Over the last two weekends, PACE Boccia took centre stage in two league competitions: PACE A competed in the Super League 2^nd Division, whilst PACE B competed in the South East National League, aiming to gain qualification to the National League Finals. The two competitions took place over separate weekend days in Surry and Bedfordshire. 

PACE B: The National League

The PACE B team have bolstered their squad with two strong players, Chirag and Stephen, who have trained incredibly well since joining and both promise to bring much to the team for the rest of the season. 

Going into the day of play, PACE B had half the squad available, fortunately this was just enough as you only need three players on court at all times. Hitesh, (C), Savraj and Arinze played all three matches – and a standard Boccia match usually lasts 90 minutes – a long day of Boccia play was ahead. 

Despite the cards being somewhat stacked against them, PACE B played remarkably well, winning the first two matches: 12-2 and 5-4 respectively. The last match however was a step too far for them. Tiredness and fatigue crept into their play, which replaced their decisive and confident play in the first two matches. They still put in a good account of themselves though only losing by 4 points (6-2) against a very strong team – which included a former England international, as well as a former PACE A athlete in their squad.

Overall, PACE B went away very happy with their 2^nd place finish from the first day’s competition. 

Team captain Hitesh Ladwa said…

We played extremely well, I’m very proud of my teammates. We were unlucky to lose the last game, hopefully we can improve for the next one.

PACE A: The Superleague returns!

The Superleague – where the best teams in the country battle it out to be crowned champion – finally resumed after a two year hiatus. PACE A’s objective was simple – avoid relegation.

They knew that if they had any chance of staying in the division that they at least finish 2^nd in the day’s standings. Fortunately, one of the teams has dropped out of the Superleague, which meant PACE A had two matches to play. Still, the pressure was on to deliver and indeed they did. 

From the very first end to the last, the A team controlled both matches. Captained by Jamie, with Reshad and Habib in the starting lineup, and Aiden and Alex on the bench. The A team combatted and overcame the opponent’s tactics – whether that would be throwing long down the court or going short and restricting the space around the Jack Ball. Most crucially however, the A team’s first Jack Ball was accurate, making it difficult for the opponent to gain a foothold in PACE A’s ends. 

PACE A secured victory with relative ease in both games, 7-3 and 9-3. This means they go into the final round of matches on June 11^th with a chance of promotion to the Superleague Division 1. 

PACE A captain, Alex Dukes said…

I couldn’t be more pleased for the team. Everything came together and we showed everyone we deserved to be there. It was a real statement. We just now need to continue the momentum into the next competition.

After both weekends of competition, PACE Boccia head coach, Sunil Birdy said…

Both teams have really impressed over their respective weekends of competition. For PACE B to win two out of three games in their new-look league was a great achievement, especially when considering the amount of travelling they had to do to get to the venue. We know there’s more to come from them and are all looking forward to the second day of competition when hopefully we’ll have Jagjit, Steven and Chirag back and available for selection.

PACE A demonstrated why they deserve to not only be in the Super League, but are more than good enough to be competing in the First Division. Habib has brought in a new dimension with his composure and ability, and the team is looking stronger than ever with subs that can come on and make a difference. With safety guaranteed, it will be great to see how far this team can really go.