Month: August 2017

Clean Sweep on Day 3 at British Open Champs

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid created British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships history on Thursday after the Rio Paralympic gold and silver medallists set up the first all-British men’s singles semi-final to guarantee that there will be a Brit in Sunday’s Super Series final at Nottingham Tennis Centre.

British players secured a clean sweep of wins on the third day of the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour Super Series event, organised by the Tennis Foundation, after second seeds Antony Cotterill and Andy Lapthorne also reached Saturday’s quad doubles final.

World No. 2 Reid, already twice a finalist in Nottingham, booked his place in the last four this year with a 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 victory over French sixth seed Nicolas Peifer.

“It was even more difficult conditions than yesterday. It was quite blustery at times, it was a little bit cold and a little bit drizzly, but I thought I played some pretty good tennis in the third set. Nico started to be a little more consistent in the second set and I wasn’t missing by much, but it didn’t matter in the end and I was reading the ball better in the third set and used the wind to my advantage, too,” said reigning Paralympic champion Reid.

Hewett, who is at a career best world No.3 ranking for the first time this week, came from 5-2 down and two set points down to wrap up a 7-6(4), 7-6(3) victory over 2013 British Open champion Joachim Gerard of Belgium in his semi-final.

“I’m not sure how I got to be 5-2 down as I didn’t feel like Jo was doing to much on the court, but then I won eight straight points and that gave me the confidence to fight back and then save the two set points at 5-4,” said Hewett. “It’s great for everyone here to have an all-Brit semi-final and a Brit guaranteed to be in the final, I just need to do all I can now to make sure that it is me.”

The other men’s singles semi-final will see world No. 1 and Wimbledon runner-up Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina take on reigning British Open champion Stephane Houdet of France.

Fernandez kept himself on course for  a possible first British Open title after earning a thrilling 6-2, 0-6, 7-5 win over five-time British Open champion Shingo Kunieda of Japan, recovering from 4-2 down in the final set.

Houdet maintains his hopes of a third successive British Open title after ending the winning sequence in Britain this summer of Wimbledon champion Stefan Olsson of Sweden. Third seed Houdet clinched their quarter-final 7-5, 6-2.

Cotterill and Lapthorne ensured that there will be a British pairing in Saturday’s quad doubles final after beating Australian Heath Davidson and South Africa’s Lucas Sithole 6-4, 6-2.

“We’ve been on something of a roll since winning the Doubles Masters in the USA in November and have only lost the one match since then, at the French Open Super Series in June, so it’s nice to be back in another Super Series final and our first together here at the British Open,” said Lapthorne. “We’ve got a great partnership and will be all out to win in front of the home crowd on Saturday.”

Cotterill and Lapthorne will play American top seeds Bryan Barten and David Wagner in the final after Barten and Wagner’s 6-1, 7-5 win over Greg Hasterok and Ymanitu Silva.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s women’s doubles final will see Dutch top seeds and Rio Paralympic silver medallists Marjolein Buis and Diede de Groot take on the second seeds, Dana Mathewson of the USA and Kgothatso Montjane of South Africa.

Tickets are available on the gate at Nottingham Tennis Centre all week.   Entry is free for children, with adult tickets priced just £2 for a weekday ground pass and £5 for a Saturday or Sunday (finals weekend) ground pass.  For more details, or to purchase tickets online in advance, visit www.tennisfoundation.org.uk/britishopen.

Photo courtesy of the Tennis Foundation

East Dunbartonshire Celebration of Sport 2017

In June 2017, Active Schools East Dunbartonshire in partnership with Sports Development organised the inaugural ‘Celebration of Sport’ Event.  The aim was to create a specific event for pupils with additional support needs.  Active Schools invited pupils from both ASN schools and mainstream schools.

The Allander Leisure Centre in Milgavie was the venue for the day.  The morning session was for pupils with  learning disabilities and the afternoon session for pupils with more complex needs.  Pupils participated in the sports of Football, Athletics and Boccia.

Support was on hand from local clubs and thanks go to Victoria Park Athletics Club, Springburn Harriers, The Tennis Aces, Milngavie Football Club and Lori Ure from SDS.  All participants were given a ‘goody bag’ on departing the event in order to provide further information on how to get involved in local clubs.

Overall, 28 pupils attended with additional support needs.

