Action in Astana - Brits ready to bring the heat

British boccia duo, Stephen McGuire MBE and Sophie Newnham, are back in action this week as the Astana World Cup kicks off in Kazakhstan.

Last year, the BC4 Pair won every tournament this entered, finishing up the year as number three in the world rankings.

sophie newnham and stephen mcguire mbe with coach claire morrison

“Watching Soph progress over the last couple of years has been so rewarding,” said McGuire. “We both finished the season in the number one spot in our individual events. And as a pair, we were in third spot. That’s something that takes incredible consistency and belief and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this year.”

It’s the first time that Kazakhstan has hosted a World Cup and David Smith OBE is certainly looking forward to a new destination:

“Kazakhstan is a new location for me on my Boccia world tour so I’ve really been looking forward to that.”

After winning gold at the Challenger in Finland last month, he’s ready to play with a bit more freedom this week:

“The tournament in Finland confirmed that I’d been doing the right training over winter. Lots of scenarios cropped up that I’d been preparing for and so I had the confidence to exploit those situations.  But I can now relax a bit and play a bit more freely in Kazakhstan.”

In the BC3s, European Champion Sally Kidson and Patrick Wilson will both be playing individually before competing in the Pairs event.

It’s the season opener for Edinburgh’s Wilson. Last time, he was on international courts, he won gold individually and silver in the Pairs event with Kidson at the Coimbra World Cup last November.

Kidson is fresh from winning bronze at the Challenger in Finland. And together, they’ll be eager to make their mark in the Pairs in their bid to qualify for the World Championships later this year.

Louis Saunders will also be keen to build on a very solid season last year. The world number 15 player will be doing all he can to book his spot to the World Championships in Seoul in September.

boccia star louis saunders back in action in kazkhstan

Reshad Saraj, meanwhile, is also ready for the challenge. The BC2 athlete achieved a world ranking inside the top 15 last year but faces tough top opposition in Kazakhstan with World number one Muhammad Herlangga of Indonesia leading the field.