Sligo Town Boccia Club members who participated in the Recent CPSI National Boccia League Finals in Balinteer, Co. Dublin. |
Boccia Club Claim Second Place in National League Finals
Sligo Town Boccia Club claimed a very credible second place in the recent 2010 National Boccia League finals, which were held in Ballinteer in Dublin. Sligo Town Boccia Club has been in existence since April 2008 and was set up through a link established between the Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership as part of its sport inclusion and disability projects and the Local Irish Wheelchair Association Centre based in Abbeyville. Boccia is an indoor target sport for people with physical/sensory disabilities and the local club currently have fifteen fully registered players who train and practice fortnightly both at the IWA Centre and at the Institute of Technology Sligo in Ballinode. The National Boccia league is run by Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland and provides the opportunity for teams from all over the country to play one another in a competitive enviornment. Following qualifications from their various regions and groups, six teams battled it out in the finals with the aim of been crowned National Boccia league champions for 2010. The teams were divided into two pools of three teams with each team playing each other and the top two teams emerging to play off in the final. Sligo were in a group with teams from Cork and Ardee and although both games were tight, they emerged with sufficient points to book a place in the final against the winner of the other pool, IWA Sandyford Streamers Boccia Club. A tightly fought match ensued between the two teams but newcomers, Sandyford kept adding points on the board, eventually going on to clinch the title.Although
disappointed to lose the final game, Sligo Town Boccia Club were delighted with
their efforts and have made huge strides in recent years. A total number of nineteen teams participated
in the league from the start showing that interest in Boccia is growing around
the country. Gaining qualification from their respective pools for the finals,
and playing to a high standard on the day of the final is a result of the hard
work and practice put in by not only those who played in the final but by all
club members and support staff throughout the year. The Sligo
branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association based in Abbeyville have been
integral to the success of the club so far, providing their venue for training
as well as the provision of transport and staff to support training and trips
to games and the Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership look forward to working
with the Sligo branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association to expand the Boccia
Club in the future. |