 

It is plannedto run this event again in 2018, to further enhance the link between local clubs and schools, but to also continue to identify pupils in mainstream schools with additional support needs.

Scottish Rowing

Scottish Rowing: Regional Development Manager (West)

Two year fixed term contract with the option to extend subject to funding

Salary £22-25,000

Scottish Rowing is seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and self-motivated individual to fill the role of Regional Development Manager for the West Region. The successful candidate will have a unique opportunity to grow the sport across the region which includes Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Dumfries and Galloway, North and South Lanarkshire and will share our passion and vision for the development of rowing. This role will require leadership, planning, delivery and communication skills along with the ability to network successfully within the sport and with all current and potential partners and relevant agencies

For a full job description, candidate specification, application and monitoring forms see our website.
http://www.scottish-rowing.org.uk/index.php/about-us/vacancies

OR contact Carol Ann Ellis, Scottish Rowing Administrator.
Telephone: 01698 250206
Email: office@scottish-rowing.org.uk

Application Process:

Applicant to return completed application form, CV and Monitoring form by email to office@scottish-rowing.org.uk, or by post to Scottish Rowing, Scottish Rowing Centre, 366 Hamilton Road, Motherwell, ML1 3ED.

For more information or an informal discussion please contact Mark Senter on 01698 250206 or email mark.senter@scottish-rowing.org.uk

Applications for this position close at noon on Friday 18th August 2017.

Interviews will be held at the Scottish Rowing Centre, on week commencing Monday 28th August 2017.

Scottish Rowing is committed to selecting staff solely on the basis of their ability to do the job for which they are being recruited, and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

Scottish Youngsters Prepare for National Junior Champs

Scotland will be represented at under 19 and under 15 level at this weekend’s National Junior Wheelchair Basketball Championships as they go into battle with the other Home Countries in this highly prestigious event within the youth calendar.  Both age groups will be travelling south of the border with a 10 player squad, supported by the coaching and management staff and will contribute towards nearly 200 talented junior wheelchair basketball players from across the United Kingdom.

The under 19 squad kick off their campaign against London on Saturday afternoon, followed by a fixture later on that day against Northern Ireland.  As England have a greater pool of players to select from, they are in a position to select teams from a number or regions across the country whereas the other Home Countries (Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) select players from across the Nation, highlighting the achievement of being selected to represent your country.  The business end of the under 19 competition gets underway on Sunday and the Scotland team will be confident on improving their 7th place finish in 2016.

This year’s championships will see some new players represent their country for the first time whereas some of the more experienced players will play at this age group competition for the last time.  Josh Manson, currently of West Lothian club Lothian Phoenix, will pull on the Scotland under 19 vest for the last time at these championships having gained valuable experience which has significantly supported his development as a player throughout the years.

The under 15 squad will be keen to equal the result from last year having claimed victory in an 11 strong team competition and the youngsters tip off their defence on Saturday afternoon against Wales (1.40pm).  The young squad will keen to make a better start this year after losing their opening two games of 2016’s competition before remaining unbeaten throughout the remainder of the competition, culminating in a 17 v 8 win against East Midlands to claim the gold medal.

A full player and coach list is highlighted below –

Under 19 Squad Under 15 Squad
1 Rhys Collier (Lothian Phoenix) 1 Jack Caird (Grampian Flyers)
2 Dylan Cummings (Worcester Wolves) 2 Charlie Redmond (Lothian Phoenix)
3 Craig Brown (Lothian Phoenix) 3 Jason Giles (Lothian Phoenix)
4 David Beattie (CWSC Panthers) 4 Ben Flannigan (Lothian Phoenix)
5 Tom McCaffrey (Lothian Phoenix) 5 Blair Marshall (Dundee Dragons)
6 Adam Donnachie (Lothian Phoenix) 6 Logan Kidd (Lothian Phoenix)
7 Josh Manson (Lothian Phoenix) 7 Finlay Erskine (Lothian Phoenix)
8 Cameron Watson (Lothian Phoenix) 8 Sarah McCaffrey (Lothian Phoenix)
9 Ben Leith (Lothian Phoenix) 9 Owen Leitch (Dundee Dragons)
10 James Beattie (CWSC Panthers) 10 Sophia Law (Grampain Flyers)
H/C Jen Scally H/C Niall Ritchie
A/C Gemma Lumsdaine A/C Conor Smart
T/M Tina Gordon T/M Yvonne Amour

 

Updates from the Junior Championships can be seen by following British Wheelchair Basketball on Twitter @BritWheelBBall #LTJC2017.

