host Brazil but McGuire and Steer must now look to the individual competition for an opportunity to win a first Paralympic medal.

David Smith, Nigel Murray and Josh Rowe will also be in individual competition and they will hope to be fresh after a days rest after going out of the Team event to Thailand at the Quarter final stage.

All three BC3 players will be in action too as they look to put their pool stage exit behind them.

Tomorrow's schedule is here and the GB matches are as follows (UK time):

1400 Jamie McCowan v Greg Polychronidis (GRE)
1515 Josh Rowe v Worawut Saengampa (THA)
1515 Patrick Wilson v Mario Peixoto (POR)
1730 David Smith v Jakub Nagy (SVK)
2000 Steph McGuire v Pedro Clara (POR)
2000 Kieran Steer v Eliseu Dos Santos (BRA)
2100 Scott McCowan v Nurulasyiqah Mohammad Taha (SIN)
2100 Patrick Wilson v Dan Michel (AUS)
2330 Joshua Rowe v Cristina Goncalves (POR)
2330 Nigel Murray v Manuel Martin (ESP)

First day of Paralympic competition brings mixed results

GB won three and lost three as the Team and Pairs competition started at the Paralympic Games.

The BC4 Pair of Stephen McGuire, Evie Edward and Kieran Steer won both their games to put them in a commanding position in the pool. A tight game against Slovakia finished 4-2 while the Portugal match was more comfortable, GB took 4 in the first end and 6 in the third end to win 11-4. A tricky final pool game against Hong Kong awaits on day two.

Evie Edwards throws the jack in the BC4 victory over Slovakia

The BC1/BC2 Team of David Smith, Nigel Murray, Josh Rowe and Claire Taggart made it through to the quarter final after winning one and losing one. The Team made the perfect start in what could have been a potential banana skin, beating the Netherlands 11-2. They could not maintain their form as they lost 10-4 to Japan after having taken 2 from the first end. The defeat means a tougher quarter final against World Number 1's Thailand, GB's conquerors in 2012.

Nigel Murray looks to add to the tally against the Netherlands

The BC3 Pair of Patrick Wilson, Jamie McCowan and Scott McCowan exited the competition after defeats to Portugal 4-3 and Greece 4-1 meant they could not progress whatever the result of their final pool games against Singapore today. The BC3 event is incredibly competive but the Pair will be disappointed at relinquishing the lead in both matches having won the first end.

Today's (Sunday 11th September) schedule is as follows (time is British Summer Time):

1500 - BC4 Pair v Hong Kong in final pool game

1630 - BC3 Pair v Singapore in final pool game

1630 - BC1/BC2 Team v Thailand in quarter final

GB Boccia featured on BBC and Channel 4 News

Ahead of the GB Boccia squad's departure to Rio for the Paralympic Games, BBC news featured Claire Taggart on the News at Ten, while Channel 4 News also profiled the sport.

Claire, from Larne in Northern Ireland, was filmed at camp at Surrey Sports Park and at home by Kate Grey, a former Paralympic swimmer. Claire talks about her background and aspirations for Rio in the video which you can watch here

Channel 4 News filmed a video at camp in Sheffield which can be seen below:

It was played in ancient Greece, throughout the Middle Ages - and some say Sir Francis Drake was having a go at it when the Spanish Armada sailed into view. Boccia has been described as the earliest game ever played: it's got echoes of bowls, snooker and even darts.

First 'National Boccia Day' planned by Boccia England

Boccia England announces the first National Boccia Day that will take place at sports clubs up and down the country on Saturday 17 September.

Disability sport boccia is one of the events of the Paralympic Games, being held in Rio de Janeiro and National Boccia Day is timed to coincide with the games.

Boccia England Interim CEO Jerome Pels said: ‘Boccia is celebrated as a very inclusive sport, and people of all ages and abilities can easily play.

Following the success of our athletes in the London 2012 Games, we have high hopes for this year and we wanted to bring some of the excitement of the games to a whole new audience at a local level. We want to encourage anyone, regardless of ability to come along for the day and try something new!’

