PATRICK WILSON from Cardrona won his maiden Boccia British title with a convincing win over World Number 1 Jacob Thomas at the Boccia championships last weekend.

The 2015 Boccia Championships of Great Britain were held at Edinburgh Napier University and Patrick felt that the location of this year's tournament played a big part in his success.

Speaking to the Peeblesshire News he said: “Having the British Championships so nearby this time gave me a big lift. It felt like home advantage. I still knew it would be difficult, but that definitely helped.”

Boccia is a precision ball sport, similar to bowls and pétanque. The sport is contested at local, national and international levels, by athletes with physical disabilities.

It was originally designed to be played by people with cerebral palsy but now includes athletes with other severe disabilities affecting motor skills.

Boccia players are assigned to one of four sport classes depending on their functional ability. Patrick was competing in the BC3 section of this year's championships. Earlier this year, Patrick was part of the The Great Britain squad for the 2015 Boccia European Team and Pairs Championships in Surrey.

After his win, thoughts will now turn to selections for the World Championships in Rio in March 2016. Patrick said: “That has to be the aim. I don't want to be over-confident, but I feel that I have a good chance of making selection.”