A full list of fixtures for the 2017 Lord’s Taverners National Junior Championships can be found on the British Wheelchair Basketball website – http://www.britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/gbwba/index.cfm/the-league/juniors-programme/national-junior-champs/national-junior-champs-2017/#598333e448ad1.

*photo credit – under 15 squad member Charlie Redmond at a recent Scottish Disability Sport Para Sport Festival.

The Fantastic Four, Seville

 

Four Scottish players are once again competing in the World Stage after being selected to be part of the Boccia UK Team competing in the Boccia World Open in Seville, Spain, between 2 and 6 August.

Player                                    Classification                      Home Town

Patrick Wilson                      BC3                                        Peebles, Edinburgh

Jamie McCowan                  BC3                                        Dundonald, Ayrshire

Scott McCowan                    BC3                                        Dundonald, Ayrshire

Stephen McGuire                BC4                                        Hamilton, South Lanarkshire

In addition to the players the Scottish contingent includes Boccia UK Performance Coach Claire Morrison and three ramp assistants, Linda McCowan, Gary McCowan and William Wilson

The four players competed in Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and continue to be part of the Boccia UK World Class Programme. Other Boccia UK Team mates competing in Spain are Will Hipwell, Claire Taggart, David Smith and Evie Edwards.

The Boccia UK Players will be looking to have strong performances as this competition contributes to their qualification for athletes taking part for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Scottish Disability Sport wishes them every success in their qualification quest for Tokyo.

This event is being streamed live by BISFed. Click here for the live stream.

SDS with partners will shortly be rolling out new Boccia participation sessions across Scotland thanks to funding through the BIG Lottery Fund.

If you or anyone you know has a disability and would like to try the sport of Boccia please telephone Scottish Disability Sport on 0131 317 1130 or alternatively please  email admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com

Perth and Kinross seek Chairperson and Trustee Members

Perth & Kinross Disability Sport (PKDS) is a voluntary sport group where the main aim is to lead in the development of sport for people with physical, sensory or learning disabilities in partnership with key local and regional agencies in the local authority area of Perth & Kinross and the wider Tayside region. PKDS is a member branch of Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) who are the governing body of sport for athletes and players with a physical, sensory or learning disability. PKDS have achieved SDS Minimum Operating Requirements (MOR) which ensures all governance is up to date and fit for purpose. The committee of PKDS now wishes to appoint a new chair and trustee members to the branch.

To view the Perth and Kinross Disability Sport Chairperson Advert,  please click here

To view the Perth and Kinross Disability Sport Trustees Advert, please click here 

 

Five Scots heading to Mexico!

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to five Scottish Swimmers who have been selected to compete in the World Para Swimming Championships in Mexico which takes place from 30 September – 6 October. 

Three of the swimmers will make their debut in the World Para Swimming Championships.

British Para-Swimming has announced a 26-strong team that features eight Paralympic Champions including Ollie Hynd, Bethany Firth, Ellie Robinson and Matt Wylie alongside eight athletes making their senior international debuts at a major competition.

The swimmers were selected based on impressive performances at the British Summer Championships.

The Scots who make up 20% of the British Team are:

Stephen Clegg – University of Stirling

Conner Morrison – University of Aberdeen

Scott Quin – Warrender

Andrew Mullen – City of Glasgow

Toni Shaw – Cults Otter

Scottish Disability Sport is delighted for the swimmers and wish them every success at the event.

If you or any one you know has a disability and would like to get involved in the sport of swimming please telephone Scottish Disability Sport on 0131 317 1130 or alternatively email admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com

 

Para Bowlers light up Northfield

 

 

 

 

 

Scottish Disability Sport was once again involved in the organisation of the Para Bowls element of the Bowls Scotland National Championships at Ayr Northfield from Friday 27 to Saturday 28 July 2017.

The completion included 28 para bowlers across the physically disabled and visually impaired classification groups in the largest para competition to date at this prestigious event.  Not only was the standard of bowls excellent but the crowds watching the matches showed that there was a real interest amongst the bowls community, whilst also raising the profile considerably.

