MIDDLESBROUGH girl Karen Kelly has won a place in the National Boccia Championships after winning gold in the regional finals.
Karen, who has cerebral palsy, beat off competition from 40 of the North-East's finest players for the place in the fast-growing sport, which is similar to French boules.
Cerebral Palsy Sport manager Shirley Hughes said: "The standard of the competition was really high and I am delighted that Karen will go on to represent Middlesbrough in the national finals.
"Boccia is a fantastic game and it allows able-bodied and disabled people to compete with each other."
The finals are to be held in Sheffield this weekend and are sponsored by npower.
Company spokesman Gary Doig said: "Karen has done extremely well and everyone at npower wishes her all the best.
"Hopefully, she will be lucky enough to be selected to join the training and coaching sessions of the Great Britain World Class Performance Squad.
"We strive to create opportunities for people with disabilities and look forward to continuing our programme of events with initiatives such as Cerebral Palsy Sport."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article