Sheffield hosts National Boccia Finals

The event saw 18 schools compete across both the physical disability and PAN competitions. All of the schools taking part performed fantastically well to qualify for the finals, but there could only be one winner. 

Despite the fierce competition, Angmering (West Sussex) managed to defend their title as physical disability champions for a third year running! In the PAN competition Orleans Park (London) took home the gold medal. 

Boccia is a disability sport where players aim to propel balls close to a target ball. Two sides compete as individuals, pairs or as a team of three over a set number of ends.

Points are accumulated over the course of a match to find a winner. A ball can be rolled, thrown or kicked. If a player is unable to throw or kick the ball, they can use a ramp. If players are unable to release the ball with their hands, they can use assistive devices.

Physical disability competition 
Gold - Angmering School 
Silver - St Georges Academy
Bronze - Thomas Wolsey
You can view the results in full here. 

PAN competition
Gold - Orleans Park
Silver - The Kings School 
Bronze - Knowsley Central
You can view the results in full here. 

There were eight young Level 1 qualified officials putting their new skills into practice with the help of experienced Boccia England officials at the finals, and a number of individuals who were rewarded for their achievements in boccia this year. They were:

The Jean Ratcliff Award - Alisha Craigie (West)
Young Official of the year - Caitlin Parfrey (West)
Pan Disability Player of the year - Ava Wilson (North East) 
Physical Disability Player of the Year - Jabe Peake (East)