Disability sport latest news
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3rd British Learning Disability Swimming Competition
July 12 and 13 at Ponds Forge, Sheffield
NCC Elite Squad swimmers – Andrew Zawadzki, Leah Halpin, Jacob Parker, Adam Meanwell, Abi Taylor and Clare Crawford – teamed up with Bingham Penguins swimmers Andrew Banks, Hayley Ensor, Laura Ensor, Oliver Pratley and Nicola Harrison in this competition.
The weekend saw some great potential in the pool in the S14 category with many British, European and World records being broken (subject to ratification). All Elite Squad swimmers gained new personal best times in all of their events, with many of them gaining gold medal positions.
Carol Halpin, NCC Elite Squad co-ordinator, said, ‘The event was very exciting and it was great to see an opportunity open to young people with a learning disability at all levels in swimming’.
Leah, Adam, Andrew and Jacob will all be training hard over the next 6 months to swim for a place on the GB squad for the Global Games next year.
Kayleigh gets her Sports Review award
On June 19 Nottinghamshire County Council finally caught up with boccia player Kayleigh Black to present her with her Disabled Sportsperson of the Year award for 2007. The awards were presented at the East Midlands Conference Centre in January but Kayleigh was unfortunately unable to attend
Having come right through the ranks as a beginner at the Nottinghamshire Youth Games, June 2007 saw Kayleigh rewarded with a team gold medal at the Boccia World Championships in Canada. She trained with the Great Britain squad in Hong Kong and took 3rd place in the GB and Midlands boccia competitions.
Kayleigh is still training with the England Squad as well as Nottinghamshire County Council's Boccia Elite Squad. She has just completed her first year of a course in journalism and media studies at Leicester University. The photo above shows Kayleigh receiving her award while on work placement at the BBC in Nottingham. She is receiving her award from sports development officer for disabled people - Pete Edwards.
For more information on the sports review please visit the Play Sport Sports Review pages
Phillipson makes winning start at World Team Cup
Bingham's David Phillipson made a winning start in his senior Great Britain debut at the Invacare World Team Cup, the Davis and Fed Cups of wheelchair tennis, in Cremona, Italy.
The Nottinghamshire 19-year-old recovered from a slow start against Sri Lankan Upali Rajakurna to win 7-6(2), 6-1. British No 1 and World No 24 Phillipson, who undefeated as a member of the winning Great Britain team in the Junior event at last year's World Team Cup in Sweden, came from 3-5 down in the first set to clinch it on the tie-break. He then put in a much more assured second set performance to put the tie beyond Sri Lanka after Scottish team mate Gordon Reid had won the opening singles rubber 6-0, 6-0.
Scotland’s Kevin Simpson and Derbyshire’s Alex Jewitt then combined to win the dead doubles rubber to wrap up a 3-0 win.
Phillipson nets French Open consolation win
British Men's No 1 David Phillipson gained a confidence-boosting victory on Sunday ahead of making his debut at The Championships, Wimbledon, when he beat Dutchman Tom Egberink in the Men's Main Draw Consolation Singles final at the French Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships in Antony, France. His victory is the third British success at this week's ITF 1 Series event on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour
Nottinghamshire 19-year-old Phillipson was beaten by Dutch world No 4 Maikel Scheffers earlier in the week in the first round of the Main Draw Singles, but after beating Australian third seed Michael Dobbie 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 in Saturday's Consolation semi-finals, the world No 25 recovered from a slow start against second seed Egberink to secure a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory in Sunday's final.
Phillipson now looks ahead to the Wimbledon Men's Wheelchair Doubles Masters Series event, which takes place at The Championships over the finals weekend of 5th and 6th July.
For more information please contact:
Marshall Thomas
e-mail: marshall.thomas@btinternet.com
Website: www.tennisfoundation.org.uk
Paralympics GB name wheelchair basketball squad for Beijing Paralympics
The Great Britain team for the Paralympics in Beijing has now been selected and includes two Nottinghamshire athletes, Joe Bestwick and Matt Byrne.
Awards for All funding granted in Notts
The following clubs have been successful in applying for funding
- Nottingham Powerchair Football Club has been awarded £10,000 to develop the facilities offered at their club by providing their team sports powerchairs for use during training and competitions. This grant will pay for 3 more.
- The Blind & Partially Sighted Alliance has received £3032 which will enable this Mansfield-based community organisation to provide light exercise sessions for members of the group through Tai Chi and indoor bowling classes. The grant will pay for venue hire, instructors and support volunteer expenses.
