Sian Jones hails from Goodwick and is gradually climbing the ranks of boccia, the disability sport which allows her to compete at national level, where she is an established member of the Welsh squad which has competed in the Home Countries Championships over recent years.

Sian uses a wheelchair for mobility but is able to throw the six balls at the white jack allowed at each end, with a sharp eye and competitive spirit linked to a tactical awareness that has served her well.

Great help from mum Liz and Angela Miles . . .

Her individual coach is her mother Liz, who qualified under the guidance of Angela Miles, the Disability Sport Officer for Pembrokeshire, who works out of County Hall in a team led by Ben Field at Sport Pembrokeshire.

"Angela used to be my one-to-one carer when I was in Ysgol Wdig Primary School and then at Ysgol Bro Gwaun as I got older - and is like a second mother to me," admitted Sian, "and  she was with my until I was 18, when she got involved with the council and I went off to Pembrokeshire College.

Whilst Jacob and Mike are also brilliant. . . 

"It was she who got me started in Boccia when she took me to Crymych Leisure Centre to watch Jacob Thomas, who was a brilliant player, a Paralympian and a terrific support for me.

"Jacob and his smashing father Mike spent time explaining how the game worked and even let me borrow his spare set of balls until I got my own."

For the uninitiated, Boccia is similar to the French game of boules, or short mat bowls, but with the difference that one player has a red set of balls and the other has blue, and their texture can range from being soft like a bean bag or hard as rock so that competitors use them in a sequence of their own choice as part of the tactical aspect.

"I took to it pretty well from the start," said Sian,” and we were soon travelling up to Crymych to play once a fortnight when a club was established.

In at the deep end – with new rules aplenty!

"I was soon doing quite well at my own level but suddenly realised how high the standard could be when I enrolled for the Welsh Championships at the National Centre for Excellence at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

"Talk about being thrown in at the deep end! It was a real eye-opener, to say the least!

"By then my mother Liz had qualified as coach, as I did so that I could help others, and gave me every encouragement, but all of a sudden I found myself being told about a wide range of rules that I had never heard of - like the fact that mum could hand me the ball I asked for but wasn't allowed to offer any advice.

"She did let out a sharp breath at times when I made a mistake but I was so nervous that I didn't really notice most of the time!"

Other sports

Outside of her boccia, Sian has also enjoyed sailing at the local water sports centre and on one occasion told her instructor that she thought they should tack into the wind but he thought otherwise and was spluttering an apology as they both found themselves in the water, laughing like mud as the rescue boat broke its record to reach them!

She also went Riding for the Disabled in St Davids and had a great time, other than the odd tumble – and again she was back on in a flash and just got on with her enjoyment!

Family matters

Sian would be the first to say that her mum Liz and dad Tony have been a terrific support as part of a sports-minded family where they support Goodwick United at every opportunity, with Tony as a chairman and former groundsman at Phoenix Park.

"My sister Anna played football, hockey and netball and my brothers Wayne and Dai also played for Goodwick United.

"They have also helped me with preparing for boccia because when I needed a special ball-holder to attach to my wheelchair it was Dai who made my first one and when that broke Wayne stepped in to make my current one, which not only has a Welsh dragon on it but my name as well so that it looks very smart!

A game of real skill

If Sian has learned anything about Boccia it is the fact that it is a game of real skill - and Liz described it as like chess but with a set of balls for each player.

"Another skill is the choice of which balls to pick for a game and which texture ball is needed at a given time," she told us, "and another technique that Sian has developed to make up for a lack of arm power to play games over long distances, is how to block the way to the jack for opponents until she can choose to play ends at the distances she likes.

Welsh honours follow

It clearly works because Sian made her Welsh debut in the UK team championships in Sterling, Scotland, and since played at other venues at this high level in Stoke-on-Trent, Wigan, Guildford and Edinburgh, where she bowled beautifully to reach the semi-finals.

Both Sian, and Liz as her coach, are neatly kitted out in red tee shirts and a hoody, with a real buzz at the venues as crowds turn up to watch.
"They only help to make me nervous," said Sian,” but I know that I am getting better every year, so that is the main thing.

"Sian needs to learn to keep her head up when things aren't going well," added Liz,” but I'm sure that will come with experience!"

"My only trouble is that in recent matches I always seem to be drawn against Nigel Murray, who represented Great Britain in the Paralympics, but I enjoy it and I'll know I have really reached the top if ever I manage to beat him," said Sian with a typical chuckle!

Hard work is a help – and so is help from friends

Sian has settled well into a real commitment to hard work as she trains at least twice a week, with Dai Price taking on the role of me weekly opponent at Fishguard Leisure Centre and another session at Haverfordwest - and is lucky that she is also allowed to practice on the top deck of 'HMS Skirmisher', the home of the sea cadets in her home town.

"It's got a lovely flat deck and plenty of room for me, and I would like to thank Susan Gittins, who has now become a District Officer, and Chris Peake, who has taken over and really given me every encouragement.

"I have been lucky to have wonderful support from Jacob Thomas, who is my Boccia hero; his parents Mike and Caroline, plus his sister Polly Thomas; whilst Carol Gittins and the late Pauline Bean spent many days travelling off with mum to cheer me on."

Community support pays off

“I have also had terrific help from the band called ‘Review’, the Phoenix Centre, the Cambrian Inn, Fishguard & Goodwick Lions, and Fishguard and Goodwick Buffs.”

Ask Sian about ambitions and she would tell you:
"To keep playing, to keep enjoying it, to keep playing for Wales and perhaps winning a Welsh title would be the icing on the cake!"

Chat to Sian Jones for a short while and her cheerful enthusiasm for Boccia becomes very evident - we did that and would like to wish this charming young lady every success in the future because no-one deserves it more!