A RNIB College learner has been celebrating after winning the National Boccia Championships 2011. Natasha Floyd attended the event held in Sheffield on 26th/27th March and after 5 games over two-days she beat her opponent with the last throw of the match.

Boccia is a sport similar to French Boules, the aim is to score as many points as possible by placing a set of coloured balls closest to the white 'Jack' ball. This can be done by rolling, throwing or kicking the balls.

Natasha, who is completely blind, began playing the sport at the RNIB College Loughborough just over a year ago. She trains every Monday night for an hour to maintain her skills. A foam board, known as a grid is used to tell Natasha where the balls are positioned and by feeling the grid she can decide where to aim. On the first day of the event she sailed through her first 3 games winning 12-0, 7-1 and 11-0.

She later went on to win the semi finals 8-0 securing her place in the final. This match proved to be the toughest yet as the score went to 3-3 and a tiebreak was needed to decide the winner. On the last throw of the game Natasha explained how the position of her opponent's balls made for a near impossible shot. However after letting go she heard the cheers of her parents in the crowed as it smashed it's way through, leaving Natasha's ball closet to the Jack. This final point ended the match and Natasha was named a Boccia National Champion, winning 4-3. Natasha is the first blind person to have won this title since the use of the grid and new rules were introduced.

At Paralympics level Boccia is currently only played by people who have cerebral palsy, however it can be played by anyone at a recreational or competitive level. Natasha is now trying to raise awareness of the sport to make it more available to blind people who want to get involved.

Find out more about Boccia on the Boccia England website.