Earlier this week, a team of year 5 & 6 pupils took the short journey to Basildon Sporting Village to compete in the Essex boccia finals. The team consisted of pupils who don't often get to represent the school in sports competitions, so their excitement at the opportunity was clear to see.

But what is boccia I hear you say. Boccia is a team sport which has similarities to carpet bowls. A team of 3 plays in a match, with the aim of getting their coloured ball closer to the 'jack' than the other team. Despite the aim of the game being quite simple, many tactics and techniques are required to be successful in boccia.

The team were drawn in pool 2 along with three other schools from across Essex. Their first game ended 0-3 to Lee Chapel, with Lily Benson and Max Foy making excellent shots to secure the win. This was followed by a tense 2-1 win which was won in the final shot by Alice Branch, whose accuracy was perfect and stole the win. Their final match ended in a 1-1 which saw them win the group and progress to the final four.

Once the first round of group matches ended, Lee Chapel were placed in a new group with the three other group winners. All four teams had been excellent so it was going to be a tough set of matches. However, Lee Chapel pulled off an outstanding 7-0 win in their first match, with incredible shots from Bobby O'Keefe and Jayden Purdy. This was followed by a very tight match which Lee Chapel narrowly won 2-0. Bill Goodgame came up with the match-winning shots on this occasion.