The Boccia England National Championships took place on the 29th and 30th March 2014, in the Worcester Arena, Worcester.

This competition features the top players from around the county, all competing for the title of National Champion.

Having qualified through the London Regionals, Alex (BC1 Gold), Jagjit (BC3 Silver) and Reshad (BC2 Bronze) were all hoping to add to their regional medal collection with a first medal at National Level.

Jagjit Chuk (BC3)

Jagjit got off to a great start in the group stages, beating Muninder Hayer 5-1. The competition got tougher for him and as the weekend went on, he faced athletes with experience at GB and England level.

Jagjit’s second game against Liam Beresford was incredibly close, he was unlucky to lose the fourth end by millimetres, with the final score 3-2. Jagjit’s third and fourth group games were against David Young and Chris Jackson, who unfortunately beat him 9-2 and 17-0. Chris went on to top the group comfortably and qualify for the knockout stages.

Having recently secured a new ramp, Jagjit was in good spirits and will be working hard in training over the coming year, in preparation for next years competitions.

Reshad Saraj (BC2)

The first group game for Reshad was against Warren Dyer, who was a familiar face from the London Regionals. Reshad has spent a lot of time working on his decision making and tactical play, this showed as he beat Warren 6-1.

Reshad maintained the momentum into the second and third game, beating Amy Darlow 4-2. The third game was against an England International athlete, Jason Rolph. In a great game to watch, Reshad was able to beat Jason 6-5. The final group game was against Alex Elliot who beat Reshad 5-0 and went on to finish top of the group.

Qualifying from his group, Reshad’s Quarter Final match was against James Clowes, the Champion from last years Boccia National Finals. In an extremely tense game that came down to the final end, Reshad managed to maintain his concentration and beat James 4-3, earning himself a semi-final against William Hipwell. Buoyed by his fantastic performance and in excellent form, the semi-final resulted in another victory for Reshad as he beat William 6-1 and a place in the final, against Dan Bentley.

Dan has extensive experience and a medal collection including Paralympic Gold in Beijing 2008 and Bronze in London 2012. The pinnacle of the BC2 National Boccia competition was one of the finest games of the weekend, the game twisted and turned with each shot as Reshad and Dan used the whole of the court in their battle to be National Champion. The final shot from Dan was decisive and with the score at 4-3 to Dan, Reshad was unlucky to see his ball edged away by an inch-perfect shot from Dan, who won the game 5-3.

Following his first medal at National Level, Reshad said…

To come home with a silver medal in the nationals this year has made me feel both emotional and happy at the same time. Overcoming my injuries this year has been the hardest thing I’ve done. I’m glad I proved to myself that no matter what obstacles are in front of you, if you tackle them in the right way then you can overcome them. It was a real challenge to play against the best athletes in the country. A special thank you must go to four important people. My mum who drives me to competitions, training and I wouldn’t be here without her support. My coach, Sunil. Without this guy I wouldn’t have developed the boccia knowledge that I have. His trust and belief in me has led to me getting my medals. Andrea has also worked very hard to keep me motivated and calm during the competition. Finally, I can never forget Krishna’s motivational speech at the regionals, which led me to qualify for this competition. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for the support. Bring on the GB Championships!

Alex Dukes (BC1)

The PACE Boccia Captain had a fine competition in a difficult group, which included David Smith, the current world number 1. Alex got off to a great start, winning 8-2 against Holly Goodwin. His second fixture was against David Smith, whose medal collection includes Gold in Beijing 2008, Silver and Bronze in London 2012. Although David won 13-0, Alex demonstrated smart tactical awareness to limit his opponent, who went on to dominate the group stage. David took the time to congratulate Alex on his performance after the game.

Refusing to be affected by the loss and encouraged by the support, Alex made a great decision to mix his set of balls and open up other areas of the court. He went on to beat Becky Gibson 3-2 in a tight game with precise shots from both players. Alex continued his momentum into the final group game against Tia Ruel, where he maximised his points on his ends to win 12-4 and qualify from his group and into a Semi Final match against Caroline Robinson.

Having lost 8-2 to Caroline at the same stage of the competition last year, Alex was determined to improve on his performance and put in his performance of the competition, combining tactical play and execution brilliantly. The game went down to the final ball and Alex was unfortunate to lose 5-4 by the finest of margins.

The third/fourth place playoff against Daniel Wain saw Alex control a game with two perfectly executed layup shots on his ends, making it extremely difficult for Daniel to score. Alex played confident and decisive boccia, typical of his competition and won the game 6-1. He finished the competition in third place, claiming a bronze medal, his first at National level.

After winning his first medal at the Nationals, Alex said …

I was hoping to win a few games and qualify from my group. To come away with a medal is great news! Thank you to everybody who has supported me to achieve this, I really do appreciate it.

GB Championships

As a result of their performances at the Boccia England 2014 National Finals, Alex and Reshad have both earned themselves a place at the GB Boccia Championships. This competition, featuring the top players from across the country, will be held on the 8th and 9th of May, at the Robin Park Arena, Wigan.

The full results from the competition.

This is a fantastic result for PACE Boccia and with three athletes competing and two claiming medals, the most successful National Finals yet.

PACE Boccia Head Coach, Sunil Birdy, said after the competition…

I’m extremely proud of all of the athletes. They are determined to improve, play in the right way and be the best they can. They deserve their success. These are the first medals PACE Boccia athletes have collected at the National Finals and as long they keep on working hard, there will be more to come. Thank you to everybody who has supported them with their achievements. In particular, Krishna Birdy, who has supported me throughout the development of PACE Boccia. Andrea Zemenides for her commitment and the physical and emotional support she has offered all of the athletes. Adesodun Tanimomo who has been involved for a long time with the club and the sessions. Finally, Parvesh Sandila, for the time he has put into PACE Boccia and professional attitude he displays in the sessions. These people have made the achievements possible.