Clubs that have already signed up include:

• Access Sport (Bristol) Boccia Club
• BEEs Boccia Club
• Bidston Bullets Boccia Club
• Boccia Sheffield
• Croydon Boccia Club
• Cumbria Wheelchair Sports Boccia Club
• Don’t Disability Boccia Club
• Hambleton Boccia Club
• Harlow Hurricanes Boccia Club
• Herne Bay Boccia Club
• Nottinghamshire Boccia Club
• Pauls Place Boccia Club
• Portland College Boccia Club
• Prince Arthur Boccia Club
• Sleaford Boccia Club
• Sportsable Boccia Club
• Telford Boccia Club
• YMCA Redhill Boccia Club

Boccia athlete and multi Paralympic medal winner David Smith said 'I think this is a truly great way to get more people involved in this awesome sport, and I hope that National Boccia Day inspires Paralympians of the future’.

For more information about how you can participate in National Boccia Day, visit the Boccia England website www.bocciaengland.org.uk.

Results of GB Boccia Championships

The winners of the 2016 GB Boccia Championships went according to world rankings as David Smith, Nigel Murray, Jacob Thomas and Stephen McGuire came out on top.

The Championships, held at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford, were the final competitive opportunity for those players selected for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The results were as follows:

BC1

1st - David Smith (ENG)
2nd - Andrew Morgan (ENG)
3rd - Rhodri Tudor (WAL)

BC2

1st - Nigel Murray (ENG)
2nd - Aran Guthrie (ENG)
3rd - Claire Taggart (NI)

BC3

1st - Jacob Thomas (WAL)
2nd - Scott McCowan (SCO)
3rd - Jamie McCowan (SCO)

BC4

1st - Stephen McGuire (SCO)
2nd - Kieran Steer (SCO)
3rd - Evie Edwards (ENG)

Provisional draw for final day of 2016 GB Boccia Championships

Draw made for 2016 GB Boccia Championships

The draw for the 2016 GB Boccia Championships has been made and is available below.

The event is being held at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th July. It is the final competitive opportunity for the GB players selected for the Paralympic Games before they fly out to Rio to take on the best in the world.

Spectators are more than welcome, entry is free and there are no tickets required.

The pools and schedule can be downloaded in PDF here

Claire Taggart's Blog on the ParalympicsGB Team Launch

I got the 9:10am flight from Belfast City to Heathrow so it meant leaving the house at 7am. By the time we got through security and into departures it was almost time to get on the plane. Dad had breakfast on the plane but I couldn’t face cooked breakfast at that time!

We arrived into Heathrow early and got the 11am Heathrow Express to Paddington. *Top Tip – If you use a wheelchair, rather than use a kiosk, go to the counter with staff at it as you will get a discounted rate*

Once we got to Paddington, we jumped on the 148 bus to St Thomas Hospital and from there is was only a 2 minute walk to our hotel, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. We checked in and went for lunch which was a huge buffet. After lunch I had some time before we were due for a team debrief so I went to do some kit swapping for my dad, he had some items which were to small. The adidas staff were brilliant and so lovely, sorting any issues quickly.

Then it was time for our team debrief from the previous week, we had hosted the Spanish BC1/2 team for a test event. We won all 4 matches we played and it was a great experience and good to get match play close to Rio. This meeting lasted around an hour, then it was time for media interviews.

We each got a slip of paper for who we were to meet, I had Sportsbeat, C4 Images and BBC. The BBC interview was fun and with the lovely Elizabeth Hudson who I had met at SPOTY 2015. Whilst at SPOTY, myself, Jo Butterfield (club thrower) and Sophie Hahn (T38 Sprinter) enlisted Elizabeth’s help to try and find Niall Horan but he had left, not before I got a selfie with him earlier in the evening.

Prior to my TV interview, Carol (Joshua’s mum) did my hair in french plaits ready for the night ahead, so it was time for a quick wash and change into formal wear ready for our Team Launch Dinner.

We had a great night at the dinner with plenty of inspiring speeches from Rio 2016 Chef De Mission, Penny Briscoe and it was very well hosted by Ade Adepitan. We watched the new promotional videos for Rio 2016 which are amazing, but again boccia is missed out.

After this we had 3 courses which were delicious and very filling, with the evening culminating in good luck messages from some well known faces and Adam Hills from the Last Leg providing some Rio 2016 comedy. The evenings finale was a Brazilian drumming band which was very loud and made those of us with CP and similar conditions jump, but in all it was great fun.

GB Boccia athletes selected for Rio Paralympic Games

A team of 10 boccia athletes and four competition partners have today been announced by the British Paralympic Association (BPA), including reigning individual BC4 World Champion and Pairs BC4 European Champion Stephen McGuire and London 2012 medallists David Smith and Nigel Murray MBE.

