Wiltshire Boccia athlete aiming for Paris Paralympics

Sally Kidson (L) and her playing partner Will (R) recently qualified for Team GB

Greek in origin, Boccia is a sport that is considered by those who play it to be "one of the least-known in the world" .

It is a target sport in which the aim is for players to push coloured balls as close as possible to a white ball called the Jack.

One of its players, Sally Kidson from Salisbury, Wiltshire, is among the best and helped the Team GB qualify for the Paralympics in Paris in August.

"I'm so happy to see other disabled people getting opportunities that they didn't know even existed," she said.

The ball can be thrown, rolled, bounced or kicked and a ramp can be used if the player is unable to release the ball with their hands.

Sally was introduced to the sport at primary school and has played it ever since - now competing at an international level.

She said she is "so happy" and is in a "crazy little world".

"I didn't take Boccia seriously, sport was never my thing as a child. I still can't quite believe it," Sally, 19, said.

Boccia was originally designed for people with cerebral palsy, and is now played by people with a wide range of disabilities making it one of the fastest-growing disability sports in the world.

Sally said her school did not have Boccia equipment, so they improvised with a "piece of plumbing and some balls from a shop".

From there she continued to play and when the UK was placed into lockdown in April 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, Sally took the time to improve and "learn what it takes to be good, and get my foot in the door with the GB squad".

Sally plays with a handpointer - a telescopic metal stick used to hit the ball off the ramp with, and works with a ramp operator who takes her instructions.

She said there are many tactics and strategies involved, such as different hardness of balls and different positioning of your jacks based on the player's strengths or the opponent's.

'Everybody can play Boccia'

Sally and her team have qualified for Paris 2024 and she is currently waiting for her place on Paralympics Team GB to be confirmed.

When they were competing for qualification, she started as the second seed from the bottom and won.

"This time six to eight months ago we were losing hope," Sally said.

"We had messed up a few opportunities. It's very difficult to qualify."

Sally said the work people are doing to promote the sport is "incredible", such as pushing it to every primary school in the country.

Hannah, who is Sally's ramp operator, said they have become "a unit".

"We spend so much time together, it's kind of a siblings thing. Where she goes I go," she said.

Sally said: "I'm so happy to see other disabled people getting opportunities as well that they did not know even existed.

"If you don't know a sport exists that you can play, you're not going to play it."

Players will propel coloured balls to land as closest to the white ball, known as the Jack