Children showed skill and created plenty of thrill during a highly competitive edition of the SPAR Lancashire School Games Boccia Finals.
Twelve primary schools and six secondary schools competed throughout a day of amazing action at Blackpool Sports Centre – the only major sports facility with permanent Boccia court markings in Lancashire.
Panathlon Challenge delivered the Boccia Finals with support from Active Lancashire and the School Games Organiser Network, and the primary school winners on the day were the Olive School, from Blackburn with Darwen, after a series of brilliant performances. The school will now progress on to the North West Finals in June.
Joining them in representing Lancashire are secondary school winners The Valley Leadership Academy, from Rossendale, who excelled throughout an action-packed day to be crowned county champions.
Boccia is a Paralympic sport introduced in 1984, with no Olympic counterpart. Athletes throw, kick or use a ramp to propel a ball onto the court with the aim of getting closest to a ‘jack’ ball.
The game is played on a court like that of badminton and it designed specifically for athletes with a disability affecting locomotor function. Five hundred children from schools right across Lancashire have taken part in events locally leading up to the Boccia Finals.
Simon Mayoh, Director of Learning for Sports and Creative Arts at The Valley Leadership Academy, said: “It was a fantastic experience for a team of boys from our school to compete in this competition against some schools from further afield. Following the positive experience they had qualifying from the Rossendale competition they were eager to compete again.
“They had some extremely closely contested matches with a lot of skill on display from all teams. The sense of achievement from winning was huge and they all returned to school following the event with enormous smiles on their faces, proudly showing off their medals and the trophy. They can’t wait for the regional competition next!”
Andy Clark, Schools Partnership Officer at Active Lancashire, said: “The Boccia finals are always a brilliant occasion. They offer an avenue for children to participate in inter-school sport who would not normally have a platform to do so, and it really is amazing that we are able to deliver this through the SPAR Lancashire School Games with Panathlon Challenge.
“I think what stood out to me across the finals, and through the feedback we have had from schools, is that sportsmanship on display from all the competitors stood out the most. Win, lose, or draw the players were congratulating one another on their performance and appreciating each other’s efforts and it was a pleasure to see such a positive yet competitive environment.”
The Lancashire School Games are run by Active Lancashire and the School Games Organiser Network and have been sponsored by SPAR through its association with James Hall & Co. Ltd since 2006.
The 2023-24 SPAR Lancashire School Games engaged 26,000 children in sport and activities across Lancashire through 27 feature events and competitions.
James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.
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