It was a fabulous sunny day for the second in the series of GOGA Grampian’s Tea, Talk and Tri Events at Westburn Park in Aberdeen last Sunday. Over 90 people turned out for a fun relaxed time in the park where they had the chance to try adapted cycling, badminton, boccia, bowls, table tennis, tennis and walking and most importantly to gather together for a cuppa and a social chat. A special shout out to GDS partners supporting the event and to our fantastic volunteers, leaders and helpers, Alex, Brian, Brian, Chris, Dan, Kev, Kath, Kelly, Lesley, Mark, Marna for their fantastic hard work and making the event possible.

Get Out Get Active Cycle training

Here are our latest newly trained Cycle leaders!!! Our second Cycle Ride Leader & Led Ride Assistant certificate with Adapted Bikes took place on the 1^st July at Newton Dee Village. Huge thanks to Jas and the community for hosting us! The training was delivered by Cycling Scotland and national partners Blazing Saddles – thanks for great day Allan and David!  We also had the chance to use the adapted bikes to explore a section of the 41 miles long Deeside way cycle path which was challenging, huge fun and opened up some potential for longer rides in the future. The new leaders will help build our inclusive cycling network and increase the capacity for running pop up cycling sessions in various locations across the region over the summer and beyond. Cycling sessions coming soon!

Well done to the Hemphill family and all the other swimmers and their friends and families who supported the Scottish Open at Tollcross over the weekend in what was described as one of the warmest few days of the last few years, if not ever.

Bell Baxter HS teenager Cameron Hemphill, who is coached by Garrie Roberts at InCas, headed to Glasgow with realistic goals and a determination to chip away at his own personal best long course times.

Stuart Bizzarri from Fife Sports and Leisure Trust is supporting Cameron with strength and conditioning advice and as with his swim training he has launched himself into Stuart’s programme with 100% commitment.

Cameron began his tough few days with the 100m freestyle on Thursday evening. The Ladybank youngster succeeded in lowering his PB from 1.22.53 to 1.18.35 in the morning heat, shaving a little more off in the evening final. A new PB of 1.18.08 was considered an excellent start to his most challenging meet of the season so far.

The Friday programme included the 400m free and 100m back. In his first ever long course 400m free Cameron set a time of 6.00.43, improving to 6.00.34 in the final. In the 100m back, Cameron again set a PB of 1.44.62, improving a little to 1.44.2 in the final.

Cameron was a little disappointed with these times as he had set a 400m short course PB of 5.47.27 at the InCas distance meet the previous month. Similarly he had also swum a few seconds faster for the backstroke in short course time trials. Coach and supporters did however explain that his swims were excellent and he had to factor in the relentless heat at the meet and that these were new long course experiences, in some instances.

Cameron saved the best for Saturday when he travelled to the west with a long course PB of 37.62 and a short course PB of 38.47 for 50m freestyle. The evening before Cameron informed his parents that he would not be happy unless he swam under 35 seconds. An ambitious target time perhaps but who would doubt this highly committed and determined young Fife physically disabled swimmer.

Not surprisingly Cameron set a time of 34.27 in the morning heat and in the final he didn’t seem too disappointed when he added 0.08 seconds……An all round outstanding success for young Cameron. One more week of training before a well deserved summer break.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

The 6th Inter Area Bowls Test Match for players with a learning disability organised by Scottish Disability Sport was held on Friday 29 June 2018 at Fairfield Bowling Club in Glasgow following an eleventh hour change from the original intended venue in Musselburgh. It ended up as a head to head between 12 bowlers with a learning disability from the West of Scotland and 12 bowlers from Fife, the defending champions.

The 1st and 5th Inter Area Bowls Test Matches were held in Fife at the Beveridge Park in 2010 and 2016 and hosted by Disability Sport Fife. The 2nd event was held in Musselburgh and hosted by Lothian Disability Sport and the 3rd and 4th held in Glasgow, hosted by Glasgow Disability Sport.

This year both teams played 24 ties of singles, pairs and triples to determine the national Inter Area team champions. Each team comprised of six male and six female bowlers divided into an A team of three and a B team of three.

The Fife men’s A team were undefeated with a maximum score of 12 points and the men’s B team lost one match to score 10 points. The Fife women’s A team scored 7/12 and the B team 8/12 to for an overall total of 15 points. Team Fife won the Inter Area Cup for the fourth occasion and shared the title with west of Scotland at the inaugural event.

The Inter Area Bowls Test Match was established because it was felt by a number of SDS Branches that there are few opportunities for bowlers with a learning disability to compete nationally. The Test Match has become popular within a short period of time but has still to catch on across the whole of Scotland.

Team Fife members:

Craig Donaldson – Central Fife CSS/Kinghorn BC
Robert Anderson – Dovecot BC
Darryl Stewart – Broad Street BC
Gary Handyside – Lumphinnans BC
Willie Christie – East Fife CSS/Windygates BC
Steven Anderson – Dovecot BC
Reserve: Gary Lindsay – East Fife CSS/Windygates BC

Wendy Thomson – East Fife CSS/St Andrews BC
Pamela Mitchell – Headwell BC
Tanis Murphy – East Fife CSS
Michelle Wallace – Central Fife CSS
Julie Allan – East Fife CSS/Windygates BC
Wendy Robertson – East Fife CSS

Photos: Team Fife, Team WOS and Pamela Mitchell with Team Trophy

Thanks to team manager John Collins and support staff Ann Malcolm (East Fife CSS), Nikki Hamilton (Central Fife CSS), Alyn Steedman (Headwell BC) and team supporters for their invaluable support.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

Grampian’s oldest para bowls competitor, Jim Lamb, took home the gold after a hotly-contested final where he beat Kevin Duncan 4 – 3 on a stifling afternoon in the Granite City.

This year’s event, the first held at the new home of parabowls in Grampian, Aberdeen’s Albury Outdoor Sports Centre, featured two pools of competitors who competed in a round robin event before play-offs between the two pools.

The Championships brought together players of all backgrounds including Aberdeen’s blind bowlers, bowlers with physical impairments and those with learning disabilities, and the medalists will now go through to the SDS National Bowls Championships, which are held in Aberdeen’s Westburn Park on Saturday 1^st September.

Congratulations to our medalists: Jim Lamb; Kevin Duncan; Ali Burt; Martin Morrison; Bryan Neave; and Kelly McDonald (who played her first ever outdoor competition – well done, Kelly).

A huge thank you goes to Agnes MacDonald of Albury Community Sports Hub for opening & operating the centre out of hours (and for generously supplying teas, coffees and biscuits), to Kevin Duncan for collating entries and organising matches, and to all of the volunteer markers and umpires who gave up their time so generously on the day.

If you, or anyone you know, lives in Grampian with a physical, sensory or learning disability and is keen to get involved in Para Sport, please contact Alison Shaw on alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com or on 07828 744 848.

Congratulations to the many visually impaired bowlers from Fife who played so well at the Scottish Association of Blind Bowlers (SABB) National Open Pairs at Hamilton Caledonian BC from 26th to 28th June.

Competing clubs from Renfrew, West Lothian, Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline entered two teams each. Following the group stages and semi finals the competition was won by Abbeyview “A” represented by Robert Rodger and Ian Graham. The Fife players defeated West Lothian 26 – 6 in the final.

Abbeyview “B” represented by Tom Harrower and Melanie Innes defeated Kirkcaldy “B” represented by Andy Munro and Brian Craig 15 – 8 to win the 3rd/4th place play off.

A very strong showing by the team from Fife in an excellent event well hosted by the Committee Members from Hamilton Caledonian BC.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife