Boccia team win silver and bronze
Cheshire Academy home page www.disabilitysport.com

Last updated 1st August 2005
Coaches Christopher Hill and Samantha Barton with players Julie Pointon, Matthew Roycroft and Michael Taylor (sitting).
The three members of the Cheshire Academy who represented South and East Cheshire Special Olympics did remarkably well at the national games winning in total 3 silver and 3 bronze medals.

All players regularly play as part of the Cheshire Academy boccia team and it was the first time that members of the team qualified to play at these National Special Olympic games. (click to link to our boccia club page)

The competition was held at the Gorbals Leisure Centre, an excellent facility which was modern and very accessible for those with disabilities and the Boccia and Table Tennis players were able to use the same facility. The venue worked very well.

Coaches and athletes went to the games as part of the North West Special Olympics team and coaches were very pleased by the organisation and the smooth running of the competition.

Individual Medals.
Matthew Roycroft was placed in division 18 and competed against much older and experienced players from Tayside, Wales and Southern Region. He won a well deserved bronze medal for his efforts and was chosen to receive a special prize from the North West team for being such an outstanding male athlete.

Julie Pointon was placed in division 7 and competed against players from Wales and Scotland West. Julie was by far the youngest player in her division and battled to collect a brilliant silver medal.

Michael Taylor the 17 year old was placed in division 9 and competed against players from Scotland West and Tayside .His accurate and dogged determination won him a silver medal.

Team Medals
Julie Pointon was placed in the North West Team in the highest division 1 section. The team jelled well together and played as if they had trained together for years. They had stiff competition from Yorkshire and Humberside, Tayside, Highland (senior) and Scotland West but they pulled off some tremendous shots with the other North West team members from Liverpool and collected a well deserved silver medal.

The three medalists from Cheshire Academy with their coaches
Matthew Roycroft and Michael Taylor in the Division 6 team competition had a difficult task against the teams from Wales, Southern Region and Northern Region however with some splendid play from both players (and players from Liverpool) they collected a further team bronze.

Coach Chris Hill was very pleased with the North West team as a whole.

" We played some fantastic boccia and really knitted well together as a regional team. The athletes from the Cheshire Academy played brilliantly and were a credit to their sport."

He went on to compliment the organisers of the boccia competition.

" The competition was well structured and organised and a real pleasure to be involved in. This is the first time that this structure of competition has been run at national level and I feel that the organisers did a fine job"

Coach Sam Barton was also very pleased by the Academy players.

"The Academy team played and conducted themselves in an exemplary way and were a tremendous credit to the sport. It is a privilege to coach and work with such a group of wonderful athletes."