A Paralympic-specific sport similar to boules, boccia is a sport that requires deep tactical nuance as well as incredible accuracy and control from its athletes. Games can be nail-bitingly tense with the result often not decided until the final ball is thrown. As a result, athletes have to maintain intense concentration if they want to come out on top.

Smith was a London 2012 individual BC1 silver medallist and featured in the bronze medal-winning BC1/BC2 team at London 2012 alongside Murray.

Speaking today, Smith said:

“I am really happy to be selected to compete at my third Paralympic Games. Beijing and London were both completely different experiences, and I look forward to finding out what Rio has in store for me.

“The standard of international competition continues to go up, but I’ve remained focused on my preparations to ensure I’m in the best possible place. I hope the country will get behind us and help supercharge the team to success.”

Murray will be competing at his fifth Games and will compete in both individual and team competitions once again, while Smith is returning for his third Games.

Murray said:

“There’s no greater honour to represent your country on the international stage and this is the ultimate competition for our sport. The selection process has been tough, but it’s been great to welcome some new faces on to the team as it demonstrates the great strength in depth in the squad, something which keeps pushing us to give the best possible performance every time we compete.”

Smith and Murray are joined in the BC1/BC2 team by Games debutants Josh Rowe and Claire Taggart. This quartet won BC1/BC2 Team gold at the 2015 European Team and Pair Championships in Guildford.

The selected team also includes the McCowan brothers, Jamie and Scott, who play together in the BC3 pairs competition and against each other in the individual competition regularly on the international circuit. Linda McCowan, mother of the brothers, will take on the role of ramp assistant for Jamie, while Dad Gary is Scott’s ramp assistant, meaning the whole family will be in competition in Rio.

Speaking today, Jamie said:

“I’m made up to be competing at my first Paralympic Games, it was a really special moment for the family to share when we heard the news. I’ve learnt a lot from Scott’s experience at London 2012, and it will help form part of my preparations for Rio. I’ve been working really hard on improving every aspect of my game and I can’t wait to go out there and compete.”

Joining the McCowan family in the BC3 category will be Patrick Wilson, who won a 2014 World Championship silver medal in the BC3 pair with Scott McCowan.

In the BC4 category, World Champion Stephen McGuire is joined by Kieran Steer and Evie Edwards. The trio won a team silver medal at the 2015 BISFed European Championships.

Penny Briscoe MBE, Chef de Mission for ParalympicsGB, said:

“With all the tactical nous of chess and the accuracy of archery, this is a sport that is so exciting to watch and I cannot wait to get to the Carioca venues in Rio to support this incredible team. There is so much medal potential in here that I know they will make the nation proud when they compete at Games.”

Matt Hammond, Team Leader for GB Boccia, said:

“Today’s announcement is a proud moment for me as team leader and I’m delighted to confirm our line-up for Rio. The team is as strong as it’s ever been and these athletes have been pushed throughout the qualification period to deliver the performances needed to secure their place on the team. I’d like to congratulate the athletes and their competition partners for all of their hard work up to this point and I believe we can pose a real threat to our rivals on the court in Rio."

Selected athletes are:

BC1 David Smith (competition partner: Sarah Nolan)
Home town: Eastleigh
Main training base: Swansea

BC2 Nigel Murray
Home town: Leamington Spa
Main training base: Warwick St Nicholas Park Leisure Centre

BC2 Joshua Rowe
Home town: Perth
Main training base: Stirling

BC2 Claire Taggart
Home town: Larne
Main training base: Larne

BC3 Patrick Wilson (competition partner: Kim Smith)
Home town: Edinburgh
Main training base: Edinburgh

BC3 Jamie McCowan (competition partner: Linda McCowan)
Home town: Dundonald, Ayrshire
Main training base:Dundonald

BC3 Scott McCowan (competition partner: Gary McCowan)
Home town: Dundonald, Ayrshire
Main training base: Dundonald

BC4 Stephen McGuire
Home town: Hamilton
Main training base: University of the West of Scotland

BC4 Kieran Steer
Home town: Crossgates, Fife
Main training base: Fife

BC4 Evie Edwards
Home town: Ipswich
Main training base: Ipswich

GB Boccia deliver BISFed 'Making Boccia Accessible' project in Dubai

Making Boccia Accessible programme supported by BISFed, Agitos Foundation, UK Sport and Hogan Lovells, aims to train Boccia Ambassadors across 3 continents and 20 countries to enable the candidates to return to their home country to begin to encourage more Boccia Ambassadors to enter the game with the hope that up to 10,000 new boccia players can be introduced into the sport.

