Month: July 2016

Paul’s Turkish Delight

Highland Disability Sport and Inverness Harrier athlete Paul Davidson embarks on his 2nd trip abroad this year when he flies out this morning to Ankara in Turkey to compete in the INAS European Athletic Championships for Great Britain. Paul who competed earlier this year at the IPC Grand Prix in Grosseto in Italy is hoping to improve on his 200 and 400m times when the event kicks off on Thursday with the 400m heats with the 200m heats taking place on Saturday. We all wish Paul well as he flies the flag for Inverness and Highland.

Fife Bowlers Retain Inter Area Trophy

On behalf of Scottish Disability Sport, Disability Sport Fife (DSF), with support from the members of the Beveridge Park Bowling Club hosted the 2016 Scottish Inter Area Championships for Bowlers with a Learning Disability. Beveridge Park BC President John Clark welcomed teams from Lothian, West of Scotland and defending champions Fife to the club for the second time in six years. Despite overcast conditions and intermittent light rain throughout the day, the event was judged a great success by participants, support coaches and spectators.

DSF bowls coordinator Math Thomson encouraged the involvement of volunteer markers from the Beveridge Park BC, Fair Isle BC, Dysart BC, Gallatown BC, St Clair BC and Dovecot bowling clubs. A strong team of volunteers organised breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea for the participants and the green was prepared magnificently by the club for the occasion. Players and officials dodged a few challenging showers but the only downpour of the day was fortunately reserved for the last few minutes of the final session.

The unique format of the Inter Area Bowls competition offers six male and six female representative bowlers to contest singles, pairs and triples over three sessions. Each Area Team has a male and female A and B team and all players play for team points towards the overall title.

Lothian challenged strongly for the title in 2015, but an under strength 2016 team played Fife in the first session and despite outstanding play and maximum points for the women players, the session ended with Fife ahead by 17 points to 7. Session two brought together West of Scotland and Lothian and once again the Lothian women were in fine form but the men found the formidable West team consistent, accurate and playing well as a team. The final score of 19 to 5 enabled the West players to take a two point lead into the final session against double champions Fife. When the Inter Area Championship was first held in Fife in 2010, West and Fife shared the title and West won the title outright in 2012.

The competition was set for a grand finale. It was the Fife women who set the pace with a clean sweep of victories and a maximum 12 points. In the men’s matches, West of Scotland won the A triples and B singles but the in form defending champions from Fife were dominant in the A team singles and pairs and B team pairs and triples. Darryl Stewart led the B Team and collected the Inter Area Trophy on behalf of Team Fife. Team Fife ended the day with 37 points, West of Scotland 23 points and Lothian 12 points. Bowlers now turn their attention to the SDS Scottish Lawn Bowls Championships in Aberdeen at the beginning of September.

Richard Brickley MBE

President Disability Sport Fife

Butterfield and Lyle selected for ParalympicsGB

Many congratulations to Jo Butterfield and Maria Lyle who have been selected to represent ParalympicsGB in athletics at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games taking place in September.

World champion thrower Jo (F51 Club) and sprinter Maria (100m and 200m) are included along with thirteen world medallists in the announcement made today by the British Paralympic Association, in the first wave of track and field selections. This will be a first Paralympic Games for both athletes, who performed so well at the IPC Europeans in Italy last week where Maria returned with three gold medals and Jo one gold medal as well as a new world record.

With 76 days to go, 13 sports have made their announcements. A further announcement regarding track and field athletes will be made in late July.

For a full report visit the link below:

http://rio.paralympics.org.uk//news/article/thirteen-world-medallists-star-as-first-track-and-field-athletes-to-be-sele

Gordon Reid Selected for ParalympicsGB

Ten wheelchair tennis players including Scotland’s 2016 Australian Open champion, Gordon Reid, have been selected for ParalympicsGB, to compete at the Paralympic Games in Rio from 7 – 18 September 2016.
Reid said: “I’m very proud to have been named in the ParalympicsGB team for my third games. Along with my team up in Scotland I have been putting in a lot of hard work since London 2012 and this selection gives me the perfect opportunity to show the fruits of that hard work on the world stage. It’s a special feeling to represent Great Britain and I’ll continue to do everything I can to get myself in the best shape possible to succeed in Rio.”
For a full report please visit:
http://rio.paralympics.org.uk//news/article/wheelchair-tennis-players-aiming-to-serve-up-paralympic-success-in-rio

Dawson-Farrell Sponsored to Support Gold Coast 2018 Journey

Scottish Disability Sport Academy Athlete Meggan Dawson-Farrell has secured sponsorship via Team Scotland partner CGI, in order to support her journey to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. This financial support will prove vital in order for her to access appropriate competition, both in the UK and internationally, as she aims to qualify and prepare for the event.
Dawson-Farrell is a wheelchair racer, who competes in the T54 classification, represented Team Scotland at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014 where she reached the final of the combined T53/54 1500m.
For a full report please visit the Commonwealth Games Scotland website via the link below:
http://www.cgcs.org.uk/news/latest-news/2016/cgi-back-meggan-on-journey-to-gold-coast-2018/

Alison Patrick Retains European Title

Alison Patrick from Dunfermline retained the PT5 European Paratriathlon title at the ETU Paratriathlon European Championships in Lisbon. Alison is visually impaired and runs, swims and tandem cycles with support from guide Hazel Smith from Edinburgh. Alison is one of the world’s leading paratriathletes and is challenging for a place in the GB team for the Paralympic Games in Rio. Paratriathletes swim 750 metres, cycle 20kms and run 5 kms. Congratulations to Alison.
British Triathlon paratriathletes won a total of four gold medals at the European Championships and sent out a strong message to other world nations in the year when paratriathlon will feature on the Rio Paralympic Games programme for the first time. Lisbon was a hugely important race for Team GB paratriathletes in their quest for Rio qualification. The Lisbon event provides fifty per cent more ranking points than any other ITU world paratriathlon Event. Team GB produced seven podium finishes in Portugal and vital Rio qualification points.
Team GB has two races remaining before the qualification window closes for Rio, and is very focussed on events at Strathclyde Park on June 4th and Besancon later in June. GB paratriathlete Stefan Hoggan from Auchtermuchty in Fife will compete at Strathclyde Park with a number of other British paratriathletes challenging for ranking points and Team GB places. Having competed in Lisbon late in May, Alison will not be on the start line at Strathclyde Park.
Richard Brickley MBE
President Disability Sport Fife