Warming up in Rome for the Worlds

British boccia stars will be battling it out against the world’s best next week when they head to Rome.

The event is labelled as part of World Boccia’s new Challenger series which is designed to provide more competitive opportunities for up-and-coming players from all corners of the globe. But with the World Championships in Rio looming on the horizon, the British squad are under no illusions when it comes to the quality of players on court:

“This is the last event now before the World Champs so every team that will be there will be really strong,” says Will Arnott from Reading. “It may not be called a World Cup by name but that’s what it is and that’s what we’re preparing for.”

In August, Arnott returned home from the Veldhoven Challenger with two silver medals from the individual and the BC3 Pairs competition, together with Robyn McBride who will also feature in Rome.

“It was really good to get a strong result at the last tournament and hopefully I can build on that and earn a place at the World Championships,” adds Arnott.

“The medals in Veldhoven reflected my commitment but also that of my ramp assistant, Connor Welfare who helps prepare everything. He puts in an incredible amount of hours, long after I’ve left the court, to make the balls run straighter.”

Edinburgh’s Patrick Wilson completes the BC3 line-up.

Northern Ireland’s Claire Taggart is also relishing the challenge of returning to competition after becoming a double gold medallist at the World Cup in Povoa in July, winning not only the individual competition but also the Team event with Paralympic gold medallist David Smith OBE and Will Hipwell.

Now sitting in the World No.2 ranking spot, the BC2 player from Larne will be aiming for a repeat performance:

“I’m looking forward to competing in Rome and also it will be my first time in Italy. Povoa was a special event for me and I’m hoping that I will play well and see what happens. It’s great to compete against the best in the world, especially in preparation for the World Championships in December.

Smith and Hipwell will also feature in the British line-up:

“It’s the first time we’ve competed in Rome so it’s good to go somewhere new,” says Smith, who is a three-time Paralympic gold medallist. “I saw it in the calendar and really fancied going and obviously it’ll be a good warm-up for the Worlds in what’s a really iconic city.”

But he’s certainly not feeling complacent after winning gold in the Team event in Povoa this summer:

“Our job is not to get carried away by past results. It shone a spotlight on what is possible for us when everything comes together and whilst it was great, Povoa wasn’t perfect by any means for us. We are still outside the top four in the world rankings. Our focus is purely on competing better than in Povoa and the result will be what will be.”

Completing the squad are Steph McGuire and Fiona Muirhead in the BC4 category. Both from Lanarkshire, McGuire – who became European Champion last November - continues his rehabilitation after major injury last winter which required extensive surgery. Muirhead is relatively new to international competitions having made her British debut at the World Cup in Povoa in July.