400 boccia sets are being circulated as part of the project and National Paralympic Committees with trained Boccia Ambassadors will receive 10 sets via their local High Commission.

Andrinne Craig and Darren Thomson from Scotland were selected by Scottish Disability Sport to represent BISFed to deliver this exciting initiative in Dubai following session in Africa and South America. The tutors have many years’ experience in coaching and officiating Boccia and are also involved in the coach and officials education system in Scotland.

Scottish Disability Sport, who are the governing body for sport for people with a disability in Scotland and are a member of GB Boccia, have a history of supporting and developing boccia at local, regional and international level involving players and officials. They are also leading partners on coach and officials education programmes in Scotland and the UK.

17 Candidates arrived in Dubai representing the following countries, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Jordan, Mongolia and UAE.

These candidates had a very wide range of prior knowledge of Boccia with candidates form Mongolia claiming that this was the “first time they had touched a Boccia ball” to India stating that they have “around 10 people playing the sport”.

David Hadfield, President of BISFed, was in attendance for parts of the delivery but was also involved in the feedback session.

All candidates appeared to enjoy the course and gave excellent feedback.

The key elements that arose were that candidates were going to take their new knowledge back to their own countries and deliver further training, events etc.

This was summarised by the Sri Lankan candidate’s comments:

“We were looking for opportunities for children with cerebral palsy and love that boccia is so inclusive. We will create a boccia group/forum and train ambassadors from each district who can begin to deliver boccia to children in those areas.  There are three CP special schools with 110+ pupils and now they have a sport to play.  We want to create happiness and the opportunity for children to play sport through Boccia”.

The session ended with David Hadfield giving is thanks to all the candidates for their attendance and their commitment to further develop Boccia in their country.

GB win six medals at the World Open Povoa in final competition before Rio

The squad won six medals from seven events with David Smith taking BC1 Gold the highlight.

BC1/BC2 Team (David Smith, Nigel Murray, Josh Rowe, Claire Taggart)

Silver

The Team won one and lost one in their pool to qualify for the semi-finals where a 14-2 victory over Brazil saw them take on Japan in the final. The match finished 7-7 but Japan presided on the tie-break to take Gold.

BC3 Pair (Jacob Thomas, Patrick Wilson, Jamie McCowan)

Bronze

The Pair won all three of their pool games, scoring 32 points and only conceding one. They beat Belgium 10-1 in the quarters but went down 4-1 to eventual winners Russia. They got back on track with a 10-1 win over Sweden to take Bronze

BC4 Pair (Stephen McGuire, Kieran Steer, Evie Edwards)

6th

The Pair were drawn in a tough pool and lost to Slovakia and Germany with a solitary win against Russia. Brazil beat Canada in the final.

BC1

David Smith - Gold

Smith went through the competition unbeaten sailing through the pool and knock out games, beating Daniel Perez of the Netherlands to take Gold

BC2

Nigel Murray - Bronze
Josh Rowe - 4th
Claire Taggart - 16th

All GB athletes made it out of their pools. Claire Taggart came up against World Cup 2010 winner Abilio Valente of Portugal in the last sixteen and lost 11-1. Rowe and Murray both made it as far as the semi finals but both were knocked out, Rowe by World no 2 Maciel Santos of Brazil and Murray by Bernd Meints of the Netherlands. It was therefore an all GB scrap forBronze with Murray prevailing 7-1.

BC3

Patrick Wilson - Bronze
Jamie McCowan - 9th
Jacob Thomas - 15th

McCowan and Thomas both bowed out at the last 16 stage while Wilson, having won all of his pool games was halted at the semi final stage by Canada's Eric Bussiere. He bounced back to take Bronze with a 4-0 win over Brazil's Evelyn Oliviera who had previously beaten Thomas.

BC4

Stephen McGuire - Bronze
Kieran Steer - 14th
Evie Edwards - 16th

World Champion McGuire followed a similar trajectory to Wilson with Pedro Clara of Portugal his conqueror in the semi final. Like Wilson he regrouped to defaet multiple Paralympic medalist Eliseu dos Santos in the Bronze match. Steer and Edwards both went out in the last 16, Edwards beaten by McGuire.

For full results please click here
 

BC3's in the medals in Montreal

GB won two individual and a pairs medal at the BISFed World Open Montreal.

