BC3 Pair win silver medal at European Championships
June 28th, 2009. In: Boccia, CPSI28/06/2009 - Boccia: BC3 Pair win silver medal at European Championships
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The Irish BC3 Pair today secured the European Championship silver medal in Portgual, after the narrowest of defeats in today’s final in a tie-break against the hosts. It marked the end of great day for Irish Boccia, with the BC1/BC2 Team narrowly missing out on a medal with defeat in the 3rd/4th place play off game against Spain.
The day started poorly for the Irish BC3 Pair of Cronin, Valentine & O’Grady with defeat in their final Pool C match against Greece. The Pair looked to be heading out of the competition but secured one of the two best third place finishing spots. This gave them a tough quarter final draw against the mighty Spanish, who topped their pool. In one of the upsets of the event, the Irish won the match in a score of 4:2. Next up were the Belgians, who the Irish had been defeated by in their pool. In the semi final however the Irish won out 7:3 to secure their final place. In a breathtaking final, the Pairs were level 6:6 each after the regulation four ends. The Irish narrowly lost out by one ball in the tie break to end with the silver medal.
In the BC1/BC2 Team event, the Irish Team of Moran, Leahy, Connolly & Kearney had a convincing quarter final victory, 8:2, against Norway setting up a semi final against Great Britain. In a tight match, the Irish lost 5:2 and followed this with a further narrow 6:2 defeat to Spain.
The Irish players now look forward to the individual competition which commences on Tuesday with confidence, knowing that their qualification attempts for London 2012 have received a significant boost this weekend in Portugal.
INFO Source - Paralympic Council of Ireland - www.pcireland.ie