GB Boccia have announced the next phase of their Talent Search, which sees two Welsh players making the cut. James Bailey (Cardiff) and Jacob Thomas (Pembroke) have progressed to the next phase, World Class Transition squad. They join Karl Parrish (Chepstow) who is on the GB Elite Squad having just returned from the Boccia World Championships in Lisbon Portugal.
The Great Britain Boccia Federation are currently involved in a significant Talent Search and Talent Development Programme that has been centred around our requirements for the 2012 London Paralympics.
The primary objectives of this Programme are to unearth and help develop talented players with the potential to either take their place in Team GB for the Home Paralympics and/or bolster the strength of the GB Boccia squad and selection pool for those Games. They have been doing this in partnership with UK Sport and their Paralympic Potential Programme; Paralympics GB; and the three Home Country Organisations.
After an intense Confirmation Period that included five residential Camps at the University of Bath and the Czech International Open Competition in Prague throughout a two month period, selections have now been made for players to pass on to the Transition phase of the Programme. This Transition Period will involve a joint Camp with the GB Elite players in July; a multisport Paralympics GB Camp in August; a Fast Track Camp in October; and the British Championships, also in October. Final selection to the GB Boccia Programme for 2012 is expected to take place during the week beginning November 1st.
The players selected to progress to the Transition Period are as follows:
· James Clowes – BC2, England
· Joshua Rowe – BC2, Scotland
· James Bailey – BC3, Wales
· Jessica Hunter – BC3, England
· Jacob Thomas – BC3, Wales
· Jamie Docherty – BC4, Scotland
The Transition period offers this group of players the opportunity to meet certain conditions that have been set for them, and should they meet those conditions, then they can expect to help formulate the wider pool of players from which the team for 2012 will be selected.
In addition, a seventh player, BC3 Tom Dowan (England), will remain on the periphery of this squad. It is the view of the selection panel that this player has the potential to be world class but will not be eligible for 2012. He will therefore be invited to attend all relevant camps to aid his transition to world class but will not access the additional support services that can be made available to the GB Boccia 2012 Squad.
Two players, BC2 Lewis McConnell (Scotland) and BC3 Kathryn Jones (Caerphilly – Wales) have not been selected to the Transition Phase but will return to their Home Country Federation Academy’s with strong commendations from GB Boccia for continued support and encouragement. Both players have shown tremendous improvement throughout the Fast Track process and both have the potential to make future Games. It was felt that 2012 would come around too soon for these players to achieve world class status.
Talent Development Manager Glynn Tromans said: "We are delighted with the quality of players that have emerged from the Fast Track Talent processes, and believe fully that the selected players have demonstrated the traits and skills required to operate at the highest levels in sport. Huge credit must be given to the entire coaching team led by Barry Bowden, supported by Sports Science Officer Chris Wagg as this process now nominates the players with the greatest potential to enter this final phase of selection."