In the Men’s B6 competition, there was some fine performances across the board but finalists George Guthrie and Fraser Mathieson, who defeated Mike Nicol and Billy Allan respectively, stood out, and rightly progressed to the final on Saturday.  Unfortunately, there was a late call-off from Guthrie, meaning Mathieson was awarded a walkover.  Although not the best way to be crowned national champion, Mathieson will gain great confidence from his performances throughout the event.

The Men’s B7/8 event was very open and this class is always fiercely contested.  Stalwarts such as Michael Simpson, Gary Brown and John Hughes all competed, alongside the 2016 champion, and relative newcomer to para bowls, Brendan Handling.  There was also a notable performance from Gala man, Daniel Porter, who was making his debut at the event.  In the end, it came down to John Hughes and Brendan Handling to contest the final, who were undoubtedly the two most consistent performers.  John Hughes edged it 21-14 to claim the title.

The ladies B7/B8 event was between four players Barbara McMillan, Tracy Black, Rosemary Lenton and Mary Wilson.  After a couple of close semi-finals, it was the experienced McMillan and Lenton who would contest final.  It was nip and tuck throughout the event with neither player giving away very much.  However, it was eventually settled with Lenton winning 21-16.

The men’s B2/B3 event, for players with a visual impairment was contested by Robert Barr (Sarah Jane Ewing), Billy Edgar (Christine Morrow), Ian Graham (Marday Viapooree) and Willie Caulfield (George Miller).  The names in brackets are that of the director who supports on the green by coaching, discussing shot types and calling the head using a clock face.  Following the fiercely contested semi-finals, Robert Barr came up against Ian Graham in the showpiece on the Saturday morning.  This was a one sided affair with Barr and Ewing winning 21-5, adding the national title to the pairs Silver they recently won at the Multi-Nations in Broadbeach, Australia.

The ladies B2/B3 event was a much more open affair, with all four players evenly matched.  Irene Edgar (David Thomas), Maria Spencer (Ron McArthur), Mary Stevenson (Doreen Strachan) and Evelyn Byrne (Grace Whitton) all vying to be crowned the first ever Bowls Scotland National Champion.  The final was eventually contested by Stevenson and Byrne in what turned out to be an epic 21-19 score line in favour of Evelyn Byrne and her director Grace Whitton.

The event was a hugely significant step in the development of high performance para bowls and with the standard being so high, and the many compliments the players received, SDS looks forward to working more closely with our partners at Bowls Scotland.  The National Championships at Northfield is the pinnacle for all bowlers and we are eager to ensure that the event will be considered in the same light for Scotland’s leading para bowlers.

Full results can be found here

Scots Deliver for DeaflympicsGB

The 23rd Summer Deaflympic Games, which had started on July 18 and brought together more than 3 thousand athletes from 97 countries, ended on the 30th of July.

DeaflympicGB were in attendance once again with a team of 62 athletes, 10 of whom were Scots.  GB finished 14th in the medal table wining three golds, one silver and five bronze medals.  Significantly, it was the Scottish athletes who were in form as they won seven of the eight individual medals won, whilst three of the four person 100m mixed relay team were Scottish, in the ninth medal.

To put this in perspective; of all the medals given to GB athletes at the Games, 83% of them, including all three golds, hung around the necks of the Scottish athletes.  A more than significant contribution!

Leading the way in the medal count was Scotland’s exceptional deaf swimmers, Danielle Joyce and Jack McComish, who amassed 7 medals between them.

Joyce claimed double gold in the 100m freestyle and 50m freestyle, as well as double bronze in the 50m backstroke and 4x100m mixed relay.  Whilst, McComish delivered gold in the 100m breaststroke, as well as three bronze medals in the 50m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke and 4x100m mixed relay.  Both swimmers have been involved in Scottish Disability Sport programmes and are real ambassadors for deaf sport.

Lanarkshire ASC swimmer Shiona McClafferty was also part of the 4x100m mixed relay team that won Bronze.

There was Scottish success on the golf course for Perth’s Steven Cafferty who won bronze, following a playoff, in the sports debut at a Deaflympics.

The Deaflympics is the pinnacle for any deaf athlete and it is the second oldest multi-sport and cultural festival in the world, with a proud history stretching back to the first Games in Paris, in 1924. The event ensures that high performance athletes with a hearing impairment get that same Olympic experience as their hearing counterparts.

For more information please see:
http://ukdeafsport.org.uk/deaflympics/

http://deaflympics2017.org/en/home-page