- East Midlands Goalball will use their £10,000 to establish a regional development centre for goalball (a Paralympic sport). The centre will offer training, increase opportunities to play goalball, create competitions between local clubs and set up a more formalised approach to working with the education sector. The grant will also pay for equipment, coaching fees, coaching courses, leader courses and the first East Midlands Goalball competition.
- Special Olympics Nottinghamshire received £5,420 which will mean that the project development of the first two sites will be sustained and the group will establish a third pilot site. The project will enable people with learning disabilities in Nottinghamshire to develop their sporting skills and the grant will pay for coach education, sports equipment, transport, venue hire, advertising, sports festival and launch event.
For more information on how your club could apply for a grant please visit the Intosport funding pages
Brocky Boccia at Ashfield Festival of Sport
24 people from Kingsway Primary School, Selston ACC, Sutton Centre and Willow Wood Day Centre took part in a day of fun boccia skills and competition at the Festival Hall Leisure Centre during the Ashfield Festival of Sport.
All participants were presented with certificates by Ashfield District Council’s healthy lifestyles mascots, Brocky Broccoli and Peggy Pineapple. Winners of the overall competition, Sutton Centre and Runners Up, Kingsway Primary School also received trophies.
Pete Edwards - sports development officer for disabled people from Nottinghamshire County Council’s Sports Disability Unit, helped deliver the session. He said, ‘It’s great that Ashfield District Council are promoting boccia and providing more inclusive sporting opportunities, both during the Ashfield Festival of Sport and within the delivery of the Active Lifestyles Strategy.
West Bridgford Tennis Players Shine for Great Britain
Four players, who train at West Bridgford Tennis Club represented Great Britain in Milan at the 3 Nations Tennis Tournament organized by Special Olympics Italy on 23 to 25 May 2008, an event which saw 12 Italian, 4 Dutch and 4 British players compete over 3 days.
The four players – Patrick Cox, Michael Clark, Joseph Eccles and Alex Eustace – were playing for their country for the first time. It was also the first time they had played on european clay courts and between them they won 3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze and 1 fourth medals. Patrick and Alex won gold in their respective singles groups and Joseph (with his Dutch partner) won gold in the doubles.
National coach Lesley Whitehead, who trains the players, travelled with male coach Matt Whitehead and the team. Lesley said, “I am so proud of the way these players performed. It is a big step for them to compete for their country in an international tournament but they all rose to the occasion”.
Wheelchair Fencing
The Nottingham City Fencing Club offers wheelchair fencers a chance to support Lee Fawcett’s training and preparation for the Paralympics in Beijing at a special training camp being held in Rushcliffe in August.
In addition they are offering fencers within the East Midlands a chance to try out the sport for the first time.
Attendance is free and for more information, please contact
Colin Swift
e-mail: at colin-swift@hotmail.co.uk
website: www.nottinghamcityfencing.co.uk
Nottingham to host Invacare World Cup
Nottingham Tennis Centre has been chosen to the World Team Cup, the Davis and Federation Cup of wheelchair tennis, for the third time. This will make Nottingham the only city outside the United States to stage the tournament more than twice. For more information please look at the article on the GB Paralympics website
Paralympics GB name wheelchair tennis squad for Beijing Paralympics
Paralympics GB has now named the eight wheelchair tennis players set to represent Britain at this summer’s Paralympic Games in Beijing. These include David Phillipson from Nottinghamshire.
Phillipson is the reigning national men's singles champion and has a world ranking of No.24. He has secured victories over a number of top 20 players in the last year and has produced some highly creditable performances against world top 10 players.
Earlier this year the Nottinghamshire player took over the mantle of British men's No.1 from Leicestershire’s retired Paralympian Jayant Mistry, who had been British No.1 for 14 years. In October last year Phillipson also became the first Briton to beat Mistry in singles competition for 13 years.
Martin sets a new world record!
Nottinghamshire athlete Chris Martin took part in the British Open Athletics Championships in Manchester on 7/8 June 2008. He threw 28.91 in the discus competition to beat the previous best of 28.73 in the F33 category.
Martin said: "My throwing hasn't been great recently so I'm delighted with the record," said Martin, who returned to the sport last year after a two-year break. ”I'm confident there is more to come before Beijing."
Martin's record comes just a couple of weeks after he claimed gold in the same venue at the Paralympic World Cup and puts him in line for a fourth Games appearance in Beijing as he bids to add to the gold and silver he won in Sydney in 2000.