Jamie McCowan beat Patrick Wilson in a tight match in the semi final of the individual BC3 competition having already overcome him in the pool stage. McCowan ended up with silver after a 6-2 loss to Korea's Howon Jeong in the final. Wilson took bronze after a 5-2 win over Russia's Aleksandr Legostaev.

The individual competition had followed a strong BC3 Pairs run for the British duo which ended with a bronze medal. McCowan and Wilson met the Korean pair in the semi and lost 4-1 but beat Russia by the same score to take home a medal.

Will Hipwell in the individual BC2 and Jamie Docherty in the individual BC4 were the other GB players at the event but neither made it out of their pool.

Stephen McGuire is Paralympic Athlete of the Month for March

Stephen McGuire capped a fine month by following up his Gold medal at the World Individual Championships by being named IPC Allianz Athlete of the Month.

McGuire took the title in Beijing in the BC4 Individual event beating his London 2012 semi final conqueror Yuansen Zheng 4-3 in the final. It was a first global title for McGuire who took World Silver in 2010.

McGuire received a majority of the public vote. The USA’s sitting volleyball player Heather Erickson came in second in the polls. British track cyclist Megan Gilgia was third, followed by Australian table tennis player Melissa Tapper and US cross-country skier Oksana Masters in fourth and fifth, respectively.

He follows Nigel Murray MBE as the second winner of the Athlete of the Month award. Murray won the title in April 2015 after bringing home two Gold medals from the Continental Cup.

McGuire and Smith in World Top 3 as new rankings released

Stephen McGuire rose to second in the World Rankings on the back of his World Individual Championships success while David Smith dropped to third despite his Bronze medal.

In the BC3 class the former World Number 1 Jacob Thomas maintained a strong ranking position in fourth despite not attending the Worlds. Scott McCowan, who was a late withdrawal, slipped to 20th while Patrick Wilson climbed to eighth after his strong showing in Beijing.

In the BC2 class GB have no athletes in the World Top Ten as Nigel Murray MBE fell to 13th after an early exit in China.

The Team and Pair rankings remain unchanged with the BC1/BC2 Team in second, BC3 Pair in 6th and BC4 Pair in 4th. The individual rankings of all GB players are as follows:

BC1
David Smith - 3rd

BC2
Nigel Murray MBE - 13th
Joshua Rowe - 19th
Martin Davis - 21st
Claire Taggart - 56th

BC3
Jacob Thomas - 4th
Patrick Wilson - 8th
Scott McCowan - 20th
Jamie McCowan - 31st
Jess Hunter - 77th

BC4
Stephen McGuire - 2nd
Kieran Steer - 18th
Evie Edwards - 26th
Jamie Docherty - 43rd
 

Stephen McGuire is BC4 World Champion

GB returned from the World Individual Championships in Beijing China with two medals, a Gold for Stephen McGuire in the BC4 classification and BC1 Bronze for David Smith.

The Championships, held between the 19th and 28th March, were notable in that Great Britain was the only nation outside Asia to win a medal with Thailand and Korea picking up the other Golds and China,Japan and Hong Kong sharing the other medals.

In the BC1 event Smith made hard work of his pool. having lost 5-1 to Ibarbure of Argentina in his opener he needed to win to progress. He did so, triumphing over Mexico's Ventura on a tie break after the match finished 3-3. Having finished second in his group he had to face World Number 1 Daniel Perez of the Netherlands in the last sixteen. He overcame Perez with ease 6-1 and then beat his Brazilian opponent in the quarter finals 9-0 to set up a semi final with Thailand's Pattaya Tadtong who beat Smith in the final at London 2012. Once again Smith could not cope with Tadtong who won 8-0 but beat Soulanis of Greece 4-2 to take the bronze. Tadtong saw off his countryman Witsanu Huadprit to win Gold

None of GB's BC2's made it out of the pool stage. Josh Rowe and Martin Davis were unlucky to be drawn in the same group. The all GB game was won by Rowe on a tiebreak after the match ended 5-5 but he lost his remaining two matches. Davis claimed a win but it was not enough and he finished third in the pool. Nigel Murray also had a tricky pool losing two and winning one to finish bottom. The damage was done by an 8-2 defeat against old foe Fernando Ferreira of Portugal. Davis finished 20th overall, with Murray 28th and Rowe 29th. Another Thai, Worawut Saengampa, took Gold.

