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Meet the GB boccia team

30 Apr 2012 12:05 pm
  • Meet the GB boccia team
    Nigel Murray boccia

Two-time gold medallist Nigel Murray will be competing in his fourth - and final - Paralympic Games after he was named in the GB team for London 2012. 


He gives us an insight into the rest of the ParalympicsGB boccia squad.  


David Smith

Date of birth: 02/3/1989

Event: BC1

Previous Games: 2008 


He's an exceptional talent, and he'd probably agree with that too. On his day, he's the best BC1 player there is in the world.


He gives us great balance in the team event as we need one BC1 player, and when you have the world's best sat in your team, it gives you a huge advantage over your rivals.


He's getting better and better. Again, he'll probably tell you that too.


David is a great person to have on the team, on and off court. We have some good banter and he doesn't mind if you have a laugh at his expense - he gives as good as he gets.


I've also got a fantastic story involving Smithy... He would kill me if I ever told you (C4Paralympics ed: Story to follow in the next few days).


Stephen McGuire

Date of birth: 18/8/1984

Event: BC4

Previous Games: None


Steve is one of the top BC4 players and on his day he can beat any of his rivals.


I sometimes train with Steve and you can see how good he is - even when he gives me a handicap lead. 


He has had some difficult times around classification, which can really affect your game. But he has bounced back and put the issue behind him.


He has really focused on his game and he now has the belief that he can win an individual medal in London.


He would really like to win a medal with his brother, which is quite possible.  


He was an untidy so-and-so and I nagged him loads when I found his dirty underwear on the floor

Peter McGuire 

Date of birth: 24/10/1982

Event: BC4

Previous Games: None


As a pair, Pete complements his younger brother really well.


They both bring different aspects to the game and have a terrific chance of a medal.


Both were really unlucky to miss out on Beijing. They finished in the top eight in the world rankings, which meant they should have qualified, but unfortunately the last space went to China, who were ranked outside the top eight.


It was a huge disappointment. However, they've done really well over the last four years since Beijing. They won gold at the European Championships in 2009


Pete had a really good world championships, winning silver in the pairs.


Off court he's great to be around. He's a huge Celtic fan, like his brother, and really loving the demise of Rangers.


Dan Bentley

Date of birth: 15/8/1984

Event: BC2

Previous Games: 2008


Dan came from nowhere to earn selection for the team event in Beijing.


We had a really successful 2007 and won the World Cup as a team, which Dan wasn't a part of. But through his hard work and determination, he managed to get himself in the squad to win gold.


He's another tremendous player. He's had recent success at the Europa Individuals Cup in Norway last year, winning gold - as did Smithy. 

 

Dan was my room-mate in Beijing, he was an untidy so-and-so and I nagged him loads when I found his dirty underwear on the floor.


He's loads of fun; he's a big non-league football fan like me, although he supports Lewes (I'm a Leamington fan).


Zoe is queen of the mobile 


Zoe Robinson

Date of birth: 30/11/1989

Event: BC2

Previous Games: 2008


Zoe is one of my training partners so I play with her regularly.


She has experimented with her throwing style and over the last six months she has nailed a technique which suits her game, resulting in a massive improvement.

 

Zoe was our reserve in Beijing and we knew that if we needed her to play a role in the team, she would do just that. 


She's really pushing us all, certainly Dan and myself, for a starting place in London. 


Zoe is queen of the mobile. When she's not playing she has a phone in her hand. All her mates are boxers.


She has some pretty impressive names in her address book, like Frankie Gavin. She's got a great sense of humour so there's lots of laughing and joking.


Jacob Thomas

Date of birth: 30/11/1989

Event: BC2

Previous Games: None


Jacob's a young man from Wales who has developed his talent over the last few years. 


He's one of the top ramp players in the world. He recently played world number one Gregorios Polychronidis in Greece for a friendly, taking the 2008 BC3 silver medallist to a tie-breaker.


Greg, who is the world's best, recognises the talent Jacob has. He may be inexperienced but that will stand him in good stead in London because he will show no fear. 


He works really well in the pairs alongside Scott or Jess. There's no pressure on them as pairs because they are the eighth-ranked nation. They're certainly capable of a surprise against the bigger nations. 


Jacob was quite poorly a year or so ago but has come through an awful lot. Although I don't know him terribly well he appears to me a real fighter and he's really determined.


You can see that in the way he plays and his all-round game. He plays to win. 


Scott McCowan

Date of birth: 17/07/1991

Event: BC2

Previous Games: None


Scott has a bit more international experience than Jacob. 


He has developed his game over the last 18 months, having looked at what the top players and countries are doing right and taken that information on board with his ramp. 


He's a formidable player. He's very determined, gritty, a real fighter on court, and that's a strong combination between the three rampers for success in London.


On court, he's a very fiery individual. But off court he's very quietly spoken and intelligent, far more than the others - although Smithy will tell you otherwise.


I've got mixed emotions building up to London but I'm looking forward to it 


Jessica Hunter

Date of birth: 17/07/1991

Event: BC2

Previous Games: None


The better-looking one of the three rampers.


She has very limited international experience in competition. Her first was the World Cup in Belfast last year, but she acquitted herself well and has been working hard to develop her all-round play. 


She's young and fears nobody. That will bode well when she takes on players with more experience. That won't worry her. 


Nigel Murray

Date of birth: 22/05/1964

Event: BC2

Previous Games: 2000, 2004, 2008


I would like to say I've saved the best until last, but Smithy will probably disagree.


This will be my fourth Games and my last as an athlete. I've got mixed emotions building up to London but I'm looking forward to it. 


Over the past three or four years I have won individual and team medals, and I'm ranked number one in the world individually, which will hopefully help me in the seedings for London.


I hope I can still bring something to the team on and off the court. We all get on so well and want each other to do well. I like the camaraderie we have as a team. 


They are my friends as well as team-mates. Sport is very serious for us and we all want to win. We're all winners but off-court we need that downtime.


- Watch our 60-second guide to boccia

- David Smith will compete in the London Boccia Invitational 2012 event at the Olympic Basketball Arena between 5-7 May 

- For all your latest news ahead of the 2012 Paralympics, follow @C4Paralympics on Twitter and like the C4Paralympics Facebook page  


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Boccia classification

  • BC1: Players with Cerebral Palsy who are able to use their hands or feet to consistently propel a ball into play. BC1 athletes may have an aide on court to pass them their ball before each shot


    BC2: Players with Cerebral Palsy who are able to use their hands to consistently propel a ball into play and have greater functional ability than a BC1 athlete


    BC3: Players with Cerebral Palsy or other disability with locomotor dysfunction in all four limbs who are unable to throw or kick a ball into play. They are permitted to use an assistive device such as a ramp to propel the ball into play and are supported by an assistant (also known as a 'ramper')


    BC4: Players who do not have Cerebral Palsy but have another disability with locomotor dysfunction in all four limbs and have similar functional ability to BC2 athletes. Disabilities such as Muscular Dystrophy and Tetraplegia fall under this classification.


    Descriptions from GBBoccia

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