The Hong Kong World Boccia Open is currently ongoing and three Scots are representing Boccia UK at the event, which is an important milestone in their preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The three Scots in action are: Jamie McCowan (BC3), Patrick Wilson (BC3) and Stephen McGuire (BC4), whilst we are also fortunate to have Claire Morrison form part of the coaching team.

The individual competitions were concluded today, which saw resounding success for Great Britain, and it was the Scottish athletes that provided the goods, as all three were involved in medal matches.

Stephen McGuire rose from the ashes to scrape through his group on points but manged to battle his way to the final, where he met Yuk Wing Leung (HKG) who had the home advantage.  However, the Hamilton man showed his class and experience by winning 4-1 and claiming the Gold medal.

Patrick Wilson managed the competition well and took some major scalps before reaching his first World level final.  Most notably, he defeated World number one and current World Champion, Grigorios Polychronidis, in the Quarter Final.  In the final itself, he faced World number 3, Daniel Michel (AUS), who has emerged as a real talent as this level.  The match was a close affair, but it ended in defeat for the Peebles man as he lost out 2-4.  Nonetheless, this can be seen as a huge step forward.

Jamie McCowan won all his matches until the semi-final, where he was defeated by the eventual winner, Daniel Michel (AUS).  He therefore had to settle for a bronze medal match against home player Yuen Kei Ho (HKG), where he eventually lost out 1-3.

The team and pairs get underway tomorrow and all the action (and live streams) can be followed via

http://www.bisfed.com/bisfed-2019-hong-kong-boccia-world-open/

Bowls Scotland now lead on the high performance para lawn bowls programme, having taken over from Scottish Disability Sport, on 1 April 2019. Their first task was to select a team of players and coaches that will lead them through to the Home Nations Championships in September.

Their overall task will be to select a team of physically disabled and visually impaired players capable of delivering medals at the IBD World Championships in 2020 and the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

There were few surprises in the selection but SDS is delighted to see former B7 World Champion Kevin Wallace return to the fold. Kevin is a player with exceptional ability and represented Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Bowls Scotland has appointed former Scottish Disability Sport coach, Bob Christie, as Head Coach and Programme Coordinator on an interim basis. The standard in para bowls has increased dramatically over the past few years and it was a very difficult selection process. The following players were successful in making the long list.

Physical Disability
B6: Billy Allen (Cowdenbeath)
B6: George Guthrie (Maryhill)
B6: Fraser Mathieson (Bridge of Allan)
B6: William Nicol (Stirling)
B7: Garry Brown (Blackwood Victoria)
B8: Ian Brown (Kilbirnie-Ladeside)
B7: Glen Livingston (Cowdenbeath)
B7: Barbara McMillan (Cowdenbeath)
B8: Daniel Porter (Galashiels)
B7: Kevin Wallace (Clackmannan)
B7: John Wardrop (Seafield)
B7: Pauline Wilson (Willowbank)

Visual Impairment
B2: Carole Combe (Tanfield)
B3: Melanie Inness (Coltbridge)
B3: Maria Spencer (Abbeyview)
B2: Mary Stevenson (Shanks)
B3: Robert Barr (Jordanhill)
B2: John Fox (Spateston)
B2: Ian Graham (Zetland)
B2: Sandy Macintosh (Inverness)

Directors
Sarah Jane Ewing (Abbeyview)
George Miller (Saltcoats)
Chris Morrow (Willowbank)
Nigel Walker (Dalgetty Bay)

Assistant Coaches
Chris McGready (Grangemouth)
Eric McMillan (Cowdenbeath)

Scottish Disability Sport would like to thank the coaches, directors, officials, partners and all volunteers who have supported the SDS para lawn bowls programme over many years. We wish Bowls Scotland well in leading the programme going forward and we hope there are many years of Scottish success ahead.

It was business as usual this week for Derek Rae from Kirkcaldy and Fife Athletic Club who won silver in the T45/46 class at the IPC World Marathon Championships held as part of the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon. As well as winning an IPC World Championships silver medal, Derek recorded a massive PB and ran significantly under 2.30 for the first time.

Derek was back to his weekly routine as a peer mentor volunteer at the weekly GOGA Spirit of 2012 supported run, jump and throws session at the Michael Woods Sports & Leisure Centre. My goodness how all the athletes with additional support needs missed him and how enthusiastically they welcomed him back. The medal was the star attraction on the night and there were many who wanted to wear it.

Success at the highest level in Para sport has not changed this modest, unassuming and dedicated athlete. I have never known an athlete who works harder and he deserves all the success that comes his way. Winning silver at the world championships has not changed the man … trust me.

Well done also to coach Ron Morrison at Fife AC and the team of experts at the Scottish Institute of Sport who look after Derek. It has been a hard winter of training but Derek and his team is now enjoying the success they so richly deserve.

Richard Brickley MBE – Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

Fifteen projects aiming to get more women and girls in Scotland taking part in sport and physical activity are set to benefit from £300,000 of investment from the Scottish Government’s Women and Girls fund.

The beneficiaries of this programme include women and girls who have previously had little or no access to sport and physical activity for a wide variety of reasons. Some of the most marginalised in society have been targeted for support such as residents of Scotland’s most deprived communities, survivors of sexual abuse, and young women and girls with severe physical impairments.

Sports Minister, Joe FitzPatrick, together with sportscotland, launched the fund in October to celebrate Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week. Today he congratulated the projects who have been successful in their applications and said:

“There are so many benefits to making sport and physical activity a part of daily life. From improving physical and mental health, to developing skills and strengthening communities, the impact can be life-changing and that’s why we want as many people as possible to enjoy those benefits.

“It is encouraging to see that participation in sport and physical activity by women and girls in Scotland is increasing, but some still face barriers to taking part. The projects who will be supported through the £300,000 Women and Girls fund have shown great insight and innovation in understanding those barriers and taking steps to address them. I look forward to seeing the impact that they have.”

Projects will be delivered across Scotland led by governing bodies of sport and local authorities, in conjunction with other partner organisations.

The projects will receive between £10,260 and £28,000 to support their plans to engage more women and girls in sport and physical activity and builds on the success of the Sporting Equality Fund launched in 2017.

Commenting on the investment, Mel Young, chair of sportscotland, said: “Sport has the power to change lives and the projects chosen to receive this funding demonstrate that the benefits of participation go way beyond simply improving physical health.

“For some of the women and girls, the impact literally could be life-changing, as they develop the social skills, self-confidence and employability skills they need to progress in life

“sportscotland’s Fit for Girls programme consulted with girls directly to identify and understand the barriers to participation and the Women and Girls fund gives us the ability to build on that knowledge. By working with our partners, we can deliver opportunities to target the least active who would gain the most through a life-long engagement with sport.”

In most of the projects, the sports and activities on offer have been chosen in consultation with the women and girls who will participate and range from traditional team sports, including football, to fencing and outdoor sports.

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) has been awarded £15,000 from the Women and Girls fund to engage women and girls with severe impairments into the sport of Boccia. SDS are in the process of appointing a Boccia Development Officer who will engage with women and girls in a wide variety of settings and support these individuals into local sessions or clubs. This programme is being run in partnership with disability organisations including Capability Scotland, Muscular Dystrophy UK and Cerebral Palsy Scotland.

The Women and Girls fund has been set up to support the Scottish Government’s priorities of tackling inactivity and addressing inequality, contributing to the Active Scotland Outcomes framework.