The BC3's were depleted as World Number 1 Jacob Thomas was not selected as he comes back from illness, while World Number 8 Scott McCowan had to withdraw on the eve of the event. This left Patrick Wilson and Jamie McCowan to carry the flag. Both made it out of their pools, made it to the quarter finals and were defeated by Koreans. Wilson had a 100% in his pool in a series of high scoring matches and the trend continued as he beat Hong Kong's Ho 7-4 to set up a semi against World Number 2 Ho Won Jeong. Wilson lost 5-1 to the eventual Champion but can be proud of his performance. McCowan, who was making his debut in the BC3 event having previously been a BC4, was unseeded and drawn in a tough group. Despite defeat to Sweden's Sebastian Hogrell he progressed top of the group thanks to a 3-2 win over World Number 5 Peter Cillisen of Belgium. Having seen off Vasicek of the Czech Republic 6-3 in the last 16 he narrowly lost the quarter final 5-4 to Ye Jin Choi. McCowan ended up 5th and Wilson 7th.

Veteran Stephen McGuire faced a tricky pool which included European Champion Samuel Andrecijk of Slovakia. McGuire lost a tie break to Andrecijk when the match ended 3-3 but won a tie break after the same score against Ciobanu of Canada. A 9-0 victory in his final match was enough to send him through second in the group. McGuire advanced to the final by beating Hedegus of Hungary, Durkovic of Slovakia and Kim of Korea. Awaiting him in the final was Yuansen Zheng, who defeated him 12-0 in the semi final at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Revenge was McGuire's as he held out for a 4-3 victory which saw his eclipse his previous best, a silver at the 2010 World Championships. Evie Edwards was unlucky not to make it out of her pool, losing just one match and defeating the 2012 Paralympic Gold Medalist Dirceu Pinto.

GB Boccia select players for World Individual Championships

Great Britain have named an experienced squad for the 2016 BISFed World Individual Championships, to be held in Beijing, China from the 19th-26th March.

It is the first time that a separate World Individual Championships has been held and players will be able to focus solely on their own performances with no Team and Pairs competition. The winner of each class will qualify directly for Rio while good performances will earn big ranking points to enable individual participation at the Paralympic Games.

BC1
David Smith (Eastleigh, living in Swansea)
Smith is the reigning World Champion and world number 2 who will be looking to reclaim top spot from the Netherlands Daniel Perez.

BC2
Nigel Murray MBE (Leamington Spa)
Murray is currently world ranked 6 in the World and has pedigree in individual competition with a Gold in Sydney in 2000 and a Silver at Beijing 2008

Josh Rowe (Perth)
Rowe won Silver in the European Continental Cup behind Murray in 2015 and is ranked 14 in the World. He will be looking to build on that result by having an impact a a World level event

Martin Davis (Aberdare, South Wales)
Davis made the semi finals of the 2015 World Open in Poland overcoming Portugal's Fernando Ferreira en route. Ranked 24th he will be a dark horse in the BC2 field

BC3
Scott McCowan (Dundonald, Ayrshire)
With World Number 1 Jacob Thomas recovering from illness, McCowan is the highest ranked GB BC3 at the Championships. Ranked 8th he will be looking to secure a final ranking in the top ten to secure Rio participation

Patrick Wilson (Edinburgh)
A relative newcomer Wilson has made it out of his pool at every competition he has attended despite a low World ranking, beating some notable players along the way. Now ranked 18th in the World, Wilson has a chance to make some serious progress.

Jamie McCowan (Dundonald, Ayrshire)
Formerly a BC4 athlete, McCowan now brings his ferociously competitive game to the BC3 game. With this being his debut as a BC3 and having no World ranking some highly ranked players are going to have a shock on their hands as the McCowan brothers have some very tight inter-family matches in training.

BC4
Stephen McGuire (Hamilton, South Lanarkshire)
Now a veteran of the squad McGuire's most notable individual result was a Silver medal in the 2010 World Championships. He also finished 4th at London 2012 and without the fatigue caused by a Pairs event first he could be poised to challenge for a medal

Kieran Steer (Fife)
Steer won Gold at the European Continental Cup in 2015 which was his maiden individual title. With a world ranking of 12 he will be a strong contender to progress to the knock out stages

Evie Edwards (Elmsett, Suffolk)
Edwards started every match with Stephen McGuire at the 2015 European Team and Pair Championships and came away with a Silver medal. Edwards is making terrific progress and with a ranking of 39 none of the higher seeds would be pleased to be facing her at the pool stage