Jersey and Guernsey go head-to-head in virtual boccia tournament

Tuesday, 12 November 2024 08:30

A new inter-islands sporting rivalry is on the horizon, with teams going head-to-head in the Channel Islands' first virtual boccia tournament.

Boccia is a paralympic sport, similar to bowls and pétanque, that is designed to be played by people with severe physical disabilities.

It involves rolling six balls to various targets, with the winner being the person who gets theirs closest.

Today (12 November) it will be played by Jersey and Guernsey teams in an island-first virtual competition.

Nicky Wills from Guernsey Sport tells us how this will work:

"For the inter-insular, we're going to have a target on the floor and each player will have six balls. Basically, they've got to try an get as many points as possible.

"So the target is a bit like an archery target. The loser you are top the middle you get the most points, the further you are out you'll get less points.

"With your six balls, we'll add up all the points and that will go towards your team. That's how we're able to play virtually. The Guernsey player will play their six balls, then the Jersey player will do the same.

"Through the wonders of technology, we'll be getting live pictures between both islands as each player plays. We'll be having live discussions between the two islands and we'll have live scores updating all the time."

Guernsey's team will be made up of people from Guernsey Alzheimer's, Guernsey Mobility Let's Go and children from St Martin's Primary School.

It's rival squad consists of pupils from St Saviour's Primary School and two adult teams that have been training in collaboration with learning disability charity Mencap.

The event starts at 1pm at Beau Sejour Sports Hall in Guernsey and at Fort Regent in Jersey.